Does anyone know how long a memory card will hold picture data while disconnected from any power source without the quality deteriorating? Is the safe holding time measured in days, weeks, months, years or lightyears?

-- Bob Benson (benson@gbasin.com), April 19, 1999

Answers

Bob, memory cards are made with non-volatile memory. In other words, it does not lose its contents when power is removed. There should be no loss of data with time.

-- Steve (tuna-boat-captain@ibm.net), April 19, 1999.

As far as I know, the amount of time most non-volatile memory technologies are rated for is about ten years as a "cover-our-keesters" measure. In actual practice it's estimated many of them will retain data for 100 years with no trouble. I'll email you in 2099 and let ya' know. :-)

Nothin' fer nothin':

By the way, Light-years are a measure of distance, not time. One Light-year is equivalent to the distance light travels in one year or about 5,865,696,000,000 miles. That's roughly the same distance the average man will drive searching for an appropriate store the first time he's sent to buy any feminine hygiene product. Yup, that was a looooong way to go for a bad joke... :-p

-- Gerald Payne (gmp@francorp.francomm.com), April 19, 1999.