TL;DR
Commenters recommended mixing durable physical media with format choices and offline copies to maximize survivability. Practical steps include engraving on low-reactivity metal, printing on archival paper, using fired ceramics, preferring plain-text formats and static-site exports, and keeping redundant offline archives.
What happened
In response to a question about keeping a website accessible for a century, contributors weighed options across physical and digital preservation. Suggestions emphasized durable physical encodings—engraving content onto low-reactivity metals (titanium was named), printing on archival paper with carbon toner or high-grade inks, and creating fired ceramic (clay) tablets. Commenters noted brass or bronze as possible metals but warned about corrosion reducing legibility and recommended larger text or tactile encodings like braille. On the digital side, the conversation advised minimizing format obsolescence by using plain-text-friendly formats (for example, markdown or semantic XML rather than PDFs), choosing simple standardized formats for audio/video, and preferring static-site generators or periodically exporting dynamic sites as static copies. Finally, participants urged storing offline zipped copies, keeping them with other long-term family documents, and distributing redundant copies to relatives.
Why it matters
- Physical media choices affect the chance that written content remains legible despite environmental degradation.
- Choosing simple, human-readable file formats reduces the risk of future inability to open or render content.
- Relying solely on a hosting service leaves content vulnerable to service changes, account issues, or loss.
- Redundancy—multiple media types and distributed copies—increases the likelihood that at least one copy survives a century.
Key facts
- Engraving onto a low-reactivity metal such as titanium was recommended as a high-reliability option.
- Printing a backup on archival paper using carbon toner or art-grade ink/dye was suggested alongside metal engraving.
- Brass or bronze can work but may corrode; larger text or tactile encodings (e.g., braille) were proposed to mitigate legibility loss.
- Fired ceramic (clay) tablets were cited as a long-lasting physical medium that can endure for very long periods.
- Use plain-text-friendly formats (examples given: markdown or semantic XML) to help future readability; avoid formats like PDFs according to commenters.
- For audio and video, prefer the simplest, highly standardized formats to reduce obsolescence risk.
- Prefer static-site generators for websites; if a dynamic site is required, periodically export a static version.
- Do not rely entirely on your hosting provider—keep offline copies (for example, zipped) and store them with other heir-accessible documents.
- Distribute redundant copies to relatives to increase the chance of long-term preservation.
What to watch next
- Monitor format obsolescence by choosing simple, standardized file types and checking them periodically.
- Watch for hosting-service changes or account issues; keep independent offline copies rather than relying only on an online host.
- not confirmed in the source
- not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Archival paper: Paper manufactured to resist deterioration over time, often acid-free and designed for long-term storage.
- Static site generator: A tool that builds a website as static files (HTML/CSS/JS) from templates and source content, reducing runtime dependencies.
- Format obsolescence: The risk that a file format becomes unreadable because software or systems that support it are no longer available.
- Low-reactivity metal: A metal that resists corrosion and chemical reaction in most environments, chosen for durability of inscriptions.
Reader FAQ
Will engraving on metal guarantee my website survives 100 years?
Commenters suggested metal engraving (titanium named) as high-reliability, often combined with other media; a guarantee was not stated.
Are PDFs recommended for long-term preservation?
No. The discussion recommended preferring plain-text or human-readable formats (markdown or semantic XML) and advised against PDFs.
Is relying on a hosting provider enough?
No. The advice was to store offline zipped copies and distribute redundant copies to relatives rather than depending solely on hosting.
Is using brass or bronze acceptable?
Yes, but commenters warned that corrosion can reduce legibility and suggested larger text or tactile approaches like braille.
Should I convert my dynamic site to static?
The source recommended preferring static-site generators and, for dynamic sites, periodically exporting a static version.
For high reliability, I think I would suggest engraving it into a low reactivity nonvaluable metal, perhaps titanium sheet would be a good choice. Couple that with a backup on…
Sources
- Ask HN: How to make my website exist for 100 years?
- Century-Scale Storage
- The Internet gets processed here: Archiving the web*
- Web Archiving: The process of collecting and storing …
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