Moving information

Posted by Randall Shinn
Nov 27, 2007 at 01:51 PM

Recent discussions about possibly shifting operating systems (for any reason whatsoever) raises a perennial issue. After spending years putting information into one format or one software program, how much effort will it take to move it elsewhere?

Remember floppy disks, and zip drives? Remember DOS? Remember programs like GrandView and Ecco that were so stellar in certain respects that some people still use them, despite the fact that their development ceased years ago? Change is inevitable when technology, operating systems, and software development are involved. And as users, some change is forced upon us when old technology or software is no longer supported by newer products.

Thinking about this has me really thinking hard about the export capabilities of some of the software programs that I use. Is the format cross platform? Can it be exported to something that is? Can database information be exported with most of its structure intact? How easily can the information in this program be exchanged with another program? In the long run, such questions are crucial. If transitions from one technology or software program to another prove too tedious, information may get left behind.

Randall