2006.04.19 23:27 "Re: [Tiff] PDF/A vs. TIFF", by Leonard Rosenthol

I happen to believe that the TIFF specification is one of the best quality file format specifications available. I have seen few that are better.

I never said it wasn't...

BUT it IS incomplete when it comes to documenting the ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM of TIFF in use today. And that's the crux.

It's not that TIFF COULDN'T be modified to serve the same purpose, by going through the same process that PDF did to become PDF/A....Just that it hasn't.

It is rather difficult to know what the world of computing will be like 100 years from now.

Yes it is.

And that fact the documents in the US National Archives are required to be maintained "until the end of the republic" and that documents related to the Nuclear Reg. Agency have to maintained for the half-life of any materials in use....100 years is NOTHING!

Based on rapid advances in recent history, in 100 years a "computer" might be an organic mass more like a human brain, it may be completely optical, or based on something we are not even aware of yet.

It may well be...

But the problems of hardware and software are handled by a different group in ISO...The committees responsible for electronic file formats (PDF, TIFF/IT, etc.) don't have to worry about that aspect ;).

Leonard

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Leonard Rosenthol <mailto:leonardr@pdfsages.com>
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