"The first part of the solution, of course, is to only save files in open, standard formats which give the greatest possible guarantees to remain readable in the future with any software. The other, which is the subject of a three part miniseries starting today, is to always have backup copies of each file.
"In this article we'll begin with some essential criteria to follow when planning backups. Then we'll show a very simple backup script. It may not be glamorous, but will be surely work on any distribution or Desktop Environment you may use in the foreseable future.
"Basic Criteria
"The first rule of backups is to store them in a separate place. If you store both the originals and the backups on the same computer, one hardware failure is all you need to lose everything for good: always copy on external drives or somewhere online your backups!"
