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→Physical Reliability vs. Digital Storage
;1. Access Control and Ownership:
:'''Digital Storage''': "While digital storage offers convenience, ownership of digital media can be murky. Unlike owning a physical copy of a game or movie, digital ownership often grants a license to access the content, not true ownership. For example: digital store platforms like Steam may have policies that restrict access to your digital library after death.[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/05/after-you-die-your-steam-games-will-be-stuck-in-legal-limbo/]."
:'''Physical Storage''': "Physical media provides a sense of tangible ownership, even though some copy protection methods may limit resale or sharing options. Most of the time you still have greater control over your discs or cartridges compared to digital ownership."
;2. Long-Term Preservation:
:'''Digital Storage''': "Digital storage formats and platforms can become obsolete over time. Reading a floppy disk today is a challenge, and future technology might not be able to access current digital formats. Long-term preservation of digital media requires ongoing migration and maintenance. Although there are several convenient options such as using Network-attached storage (NAS) or cloud service providers for your digital storage and preservation.":'''Physical Storage''': "While physical Physical media can degrade over time due to disc rot or scratches. Disc rot is a gradual chemical breakdown of the disc's reflective layer, rendering the data unreadable over time and is a concern for long-term data archiving.[https://youtu.be/BYwvC6kDxUg] However , with proper care, physical discs and cartridges can last for decades. They are , making them a more reliable format for long-term archival purposes. The drawback is the significant physical storage space they require."
;3. Vulnerability to Loss:
;4. Censorship and Availability:
:'''Digital Storage''': "Digital content can be censored or removed from online platforms by the provider or due to copyright issues. This can lead to the loss of access to previously purchased digital media. Digital content on platforms like Android can be especially vulnerable to access loss. Providers may remove content from digital stores due to censorship, copyright issues even after purchase, or simply decide to delist the software entirely.[https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/12246761] This is compounded by the challenge of preserving older mobile software. Many older applications, with their associated APK and data files, become unusable over time due to a lack of proper preservation efforts. Even those successfully preserved applications can still face hurdles due to restrictive copy protection methods like defunct activation check servers."
:'''Physical Storage''': "Physical media offers more control over access and censorship. Once you own a physical copy, it cannot be easily removed or altered by a third party."
:''This section is for informational purposes only.''
Distributors rarely release official patches to bypass activation, updates that remove online activation requirements altogether, if their servers are down. Some software cracks bypass copy protection checks, allowing installation and use of software without the original disc. These modified executables, often called "NoCD" or "NoDVD" cracks, are distributed on illegal sources. See [[ROM_%26_ISO_sites#Bypassing_Copy_Protection]] section.
On mobile platforms like Android, a large number of older software applications are unusable today due to copy protection. As a result, some users resort to patching the executables to bypass the protection and preserve the files including "APK and Data" files. But as mentioned in [[Copy_protection#Physical_Reliability_vs._Digital_Storage]] section, even those successfully preserved applications can still face hurdles due to restrictive copy protection methods like defunct activation check servers.
=Download required and online dependent discs=
