Even assuming conversion works flawless, I don't think full migration is possible.
I bet archive.org has zillions of files that now aren't easily readable anymore. Do you think it is realistic to expect them to fetch every single copy from storage and convert it? I bet they cannot even find _all_ of them, given that documents may be embedded in mailbox files of various formats, in disk images, in usenet posts, in archives using various obsolete compression methods, embedded using OLE in other files, etc.
Even if they can find them, conversion in-place may not be possible. A file inside some archive file may grow in size, making the archive file larger than the archive file format allows.
For example, a few years after they declared conversion done, somebody could find an old CD and upload an old brochure or logo. A converted version may already be available, but how would that somebody know that that file looks the same? All they have are the files, and they are different.
Except for scale, archive.org isn't exceptional here. Large corporations face the same issue. They likely will bite the bullet, though, keep around some way to convert files for a few years after they declare to be 'done', and accept that some data will be lost after that.
I bet archive.org has zillions of files that now aren't easily readable anymore. Do you think it is realistic to expect them to fetch every single copy from storage and convert it? I bet they cannot even find _all_ of them, given that documents may be embedded in mailbox files of various formats, in disk images, in usenet posts, in archives using various obsolete compression methods, embedded using OLE in other files, etc.
Even if they can find them, conversion in-place may not be possible. A file inside some archive file may grow in size, making the archive file larger than the archive file format allows.
For example, a few years after they declared conversion done, somebody could find an old CD and upload an old brochure or logo. A converted version may already be available, but how would that somebody know that that file looks the same? All they have are the files, and they are different.
Except for scale, archive.org isn't exceptional here. Large corporations face the same issue. They likely will bite the bullet, though, keep around some way to convert files for a few years after they declare to be 'done', and accept that some data will be lost after that.