If it had survived long-term, DS would have typically changed with each cycle of new actors (a new generation, if you will), much like like every other soap opera. We certainly wouldn't remember it in the "time capsule" way that is being discussed here. I think that DS would be characterized more like many other soaps, had it survived for many more years. There would have probably had to have been a softening and slowing of the show from its hard-core gothic/supernatural base. You would have probably seen a return to the "Jane Eyre" type atmosphere, with more emphasis on typical soap themes: romance, conflict, marriages, etc. These themes typically are higher percentage in terms of long-term success in daytime. However, every so often, the show could have erupted back into the supernatural essence that made it a hit originally. You would see scenarios like "the return of Barnabas," much as GH recently saw the return of Scorpio. An interesting "what if" to think about, for sure.
Petofi