To get older programs... Abandonware

2002/05/01 Lasa Iglesias, Aitziber - STEAM Hezkuntza arloko arduraduna Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Internet

L. L. ARTS

Technically, abandonware is a software piracy. If it is limited to the law, the use of abandoned software, hence the word abandonware, violates the copyright law. That is, according to this law, a copy of a program cannot be made until 75 years have elapsed since the company that has published it has obtained the copyright. Faced with this, various initiatives have been carried out to facilitate the access of manufacturers to operating systems and/or older programs.

For example, one of these successful initiatives has been carried out by the inventor of the spreadsheet VisiCalc, Daniel Bricklin. In fact, for your application to be accessible to anyone, you obtained the authorization of Lotus Development and introduced it to the Internet. Lotus bought VisiCalc in 1985, but today can not be purchased anywhere. However, thanks to the abandonware movement, who needs it can access it.

Thus, the supporters of the abandonware movement claim that abandonware should not be considered piracy. And it is that programs that are less than four years old or that are still on sale are not abandonware. What's more, if a company decided to resell a certain program, from that moment it would no longer be abandonware.

History of Abandonware

In some cases the competition, in other cases the appearance of new versions by the producer or the disappearance of the machine itself (Atari, Amiga, ...) have caused eleven programs to be excluded.

L. L. ARTS

In February 1997, two Israeli computers discovered that obsolete computers could not access the programs. Thus, the first, Peter Ringering, established the Old Computer Area (Oldie Computer Site) and the second the Classic Gaming Archive (Classic Gaming Archive). Soon they joined a lot of players and each offered their space. In March, Peter Ringering joined forces and set up Abandware Ring Central, the current Abandonware Ring.

But what could be expected happened, and with the law there were many problems and space was closed. However, the alias Swizzle took the witness of the previous one, a result of what is currently underway.

What can be found in abandonware?

Image of a game that can be obtained in Abandonware.

Among the games available are classics like Civilization, Doom, Monkey Island, SimCity and Tomb Raider and many more. The 386 Page includes IBM OS/2, several versions of Microsoft MS DOS, first Windows and others less known as Tandy Deskmate 3.69 or Quarterdeck DESQview/X 2.1. On the other hand, in the space called 21st Century Oldies ( http://21ct.gooddays.org/apps.html ) is the Apple II emulator for Windows, Norton Commander, 3 for Windows, the prestigious Quick database, Winamp music readers or the DOS driver. Other sites of this type: www.abandwarering.com ; To access older Apple programs: www.info.apple.com/support/oldersoftwelist.html