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Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 13:11:17 -0700
From: "James A. Smith" <jas@pixi.com>
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Subject: Re: Space Simulator
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William Dubiak wrote:
> 
> This brings up an issue that has bothered me for a long time. A lot
> of people are looking for, and might well use quite happily or
> productively, software that is out of circulation, and no longer
> supported. In many cases, the company that wrote the software, no longer
> even exists.
>    Couldn't we as citizens of the Internet create a junkyard for such
> software, where we can legally deposit our old programs, for others to
> obtain. And, better yet, wouldn't it be nice if some of the software
> companies that are milking the Internet for millions would contribute
> all of their old products? Wasn't the copyright law originally
> implemented to "encourage creativity, and promote the progress of
> science and useful arts." Isn't it, in this and similar cases, doing the
> exact opposite?
>    Years ago, I purchased a copy of Microsoft Space Simulator. I still
> maintain a working copy of it on my present machine, despite the fact
> that it's a crappy program by today's standard, and several of the
> original disks have long been quite unreadable. I would willingly zip up
> the directory contents and send it to Chris Simms, but I would most
> likely be committing an act of software piracy by doing so. And, for all
> I know, Chris Simms may be an FBI agent trying to entrap real software
> pirates by requesting a seemingly innocuous piece of software.
>    I guess, what I really wanted to say was, "Sorry, Chris, I have it
> but I can't give it to you."

Very true on all points.
It would be nice if the major companies out there gave the source code
to old software or at least let the compiled programs go into the public
domain.

But as is the case with the "major" companies around there in it for the
$$$ not to help anybody.

-- 
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/powerdos/main.html
