

Abandonware archive - gjvc
http://vetusware.com/

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chris_wot
"Cascade/DB is a revolutionary new relational database engine that can store
complex objects in single rows, so you don't have to decompose your data into
multiple tables. With Cascade, your apps contain fewer tables, and are faster
to design, simpler to code, and easier to maintain. And they run up to 40
times faster due to fewer joins. All without breaking any relational rules."

NoSQL for the 90s!

[http://vetusware.com/manufacturer/MicroQuill%20Software%20Pu...](http://vetusware.com/manufacturer/MicroQuill%20Software%20Publishing_%20Inc./?author=1088)

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ekianjo
I doubt most of this is legal. MSdos 6, for example, is still copyrighted as
far as I know, and Microsoft can still enforce its rights...

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zokier
There is not really any doubt about it. Pirating Windows 1.0 is as illegal as
pirating Windows 8.1.

Abadonware as a concept/word is invented purely to make the people involved
feel good about their illegitimate activity.

~~~
rwmj
"Illegitimate"? It's certainly illegal, but there is a very open question
about whether it should be legal, and I would say that archiving, organizing
and making freely available software that has no/little commercial value is a
legitimate activity.

Other types of intellectual property can be abandoned, so why not copyright?
Patents are ineffective unless the owner actively enforces their rights by
suing infringers. And trademarks are abandoned simply by not being used[1].

So why not let copyright lapse unless the owner regularly files for renewal,
perhaps with a small fee attached to discourage auto-renewal.

[1]
[http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/abandonment_of_trademark](http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/abandonment_of_trademark)

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Nursie
I'm pretty sure you're wrong about patents, I think that the non-enforcement
thing relates to trademarks as well.

Still, I don't disagree, I think an abandonware archive is a good thing. I
always loved that Home Of The Underdogs (for example) existed, so I could get
hold of old DOS games I used to own in the 80s but have long since lost.

~~~
_delirium
One doesn't lose a patent for non-enforcement (though it's possible equitable
doctrines like laches could complicate future suits after a period of non-
enforcement). However patents do require frequent explicit renewal, like
copyright used to: maintenance fees have to be paid at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5
years after the patent is granted, or it expires early.

~~~
Fuxy
This is just a though but how cool would it be if after 20 years of copyright
you would be required to pay a small fee that would grow exponentially and is
required to be payed every 5 years.

If a corporation values its copyright that much their going to pay if it's not
that valuable they won't bother to keep it.

That would certainly eliminate useless renewal.

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zokier
That would be even worse than the current system. At least now the system is
equal to everyone, from starving artists and foss hackers to billion dollar
corporations like Disney and MS.

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gateaumoisi
I really doubt that Adobe allows anyone to distribute older versions of
Photoshop (the website has the 3.0 version).

I don't see the reason to promote this website, especially when open source
equivalent exists and are often as good as their commercial equivalent(s).

~~~
rabino
There are some fun pieces of history in there. There's no commercial value,
but it's like having a museum of software.

