jhd Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Some people here on AA (and elsewhere) are interesting in "archiving" and preserving old software. Obviously games are of most interest, followed by utilities, and useful applications. Is anyone actively preserving (or even interested in) speciality or proprietary software? By this, I mean software that was not widely distributed, and intended for a very narrow and specific purpose. For example, there is a commercial legal research database called Quicklaw. It has been around for many years. Today, access is via web browser. In the mid-1990s, however, access was provided by way of a DOS (or Mac) based program called Quicklink. This was essentially a terminal emulator that was heavily customized to add additional features and functions. It would dial the local access number for the service. This software is completely useless today as the database it was designed to connect to no longer exists (in the same form). Before someone asks, I no longer have a copy of the original 3.5" disk. I may still have a copy of the accompanying manuals in a box somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Software preservation efforts on all 8-bit platforms seems based around games, some edu stuff, and some of the more popular generic productivity software. Too bad.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I spend a lot of time on archiving non-game Atari 8-bit software (although I do game programs as well.) I'm in the process of archiving all the Atari Program Exchange titles. My goal is to have every manual, disk and cassette archived by the end of 2015. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 Perhaps I was not clear. The APE software was widely available, even if some specific items may have been targeted to a niche audience. I'm thinking more of things like software used to control a piece of industrial equipment (assuming such existed for 8-bit hardware); software that has no value or use to a modern audience, but that someone is preserving just for the sake of preservation. The closest example that I have seen is the software used to create cable televsion announcement screens. It is utterly useless without the supporting hardware, but some versions have been dumped and preserved "just because they can". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 You mean something like this? http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-color-alignment-generator_18541.html Yes, I'm trying to archive all Atari 8-bit software, even the now-useless stuff. Allan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ripdubski Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I spend a lot of time on archiving non-game Atari 8-bit software (although I do game programs as well.) I'm in the process of archiving all the Atari Program Exchange titles. My goal is to have every manual, disk and cassette archived by the end of 2015. Allan Assisting where/when I can or when I find something that hasn't been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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