Re: What about an Apple Gamebase ?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

exegete@nunya.biz writes ...
> 
> Rubywand wrote:
> 
> > Laurent wrote ...
> >
 ....
> >> Wouldn't it be nice making a database about Apple II gaming?
 ....
> >
> >
 ....
> >
> >      The main reason something like a comprehensive Apple II and IIgs
> > gamebase didn't happen years ago is that every time someone started to put
> > one together the person was attacked as a "pirate". In some cases, 
> > the sites were also hacked into and wrecked.
> 
> And, because sometimes software that was still being sold was listed,
> people contacted ISPs and got the sites shut down.
> 
 ....

     Yes; but, such actions very rarely related to current software. When the
author of Ultima I/gs decided to change its status to commercial and sell it,
the program was removed from the public archives. 

     When Intrec requested that an earlier release of ProTERM be withdrawn from
the archives, it was.

     Practically all of the complaints about "software that was still being
sold" related to speculators-- second/third resellers of old software. 

     For instance, anyone here with a large collection of originals could open
an online store and then complain about his/her sales being spoiled because the
software is available for free download from the public archives. 

     Aside from the fact that owning boxes of old software doesn't give the
reseller ownership of software rights, it turns out that free availability of
copies generally _enhances_ sales of boxed originals with docs, decoder wheels,
etc..

     Anyway, most of the opposition to having old software freely available
came from persons who ranted about "piracy". Didn't matter how old the game or
whatever was. Didn't matter that copying oldie software is not a crime. Didn't
matter that the rights owners (SSI, Activision, EA, Origin, ...) had no
objections to their old software being offered.

     And, to the anti-"piracy" types, it did not matter that making it
impossible to freely download old commercial software would just about kill
interest in the Apple II. (In which case A2 software resellers, and every other
A2 seller, might as well chuck their stocks into the nearest lake.)

     Took years of wrangling before we agreed that, okay, downloading Wavy
Navy, Sneakers, Copy II Plus, Ultima III, Appleworks, Music Studio, Dungeon
Master, ... is not software piracy.

     

Rubywand