On 2/5/13 10:35 AM, gids.rs@sasktel.net wrote:
Not to start A war, but the program support or not is still not
freeware. My suggestion is you try and contact Steven Smallwood. I
understand how many owners feel, the reason I sold it was I was unable
to provide support due to my work schedule, I had done some updates
before selling it and had given them to registered GBBS Sysops that had
asked, the one thing that I could not fix with the date problem, it was
hard coded and I did not have the time or the interest at the time to
correct it.
It does not quite work that way Steven. Just saying you own the rights
or Steven Smallwood now has the rights to the GBBS software is not
enough. People have requested to purchase this software since 2002,
which is 11 years without sales or support. That is long enough for
software to be considered abondonware if not continually registered. I
take it you had it registered with the proper authorities.
Secondly, games written by owners of the GBBS software are not the
property of the current owner of GBBS. If it ever worked that way,
then 3rd party companies who currently write software for the iPhone
or iPad that works under MacOSX or Windows, would all automatically
become the property of Apple or Microsoft.
Thirdly, the value of a product is no longer in the software itself.
If you look on eBay, a lot of the games are readily available for a
free download on the interent, but you still see good prices for
software that comes in its original packaging, original disks and
original instructions and even better, with the original certificate
of authenticity. If you truly had the originals you would not have
lost value in them by releasing the software. If anything, the
originals with a certificate would become even more valuable for
collectors, as programmers would be able to play with the program, and
see the true value of what the software did back in its day.
Keeping it hidden so it is rare, and selling it in a hundred years,
does not increase its value. All that will happen is, it will become
forgotten. And no-one will really remember what the software did. Or,
if it really was that good of software for its time.
I think you or Steve S, if one of you is the true owner, are making a
big mistake at least, by not releasing the software.
Rob
If I had know that Kevin was not going to do anything with it I never
have sold it to him, and I did give updated versions to registered
owners and in fact did it after I sold it since I had promised it t
them. I had an offer to sell it to the users group in Seattle, which I
now regret not have done. And as far as registered it had been and then
transferred several times with the Copyright Office. Sine I no longer
have anything to do with it other then have a fully functional GBBS BBS
running on my //e and gs, thou it is not online at this time as well as
upgraded software and I think what will be a fix for the date problem.
If Kevin does nothing then in the future I might give updates to
registered owner of which I still have lists of that I had gotten from
Lance. Also John Edwards as well as Greg Schaefer gave me updates and
fixes that they never gave to Lance. Right now I don't have the time to
deal with it and am not obligated to do so, I went back to work after a
few years in retirement and have the responsibility of a NOC, with 150
people that keep me very busy, more then I want to at my age. Like I
said, contact Kevin Smallood, he is on Facebook and located in the
Dallas, Texas area, try Linkin also.