Re: trading policy for IIe

[Stephen Shaw <stephen@apple2.org.invalid.za>]

On 8 Jun 2002 20:25:06 -0700, Simon Williams wrote:

> "Tom Zuchowski" <tzuchow@attglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:<3d01f7de_1@news3.prserv.net>...
>> Uh . . . the very definition of public domain is that it is free for anyone
>> to do anything with it they darned well please. They don't need anyone's
>> permission. I explicitly put every stitch of Eamon stuff I ever wrote into
>> the public domain, it says so right in the docs. If someone wants to erase
>> my name and take credit for my stuff, he has that right, though I might take
>> it upon myself to proclaim his low morals to others.
>
> Well, I think you almost make my point for me. While it may be legal
> "for anyone
> to do anything with it they darned well please", it is not necessarily
> ethical.
>
>> You didn't mention your views on abandoned software. Abandoned or not, it is
>> still "someone else's software." How do you feel about trading stuff like,
>> for example, Robot War, which "belongs" to a company long out of business
>> and who had even lost the capability to manufacture because they sent the
>> hard drive to a landfill back in the '80's. I remember another example
>> (forget the title) in which inquiry resulted in a company rep denying that
>> they had EVER sold software for the Apple II, even though it was founded on
>> that platform in the '70's. What should we do then?
>
> I guess there could be a lot of hair-splitting done on this subject.
> If a company has gone out of business, it does not necessarily follow
> that they have given up authorial rights to their software. However,
> if they are no longer manufacturing said software then there is no way
> they could reasonably expect to still be making money from it.
>
> But to be more pragmatic:
> Since the Apple II platform is essentially "dead" as far as software
> developers are concerned, I doubt if even the most blatant piracy
> could do much to damage the situation. Not that I condone it, mind
> you... and it's safe to say that supporting anyone who is developing
> new software is a good thing.

I hate to say it - If it isn't in commercial production i.e. ProTerm, AW etc.
trading in ORIGINAL disks maybe the only way to preserve Apple II software for
future generations. Witness (shudder, please let us not re-open that thread)
comments made about what 'good' Mr. Turley did.


>
> SW

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As a computer, I find your faith in technology amusing