i know im new here on the forums, but ive drifted through this site on a number of occasions and now i find when i come to download some games i had before which i lost after a hard drive crash, that i can no longer get them... so i wrote this and sent it to the ESA. whether anything will come of it who knows, but at least i try`d :bye:
Dear to whom it may concern
I am trying to find out the status of so called abandonware software titles. until recently older titles were freely available on the internet from several different sources and now restrictions are being imposed and the ESA`s name keeps popping up. now i understand the need to maintain copyright on comercially viable products, but many of these products are way beyond that point. to the point where they are not even comercially available anymore.
abandonware sites do a valuable job of sharing the creative media of yester year to an entirely new generation and to old time fans alike. they distribute this software for free, with there own time and money being used. 90% of these products will never see a shop shelf again, imposing restrictions on who can post them for download will do nothing but speed up the death and eventual disappearance of these titles that were the birth of the pc games revolution.
i would ask, beg, and implore you to work out a system where by such titles can be released under the abandonware flag and not just lock them off and throw away the key which is comparable to cutting off your nose to spite your face. it will do you and others no favors. and it will especially not do the original developers any favors, most of whom are long gone or merged into bigger company's as 1 by 1 there titles will fall into obscurity and be forgotten. you cant make money of these titles any longer, but you can make good will. and good will can be worth far more for the future than any amount of dollars.
|