Abandonware & Warez: Read this and then tell me your opi

[webmaster from hell]

Read this great article on Abandonware and Warez. Then tell me which side you are on.http://www.cnet.com/techtrends/0-1544321-7-2409520.html[/url]note: READ THE DAMN ARTICLE BEFORE YOU VOTE!

[Moo]

I'm definately for the pirates. I use abandonware all the time. It provides games and other software I could get by no other means possible. Most dos games are abandonware these days and I love dos games.

[John The Ax]

Pirates. Software companies have NO GOOD RETORT at all, and the article is obvously pro-abandonware. Plus, I use it already. Current piracy I hate, however.

[Da_Goat]

I go for the pirates too. I'm always for abandonware, if it really is abandonware. If somebody is hosting the full version of Doom, however, I get mad because you can buy that from ID's website, even if you can't find it in stores. That's why I like the underdogs (I didn't link, and a few days ago DB said "the underdogs"), since I know they are only listing freeware, shareware, and real abandonware.

[webmaster from hell]

By the way, I voted for the Pirates too

[Oz]

i'll vote for pirates. they seem to be more convincing. that, and i'm one too!

[Dogbreath]

Those who distribute true abandonware are not pirates (unlike warez distributors) so therefore your false labeling of abandonware distributors as pirates makes no sense. I detest piracy and am on the side of the publishers as far as warez is concerned but tolerate abandonware so long as it is abandonware and not oldwarez. (any site allowing you to download the full version of the game Solar Winds is, IMNSHO, just as bad as a site allowing you to download the full version of Halflife)

[John The Ax]

Yeah, I don't like pirating, and questioned their wording. Abandonware is NOT pirating.

[Nanobot]

I'm pro-abandonware.

I believe that downloading warez isn't morally wrong in certain situations. For example, when I but Office 98 for my Windows 98 system, upgrade to Windows XP, and then decide to get one of those "mandatory updates" for Office 98 (even though it was working correctly on Windows XP), when instead of updating it it just wipes the whole thing off of my system and doesn't allow me to reinstall it, I feel that there is nothing morally wrong with taking the initiative by downloading an illegal version.

[Unknown_K]

I voted for the pirates.

If you cant buy the game from the publisher then how are they losing any money at all?

If they had some class all their abandoned games and programs should be released to the public domain. That wont hurt them if they decide to update the franchise with a new game.

Also if you have purchased a game on floppy disk (I have quite a few) and a disk goes bad the publishers feel you should be shit out of luck.

I wonder why somebody doesnt make a top 10 game cd of each genre or maybe top 10 games of the year like they do with old songs from the radio. Those would sell for a few bucks for sure (I would buy them).

[nastypoisonspikes]

Yes for abandonware. Who voted for buying the damn game?

[Winger2]

I voted for publishers, just because well one I thought it'd be fun to be in the minority, and second, although they're not selling the game, do they not still have a patent and copyright? they spent numerous hours on these games, to have someone and give them free away...I just dunno!

[Kazer0]

There are more than 100 abandonware sites offering up to 1,000 software titles,

I must have gone to that many at least yesterday alone.

pirates. I still cant find a lot of games tho.. like dethkarz whus publisher (melbourn house) and distributer went bankrupt so they cant make any money anywayz. I cant even find a demo n e more since they wree hosted on the site!

[Dogbreath]

I voted for purchasing the game. And while we're on that matter if you CAN purchase the game then getting it for free isn't Abandonware, it's warez. That can also be said as piracy, stealing, or theft. I doubt if anyone here would walk into a store and take a game on the shelf there without paying for it, why should doing it online be any different?

[Kazer0]

well were talking about the fact that we KANT! Icve looked all over windsor for dethkarz, looked online to buy it, then looked for a demo, then tried the company....... Cant get it!

[Da_Goat]

I voted for purchasing the game. And while we're on that matter if you CAN purchase the game then getting it for free isn't Abandonware, it's warez. That can also be said as piracy, stealing, or theft. I doubt if anyone here would walk into a store and take a game on the shelf there without paying for it, why should doing it online be any different?

My point exactly. That's why I get mad at people calling Doom or Quake abandonware. It's not, it can still be bought from the copyright owners.

[nastypoisonspikes]

Who calls it that?

[Oz]

well, those games are warez because they're successful. there a re a lot of better games that are not available from their copyright owners or the company that makes the games, like... err... umm.... could you help me out?

[Da_Goat]

just because games are successful, doesn't mean they're not abandonware. It just means that they won't be at a certain abandonware site that is mainly for underrated game (and is probably the most popular abandonware site, as well).

[486 player]

If a developer/copyright owner doesn't get any money, a game should be published as freeware. Epic doesn't support or sell their classic titles. Unlike Apogee, which offers technical support to games whese aren't sold anymore.