[Weyland-Yutani]

It appears that way

http://www.the-underdogs.org/

unfortunately they took the Mac underdogs with them.

Anyone know of an alternative abandonware site?

cheers

W-Y

[Ω]

http://mac.the-underdogs.org/

[Weyland-Yutani]

I don't see anything but a generic search page there. Not one mac game or game of any other sort.

cheers

W-Y

[runningdog]

Abandonware sites

[Weyland-Yutani]

Thanks! If there's any Mac specific site, please feel free to link it

cheers

W-Y

[d4nth3m4n]

what?

[Railroader]

So what is the reason for wanting to know where there are "abandonware" sites?

[Weyland-Yutani]

Originally Posted by Railroader

So what is the reason for wanting to know where there are "abandonware" sites?

You don't have to use quotemarks around the word abandonware. You know what it is, right?

Abandonware is fun and interesting. Often more interesting than contemporary software.

The Underdogs are still dead, it seems their domain name isn't registered any more. Damn shame.

cheers

W-Y

[Ω]

Did you even try the link I posted? I downloaded a few games a few days ago, so when I saw this thread I thought it must be something new (and is not).

What game are you specifically looking for?

[Weyland-Yutani]

Originally Posted by Ω

Did you even try the link I posted? I downloaded a few games a few days ago, so when I saw this thread I thought it must be something new (and is not).

What game are you specifically looking for?

Yes, and this is all I get. Clicking the "Why am I seeing this page" just gives me a message about the domain being expired.

I was specifically looking for Pirates! Gold.

cheers

W-Y

[Ω]

I must apologise. I guess it was pulling the pages from my cache, as I too am now getting the holding page.

[Ω]

Did find this:

http://www.insidemacgames.com/news/i...ate=2005-01-20

Double

[Dork.]

That article was from 2005. I'm not sure if that necessarily has anything to do with this.

I'm generally in favor of sites that distribute abandonware from companies that are defunct, on platforms that are impossible to buy games for. After all, if no one's around to enforce the copyright, does it really exist? I mean, of course the copyright still exists, but whose rights are it protecting? Certainly not the author's anymore. I personally have used The Underdogs to grab a whole stack of C-64 games, as well as a few old Mac System 7 and System 8 games, that I don't think I'd ever find for sale except at a garage sale.

However, distributing even an old copy of an app from a company that is still very much in business without their consent is impossible to justify. Sites like this (and I thought the Underdogs were smart enough to understand this) realize that they can do what they do only because the software they have is truly worthless to the entities who have all the rights, and thus they stay under their radar. Once they start distributing software that has some worth associated with it, they're fair game to be taken down.

[Dork.]

By the way, they simply forgot to pay to renew their domain. Anyone want to re-up them?

Originally Posted by whois the-underdogs.com

Registered through: GoDaddy.com
Domain Name: THE-UNDERDOGS.COM
Created on: 20-Mar-02
Expires on: 20-Mar-06
Last Updated on: 10-Mar-05

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani

You don't have to use quotemarks around the word abandonware. You know what it is, right?

Abandonware is fun and interesting. Often more interesting than contemporary software.

The Underdogs are still dead, it seems their domain name isn't registered any more. Damn shame.

cheers

W-Y

The quote are there because "abandonware" isn't a word. It's something made up by people who don't want to talk about pirating software that isn't being supported by the developer anymore.

[Amorya]

Originally Posted by Railroader

The quote are there because "abandonware" isn't a word. It's something made up by people who don't want to talk about pirating software that isn't being supported by the developer anymore.

Abandonware is the accepted term. You can debate whether it's legal or not, but even illegal things are allowed to have words. You don't write "piracy" because it's illegal...

Amorya

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Amorya

Abandonware is the accepted term. You can debate whether it's legal or not, but even illegal things are allowed to have words. You don't write "piracy" because it's illegal...

Amorya

You're right. It is a word. But it also is just a way of thinking that makes people who steal/pirate software feel better about their actions.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Railroader

You're right. It is a word. But it also is just a way of thinking that makes people who steal/pirate software feel better about their actions.

Seriously now, do you think that we, as a society, are better off locking this stuff up in a vault and forgetting about it for 95 years until all hardware that could have possibly run the software is out of service?

Should every single instance of copyright infringement be considered "piracy"? And is it really copyright infringement is the copyright holder is a corporation that is defunct?

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Railroader

You're right. It is a word. But it also is just a way of thinking that makes people who steal/pirate software feel better about their actions.

Shoot, you're right. I'll go over to CompUSA and buy another copy of Shufflepuck.

[Railroader]

Justification abounds!

Those who break the law often justify their actions.

[euchomai]

Originally Posted by Railroader

Justification abounds!

Those who break the law often justify their actions.

What do you propose people do with software that isn't sold any more? I'm not trying to justify anyone's actions here, I'm honestly asking.

ex: A piece of old software isn't sold anywhere, I want the game so I download it from some site. Should I send in fair market value for the game? Or should we pretend the software never existed and never use it again?

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by euchomai

\ex: A piece of old software isn't sold anywhere, I want the game so I download it from some site. Should I send in fair market value for the game? Or should we pretend the software never existed and never use it again?

Send the money where? Half the companies that made those games don't exist.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Railroader

Justification abounds!

Those who break the law often justify their actions.

You might want to get down off that high horse of yours before you fall off and hurt yourself!

Anyway, let's do a little thought exercise here, if you're willing, RR'er. Why exactly does copyright exist in the first place?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Railroader

You're right. It is a word. But it also is just a way of thinking that makes people who steal/pirate software feel better about their actions.

This has to be a parody of the file sharing debate…

[Weyland-Yutani]

Originally Posted by Railroader

The quote are there because "abandonware" isn't a word. It's something made up by people who don't want to talk about pirating software that isn't being supported by the developer anymore.

Abandonware is strictly software of companies that either do not exist anymore (thus don't defend their copyright) or software of companies that don't desire to enforce their copyright on a particular piece of software.

As well you know, un-enforced copyright means that the item in question is public domain. Copyright *must* be enforced to function. Only the copyright holder can attempt to enforce the copyright.

Still with me?

If I make a piece of software and it is distributed by a third party without my concent and I don't do anything about it then nothing happens. No law is broken. I have to enforce my copyright for it to hold.

Thus the name abandonware. Software that the copyright holder, if such an entity still exists or holds the copyright, doesn't care about being distributed freely. Abandonware.

This is not justification, this is law.

cheers

W-Y

[sfstan]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani

Thanks! If there's any Mac specific site, please feel free to link it

Try this: http://www.grenier-du-mac.net/