How long will they last?

From: Sam Ismail <dastar_at_crl.com>
Date: Tue Apr 1 14:28:56 1997

On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, hellige wrote:

> I realize it'd be on shaky ground legally, but would any of you be
> interested in creating an archive of these data tape images? This would
> certainly ensure the programs originally provided on tape would be around much
> longer than the original tapes themselves.

This debate has raged on and off for months on Apple2 newsgroups. People
who are doing the copying and archiving are arguing that they are
preserving classic apple2 software, while those against it say it is
piracy since some of the titles are still commercially available.

My view is this: if it is no longer available, and will not likely ever
become available again, right or wrong, nobody is going to raise a stink
about it. Simply put, it IS preservation. Worst case, just do it and
don't tell anyone.

Think of this. Recently, Levi's Strauss paid over $100,000 for a pair of
Levi's jeans from the late 1800's. The reason they paid so much is
because they were original jeans made by the company back then and were
of significant historical value. Obviously, Levi's was very grateful to
recover a piece of its long past history to have paid so much for a pair
of old jeans. I know this case is different in significant ways from
copying once copyrighted software, but I believe in 20, 50, 100 years, a
lot of these companies that manufactured computers and software (should they
still be around) will be delighted to know a piece of their long lost
past has been preserved by enthusiastic collectors.

I say do it.

Sam
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Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Received on Tue Apr 01 1997 - 14:28:56 BST