Organization: Computing Technology Services, Michigan Technological Univ.
Date: Saturday, 25 Jul 1992 01:39:43 EST
From: Jeff McWilliams <JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: RE: Old Software

First, to answer Preston Crow's question, absolutely, there ARE places
still producing software.  This includes Chroma-CAD, and I believe there is
a company called Software Infinity who sells imported games software here in
the U.S.  I believe it was Rick Reaser who recently wrote in his Editorial
article in Current Notes that Steve Hoffee was looking into importing other
products from Peru, but that it would probably not happen, because the
market here for 8 bit products is horribly flat compared to other places.
Additionally, there is the new language called Quick from Germany.  Marek
Tomczyk (spelling?) commented that a book on this language will also be
published soon.  These are from a German company called Power Per Post.
So yes, absolutely, there is software out there being developed.

Now regarding Darek's comments, I think he does have a legitimate concern
that such an offer could turn into a Piracy ring.  Legally speaking, even
though the software is no longer being distrubuted, it still is copyrighted.
But I also have some mixed feelings about this.  As software disappears off
of the shelves of distributors and resellers, where will users go for the
programs they may need?  Right now there are some excellent programs, not
just games, that I would like to see for sale again.  I recenlty purchased
a used official copy of Paperclip, and I think that barring its 40 column
display, it is one of the most complex, yet easy to use full featured
word processors available for the 8 bit.  It's a shame it's no longer
available, those who haven't seen or tried it don't know what they are missing.

Darek's labelling of the entire 8 bit community as pirates was an unjust
act.  It simply isn't so.  I'm not a pirate.  I WAS a pirate, in fact I
wrote an article about anti-piracy titled "I was a Teenage Pirate" in an
issue of Michigan Atari Magazine way back when, when I had recently
converted from piracy to anti piracy.  I think Historically, 8 bit users
were pirates, or many of them were.  Look at the number of back-up hardware
and software products out on the market.
Sure, a good deal of those were used strictly for archival backup purposes,
but from experience,  I know of two people, one was my older brother, who
bought copying devices for the exclusive purpose of copying and trading
software.  But it's not like the 8 bit community is a cult of paganistic
worshippers among a host of religiously correct people.  My older brother
used to compete against a friend Commodore computer owner to see who could
amass the largest amount of pirated software.  There is right now a guy
who lives across the street from me who had a Beta copy of MS-Windows 3.1
before the official release was out on the shelves.  I've worked in
offices as an aid where Macintosh software was casually distributed
to everyone's machine, without there being a group license or any other
legal reason for their doing so.  I remember several years back a store
was busted for selling PC clones with all sorts of commercial software,
Lotus 123, Dbase, etc. being put on the hard disk for free, illegally, as
an incentive to buy the machine.  A friend of mine went 386 shopping last
fall, I was there when the Mail order dealer on the other end of the line
offered to put an illegal copy of DOS 5.0 on the Hard Drive, to shave $50.00
off of the cost of the machine.  My friend turned it down, but he does run
an illegal copy of Autocad on his machine, as well as Wordperfect.
So please don't look down upon us as from Mount Olympus, declaring us
heathens unworthy of oxygen.

The Atari 8 bit community has a legitimate problem:  both harware and
software sources are drying up, while there is still demand for them.
So far, no one has offered an easy solution to the problem.  It would have
been terrific if the software companies would have released their programs
from copyright, or Atari made amends for dropping the 8 bit line by
putting their programs into the Public Domain.  It didn't happen though,
and perhaps it was unrealistic for us to expect them to do so.
We're getting caught between a rock and a hard place here, and in desperation,
people are trying to come up with ANY idea that will help eleviate the problem.

I don't have any answers myself, and perhaps Jeff's idea deserves some
criticism for sounding like an offer for a orgy-like piracy free for all.
But the criticism Darek offered was a little harsh.

If the rest of the Atari 8 bit world is legitimately interested in
keeping what dealers and developers we have alive, then pledge your
loyalty with the dollar.  There are places that do still sell old software,
and I mentioned a few examples of developers who are still creating new
products.  Buy their stuff, write them letters, saying, if nothing else, just
that you think their programs are good, or maybe not so good, but that
you are still interested and would like to see continued support from them.
If you think their programs aren't so hot, offer some constructive criticism.
If you really like the program, then perhaps you should write a review,
or maybe just post a message on the Internet saying, "Quick is great! Buy it
if you can!"  I personally know one guy who is working on some new software,
a game or two, and some other innovative products.  His decision to release
and continue to improve these programs will depend on his initial success
in selling the first few offerings.  There are probably others in the same
situation, like the author of ChromaCAD.


Let's not have a flame war about all this.  There are enough in
other groups, including the ST one.  When it happens, I get this
bile like taste in my mouth, and begin to get disgusted.  I just
want to turn the computer off, and wish the hot-headed people would
go away, and leave us alone.  I think the participants of C.S.A.8.
should be proud of themselves.  Despite of all that has happened
to them, there has been little in terms of flame wars, Atari bashing,
or ST bashing from this group.  I think it reflects on the overall
maturity and level-headedness of the people here.  That is a good
thing in my book.  If more people in the world spent less time fighting
and more time grouping together to solve problems, the world would
be a heck of a place.  Maybe not the garden of Eden, but it would
be better.

Let's keep ourselves focused on the betterment of the 8 bit community,
and restrain from arguments.

Well, my soapbox time is over, thanks to all for listening.

Jeff McWilliams   --->  jjmcwill@mtus5.cts.mtu.edu

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit