[game_preservation] Older versions of Programs

[Andrew Armstrong]

Possibly the Internet Archive perhaps (although searching through it is 
a chore, a dedicated collection might help). They've got a software 
collection, no doubt you could get permission to upload the files: 
http://www.archive.org/details/software (the CLASP collection is a 
dark-archive, but the main software page seems to be downloadable files).

At least in that respect it'd be freely available and not likely to 
disappear based on bandwidth concerns or anything :)

I'll note down the other suggestions ready for an update to our links 
page, btw. The FTP you suggested I couldn't get on to check (5 users 
max) so I'll check it out later.

Andrew

Jim Leonard wrote:

> Adding to this, I have a complete dump of Microprose's BBS/FTP which 

> has patches for pretty much everything they made.  However, I'm just 

> one person; hopefully there is someplace someone can recommend I 

> upload it...

>

> Captain Commando wrote:

>> Well, this is a start. It doesn't contain a WIDE range of games, 

>> mostly popular ones (but also some odd ones like Microprose's Magic 

>> the Gathering). Missing a few like Ultima, Freespace, and X-Wing vs 

>> Tie Fighter that I've had to google for. In addition, it only 

>> includes the most recent patches. The patch collection I am talking 

>> about would have as many patch versions as possible (hopefully with 

>> information on what got patched with each version). If you want to 

>> preserve PC games, you really need to keep patches in mind. I 

>> wouldn't be able to give you a lot of reasons for why older patches 

>> would be incredibly important (unless newer patches had certain bugs 

>> that weren't manifest in older patches on some hardware), but again, 

>> you never know what's going to be important thirty years from now.

>>

>> -Devin

>>

>> On Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 4:50 PM, Andrew Armstrong 

>> <andrew at aarmstrong.org <mailto:andrew at aarmstrong.org>> wrote:

>>

>>     Ooh, awesome. I honestly have never seen that before, despite

>>     sometimes searching for patches for a fair while. Files seem to be

>>     hosted on http://dlh.net/ , interesting.

>>

>>     The site only has 383 games with patch pages, I wonder how many

>>     patches they have total, hard to see from the A-Z listings (although

>>     it's great to see a news archive going back to 1995, wow!)

>>

>>     Anyone got any more of these sites, please post them :)

>>

>>     Andrew

>>

>>     Stuart Feldhamer wrote:

>>>

>>>     There is such an archive:

>>>

>>>     

>>>     http://www.patches-scrolls.de/

>>>

>>>     

>>>     Stuart

>>>

>>>     

>>>     *From:* game_preservation-bounces at igda.org

>>>     <mailto:game_preservation-bounces at igda.org>

>>>     [mailto:game_preservation-bounces at igda.org] *On Behalf Of *Captain

>>>     Commando

>>>     *Sent:* Sunday, October 12, 2008 5:41 PM

>>>     *To:* IGDA Game Preservation SIG

>>>     *Subject:* [game_preservation] Older versions of Programs

>>>

>>>     

>>>     I think OldVersion.com was listed on the resource list awhile

>>>     back, but I'm going to pull it up again. This site archives old

>>>     versions of computer software and utilities like Flash and Winamp.

>>>     Similarly, I think it would be useful to have an archive of game

>>>     patches. It's a bit difficult to locate patches for some of my

>>>     older games, but it can also be useful and historically

>>>     significant to run older patches of computer games.

>>>

>>>     

>>>     http://www.oldversion.com/

>>>

>>>

>>>     -Devin Monnens

>>>

>>>

>>>     --     The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

>>>

>>>     "Until next time..."

>>>     Captain Commando

>>>

>>>     

>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

>>>

>>>     _______________________________________________ game_preservation

>>>     mailing list game_preservation at igda.org

>>>     <mailto:game_preservation at igda.org>

>>>     http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>

>>     _______________________________________________

>>     game_preservation mailing list

>>     game_preservation at igda.org <mailto:game_preservation at igda.org>

>>     http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> -- 

>> The sleep of Reason produces monsters.

>>

>> "Until next time..."

>> Captain Commando

>>

>>

>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>

>> _______________________________________________

>> game_preservation mailing list

>> game_preservation at igda.org

>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_preservation

>