Abandonware

Abandonware is curious, a fascinating concept that lives in the crack of rationalisation between being illegal in the real world and somehow just a little bit justifiable to those weaker of will or willing to be persuaded. The definition of abandonware is vague but in the vast majority of cases it refers to computer software that has been ignored by its owners, is still interesting or useful, is no longer supported, or has been obsoleted by the advance of computer operating systems. Masses of old computer games can be classed as abandonware, and may be found on the Internet on various distributing websites that endorse this questionable (for legal purposes) practice. Do you want to play the original 'Railroad Tycoon'? Then probably this would be the only way, in combination with an emulator program like DOSBox, which will for the purpose pretend to be an extremely old DOS system. It's actually rather neat.

A second curious thing about Abandonware is that it doesn't only apply to software, but lots of technology which has been left behind. My favourite application of this legally invalid but morally arguable idea for obtaining things is television. Say, for example, you wanted to watch 'Crazy Like A Fox', the 1980s television show. There is no legal way to obtain said show, and probably no illegal way either as it's quite obscure. Now, if the creators are not making it available and probably never will and you see an imaginary bootleg copy and want it badly, is it okay to take the bootleg as the makers have not provided a way to get it properly? The answer is no, a thousand times no, as it is theft but... The weaker part of the will does want to take that definition and shake it around a bit. 'Batman' or 'Phil Silvers' would have been better examples but they are finally being released, ruining this rather silly argument. It would be interesting to see what would happen if I did run across 'Crazy Like A Fox' though, not having seen it in thirty years. In memory it's cool.

As humans we seem to feel entitled to get things that we feel we ought to be able to get, and it's very tempting to go along with it. I have abandonware games on this computer right now - go, ridiculously obsolete 'Railroad Tycoon', go! - and am hypocritical to come down the mountain on myself but I am wrong, albeit in a way that harms no-one. Literally no-one. It's strange how so many of those old games have a much higher 'fun quotient' despite being technically far inferior. Does technical polish of necessity make things less entertaining? Contemporary movies would seem to indicate 'yes'.

Moving topic, this is likely the last Quirky Muffin for almost two weeks as I depart for a long-awaited Wednesday to Wednesday trip to Marseille and Barcelona soon. There shall be coaches and trains and maybe even boats, as well as fountains, aquaria, museums and reading by the ocean. It will be lovely and restful and stressful and ever so slightly silly. Hopefully they won't catch me until the bullion has been handed over to Curly Jo behind the No Bells Casino. You didn't read any of this. Look away, look away, there's nothing to see!

With that it is time to stop. Normal service will resume eventually. Oh, and if anyone at Sony is reading this, please bring out 'Crazy Like A Fox' on DVD. We need Rubinstein and Warden back to appreciate ludicrous 1980s television. After all, "what could possibly go wrong?"

O.

Note: There is still time to put together a couple 'Wordspace' episodes to partially fill the interruption, but time is pressing and so they can only be threatened and not promised. There, aren't you all relieved?