🚀 go-pugleaf

Just curious ... does Microsoft still own the Disk Basic code at all?  They
wrote it and EDTASM.

I am sure many of you are aware of one club offering "orphanware" products
as part of their library, charging a small mechanical reproduction fee per
disk.  I probably will end up ordering some since there are some <ahem>
games I would really like to obtain since I missed my chance when the
companies still existed...

BUT, with all this debate it made me think about how this actually CAN hurt
us.  The argument is that since they are no longer available, who does it
hurt?  Well, what does this do to people who decide to bring back
unavailable software later on?  For instance, JWT Enterprises may soon bring
back PYRAMIX, one of the first CoCo 3 games that was out.  The game itself
has been gone and unavailable for many many years.  Does this club have it
in it's library?  And if so, by letting people who wanted it get it for,
say, $3, won't this kill the potential real sales when/if it returns?

Now, the difference here is that JWT is still in business (publisher of
UpTime) and has been.  But, what about companies like Mark Data, etc.?
Their games are being offered as "orphanware", but I might be able to make
some phone calls, get some contacts, and aquire distribution rights and
bring their old programs back to the market - just like T&D Subscription
Software did with Tom Mix games...  but it is no longer a market since the
games have been "orphanwared" for awhile...

Anyone see this potential downside?

          Allen C. Huffman -/- Sub-Etha Software