I'm not a developer, but I think there is a reason why a developer would choose not to allow older programs to be redistributed.
As Damien has previously mentioned, these older titles were written in a deprecated language by amateur developers. The code is difficult to read, update, compile and run. I believe there is probably a reputation issue. Developers don't want buggy and useless code floating around the net that they wrote. True, Damien didn't write these games, but by purchasing them, the code is now his responsibility. Another reason I've heard for developers refusing to redistribute abandonware is that, even if they don't support it, people will still contact them expecting help. If Damien did allow the games to be distributed, I have no doubt that someone would download a copy somewhere, encounter a problem, and send Damien an email saying, "Game X won't run! Help!" Even if he emphasizes in the game documentation that the games are abandonware, we've all seen first-hand that many people in the blind community do not bother reading documentation or other information that's right in front of them. On 4/16/11, The Addictor <kenwdow...@neo.rr.com> wrote: > Hey Tom, > While I agree a hundred per cent, I still don't see why he's asking that no > one else distribute the games. I have them all, as well as other games like > Shell Shock. They are certainly not all that great, but to demand that > nobody else distribute them seems a bit odd. I know they're his games, that > he purchased them, but I don't see a reason for that. > Ken Downey > The Addictor > www.TheAddictor.com --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.