Yeah all the information can be found for free. I'd be much happier if these people just said: "All this software and documentation is available in fragmented form all over the Internet for free. I'm charging you for the service of compiling it all in one place and making it easy to use."
The single most blatant abuse I've ever seen was someone was selling "Conan" for the Apple II (which I'd very much like to have, BTW). Turns out it was image-only and he e-mailed it to you if you won the auction...
However, my major gripe about this particular auction is that if the copyright holders get wind of it, its ammo for taking down abandonware sites and other historical repositories of vintage bits. Then again, do they really *need* ammo?
On Mar 27, 2004, at 1:23 PM, BL wrote:
Not a bad idea (was considering it myself), find out what is going on "after the sale". But is it really "legal" to sell a game even if it IS abandonware? I thought ebay did not allow ANY sort of CDR? Maybe he gets around it with the GRTech Software "Label"?
Well, that's the catch; he's selling the GRTech front end, the games are "free".� Technically he's not charging for them, only the front end &�the service of compiling them, the cd cost etc.� The same way people sell concert tickets on ebay claiming that they will not accept more than face value, plus time & shipping (which happens to usually be some rediculous number WAY above the face value, but it covers thier asses, and nobody can really put a limit on what your time is worth)� It's lame, nevertheless, ebay might�take action on�him, esp. if people complain; but i bet ebay just assume let these people continue until someone makes a complaint.
�
Brad
