Subject: [stella] Piracy: BINs From: Nick S Bensema <nickb@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 17:43:22 -0700 (MST) |
I'd like to know what separated the Starpath catalog from the Atari and Activision catalogs which we now see scattered about the Internet? Glen has said a dozen times, there will be no more Supercharger CD's made. In theory, then, it would be no worse to have the source code to Dragonstomper on my page than it would be to have the source to Combat or Freeway or Adventure. And since the source code, BIN files, and documentation in ASCII are all that have been widely distributed for original Atari games, I doubt the web pages would be interested in mammoth ZIP files with scanned-in original docs and tape jackets and boxes and all that fancy crap. Perhaps the docs sites might put up pictures of the tapes, but that's about it. Now, I can understand why I haven't seen Edtris anywhere; I assume that cartridge is still for sale out there somewhere, as is SoundX, through that guy who sold the Okie Dokie carts. That's still in print, the author is still alive, and the author posted once to this very list that the person who put SoundX on his web page would be sleeping with the fishes. Glenn, on the other hand, was granted a license to print and sell a fixed number of CD's. He printed them, he sold them. He's done with the Starpath catalog, isn't he? Am I mistaken? If someone scanned their tapes into the computer and dumped them into a small emulator-friendly format, what's that have to do with him? Now, I would understand his anger if someone started issuing pirated Supercharger CD's with audio tracks and that kind of thing, because he's linked to such a thing in a way that could be damaging to him, AND it would involve lots of money changing hands, which as I understand it is where the line is drawn[1]. That's why nobody on this list is doing that right now. But as far as BINs being liberated to ROM sites, no way. Those BINs, in my eyes, are free until the JTS sends out ninjas to find out who may be spreading them. In fact, what about the source code to Dragonstomper, Frogger, and the like? That would be SO USEFUL to so many people on this list. What's that have to do with anyone? That information is pretty much exclusive to the CD, I admit, but at least one of the source codes on my site was top-secret stuff at Avalon Hill at one point, since they were the ones who wanted it reverse-engineered. And so it remained hidden until it perculated to the public's view. I'd rather see this perculation happen to Dragonstomper sooner than later. And while I'd personally feel better if Glenn replied saying he doesn't really give a rat's ass who has those sources now, I'm beginning to wonder what other reason I would have for holding it back. Though I have a hunch everyone who said "gee, whiz, I wish I had Dragonstomper source" got a few dozen discreet E-mails saying "Don't tell Glenn I gave this to you." :-) [1] Comedy Central has been shutting down sites that sell The Spirit Of Christmas, the animation that became South Park, on video, but not those which have it available for download or streaming video. They plan to issue it to video stores eventually, but people have been trading that animation for years and they recognize that it would be both impossible and uncool to try and stop it, and they're hoping that fans will want a copy that doesn't play on a postage stamp and/or doesn't have burps, tracking errors, and on-screen messages from generations of copying. -- Stella list is Administered by krishna@xxxxxxxxxxxx <Glenn Saunders> Archives (includes files) at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/ Unsub & more at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/stella.html +-shameless plugs-------------------------------------------------------+ | Stella documentary at http://www.primenet.com/~krishna | | Nick's VCS links via http://www.primenet.com/~nickb/atariprg.htm | | Write the best game, win framed autographs of famous Atari alumni!! | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Current Thread |
---|
|
<- Previous | Index | Next -> |
---|---|---|
[stella] Call for assistance, David C. Schweinsber | Thread | Re: [stella] Piracy: BINs, Glenn Saunders |
[stella] Call for assistance, David C. Schweinsber | Date | Re: [stella] Piracy, Glenn Saunders |
Month |