On Monday 16 December 2002 13:55, Adam Wozniak wrote:
> Why not create a new file format, which includes the information along
> with the ROM data? That way no centralized authority is required to
> maintain or track data as people come up with new homebrews/ hacks/
> conversions/ versions/ etc...
> The file should contain all the information in the current stella.pro, and
> be extensible. All it would take for the new format to 'catch' would be
> for the 3 biggest emulators to support it, and a set of free tools for
> manipulating it.
This sounds like a great idea, but there are some potential flaws that would
only reveal themselves in the wild:
(a) The current standard way of classifying and enumerating BIN files,
Good2600, includes a data file that includes checksums for all known BIN
files and the name/classification for each. No one likes this database much
(the author has a habit of calling all homebrew games "public domain" for
example, and arbitrarily numbers hacks and alternate versions) but it is a de
facto standard because it's so complete relative to anything else out there.
Using your file-format method, there would be no politically viable way for
AtariAge or anyone else to classify/enumerate all the BIN files out there
because so many are forbidden fruit (Activision games, Edtris, the Starpath
games, etc.) but the Good2600 guy can get around this by merely providing a
list, rather than including the actual game which this idea would entail.
(b) Given that, all the forbidden games (as well as any new hacks or
previously undiscovered BIN files) would be subject to naming and
classification anarchy in the wild. It would end up no better than in the
MP3 scene, where many users apparently just strip off ID3 meta-information
tags rather than deal with the inaccurate or inconsistent data contained in
them.
In a controlled environment, this is totally the best way to go. The Internet
isn't a controlled environment, though, and I don't think this would provide
the kind of centralized control that Glenn and co. are looking for.
Rob
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