A question about games...

[Hobo]

What's the difference between freeware and abandonware?

[Bruce]

To put this simply, freeware is legal, while abandonware isn't.

[Hobo]

Ok but how do you tell like if a game is freeware or abandonware.....for example roger wilco is that freeware or abandonware?

[Canuckkev]

It's freeware if you can go to the publisher's site, and download a fully functional version for free. Abandonware is software and games that are generally old, and can no longer be found in stores. If the publisher hasn't gone under though, it may be possible to still purchase the software through them.

[Hobo]

ok thanks so I look for the publisher and find his site and if he has the game for download it's legal? but what if I can't find it anywhere like www.psygnosis.com is the publisher of lemmings and they seem to have switched things I found several sites that offer classic lemmings and lemmings paintball would it be illegal for me to host these games?

[Archbob]

Abandonware in old software that companies still want to make money off of so they don't give away for free.

Freeware is software you can download for free.

[Daniel]

Originally posted by Hobo
would it be illegal for me to host these games?

Yes.

[Hoth]

Thanks to our constitutional right to a public domain and the constitutional restriction requiring that copyright terms may not be unreasonably long, you're free to distribute any games created by authors who died more than 70 years ago, or created by a company more than 90 years ago. (Say, anyone know if the Babbage difference engine ran any gaming software? :confused: )

[Hobo]

so no lemmings?

[Archbob]

Originally posted by Hoth
Thanks to our constitutional right to a public domain and the constitutional restriction requiring that copyright terms may not be unreasonably long, you're free to distribute any games created by authors who died more than 70 years ago, or created by a company more than 90 years ago. (Say, anyone know if the Babbage difference engine ran any gaming software? :confused: )

Yeah that means by the time I'm 90 years old, games like DOOM II will finally become freeware. Wow, there is light at the end of the tunnel. :biggrin2:

[jmiller]

Yea, abandonwear is merely unsupported software. Usually where the deveoper no longer has any form up to date support for the product.

[GregT]

is GTA 1 abandonware ?

[Bruce]

Originally posted by gt14
is GTA 1 abandonware ? Well, sure, I suppose you could say that.

In all actuality, abandonware is nothing more than "old warez". Publishers never lose the copyrights of software or games. If you had to pay for it once, then it'll never be free to distribute. It's really quite simple.

[Hobo]

so anything i downloaded from here i should delete?
http://www.alex-soft.net/ :(

[jmiller]

Originally posted by Bruce
Well, sure, I suppose you could say that.

In all actuality, abandonware is nothing more than "old warez". Publishers never lose the copyrights of software or games. If you had to pay for it once, then it'll never be free to distribute. It's really quite simple. Not true, games such as Dink Smallwood and many more became freeware. Depends on wether the author wants to allow free distribution or not.