Yay!!! They've got a pretty impressive set of DOS games running in a Java DOS emulator. If they're not officially abandoned or freeware, they only have the shareware version (so it's all legit). I may never get work done again. Lemmings, Epic Pinball, all the Commander Keen games, Scorched Earth, and so on. :-D

Awesome.
And they've got Bio Menace!
I'll check out some of the other ones two.

Ummm yeah....Bookmark.

Quote: Original post by BeanDog
Yay!!!

officially abandoned

??? What is the difference between a game that has been 'officially abandoned' and one that has been released as freeware?

Quote: Original post by Talroth
??? What is the difference between a game that has been 'officially abandoned' and one that has been released as freeware?

Abandoned games refer to products where the rights owners cannot be identified.

This is often the case with businesses that are dissolved. Since there are often many different IP rights owners, it can be impossible to track down the IP rights.

The games are abandoned, but somebody out there still holds the rights to it. Since the owners cannot be found, there is nobody for you to pay or to get legal copies from. Using this software without permission is technically a violation of civil law, but since there is nobody who will prosecute, it is often seen as 'fair game' for IP theft unrestricted use. Businesses generally avoid this software because of the legal risk.

If you search the web, you will find many cases where software was thought to be abandoned, and somebody started (illegally) distributing it online --- and then having legal demands issued against the web site that was publishing it.




Freeware refers to software which is made available to you at no cost.

AFAIK

- freeware : they still hold copyright, and the company still running strong, but made free, such as Alien Carnage, C&C, and many other. There is a website that list all legal freeware games, but i cannot remember the links.

I think this is it : http://www.fullgames.ro

- abandonware : games by company now (long) defunct. some of it nobody care, some of it they mention that they don't and no longer care.

it's risky for a business to use abandoneware, as for these people, they can sue and get cash, as for single user, they realize that it's not worth it to pursue it. if the worst come to worst, the IP holder win, have to fork out lots of cash, and get nothing out of it while the violator goes to jail (for lack of cash).

In this case, only a very few games on their list are "abandonware," and they give this definition:

Quote: red games have officially abandoned their copyright into the public domain (abandonware)

So it sounds like they're trying to keep the list down to purely kosher public domain abandonware.

I'm well aware of what "Abandonware" is, basically were someone says "Hey, this game is old, clearly no one cares about it, and I'll pretend I put effort into finding out who owns it, and then I'll assume I can pass it around for free".

But I had never heard of something being 'officially' abandoned.

Quote: Original post by mich4elp
Awesome.
And they've got Bio Menace!
I'll check out some of the other ones two.

The full version of Bio Menace was oficially released as freeware not long ago, really cool :)

BTW if it's too slow in Java, why not just use DOSBOx?

some games are "legally" abandoned.

The game 'Abuse' comes to mind. I'm sure there are many others, and the 'abandoned' permission might lost in the sea of internet informations.

But just like Abuse, there is. but most not to the point of Abuse where you can repackage and make profit from it.