A home for orphan code?

Posted by Bradford Roberts.
First posted on 12 December 1998. Last updated on 28 June 2010.
Articles  »  Features
Want more information? Read the article!

When a software company goes out of business or decides not to release a finished product, what should happen to the code it has written? In the gaming industry, these codes are referred to as "orphan" codes. The word "orphan" refers to 2 types of software. The first and more common type of orphan software is a commercial game title which, after being sold for a time, is withdrawn from the…

• (3) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Enter Your Comments

Name

Email (optional)

City, Country

Rate this article
1 (Poor) 2 (Fair) 3 (Good) 4 (Very Good) 5 (Excellent)

Message

Submit the word below for security verification


Previous Comments

I have a copy of some non-gaming orphan
software. The company is out of the
business and on to other things.

I need to learn how to recognize the
programming language used in its'
creation and how to overcome an
unknown source code as well.

I would like to manufacture a new
and improved (and substantially
enhanced) software package.

Any assistance welcome.

By Joe Mann • On 09 September 2000 • From Somewhere

Replying to the Clearinghouse idea -

Why not start small in some remote corner
of the ac directory structure? Once you found
a few titles that qualify, get your readers to
hunt down more and do the legal legwork for you,
as in "Tell us when you've located TRUE orphaned
code that we can legally publish under THESE
conditions: x y z" and list the conditions.
Just have a lawyer write up the mumbo-jumbo and
post it.

Once the site gets large enough, your problem
has been solved. I don't think that this site
will be born full-sized and gorgeous. Some
staffer with a cause is going to have to devote
some major time to the project.

But then, why not?
T

By TR Milne • On 12 December 1999 • From Somewhere

I agree 100%. Orphan'ed software should be released somehow to the public. It's a shame to see such great titles as InterPlay's "Bard's Tale" and "StarFlight", Infocom's (now Activision) "Zork I, II, and III", or Seirra Online's "King's Quest" series, go to waste.

There are people out there that would love to see a re-release or a remake of these classics...

Release the Code (it ain't gainin' ya any money),
Code Warrior

By Code Warrior • On 04 August 1999 • From USA