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Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

arstechnica.com

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Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they wanted to referrer to the original dialogue or images, it's easy to do without the source. ScummVM and other projects already have tools out there to extract all the game data from old Sierra games.

Sierra games did not use SCUMM. That was LucasArts (the MM stands for Maniac Mansion).

SCUMMVM can read many other non-SCUMM game files these days.

https://scummvm.org/compatibility/

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#102

EBay seems like the worst possible place for this. Why not donate it to some organisation that would work out a way for people to look at at least parts of the code?

Why? Amazon auctions never really took off. He got in the news ( see this post). He got what he wanted. A lot of arbitrage/sales still happens on eBay, it's not hard when the sellers are looking at #1 to earn money on #2

I meant with regards to the loss for society when this disappears into some private collection. I’d be better in a museum. I am sure he’ll earn enough short term money from the auctions.

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#103
post #68

Al Lowe, if you're reading, I am humbly asking you to consider putting all the source code you have for Sierra etc. games up to GitHub for all of us to {gaze|look|worship...}. Let the collectors have the pleasure of having it all on the original physical medias, but let the rest of us mere mortals have access to the essence. Edit: alas, it's pointed out that above may not be possible as IP is owned by someone else. T…

If he can't give the source away on github because he doesn't own the IP, then he can't sell it either. But he is.

Not true. Otherwise you wouldn't be allowed to sell paintings you own, but don't also own the copyright to reproduce digitally. Copyright and ownership of physical artifacts are two different things.

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Amazon auctions never really took off. He got in the news ( see this post). He got what he wanted. A lot of arbitrage/sales still happens on eBay, it's not hard when the sellers are looking at #1 to earn money on #2

I meant with regards to the loss for society when this disappears into some private collection. I’d be better in a museum. I am sure he’ll earn enough short term money from the auctions.

It’s been disappeared in a private collection for years.

I’m sure he’s cool with someone buying all the stuff to form a private collection.

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#105

I'm suddenly reminded of Betrayal in Antara. Man, that game was weird.

Did anyone say Kult - The Temple of Flying Saucers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeyZ57rWdGg&t=6m21s

I was obsessed with that game as a child, if it was remade it would have quick-save and be ruined :)

That and Future Wars are probably the first sci-fi games I played in the Amiga 500.

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#106
post #31
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Will the public suffer from not knowing what this comment said a century from now?

Yes. Already massive amounts of data have been lost to the grind of technology forging 'forward'. As we lose the information, we lose context, and without context 'facts' about the past begin to lose meaning to the present reader. History, and the stories we have, is/are mankind's most important asset. Without the context of our past as a species, we lose the ability to navigate into the future effectively (without c…

#peakhackernews calamity strikes, hacker news comment is lost in the mists of time, mankind doomed

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#107
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And public suffers just a little more under greed and selfishness. I don't know if "I don't have a copy of King's Quest 3 source code" counts as suffering.

The public suffers anytime knowledge is lost.

But this is property, not knowledge...

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If he can't give the source away on github because he doesn't own the IP, then he can't sell it either. But he is.

Not true. Otherwise you wouldn't be allowed to sell paintings you own, but don't also own the copyright to reproduce digitally. Copyright and ownership of physical artifacts are two different things.

No, that's not how it works. Al Lowe is indeed violating copyright by selling these. You can't just go selling your ex-employers source code because it "happened to be on your laptop". It's absolutely a copyright violation.

The reason you can sell physical goods is because of the first sale doctrine and alike. Al Lowe never bought this source code on physical media; rather he created it during his employment. Thus he is not permitted to sell it.

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#109
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sierra games did not use SCUMM. That was LucasArts (the MM stands for Maniac Mansion).

SCUMMVM can read many other non-SCUMM game files these days. https://scummvm.org/compatibility/

Wow, had no idea. TIL thanks!

Re: Al Lowe reveals his Sierra source code collection

#110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true. Otherwise you wouldn't be allowed to sell paintings you own, but don't also own the copyright to reproduce digitally. Copyright and ownership of physical artifacts are two different things.

No, that's not how it works. Al Lowe is indeed violating copyright by selling these. You can't just go selling your ex-employers source code because it "happened to be on your laptop". It's absolutely a copyright violation. The reason you can sell physical goods is because of the first sale doctrine and alike. Al Lowe never bought this source code on physical media; rather he created it during his employment. Thus he…

All true. It's a unique case here in that by the time the copyright period expires, the media will probably be unreadable.

The idea of copyright is to reward creativity for a limited time and then give that work to the public. If the work can't ever fall into public hands then I'd argue it shouldn't get copyright protection.

Obviously that's a public policy debate, not a justification for breaking the law but it makes me hesitant to judge someone who takes a risk for the benefit of us all.

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