Date   : Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:38:00 +0200
From   : rick@... (Rick Murray)
Subject: BBC archive ?

Hi,

I was pointed to, in a private message, 8bs and bbcdocs. Both useful 
site, but not quite what I was getting at. ;-)


I was thinking specifically for *source* *codes* of software. How does 
some of the BBC era stuff cope with post-Y2K dates? I've a couple of 
printers around with parallel ports that are *not* FQ/LQ compatible. 
Little tweaks and changes that would probably be fairly simple given the 
code, but there is none.
AFAIK, the BBC MOS and ADFS (or is it DFS?) disassemblies are those done 
by third parties; and I'm aware of two people who are (were?) trying to 
take apart the FileStore firmware, but it's a hard slog, especially when 
you have hundreds of "this byte used at X and Y, purpose unknown" things 
flying around.

I understand that the rights issue of the Acorn stuff is a mess, but 
then (IANAL!) that means it is highly unlikely anybody will take action 
given the amount of time/resources/expense in determining who really 
owns what...
...however what I'm afraid of is the more time that goes by, the more 
stuff will be lost. Lost to negligence, lost to a wife tidying up "old 
rubbish", lost to bit rot, lost to damage (floods, fire, insects, 
mould), lost to a myriad of reasons - but lost is still lost.

Look on a Beeb resource site. Games, yes? ROMs? Yes? Well, every single 
bit of that had a source, somewhere. How much of it still exists?


Best wishes,

Rick.

-- 
Rick Murray, eeePC901 & ADSL WiFI'd into it, all ETLAs!
BBC B: DNFS, 2 x 5.25" floppies, EPROM prog, Acorn TTX
E01S FileStore, A3000/A5000/RiscPC/various PCs/blahblah...