#softwarepreservation — Public Fediverse posts

Research software should be identifiable, connected, and reusable. At IRSC 2026, Maria Levchenko will show how DataCite DOIs and metadata support long-term preservation and reproducibility, and connect software with related research outputs.
https://datacite.org/event/international-research-software-conference-irsc-2026/ #ResearchSoftware #PIDs #IRSC2026 #ResearchSoftware #PIDs #IRSC2026 #OpenScience #Reproducibility #ResearchData #Metadata #SoftwarePreservation #FAIRSoftware #DataCite

Research software should be identifiable, connected, and reusable. At IRSC 2026, Maria Levchenko will show how DataCite DOIs and metadata support long-term preservation and reproducibility, and connect software with related research outputs.
https://datacite.org/event/international-research-software-conference-irsc-2026/ #ResearchSoftware #PIDs #IRSC2026 #ResearchSoftware #PIDs #IRSC2026 #OpenScience #Reproducibility #ResearchData #Metadata #SoftwarePreservation #FAIRSoftware #DataCite

the best part of building an online encyclopedia for multimedia and educational games is acquiring the physical media. after 10+ years of hunting, finally received an affordable copy of Oceans - arguably one of the best educational multimedia experiences MS’s edutainment division produced.

it came with some adorable stickers that have the best utopian scholastic styling and i can’t wait to scan it all in for the https://cd-rom.ca encartapedia!

#digiPres #softwarePreservation #multimedia #cdrom #utopianScholastic #education

the best part of building an online encyclopedia for multimedia and educational games is acquiring the physical media. after 10+ years of hunting, finally received an affordable copy of Oceans - arguably one of the best educational multimedia experiences MS’s edutainment division produced.

it came with some adorable stickers that have the best utopian scholastic styling and i can’t wait to scan it all in for the https://cd-rom.ca encartapedia!

#digiPres #softwarePreservation #multimedia #cdrom #utopianScholastic #education

Eternal Software Initiative punta a rendere eseguibile Linux tra mille anni grazie a una macchina virtuale minimalista basata su una sola istruzione.

#Linux #OpenSource #SoftwarePreservation #Eternal #LinuxKernel #BusyBox #LLVM

https://www.linuxeasy.org/eternal-software-initiative-il-progetto-che-vuole-avviare-linux-tra-mille-anni/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Eternal Software Initiative punta a rendere eseguibile Linux tra mille anni grazie a una macchina virtuale minimalista basata su una sola istruzione.

#Linux #OpenSource #SoftwarePreservation #Eternal #LinuxKernel #BusyBox #LLVM

https://www.linuxeasy.org/eternal-software-initiative-il-progetto-che-vuole-avviare-linux-tra-mille-anni/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

after months of behind the scenes coding, i'm happy to announce the re-launch of my podcast: CD-ROM Safari!

if you're new to the show, it's a friendly and welcoming look at multimedia software of the 1990s.

i've rebuilt the entire site to use kiki, my php-based homepage construction kit. it now generates podcast RSS feeds on the fly, along with nice cover art and episode metadata :D

prior episodes (from 2018 to early 2026) have been archived into season 1.

the new episode, posted 5 minutes ago, is the first episode of season 2. it's a relaunch of the show, along with a whole new website to facilitate software preservation for educational games, edutainment and multimedia.

the website: https://cd-rom.ca/podcast

podcast rss 2.0: https://cd-rom.ca/podcast.xml

apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cd-rom-safari-podcast/id1393890581

enjoy the show :D

#multimedia #cdrom #retroComputing #retroGaming #dosGaming #msdos #macintosh #vintageApple #kiki #softwarepreservation #podcast

after months of behind the scenes coding, i'm happy to announce the re-launch of my podcast: CD-ROM Safari!

if you're new to the show, it's a friendly and welcoming look at multimedia software of the 1990s.

i've rebuilt the entire site to use kiki, my php-based homepage construction kit. it now generates podcast RSS feeds on the fly, along with nice cover art and episode metadata :D

prior episodes (from 2018 to early 2026) have been archived into season 1.

the new episode, posted 5 minutes ago, is the first episode of season 2. it's a relaunch of the show, along with a whole new website to facilitate software preservation for educational games, edutainment and multimedia.

the website: https://cd-rom.ca/podcast

podcast rss 2.0: https://cd-rom.ca/podcast.xml

apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cd-rom-safari-podcast/id1393890581

enjoy the show :D

#multimedia #cdrom #retroComputing #retroGaming #dosGaming #msdos #macintosh #vintageApple #kiki #softwarepreservation #podcast

#Softwarepreservation ists, don't miss https://virtualosmuseum.org/!
#digipres

#Softwarepreservation ists, don't miss https://virtualosmuseum.org/!
#digipres

here’s an obscure bit of software preservation that has been completely forgotten:

i learned recently that back in the late 90s in North America, Kellogg’s partnered with MS to cross promote cereal and educational software. it was a ridiculously good deal: inside any box of cereal was a coupon for a $5 CD-ROM for the *full* version of a MS educational or reference program.

these were some of their flagship educational programs like Dinosaurs, Oceans, Explorapedia, Dangerous Creatures and Entertainment Pack 3. considering that these were $50-$60 at a couple of years earlier, it was a ridiculously good price.

i wonder how many kids unknowingly grew up with a Kellogg’s CD version of these, because their parents ordered copies from the cereal box?

#cdrom #multimedia #digiPres #softwarePreservation #win95 #macintosh #vintageApple

here’s an obscure bit of software preservation that has been completely forgotten:

i learned recently that back in the late 90s in North America, Kellogg’s partnered with MS to cross promote cereal and educational software. it was a ridiculously good deal: inside any box of cereal was a coupon for a $5 CD-ROM for the *full* version of a MS educational or reference program.

these were some of their flagship educational programs like Dinosaurs, Oceans, Explorapedia, Dangerous Creatures and Entertainment Pack 3. considering that these were $50-$60 at a couple of years earlier, it was a ridiculously good price.

i wonder how many kids unknowingly grew up with a Kellogg’s CD version of these, because their parents ordered copies from the cereal box?

#cdrom #multimedia #digiPres #softwarePreservation #win95 #macintosh #vintageApple

really happy to have discovered something hiding in plain sight for several years: robyn & rand miller's original Myst pitch document from 1991.

it's a succinct work of art in itself. i'm surprised at how much of the world design was already on paper.

as all of the copies found elsewhere online are heavily compressed webp/jpeg, i've uploaded the robyn's original PNGs to IA here:

https://archive.org/details/myst_proposal

originally from robyn's site:

http://www.robynmiller.net/video-games-films

#digiPres #softwarePreservation #archival #gamedev #myst #cyan

really happy to have discovered something hiding in plain sight for several years: robyn & rand miller's original Myst pitch document from 1991.

it's a succinct work of art in itself. i'm surprised at how much of the world design was already on paper.

as all of the copies found elsewhere online are heavily compressed webp/jpeg, i've uploaded the robyn's original PNGs to IA here:

https://archive.org/details/myst_proposal

originally from robyn's site:

http://www.robynmiller.net/video-games-films

#digiPres #softwarePreservation #archival #gamedev #myst #cyan

a quick tour of Electronic Arts' Information Resource Centre (IRC) in Burnaby, BC. this is the internal library that EA employees could use to research games/movies/magazines for development and marketing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTm3b1CR9E0

my copy of Ultima VI came directly from the old library at Distinctive Software, before it was bought by EA and added to the IRC.

link courtesy of [email protected]

#canada #softwarepreservation #history #libraries

a quick tour of Electronic Arts' Information Resource Centre (IRC) in Burnaby, BC. this is the internal library that EA employees could use to research games/movies/magazines for development and marketing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTm3b1CR9E0

my copy of Ultima VI came directly from the old library at Distinctive Software, before it was bought by EA and added to the IRC.

link courtesy of [email protected]

#canada #softwarepreservation #history #libraries

speaking of #digitalPreservation and #softwarePreservation , today in my Pratt class we are gonna play the CURATE game: https://schreibman.eu/digcurv/curate-game/

@remram44 printed custom game pieces for me on the 3d printer!!!!

very excited to play test!!

speaking of #digitalPreservation and #softwarePreservation , today in my Pratt class we are gonna play the CURATE game: https://schreibman.eu/digcurv/curate-game/

@remram44 printed custom game pieces for me on the 3d printer!!!!

very excited to play test!!

several years ago I began archiving educational software. Dangerous Creatures had the BEST Win95 Plus! Pack theme. 😻

edit: I totally misremembered. The dangerous creatures theme with the cougar deskop was sorta ok. the BEST theme was called Jungle. it came with the Plus! For Kids Pack

for @david_bardos

#multimedia #softwarePreservation #digipres #win31 #win95

several years ago I began archiving educational software. Dangerous Creatures had the BEST Win95 Plus! Pack theme. 😻

edit: I totally misremembered. The dangerous creatures theme with the cougar deskop was sorta ok. the BEST theme was called Jungle. it came with the Plus! For Kids Pack

for @david_bardos

#multimedia #softwarePreservation #digipres #win31 #win95

How do we preserve software and keep digital content accessible? 💾

Join our Software Preservation & Emulation Showcase for lightning talks and discussion exploring real-world approaches, from floppy files to virtual worlds.

🗓️ 28 April 14:00–16:00 (UTC)
💻 Online
🎤 Case studies + panel discussion

🔗 Register here: https://www.dpconline.org/events/eventdetail/770/-/every-object-an-orchestra-a-software-preservation-emulation-showcase

#DigitalPreservation #Coalition #DPC #SoftwarePreservation #Emulation #digipres #community #JoinUs

How do we preserve software and keep digital content accessible? 💾

Join our Software Preservation & Emulation Showcase for lightning talks and discussion exploring real-world approaches, from floppy files to virtual worlds.

🗓️ 28 April 14:00–16:00 (UTC)
💻 Online
🎤 Case studies + panel discussion

🔗 Register here: https://www.dpconline.org/events/eventdetail/770/-/every-object-an-orchestra-a-software-preservation-emulation-showcase

#DigitalPreservation #Coalition #DPC #SoftwarePreservation #Emulation #digipres #community #JoinUs

OldVersion is Back, and Better than Ever

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://hackaday.com/2026/04/01/oldversion-is-back-and-better-than-ever/

OldVersion is Back, and Better than Ever

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://hackaday.com/2026/04/01/oldversion-is-back-and-better-than-ever/

The Winter #Olympics continue! ⛷️

🏂 Celebrate gaming history by revisiting 1985’s "Winter Games" from our classic software collection ❄️

💾 #SoftwarePreservation is how we go for the Gold! 🥇

🕹️ Play it on your favorite vintage platform ⤵️
https://archive.org/search?query=winter+games&and%5B%5D=mediatype:%22software%22

#8bit

The Winter #Olympics continue! ⛷️

🏂 Celebrate gaming history by revisiting 1985’s "Winter Games" from our classic software collection ❄️

💾 #SoftwarePreservation is how we go for the Gold! 🥇

🕹️ Play it on your favorite vintage platform ⤵️
https://archive.org/search?query=winter+games&and%5B%5D=mediatype:%22software%22

#8bit

software mystery: does anyone have an archived copy of Case Western University's "FreePort" Free-Net software?

this is the collection of server daemons and scripts that, collected together, formed the backbone of most FreeNets. despite the tools being free, the collected package and scripts were not free, and were sold and licensed to freenet operators.

(chebucto appeared a few years later as a free replacement (and it is still available for download) - but it's not the same software package as FreePort.)

boosts very welcome.

#digiPres #softwarepreservation

software mystery: does anyone have an archived copy of Case Western University's "FreePort" Free-Net software?

this is the collection of server daemons and scripts that, collected together, formed the backbone of most FreeNets. despite the tools being free, the collected package and scripts were not free, and were sold and licensed to freenet operators.

(chebucto appeared a few years later as a free replacement (and it is still available for download) - but it's not the same software package as FreePort.)

boosts very welcome.

#digiPres #softwarepreservation

RE: https://mstdn.social/@swheritage/115932187489013105

We’re excited to welcome @swheritage to the #DPGRegistry 🎉

As an Open Data DPG, Software Heritage collects, preserves, and shares all public software source code, ensuring it remains accessible for everyone in the long term.

https://www.digitalpublicgoods.net/r/software-heritage

#DigitalPublicGoods #OpenData #OpenSource #SoftwarePreservation #DPGs

RE: https://mstdn.social/@swheritage/115932187489013105

We’re excited to welcome @swheritage to the #DPGRegistry 🎉

As an Open Data DPG, Software Heritage collects, preserves, and shares all public software source code, ensuring it remains accessible for everyone in the long term.

https://www.digitalpublicgoods.net/r/software-heritage

#DigitalPublicGoods #OpenData #OpenSource #SoftwarePreservation #DPGs

Love the excitement of everyone involved in this Unix V4 find and the data retrieval. They are all up in the sky, and I completely understand it. And it shows how reliable magnetic media can be if stored well. That is the spirit of what makes vintage computing so fascinating to me. Great that the channel gave this so much air time.

https://youtu.be/m-3RJaKcw_4?si=_5FXAdBYFB57N-a4

#vintagecomputing #computerhistory #softwarepreservation #unix

Love the excitement of everyone involved in this Unix V4 find and the data retrieval. They are all up in the sky, and I completely understand it. And it shows how reliable magnetic media can be if stored well. That is the spirit of what makes vintage computing so fascinating to me. Great that the channel gave this so much air time.

https://youtu.be/m-3RJaKcw_4?si=_5FXAdBYFB57N-a4

#vintagecomputing #computerhistory #softwarepreservation #unix

I have been working on regenerating the (long-lost) source code for Nodes of Yesod, a game I wrote for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in 1985. I have been picking away at this Z80 disassembly for nearly 20 years, starting with IDA and later moving to Ghidra.

While the project has been technically complete for some time (it reassembles to a binary identical to the shipped game), my goal is to release a fully documented codebase that is actually readable for future developers and historians.

To that end, this weekend, I compared the Claude Code CLI and the Gemini CLI for the specific task of identifying and defining symbols for methods, labels, and constants. In the past, I've run into context memory issues with the web interfaces, but the CLI tools seem to handle this single 30K+ line file very well.

Here is the breakdown:

Claude Code CLI: It is faster and understands the Z80 context with very few mistakes. However, it is significantly more expensive for this volume of work, running into Pro plan rate limits relatively quickly.

Gemini CLI: This allows me to work much longer before hitting rate limits on the Pro plan. It requires more iteration to get the output right, but it is a great workhorse.

The screenshots below show an example of the results, including some ASCII art Claude generated directly from the raw sprite bitmap data, and a section of code constants where both the name and comments were determined or augmented by Claude.

#SinclairSpectrum #OdinComputerGraphics #OldDogNewTricks #RetroDev #RetroGames #ReverseEngineering #SoftwarePreservation #ClaudeCodeCLI #GeminiCLI

I have been working on regenerating the (long-lost) source code for Nodes of Yesod, a game I wrote for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum in 1985. I have been picking away at this Z80 disassembly for nearly 20 years, starting with IDA and later moving to Ghidra.

While the project has been technically complete for some time (it reassembles to a binary identical to the shipped game), my goal is to release a fully documented codebase that is actually readable for future developers and historians.

To that end, this weekend, I compared the Claude Code CLI and the Gemini CLI for the specific task of identifying and defining symbols for methods, labels, and constants. In the past, I've run into context memory issues with the web interfaces, but the CLI tools seem to handle this single 30K+ line file very well.

Here is the breakdown:

Claude Code CLI: It is faster and understands the Z80 context with very few mistakes. However, it is significantly more expensive for this volume of work, running into Pro plan rate limits relatively quickly.

Gemini CLI: This allows me to work much longer before hitting rate limits on the Pro plan. It requires more iteration to get the output right, but it is a great workhorse.

The screenshots below show an example of the results, including some ASCII art Claude generated directly from the raw sprite bitmap data, and a section of code constants where both the name and comments were determined or augmented by Claude.

#SinclairSpectrum #OdinComputerGraphics #OldDogNewTricks #RetroDev #RetroGames #ReverseEngineering #SoftwarePreservation #ClaudeCodeCLI #GeminiCLI

Warm yourself by the virtual fireplace in this cosy 8-bit #Christmas scene. No MS-DOS or floppy 💾 drive required to stoke this very 1980s hearth. Thanks to software preservation, the flames are still crackling on the Internet Archive.

✉️ Open the full 1986 Sierra On-Line "A Computer Christmas" card ⤵️
https://archive.org/details/sierra-christmas-card-1986

#RetroComputing #VintageComputing #8bit #SoftwarePreservation #ComputerHistory

Warm yourself by the virtual fireplace in this cosy 8-bit #Christmas scene. No MS-DOS or floppy 💾 drive required to stoke this very 1980s hearth. Thanks to software preservation, the flames are still crackling on the Internet Archive.

✉️ Open the full 1986 Sierra On-Line "A Computer Christmas" card ⤵️
https://archive.org/details/sierra-christmas-card-1986

#RetroComputing #VintageComputing #8bit #SoftwarePreservation #ComputerHistory

A significant historical artifact has resurfaced: the long-lost Fourth Edition Research Unix source code (1973) was recovered from magnetic tape and authenticated. This pivotal release marked the kernel's transition to C. Analysis confirms its authenticity against prior assumptions, revealing 52,000 foundational lines persisted into later Unix versions. This discovery reshapes our understanding of early OS evolution, highlighting the enduring legacy... #SoftwarePreservation #OpenSourceHeritage

❄️ ’Tis the season to celebrate with Sierra On-Line’s 1986 "A Computer Christmas." ❄️ Thanks to #softwarepreservation, this retro holiday classic is now a perennial gift for new generations of holiday revelers. 🎄

See all the animated sequences ⤵️
https://archive.org/details/sierra-christmas-card-1986

#DigitalArchive #TechHistory #retrocomputing #retrogaming

❄️ ’Tis the season to celebrate with Sierra On-Line’s 1986 "A Computer Christmas." ❄️ Thanks to #softwarepreservation, this retro holiday classic is now a perennial gift for new generations of holiday revelers. 🎄

See all the animated sequences ⤵️
https://archive.org/details/sierra-christmas-card-1986

#DigitalArchive #TechHistory #retrocomputing #retrogaming

OldVersion.com Archive Facing Shutdown Due to Financing Issues https://hackaday.com/2025/11/07/oldversion-com-archive-facing-shutdown-due-to-financing-issues/ #softwarepreservation #digitalpreservation #SoftwareHacks #News

OldVersion.com Archive Facing Shutdown Due to Financing Issues https://hackaday.com/2025/11/07/oldversion-com-archive-facing-shutdown-due-to-financing-issues/ #softwarepreservation #digitalpreservation #SoftwareHacks #News

OldVersion.com Archive Facing Shutdown Due to Financing Issues - Finding older versions of particular software can be a real chore, all too often o... - https://hackaday.com/2025/11/07/oldversion-com-archive-facing-shutdown-due-to-financing-issues/ #softwarepreservation #digitalpreservation #softwarehacks #news

OldVersion.com Archive Facing Shutdown Due to Financing Issues - Finding older versions of particular software can be a real chore, all too often o... - https://hackaday.com/2025/11/07/oldversion-com-archive-facing-shutdown-due-to-financing-issues/ #softwarepreservation #digitalpreservation #softwarehacks #news

#libraries #softwarePreservation

#libraries #softwarePreservation

anyone else remember the html code you could add from icq to show your on/offline status on your homepage 😅

source:
https://web.archive.org/web/19980212183219/http://www.icq.com/respondpanel/

#icq #1990s #softwarePreservation

anyone else remember the html code you could add from icq to show your on/offline status on your homepage 😅

source:
https://web.archive.org/web/19980212183219/http://www.icq.com/respondpanel/

#icq #1990s #softwarePreservation

today's buried treasure:

an interview with john henry thompson on the history of Macromedia Director. it's one of the only interviews ever recorded on the subject.

as the lead programmer and creator of Lingo - the OO scripting language used in director - he relates intimate knowledge of its origins. i was delighted to learn that he borrowed much of the grammar from Hypertalk!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqISbaJ7qug

#macintosh #vintageApple #macromedia #softwarePreservation #programming