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The Guide To Abandonware
Abandonia.com

Contents
1. Definition of Abandonware
2. Is Abandonware Legal?
3. Abandonware Vs. Oldwarez
4. Distinguish Abandonware from Oldwarez
5. The ESA
6. The functions of Dosbox
7. Where Can I get Abandonware?
8. Credits

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1. What is the definition of Abandonware?

According to wikipedia.com…

"Abandonware is computer software which is no longer being sold or supported by its copyright holder.
Alternatively, the term is also used for software which is still available, but on which further
support and development has been deliberately discontinued.
Sometimes, it is used as a blanket category for any software over a certain age, usually five years.
The term has no legal meaning. This means that labeling any kind of software 'abandonware' does not make it legal to distribute it.
Unless put in the public domain, any and all abandonware remains covered under copyright law."

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2. Is Abandonware Legal?

Abandonware, is in fact, not legal. We define it as “illegal” but the reality floats somewhere in-between. Abandonware attempts to keep the spirit of classics, without defiling the current state of the gaming nation. The core is aging games. We find those that are no longer essentially supported by the creators, and give them a home. Abandonware is mainly a repertoire of video games collected from companies that no longer seem to be sold, supported, or protected by the ESA (See “The ESA”.)

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3. Abandonware Vs. Oldwarez

There is essentially little difference between Abandonware and Oldwarez. The main being that Oldwarez sites are known to be less strict on the selection of games. When it comes to pure terminology Oldwarez is the state of a game, being abandoned or not, those that are abandoned, are placed in the grouping of Oldwarez.
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4. Distinguish Abandonware from Oldwarez

How will you know? The easiest way to find out is whether the game is still being sold. This can easily be told by places such as Amazon, or CD Access. Another method is primarily Moby Games, a excellent gaming search engine that has a massive database of various games. You can also distinguish the two by certain companies. Many that have gone under, no longer support their games, and the rights are not protected by ESA. If you are absolutely sure a game fits into one of these categories, it’s pretty safe to assume it’s state.

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5. The ESA

The ESA is a hard-working company that holds certain rights to certain software. The ESA is usually requested by specific game companies to hold their rights, so it may not be sold or distributed. Abandonware is one of the ESA’s primary targets. This is more so to keep the sites clean of anything that shouldn’t be there. This keeps Abandonware somewhat legal, without distributing copyrighted and protected games across the internet.

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6. Functions of Dosbox

Dosbox is a essential program to reliving your older memories on the PC. Modern computers cannot support older games, due to compatibility problems. Dosbox emulates a DOS environment on your computer, enabling you to enjoy games that are ordinarily incompatible with your PC.

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7. Where can I get Abandonware?

Abandonia (Abandonia.com) is our pride and joy, and for a good reason. One of the cleanest, fair, and persistently updated abandon ware sites, you can most likely find what you like. There are many Abandonware and your best bet is to simply search, be it links from one site to another, or a Abandonware ring.

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8. Credits

Writing: Alex Veley - AKA Punch999
Abandonia Creator : Kosta
WIKIPEDIA : Abandonware Definition
Revision : Pierre Theron - AKA Blood-Pigggy
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I Alex Veley allow all who wish to edit this document can do so as long as they leave most of it intact. They may also put there name down as a reviser in the credits.

Signed.