Legacy Software Preservation and Access
Digital Preservation @ IU Libraries
Heidi Kelly - heidowdi@indiana.edu
Luke Menzies - lmenzies@indiana.edu
Software in Context
Software as a Technical Object
Software as a Cultural Object
Software as a Research Output
Preservation of Software
Significant properties
Four aspects of software preservation:
- Storage
- Retrieval
- Reconstruction
- Replay
We can read a thousand-year-old manuscript, yet archivists cannot decipher some materials that are less than 20 years old.
- Gould and Varlamoff, 2000
Challenges
The Right to Copy
Degrading Media
And Obsolete Hardware
Software Dependencies
Emulation and Access
Case Study:
Legacy PC Games
Strategy
+ Install necessary OS's
+ Install games and get them to run
+ Create and configure tools that will enable easy, secure use
Why make disk images?
+ for Preservation
+ for Emulation
+ for Access and Use
Troubleshooting
+ Drivers
+ Patches
+ Copy Protection
-
original disk
-
codes & quizzes
-
advanced copy protection software
Access & Use
+ File Locations: User vs. System
+ Ease of Use <=> Restricted Access
+ Security & Privacy
<Thank You.>
Resources and Further Reading
