MacGUI Downloads gone

[finkmac]

I'm looking for an obscure Apple tool (Diagnostic Sound Sampler) but haven't had any luck.
On a whim, I thought I'd try the MacGUI downloads site which is very messy but often has stuff you can't find elsewhere.
Unfortunately I'm presented with this silly message

https://macgui.com/downloads/?cat_id=53

Anybody have a mirror of this archive?

 

[Phipli]

I'm looking for an obscure Apple tool (Diagnostic Sound Sampler) but haven't had any luck.
On a whim, I thought I'd try the MacGUI downloads site which is very messy but often has stuff you can't find elsewhere.
Unfortunately I'm presented with this silly message

View attachment 59506

https://macgui.com/downloads/?cat_id=53

Anybody have a mirror of this archive?

I haven't sadly.

What do they even mean!?

 

[finkmac]

What do they even mean!?

Presumably they're sad because... software preservation affecters perceived resale values of ancient software?
Seems like a big stretch but maybe that's just me.

 

[Phipli]

Presumably they're sad because... software preservation affecters perceived resale values of ancient software?
Seems like a big stretch but maybe that's just me.

I don't think that's it - someone like that wouldn't be sharing in the first place.

Are they objecting to other archives cloning all their downloads?

If it was just the words I'd assume they objected to people having large collections that they don't use... but I don't see how that would upset them. The only things I would expect them to be bothered by would be excessive downloads costing them money for bandwidth or people taking advantage of them somehow.

Note to self - when complaining / punishing people about / because of something, be clear about what it is!

 

[cheesestraws]

With some added context, I think they mean "users are using old software that does what they want so they aren't getting excited about my new software that doesn't, so I'm going to try to take their old software away until they sound excited enough about my new stuff".

Speaking as a software engineer who writes software for these things, this seems a rather strange argument to me.

There's an older dump on archive.org thanks to @joshc - https://archive.org/details/mac-gui-vault-dvd-collection-august-25-2013

 

[Skate323k137]

The statement seems so contradictory.

If you do not want people to commoditize it, then keep it available. This stance seems to conflict with their stance on devaluation.

Hopefully the admin is just mad or something and comes around, but it's good reminder to back things up locally, offline, and online. Ugh.

 

[Crutch]

MacGUI’s download section is a treasure trove of obscure, very-early-Mac software including random bits and pieces of ancient dev tools, so this is real shame and I hope he comes around. Thanks @cheesestraws for sharing that link.

It is certainly surprising to me to describe “commoditization” (meaning, typically, wide and easy availability a.k.a. “democratization”) described as a bad thing in a hobby community. I suppose I must be misunderstanding.

Dog Cow used to be an active member here who has made many useful contributions (the Mac GUI blog is also really excellent if you are into weird old bits of 68K assembly, which, who isn’t??), but seems not to have posted on 68kmla in a few years, maybe since the crash: https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?members/dog-cow.674/

 

[Skate323k137]

If the goal is to stop people flipping copies on eBay, it's not really going to help. Those people have what they need. All one would be accomplishing by gatekeeping it at this point is helping the current scalpers have less competition.

 

[Crutch]

Flipping copies of what?

 

[Skate323k137]

Flipping copies of what?

I'm speculating that part of their "widespread commoditzaion" complaint is all the clearly reproduction floppy copies of things like system software and popular apps/games.

 

[Phipli]

Found this :

https://macgui.com/blogs/?e=504

Commoditization and Devaluation of Software

Furthermore, I've also been seriously considering taking down the Mac GUI Vault software archive (just what's in the Downloads category) because vintage software has also become commoditized and devalued to worthlessness.

And I think this is bad because it affects new software development: users see no additional value in new software since they can get all this other stuff for free.

These changes to Mac GUI which I contemplate will take several months to implement, or I may never implement them. The site isn't going away, but it dearly needs a change to correspond with today's realities of readership and demographics. This change will entail a site redesign, and also a reversion to plaintext HTTP for many parts of the site.

Like @cheesestraws said.

 

[cheesestraws]

This:

users see no additional value in new software since they can get all this other stuff for free.

and its untruth is the crux here. I'm a software engineer for these machines. I do lots of building of software, which other people have found useful and interesting. So have other people. At no point have I felt that my software is competing with old abandonware.

If you aren't writing software that other people want, taking their abandonware away won't make them want it, mate.

 

[CC_333]

So basically, is this an attempt at forcing people, presumably, to pay for their own software by eliminating access to any abandonware alternatives that may or may not offer the same or similar functionality??

If that's so, it seems like a petty attempt at a money grab to me.

c

 

[Skate323k137]

So basically, is this an attempt at forcing people pay for their own software by eliminating access to any abandonware alternatives that may or may not offer the same or similar functionality??

If that's so, it seems like a petty attempt at a money grab to me.

c

Agreed, pretty sad if that's the case here.

 

[cheesestraws]

So basically, is this an attempt at forcing people, presumably, to pay for their own software by eliminating access to any abandonware alternatives that may or may not offer the same or similar functionality??

Out of charitableness, I'm assuming 'value' in a wider sense. But it's possibly financial.

 

[joshc]

It does seem like a petty money grab. Hence why I found the torrent of the site and stuck it up on archive.org for us all to enjoy. So much for their 'protest'...

 

[Phipli]

I'm trying to look at it as it is unfortunate that they feel that way.

I imagine if you are trying to make some pocket money off something you put a lot of effort into, you might feel disheartened and frustrated... within the bounds of posibility.

I don't agree with the outcome, but, I can imagine someone might feel like that.

 

[joshc]

It makes no sense given they spent the time/effort to run the archive since 2004 and then all of a sudden they pull the plug?

 

[twelvetone12]

I'm a bit confused, they do not seem to offer any paid services? Or am I missing it?

 

[Phipli]

I'm a bit confused, they do not seem to offer any paid services? Or am I missing it?

They sell some software for retro computers.

https://macgui.com/teledisk/