Skate323k137
Well-known member
This is why I physically print the manuals for a lot of things. I would hate for a site or docs for an expansion card or something similar to disappear, and not have the documentation that goes with the device.
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MacGUI Downloads gone
- Thread starter finkmac
- Start date
LaPorta
Well-known member
Totally agree. I store most of mine digitally, but locally. Any time I can get my hands on an original, physical manual, I’ll take it.
MrFahrenheit
Well-known member
I don't understand how y'all have such fast downloads from the archive.org site...
I can never get more than 1-2MB/sec out of it, on my home 1Gb internet, or through my work dedicated enterprise 1Gb fiber.
I also can't get more than 200-400Kb/sec from Macintosh Garden. Ever.
MrFahrenheit
Well-known member
This includes all the files from the now 'closed' files section of Mac GUI:
Mac GUI Vault Collection 2023 : Mac GUI : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Mac GUI Vault Collection 2023This contains the 2013 torrent, 2015 DVD, and 2023 digital downloads.This archive represents the complete Mac GUI Vault from the...archive.org
Did you change anything from the 14GB tar file that is on Macintosh Garden? Just wondering if I need to download from both places...
It is the same.
finkmac
NORTHERN TELECOM
Are you using HTTP torrents? Downloads from archive.org via HTTP torrents are always much faster. Try using a client that supports HTTP seeds like Transmission.
LaPorta
Well-known member
I just used the regular download link on the page. No idea why it is fast or not.
Mk.558
Well-known member
Here's a text file that has a file and directory listing. I would put it on pastebin but it is greater than the 512KB limit of pastebin (by a fair amount: it's basically 3MB).
NOTE: When I was extracting the archive, some files had "Very Similar" file names, such as "ExampleFile.BIN" and "examplefile.bin" and some had a slight discrepancy in file size. I just skipped those.
NOTE: When I was extracting the archive, some files had "Very Similar" file names, such as "ExampleFile.BIN" and "examplefile.bin" and some had a slight discrepancy in file size. I just skipped those.
MrFahrenheit
Well-known member
My ISP doesn't like torrents. I've had my account suspended for using them in the past. The ISP usage agreement bans torrent use.
I'd use my work internet but I wouldn't want to risk having that account suspended either. So I'll just patiently wait for it to come in...
LaPorta
Well-known member
What ISP is this?
MrFahrenheit
Well-known member
Can't disclose. But let's just say we have only two options here, and both are this way.
Crutch
Well-known member
1. MacGUI is a great site, his articles have always been great, his knowledge of very early (1984-ish) Mac systems architecture and assembly programming is truly impressive, I hope he updates the Blog soon (because 100% of the Blog articles are excellent and include substantial original research), and I’m sorry that he’s taken the (again, excellent) MacGUI Downloads section offline.
2. It is of course his decision to do so, which I respect, though I join others here in wishing it had been handled differently (for example, by offering digitally bequeath the thing to others with some notice).
3. That said I am of course beyond delighted that enterprising people here have ensured the preservation of this archive. Nice work!
2. It is of course his decision to do so, which I respect, though I join others here in wishing it had been handled differently (for example, by offering digitally bequeath the thing to others with some notice).
3. That said I am of course beyond delighted that enterprising people here have ensured the preservation of this archive. Nice work!
MrFahrenheit
Well-known member
I wonder how much unique software is there, though, as opposed to what’s already uploaded to Macintosh Garden or elsewhere.
I mean, how much stuff could he possibly have kept on there that someone didn’t also upload elsewhere?
I’d love to build a compare tool to check file names for unique files but I’m a bit overloaded with work stuff until next summer now.
I mean, how much stuff could he possibly have kept on there that someone didn’t also upload elsewhere?
I’d love to build a compare tool to check file names for unique files but I’m a bit overloaded with work stuff until next summer now.
Phipli
Well-known member
It's doable from the command line by doing a checksum for every file in both archives, but will take a while.
Not sure the knowledge is worth the effort though.
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Crutch
Well-known member
I have found quite a bit that’s unique there over the years actually. Mostly (at least, this is what I’ve searched for and found, given my unique interests) really early dev tools. In the past I’m pretty sure I’ve found earlier/different versions of Hippo C and Lightspeed C, for example, and a weird old 400K disk image full of very early developer utilities, among other things.
DogCow explains his decision at https://macgui.com/blogs/?e=504. I think his reasoning is totally fallacious. He is closing the vault because having it there encourages people to use vintage software, whereas he would like to see an active development scene, where people use recently developed software instead on their vintage macs.
As someone who would like to develop software for vintage macs I depend on sites like his to get hold of a) the development tools to produce this 'new software' he would like to see and b) the documentation and programming examples that help me make sense of how to do this.
If he wants to encourage an active development scene removing access to one of the few resources that enable this is utterly counter-productive.
Just mad.
As someone who would like to develop software for vintage macs I depend on sites like his to get hold of a) the development tools to produce this 'new software' he would like to see and b) the documentation and programming examples that help me make sense of how to do this.
If he wants to encourage an active development scene removing access to one of the few resources that enable this is utterly counter-productive.
Just mad.
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Daniël
Well-known member
That has indeed come up in this thread before. I've talked about it before, but I remain that A.) Modern software moves far too much towards the model of having to pay big corporations in perpetuity to maintain access to their software, and more and more individual features on top of that, and B.) Vintage software that negates the need for modern software points towards an issue with modern software, rather than the availability of vintage software.
Plus, even with point B, running vintage software either requires the appropriate hardware, or emulation, both being massive roadblocks to entry for the average software user. Thus, I very much doubt many people would want to run Office 98 for Macintosh to get away from Office 365, or Adobe Photoshop 5.0 to get away from the Adobe Creative Cloud, as hateful as those cloud subscriptions can get.
LaPorta
Well-known member
The above is what things like Standalone Office 2023, Pixelmator, and the like are for. Maybe I’m unique, but I just run my old Macs for fun and for historic purposes. I didn’t know people really used them for “serious” purposes. That’s what my 2020 iMac is for. I think any reasoning that having vintage software be available somehow stymies some sort of huge vintage machine software development market is absurd.
