6 ms·

A Collection of Imaginary Software

86 points by edent 6y ago

bitwize 6y ago
Man, this brings back memories of having all sorts of weird floppies cross my path... and scanning them to make sure they didn't contain Michelangelo or another scary virus! The labels look just amateurish enough to raise the Eyebrow of Doubt, but just professional enough to make you think "whatever it is, it could be interesting!"
- edent 6y ago
  Thanks! That's exactly the aesthetic I was going for :-)
etiam 6y ago
Isn't there supposed to be Tic Tac Toe included on the bottom white one? Could have dire consequences if it's left out...
- edent 6y ago
  Good spot. Should only take me a couple of seconds to add it in ;-)
- teddyh 6y ago
  — It’s not on the list! — What’s not on the list? — Go ahead. It’s got to be in there somewhere.
setereklakshit 6y ago
I've been thinking of this as well, back in the days we all use what today world don't use
tempodox 6y ago
That Aperture Laboratories disk got me captivated. I'd imagine getting sucked into a Portal dungeon without escape if I ever dared to insert it.
codetrotter 6y ago
They look nice :) Did you remember to flip the plastic switch on the GLaDOS floppy into the write-protect position before framing it? :^)
- edent 6y ago
  Oh shit...!
ableal 6y ago
Thought it would go the way of fictitious book reviews by Lem, Borges, et al. e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem%27s_fictitious_criticism_of_nonexistent_books https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem%27s_fictiti... May be too hard to get right about software. Anyone tried?
- edent 6y ago
  You should write that post. It sounds like a good idea.
swiley 6y ago
Wouldn’t bandersnatch be on a tape and not a floppy?
- edent 6y ago
  Yes. But no one sent me any cassette cases. If you have a stock of them, I could certainly knock something up.
  - failrate 6y ago
    I have some new old stock blank cassettes I could send you. DM me a mailing address, if you'd like.
- pmachinery 6y ago
  I can't tell if the word "imaginary" is a (very good) pun in relation to Bandersnatch (developed by Liverpool's Imagine software) but, as many people will already know, it did kind of exist. The ambitiousness of the project helped Imagine, one of the UK's most successful games companies, go bust, all while being filmed for a BBC documentary[0]. Bandersnatch would eventually be released as Brataccas[1], and the brand "Imagine" was taken over by the other company in the BBC documentary, Manchester's Ocean software[2], which went on to further success, later merging with French company Infogrames. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt9BsZCifgU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt9BsZCifgU [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brataccas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brataccas [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Software
mnbvcxz3 6y ago
Polybius "I spent so much money on this arcade game back when I was a kid." Oh no
- edent 6y ago
  It was a fun game. Really helped me open my mind.
ytjohn 6y ago
I love this idea. In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, there was a software called "Reason". It was only mentioned a few times, but I always keep thinking back to it whenever we're in a planning meeting. >Reason allows users to specify in advance the decision they want it to reach, and only then to input all the facts. The program's task was to construct a plausible series of logical-sounding steps to connect the premises with the conclusion. The only copy was sold to the US Government for an undisclosed fee. https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently/gordon_way.shtml https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently/gordon_way.shtml There was another software I forget the name of, but the guy had modeled his sofa and staircase on it to try and figure out how the sofa got impossibly stuck halfway up stairs, and it kept trying different angles in order to come up with a way to get it unstuck.
lostmsu 6y ago
Notably missing OS from Her. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/

86 points by edent 6y ago

Man, this brings back memories of having all sorts of weird floppies cross my path... and scanning them to make sure they didn't contain Michelangelo or another scary virus! The labels look just amateurish enough to raise the Eyebrow of Doubt, but just professional enough to make you think "whatever it is, it could be interesting!"

edent 6y ago
Thanks! That's exactly the aesthetic I was going for :-)

etiam 6y ago

Isn't there supposed to be Tic Tac Toe included on the bottom white one? Could have dire consequences if it's left out...

edent 6y ago
Good spot. Should only take me a couple of seconds to add it in ;-)
teddyh 6y ago
— It’s not on the list! — What’s not on the list? — Go ahead. It’s got to be in there somewhere.

setereklakshit 6y ago

I've been thinking of this as well, back in the days we all use what today world don't use

tempodox 6y ago

That Aperture Laboratories disk got me captivated. I'd imagine getting sucked into a Portal dungeon without escape if I ever dared to insert it.

codetrotter 6y ago

They look nice :) Did you remember to flip the plastic switch on the GLaDOS floppy into the write-protect position before framing it? :^)

edent 6y ago
Oh shit...!

ableal 6y ago

Thought it would go the way of fictitious book reviews by Lem, Borges, et al. e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem%27s_fictitious_criticism_of_nonexistent_books https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem%27s_fictiti... May be too hard to get right about software. Anyone tried?

edent 6y ago
You should write that post. It sounds like a good idea.

swiley 6y ago

Wouldn’t bandersnatch be on a tape and not a floppy?

edent 6y ago
Yes. But no one sent me any cassette cases. If you have a stock of them, I could certainly knock something up.
- failrate 6y ago
  I have some new old stock blank cassettes I could send you. DM me a mailing address, if you'd like.
pmachinery 6y ago
I can't tell if the word "imaginary" is a (very good) pun in relation to Bandersnatch (developed by Liverpool's Imagine software) but, as many people will already know, it did kind of exist. The ambitiousness of the project helped Imagine, one of the UK's most successful games companies, go bust, all while being filmed for a BBC documentary[0]. Bandersnatch would eventually be released as Brataccas[1], and the brand "Imagine" was taken over by the other company in the BBC documentary, Manchester's Ocean software[2], which went on to further success, later merging with French company Infogrames. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt9BsZCifgU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt9BsZCifgU [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brataccas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brataccas [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Software

mnbvcxz3 6y ago

Polybius "I spent so much money on this arcade game back when I was a kid." Oh no

edent 6y ago
It was a fun game. Really helped me open my mind.

ytjohn 6y ago

I love this idea. In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, there was a software called "Reason". It was only mentioned a few times, but I always keep thinking back to it whenever we're in a planning meeting. >Reason allows users to specify in advance the decision they want it to reach, and only then to input all the facts. The program's task was to construct a plausible series of logical-sounding steps to connect the premises with the conclusion. The only copy was sold to the US Government for an undisclosed fee. https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently/gordon_way.shtml https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/dirkgently/gordon_way.shtml There was another software I forget the name of, but the guy had modeled his sofa and staircase on it to try and figure out how the sofa got impossibly stuck halfway up stairs, and it kept trying different angles in order to come up with a way to get it unstuck.

lostmsu 6y ago

Notably missing OS from Her. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/