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Emulators for old systems aren't very popular at all, compared to the general population's use of computers and computer systems. An increasingly small set of f

Emulators for old systems aren't very popular at all, compared to the general population's use of computers and computer systems. An increasingly small set of folks seeks out and builds / runs old NES or Sega emulators for the couple of games they miss from their childhood, but I'd wager a vast majority of computer system users today wouldn't even think of a gaming machine as a computer, let alone be able to be run on their modern machine. Perhaps the myopia of computer culture is a result of our lack of evangelism for classic systems, but, outside of games, most of software deviates from literature or music in that it's a tool. If I write a better word processor, why would I go back to use a two-decades-old word processor? I wouldn't. Same for graphics software, or IDEs, or web browsers, accounting tools, what have you. For the most part, these things go to obsolescence and there isn't a use case for dusting them off once that happens. With a book, a story is still a story whether the setting or events are modern or not. A song is still a song, whether played on harpsichord or synth tracks on a macbook. But a piece of software is a hammer or a handsaw or an impact driver. When you have a better one, you put the crappier one away and it doesn't see the light of day again until your kids are cleaning out your garage when they move you into a retirement home.

tbirdz 12y ago
Kafka also isn't very popular at all, compared to the general population's choice of reading material. Old software programs can be useful. For example, consider the diehard following of older programs like Deluxe Paint, Impulse Tracker, etc. I also don't think it's fair to compare utility the kind of utility programs that you are talking about to the works of Kafka. A novel is something designed to provide entertainment, insight, or some other benefit beyond the basic utility of a tool. I think the game is the best type of computer program to compare to a novel, in that they have the same aims. A better comparison for the type of program you are talking about would be something like a lost pet flyer, or a personal ad, a "Caution: Wet Paint" sign, the terms and conditions for a website or even a technical manual. These are also works of writing, but probably are not going to provide much value out of their specific situation and context, save for historical interest. So I guess the take-away is that if you want to create something that will be remembered for a long time, you have to more than just provide utility for your own specific time and situation. I think software programs are more than capable of doing that, the programmer just has to have the right focus in developing (so maybe a game, or a software art program, or a demo like the demoscene), or give the program some personality. On the other hand utility programs and utility writing are still useful and necessary in the short term, and there's nothing wrong with that.

tbirdz 12y ago

Kafka also isn't very popular at all, compared to the general population's choice of reading material. Old software programs can be useful. For example, consider the diehard following of older programs like Deluxe Paint, Impulse Tracker, etc. I also don't think it's fair to compare utility the kind of utility programs that you are talking about to the works of Kafka. A novel is something designed to provide entertainment, insight, or some other benefit beyond the basic utility of a tool. I think the game is the best type of computer program to compare to a novel, in that they have the same aims. A better comparison for the type of program you are talking about would be something like a lost pet flyer, or a personal ad, a "Caution: Wet Paint" sign, the terms and conditions for a website or even a technical manual. These are also works of writing, but probably are not going to provide much value out of their specific situation and context, save for historical interest. So I guess the take-away is that if you want to create something that will be remembered for a long time, you have to more than just provide utility for your own specific time and situation. I think software programs are more than capable of doing that, the programmer just has to have the right focus in developing (so maybe a game, or a software art program, or a demo like the demoscene), or give the program some personality. On the other hand utility programs and utility writing are still useful and necessary in the short term, and there's nothing wrong with that.