Abandonware refers to computer software that is no longer sold or supported, or whose ownership may be unclear for various reasons. While the term has been applied largely to older games, other classes of software are sometimes described as such. Definitions of "abandoned" vary; generally, it refers to software no longer available for legitimate purchase or of a certain age. Software companies may change their names, go bankrupt, enter into mergers, or cease to exist for a variety of reasons. When this happens, product rights are usually transferred to another company that might not sell or support the software acquired.
Some companies such as Corel and LucasArts have actively protected the copyright of their past work while others have released it into the public domain.Software can be abandoned when it can only be used with obsolete technologies such as an Amiga, Atari or pre-Macintosh Apple computer. Companies do sometimes voluntarily relinquish copyright on software, putting it into the public domain, or re-license it as free software or freeware. id Software is an early proponent of this practice, releasing the source code for the game engines (but not the actual game content, such as levels or textures) of some older titles under a free software license. Other examples include Amstrad, which supports emulation and free distribution of CPC and ZX Spectrum hardware ROMs and software, and Revolution Software, which released their game Beneath a Steel Sky as freeware and gave the engine's source code to the authors of ScummVM to add support for the game. Transfer of public domain or free software is perfectly legal, distinguishing it from copyrighted abandonware. See list of commercial games released as freeware.
There are groups that lobby companies to release their software as freeware. These efforts have met with mixed results. One example is the library of educational titles released by MECC. MECC was sold to Brøderbund, which was sold to The Learning Company (TLC). When TLC was contacted about releasing classic MECC titles as freeware, the documentation proving that TLC owned the rights to these titles could not be located, and therefore the rights for these titles are "in limbo" and may never be legally released.
Friday, May 9, 2008
SEARCH ENGINE
A Web search engine is a search engine designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. Information may consist of web pages, images and other types of files.
Some search engines also mine data available in newsgroups, databases, or open directories. Unlike Web directories, which are maintained by human editors, search engines operate algorithmically or are a mixture of algorithmic and human input.Web search engines work by storing information about many web pages, which they retrieve from the WWW itself. These pages are retrieved by a Web crawler (sometimes also known as a spider) — an automated Web browser which follows every link it sees.
Exclusions can be made by the use of robots.txt. The contents of each page are then analyzed to determine how it should be indexed (for example, words are extracted from the titles, headings, or special fields called meta tags). Data about web pages are stored in an index database for use in later queries. Some search engines, such as Google, store all or part of the source page (referred to as a cache) as well as information about the web pages, whereas others, such as AltaVista, store every word of every page they find. This cached page always holds the actual search text since it is the one that was actually indexed, so it can be very useful when the content of the current page has been updated and the search terms are no longer in it. This problem might be considered to be a mild form of linkrot, and Google's handling of it increases usability by satisfying user expectations that the search terms will be on the returned webpage.
This satisfies the principle of least astonishment since the user normally expects the search terms to be on the returned pages. Increased search relevance makes these cached pages very useful, even beyond the fact that they may contain data that may no longer be available elsewhere.
Some search engines also mine data available in newsgroups, databases, or open directories. Unlike Web directories, which are maintained by human editors, search engines operate algorithmically or are a mixture of algorithmic and human input.Web search engines work by storing information about many web pages, which they retrieve from the WWW itself. These pages are retrieved by a Web crawler (sometimes also known as a spider) — an automated Web browser which follows every link it sees.
Exclusions can be made by the use of robots.txt. The contents of each page are then analyzed to determine how it should be indexed (for example, words are extracted from the titles, headings, or special fields called meta tags). Data about web pages are stored in an index database for use in later queries. Some search engines, such as Google, store all or part of the source page (referred to as a cache) as well as information about the web pages, whereas others, such as AltaVista, store every word of every page they find. This cached page always holds the actual search text since it is the one that was actually indexed, so it can be very useful when the content of the current page has been updated and the search terms are no longer in it. This problem might be considered to be a mild form of linkrot, and Google's handling of it increases usability by satisfying user expectations that the search terms will be on the returned webpage.
This satisfies the principle of least astonishment since the user normally expects the search terms to be on the returned pages. Increased search relevance makes these cached pages very useful, even beyond the fact that they may contain data that may no longer be available elsewhere.
Friday, April 25, 2008
HEADACHE? IT'S TIME FOR SEX
It's an excuse that just won't wash anymore."not today darling i'v got a headache," is no longer a valid reason for getting out of love making.According to medics, sex will actually relieve throbbing head by reducing the symptoms of pain.And love making is good for our health in many other ways.
Feeling stressed? Go to bed early for sex to reduce tension. A good session of lovemaking will do wonders for keepinh the heart in shape-that's the cardiovascular side of things as well as the cupid stuff.Intercourse will also boost self esteem and improve intimacy between couples. Researchers found it will boost your immunity to illness,burn off calories to keep you trim and reduce the chances of prostrate cancer in men.
And certain lovemaking positions will strengthen womens pelvic muscles.So for those trying to think of a new excuse to avoid lovemaking,like "i need a good night's sleep". forget it.sex helps that too.
Feeling stressed? Go to bed early for sex to reduce tension. A good session of lovemaking will do wonders for keepinh the heart in shape-that's the cardiovascular side of things as well as the cupid stuff.Intercourse will also boost self esteem and improve intimacy between couples. Researchers found it will boost your immunity to illness,burn off calories to keep you trim and reduce the chances of prostrate cancer in men.
And certain lovemaking positions will strengthen womens pelvic muscles.So for those trying to think of a new excuse to avoid lovemaking,like "i need a good night's sleep". forget it.sex helps that too.
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