Have you seen
the prices of just a single seat of that kind of
software?
Yes, but I hadn't thought about licensing, that's a good point.
I wonder if these companies even keep around a piece of their history
or if its lost forever?
Look at the company you work for.
Does E&S have copies of everything that they have produced?
The rest of the world is no different. Once a product is no longer a
source of revenue, it is disposed of. If it is archived, the chances of
anyone getting access to it outside the company is vanishingly small.