Hardware Hobbyists vs. Emulator Enthusiasts vs Replica Recreators

Ray Arachelian wrote: Collecting how the machines were used, and who used them. Also the history of companies that produced them and the development process. Historians seem to be more interested in the social aspects of computing, as opposed to the nuts and bolts of how they worked that collectors concentrate on. There have been historians that question why anyone would bother collecting software at all, for example. I was asked recently by someone concerning archiving software what use people could make of software if the binaries and sources were made available for non-commercial use. Beyond intellectual research/curiosity, I was having some trouble doing so given the constraint of it being for non-commercial use. What would you do if the agreement with the software's owner is that it has to be "frozen in amber", ie. you have to agree not to make changes/improvements to it even though you have the sources?