29 Jan
2009
29 Jan
'09
7:07 a.m.
At 01:00 PM 1/28/2009, Tim McNerney wrote:
I am looking for volunteers to help reverse-engineer
and document Apple II VisiCalc.
I have three versions of the Apple II software. I know one of them still boots (1983?)
and have some confidence that the other two versions (1979 and 1981) work too.
I have been in contact with both Bob Frankston and Dan Bricklin.
Of course you ask, well then why do you need volunteers?
The answer is because no one can find the sources.
No matter how many times I hear stories like this, or lived through
stories like this, I still shake my head and can't understand how the
source code gets lost. All these corporations, all the lawsuits, all
the programmers, all the marketing money, and so often no one, NO ONE,
preserves arguably the most important bits.
- John