I used to believe that Personal Software only published Zork (actually, Infocom's Zork I) for the TRS-80, but I finally stand corrected. This Zork Personal Software (Apple II) auction on eBay was all the proof I needed. Infocom's early publisher did apparently provide the Apple II with some quality text adventuring, that has aged into a really obscure rarity. Then again, a starting bid of $1495.00 does seem a bit steep; most Personal Software Zork auctions (for the TRS-80, mind) I remember never reached $1000. Oh, and the seller does ship worldwide.
And given the well-known feebleness of 5.25 floppys, there's a good chance it will never work. Well, probably it's not such an issue for anybody who could pay two thousand bucks for a game!
ReplyDeleteWhat? 5.25 disks are generally very resilient if stored properly. Even if they get dirty, they can be washed off and usually the data retrieved. I have disks that are 30+ years old that still work fine.
ReplyDeleteNow, 3.5 disks are another story completely. Good luck with those - the drive heads on 3.5 drives were pretty weak.
@ Mik: Well, I do expect they'll be checked and promptly returned if they dare not load on command. Then again, my PC floppies still work wonderfully my friend.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous: Washed off? That's a very impressive bit of trivia indeed! Also, thanks for the info :)
That is a thing of beauty. Too bad saving a copy of the png to my desktop is as close as I will come to owning it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I dunno about the 5.25 floppies - I don't remember having major problems, but I do remember spinning some of my more favorite C64 games on my 1541 so often that I could actually see through a few of them. Now that just can't be good for data integrity.
On the other hand oh MadPlanet, this PNG might eventually be considered a virtual collectors item. No, really!
ReplyDeleteOh God, a virtual collection is something so beautiful I can't take it out of my mind. It would also be virtual, anyway, so...
ReplyDeleteOk, let's get serious again. I guess it's just a matter of luck then, because I perfectly remember my data being regulary lost when it came to 5.25 disks... then again, I still own my first 3.5 diskette (Soundblaster 16 drivers - you know, for your retrogaming needs) and it's still working (and so does the SB!).
Well, it's just... so random :D
Randomness virtually guides the fate of all digital media it seems... ;p
ReplyDeletean appreciation of randomness is an underappreciated virtue.
ReplyDeleteI still have my SB16 3.5" driver disk too! Although who knows where the heck the card is - or why I keep the driver disk for the matter...
You are apparently -and, dare I say, bravely- actively supporting randomness and its appreciation.
ReplyDeleteAnother one on sale now..
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/331728414775