Commercial Software

[Harrison]

We need to start finding out which Amiga productivity software is now deemed as freeware, so we can include it for download in the site's software directory.

Obviously all PD and Shareware software is perfectly OK for us to include and offer for download, but equally many publishers/developers started to allow their older Amiga software to be given away for free on magazine coverdisks, and we need to find out what the legality of including such software for download on classicamiga is.

Also we need to find out what other software packages are now OK for us to include for download on the site.

If you know of some commercial Amiga packages that we can legally include for download on classicamiga, please post the details here with any links to disclaimers stating it is OK for us to provide the download of the software.

Also if any classicamiga member(s) would like to volunteer to start contacting the original publishers and developers of Amiga software to try and obtain permission for us to include their software for free download (for home non profit use) then please let us know in this thread too as we need all the help we can get to try and build up our new software directory for all Amiga fans to use.

[AlexJ]

I'm sure Blitz Basic was released as Freeware, and think AMOS might have been too. Will check...

EDIT: That wasn't too hard:

"A while ago Blitz Basic for the Amiga became freeware but (continued development versions) had to be renamed to AmiBlitz because of licence agreements."
http://www.back2roots.org/Docs/Reviews/Coders/Mark%20Sibly%2C2/

I'll get an entry up for it with downloads soon. Shall I add all 4/5 different versions of the software I've got to the downloads page?

[Harrison]

Yes, that would be great. If the versions are completely different i.e. version 1, version 2 etc, then create complete new entries for each, but if they are just updates like 1.2, 1.3 etc then just include the downloads together for the same version of the software.

Do you know if both AMOS and AMOS Pro were made freeware? Or just the original AMOS?

[Harrison]

Wasn't Directory Opus 4 also made freeware under a GPL license?

[Buleste]

DOPUS 4 is freeware and has been rewritten for MorphOS, Scalos and a few other things ending in os and can be found on Aminet.

[Graham Humphrey]

Amiblitz is on Aminet too I think.

[Buleste]

Does commercial software that was released on magazine cover disks count as freeware? Like Imagine 4, Vista pro etc?

[Graham Humphrey]

I don't think so as the mag had to purchase the rights to use the software on their disk - it didn't make the programs freely distributable.

[Harrison]

But it might be much easier to approach and gain permission from the companies that did allow their products to be included on magazine coverdisks, because in my view they must have agreed to this because they couldn't see much commercial value in the software any longer by that time.

Therefore I think if we approach the makers of software that was included on coverdisks we are more likely yo stand a good chance of them agreeing to us including it for download on classicamiga.

[Buleste]

Also i know that imagine 4.0 was released on aminet set 3cd along with Xipaint. Another possibility is to do what magazines did and try find existing software companies and see if they'll let us release a old version of current software. Thats if there are any companies still doing stuff for the amiga.

[TiredOfLife]

MakeCD.

CD burning software.

http://makecd.core.de/

[angelheart2k5]

Hi

Does anyone use Amiblitz3 ?

[Buleste]

TBH I'd never heard of it up until now. Just had a look at the web page and it looks nice.