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Archive.org Hosts Massive Collection of MAME ROMs
An anonymous reader writes to point out a giant gift to the world
from the Internet Archive: a massive collection of MAME ROMs, playable in your browser using Javascript Mess. From the blog post announcing this extension of the already mind-blowing Internet Archive: "Like the Historical Software collection, the Console Living Room is in beta – the ability to interact with software in near-instantaneous real-time comes with the occasional bumps and bruises. An army of volunteer elves are updating information about each of the hundreds of game cartridges now available, and will be improving them across the next few days. Sound is still not enabled, but is coming soon. Faster, more modern machines and up-to-date browsers work best with the JSMESS emulator."
Excuse me if I'm just not getting it but isn't this copyright infirngement?
Unfortunately, the only format they released the ROMs in is one huge ZIP file. Even the torrent, where torrent software might have allowed picking-and-choosing individual ROM files, is only the ridiculous 42.8GB ZIP.
I'm still looking for a list of files, but for that size, it might be EVERY MAME ROM in the MAME database of over 7000 ROMS.
On one hand, it's copyrighted content, but on the other, it's ~20 year old content, and not freely available in the public marketplace (or at least, not very affordably). Most manufacturers have chosen not to pursue copyright claims against anything that is not current-gen.
Hey, at least he finally submitted it as a proper news item.
Look at the stuff in the "MESS and MAME" collection. There's PSX dumps, there's Saturn dumps, and there's a whole bunch of arcade games that I know for a fact cannot be legally distributed (Raiden, Raiden Fighters, a couple of CAVE games, etc). I'm not even sure how legal those ROM dumps are even if you own the original arcade boards- almost all arcade PCBs have hardware protection on them (think of DRM, but a billion times worse), and in order to dump the ROM contents properly and/or run them you'd have to crack that protection first.
I mean, shit, this is basically a ROM hoarders wet dream. I have never ever seen that stuff hosted anywhere other then torrent websites. I'm honestly surprised that archive.org allowed this to be posted and I'm surprised the mamedev guys haven't freaked out over it, because this could potentially attract a lot of negative attention (and mamedev is very, very prone to sudden outbursts of illogical drama).
WTF? Baseline MAME will compile on Linux or OSX now, using SDL bindings and a Qt or Cocoa debugger UI. It's even in the repos for some popular Linux distros.
This little freeware program allows you to not only see what's in an archive shortly after you begin to D/L it, you can prioritize individual files inside it or pick and choose any number of them to D/L or not. Also to get bits and pieces of the archive in truncated form, still retaining the format container. I haven't used it but maybe 3 times, but these situations are perfect for it: this huge-ass, inconvenient HTTP grab of over 40 damn gigs. There's a portable version available somewhere but I can't locate it ATM.
http://www.loadscout.com/index.html
Us pinfans have been happily using VisualPinball & PinMAME for ages now. The VP team negotiated terms of usage with the owners of pinball ROMS (Stern, Bally, and other defunct-ish companies) which included a flatout promise not to design or publish pinball sims for games less than a year old. It seems to have worked well, in the sense that I know of no attempt either to ban distribution of the ROM files or to sue any designer or user of VP files.
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
Have you tried QMC2?
http://qmc2.arcadehits.net/wordpress/
I think you have to put this in context. Were you expecting to get any more money from the work you put into that product? I don't think it would be reasonable to expect that these games (or at least the vast majority of them) would ever make money again. (If you think otherwise, it sounds like you *have* legal recourse here because the games are not out of copyright.) If I were in your position, though (which I kind of have been a number of times now, except most of my games were non-commercial) I would just be glad that someone gave them new life for another generation. Otherwise it would have faded into obscurity, giving you even less than you have now.
Take a step back and see that they are not trying to insult the authors as you suggest, but benefit everyone and honor the authors by propagating the work that would otherwise have faded away. I suspect (just a guess) you might be surprised at how accommodating and respectful these folks would be toward original authors if you approach them as a friend. You see them as an enemy, but really I think they are just trying to save and re-popularize something worth saving and appreciating for a bit longer, and couldn't find a practical way to contact a zillion non-existent authors in the process.
Couldn't the Internet Archive argue that it's in the same category as e.g. Youtube and therefore not liable unless it fails to respond to a takedown notice?
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
I'm also an author of one of these games. No one asked me my permission either. Of course they didn't have to, I'm not the copyright holder. The company I worked for at the time is. I doubt they asked them either, though.
But good for Archive.org! I'm glad to see an easy way to get this collection. I'm downloading it and will be seeding it. And when I get around to overhauling my MAME cabinet I'll be using it as my source of ROMs.
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
As has previously been explained, a DMCA exemption allows you to bypass the DRM on something you legally own. You still have to abide by copyright law.
Also the exemptions are re-assessed annually and they decided not to keep the DMCA exemption in place for old computer games.
From Other Files -- torrent, or the generated Magnet
It's still One Big File, but at least you might reduce the load on archive.org. Neighborly, y'know?
Or you could always donate (3 to 1 match until EOY) to help with the upcoming lawsuit. (Oh there'll be one, well, just because. These bits USED to be owned, and I'm sure there are some people who still think they are -- whether they truly are or not.)
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
in this hypothetical scenario I'm working without a desktop computer. in the real world my wisp doesn't allow me to torrent. either way I'm boned. there is no way for me to access this archive.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Were you paid to do your work?
I wasn't. I'm an independent musician who financed my own album and am now out several thousand dollars because of pirates. Please tell me where your argument stands on this. By the way, your arrogant comment of "Okay, then we're good" would be more accurately written as "Okay, then I'm good because I get what I want for free, and you ought to be good because, even if you didn't agree with my conditions and breaking of your contract, well, you know, I'm better and I get to choose what makes you feel good".
Your argument is disingenuous at best. If you had any sense of fairness, you'd realize that authors and musicians and artists choose a business model, and if you disagree with that business model then you should just not buy the stuff. Let the creative people lose out fairly. That means you assume they're adults who made a choice of business model with full awareness of the legal risks. Illegal downloading is a risk too, I know. But it's a really heartbreaking and awful risk to have to realize when you're just trying to make a buck.