[Coco] MAME

[Wayne Campbell]

I jujst went to Microsoft via support to try and find out what Microsoft's
position on this is. I ended up posting a message in the community base. I
am now waiting for some response. My query is below.

old Microsoft ROM code from the 70s and 80s

I am inquiring about ROM code that is no longer supported by Microsoft. It
is the ROM code that was licensed to Tandy and Dragon Data for the
TRS-80/Tandy Color Computer and the Dragon Data Dragon 32/64. These
machines have not been produced for over 20 years now, and finding them is
getting more difficult every year.

I am part of an email group of Color Computer/Dragon enthusiasts. We would
like to know what Microsoft would want to give us permission to make the
code from those ROMs available for current users who are using emulators
instead of hardware. Many of us have come back to the "fold" after having
sold or lost our original computers long ago. Because they are becoming so
difficult to find, and with the unavailability of parts to repair them
with, we feel that emulators are the way of the future for retro-computing.
There's really no money to be made; this is just a group of people trying
to keep the old platforms alive for as long as we can.

Is it possible for us to get permission to use the code from the ROMs in
the emulators? It so, what would Microsoft want to provide us with that
permission?

Thank you for reading this query, and I hope to hear a positive response in
the near future.

Wayne Campbell

On Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 9:35 PM, Barry Nelson <barry.nelson at amobiledevice.com
> wrote:

> > Dave Philipsen dave at davebiz.com  <mailto:coco%40maltedmedia.com
> ?Subject=Re%3A%20%5BCoco%5D%20MAME&In-Reply-To=%3Cf3f27436-384c-ed11-ff0f-
> adf7e1542d5e%40davebiz.com%3E>
> > Thu Jun 8 00:00:43 EDT 2017
> >
> > My only question on this would be: do any of these companies mentioned
> > below even have the authority to 'release' the ROMs.  My guess is:
> > probably not.  When you turn on the CoCo it says that the copyrights
> > belong to Microware and Microsoft.  Tandy merely licensed the ROMs.  I
> > would think that both of them (Microware/Microsoft) would have to be
> > contacted for a 'release'.
> >
> > Dave
> Tandy had the right to distribute copies. It could charge what ever it
> wanted for those copies, including $0. I have already contacted Microsoft
> once years ago and they referred me to Tandy to get permission however I am
> fairly certain I can obtain permission from Microsoft. Microware has
> already given me a statement (while they were still in business) that any
> of their 6809 software could be distributed and that they had no further
> interest in selling it. My final approach will probably be to try to get a
> release from all involved parties. I will say that getting permission for
> the TI roms and old Apple roms was easy compared to this.
>
>
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> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>



-- 
Wayne

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