The Legality of Video Game Emulation
Nearly everyone likes to play console video games, whether the console is the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Genesis, or the Sony PlayStation. But consoles break down, and the popularity of personal computers gave way to a special category of software called emulators, such as Nesten for the NES, KGen for the Genesis, or bleem! for the PlayStation. Emulators were not created to play video games; in fact, according to the Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, emulation means either “to imitate the functions of (another computer system) by means of software” or “to replace (software) with hardware to perform the same task” (429).
The term emulator comes directly from IBM employee Larry Moss, who in 1964 coined it for computer use when describing his proposal to the company for the IBM 7070 mainframe, which would run “the same software, but on a different machine,” namely, the forthcoming IBM System/360 computer series (“Sharing” 2). Emulation became a standard tool for cross-compatibility and sheer impressibility during the next 25 years, mainly beginning in 1980 with Microsoft’s Z80 SoftCard, which ran CP/M software on the Apple II (“Basis” 7) and culminating in 1989 with the release of the impressive Readysoft A-Max, a hardware/software adapter that worked with Macintosh BIOS ROMs to run the MacOS on the Commodore Amiga (“History” 3.2). The hardware BIOS ROMs—which had to be purchased from Apple—were later eliminated by hackers and replaced with faster software ROMs (3.2). Apple was obviously angered by this, but could do nothing, for the A-Max had users legally use purchased BIOS ROMs and MacOS boot disks, and the illegal use of software-copied and distributed BIOS ROMs w...
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---. “Basis for Emulation, The.” Emulation: Right or Wrong? aka “The EmuFAQ.” 10 Mar. 2000. EmuFAQ. 25 Oct. 2000.
---. “History of Emulation, The.” Parts 1-3. Digital Chameleon: The Rise of Computer Emulation. 24 Oct. 1999. Zophar’s Domain. 25 Oct. 2000. , ,
---. “Sharing the Software.” Digital Chameleon: The Rise of Computer Emulation. 13 Sep. 1999. Zophar’s Domain. 25 Oct. 2000.
---. “Sony v. Connectix – Analysis and Implications.” Emulation: Right or Wrong? aka “The EmuFAQ.” 16 Mar. 2000. Zophar’s Domain. 25 Oct. 2000.
Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. 3.
The subject of this term paper will be about computers in the 1950’s. The divisions that will be covered are; the types of computers there were, the memory capacity of computers, the programming languages of that time, and the uses of the computers for that time. Information will be gathered from the Internet, from books, and from magazines, and from the encyclopedia.
The idea of revenge has existed as a staple of human society for as long as we as a race (human race) can remember. We are the only species on this planet where its seems as thought revenge is the very thing that fuels our society. Most other animals let things go and see them as just a part of the cycle of life humans, are quite different. We want to extract punishment for every little infraction committed against us even if it’s not major. We are a society that believes a lot in fairness and one of the main ways to keep things “fair” is with revenge. As we have seen over the past several months in our society is so called revenge at its worst. This is the scenario where thousands of people having nothing to do with a certain case of revenge suffer. I believe this is true on both sides of the table. We sometimes confuse revenge with justice and I believe that September 11, and events similar have helped to blur the line between the two. I think revenge shows up so much in life because it’s a part of human nature. I think it shows up in literature because fiction and non-fiction books imitate life. Our literature is a reflection of what is going on in a society. If you want to know what was happening or what the social norms were for a certain time period all you have to do is read the popular fiction of the time.
Lev Manovich’s Software Takes Command is the genealogy of software and an account of the effect that it’s had on all of us. This includes what he calls the “softwarization” of media which started with taking existing media and replicating its function using software to “create, store, distribute and access cultural artifacts.” Over the last 30 years our old media technologies such as record/cassette/CD players, film cameras, VHS, DVD, floppy disks have all been replaced by media software and despite this radical shift in our concept of media, we know next to nothing about how we got here. He is also interested in establishing and conveying a vocabulary in which to think about and categorize software.
Video games started as arcade machines with simple graphics and even simpler stories, soon evolving into home gaming with The Magnavox Odyssey, the world’s first home-gaming console. It invaded living rooms in 1972, selling 300,000 units. Since then there has been many consoles and games released, some have been huge commercial successes which
Literature is acknowledged for its ability to mirror life. It stands as a reflection for some of the human behavior and it helps to illuminate a genuine picture of the societies.
Computers are a magnificent feat of technology. They have grown from simple calculators to machines with many functions and abilities. Computers have become so common that almost every home has at least one computer, and schools find them a good source for information and education for their students (Hafner, Katie, unknown). Computers have created new careers and eliminated others and have left a huge impact on our society. The invention of the computer has greatly affected the arts, the business world, and society and history in many different areas, but to understand how great these changes are, it is necessary to take a look at the origins of the computer.
Then came Linus Benedict Torvalds. At the time he was a sophomore majoring in Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, his hobby also included computer programming. At 21 he found himself spending most of his time toying with computer systems, trying to see what he could do in order to push their limits and increase their functionality. The key missing in his tests was an operating system that had the flexibility craved for by professionals. MINIX was available, though it was still just a stu...
Owning a gaming computer is one of the best investments a person can make in their life. Having a gaming computer can greatly influence one’s entertainment ranges and personal hobbies. Every gamer or anyone who occasionally games should have a gaming computer instead of a gaming console. A gaming console only provides people with basic programs and simple user interface while a gaming computer can be used for any needs one need. A gaming computer is one’s own cable box but better. Having a gaming computer you can have it fully customized to fit whatever theme you would like it to fit, can run many programs and other applications faster than a console, and can be loaded with a plethora of multiple useful programs one can use.
As for the human sciences, theories cannot always be tested. Sometimes logic and inferences must be used in order to come to a conclusion. Reason and emotion play a significant role in how persuasive a theo...
Literature is a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. The art of literature is not reducible to the words on the page; they are there solely because of the craft of writing. As an art, literature might be described as the organization of words to give pleasure. Yet through words literature elevates and transforms experience beyond “mere” pleasure. Literature also functions more broadly in society as a means of both criticizing and affirming cultural values. It not only portrays the imitation of human action but also serves as a corrective mirror
The Whirlwind computer had a video display that was controlled interactively by a light gun. The display attracted users much more than computer code. The Whirlwind computer became the basis for SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), a defense command-and-control system developed for the Air force. In the 1960s Ivan Sutherland’s MIT doctoral thesis introduced a Sketchpad interactive drawing system, which established the theoretical groundwork for computer graphics software (Machover 14). In the mid-1960s, computer graphics was booming in private industry. General Motors had released DAC-1 a computer-aided design system, and Itek developed the Digigraphics electronic drafting machine. By the late 1960s the first storage-tube display terminals appeared, shortly followed by direct-view storage tube display terminals (DVST) which cost thousands of dollars; however this was an improvement to the tens to hundreds of thousands spent initially for display systems. In the 1970s Turnkey systems emerged, beforehand users had to develop software to make their hardware work however turnkey systems provided a haven to users from software issues. Bit-mapped raster displays developed as memory...
The history of the computer dates back all the way to the prehistoric times. The first step towards the development of the computer, the abacus, was developed in Babylonia in 500 B.C. and functioned as a simple counting tool. It was not until thousands of years later that the first calculator was produced. In 1623, the first mechanical calculator was invented by Wilhelm Schikard, the “Calculating Clock,” as it was often referred to as, “performed it’s operations by wheels, which worked similar to a car’s odometer” (Evolution, 1). Still, there had not yet been anything invented that could even be characterized as a computer. Finally, in 1625 the slide rule was created becoming “the first analog computer of the modern ages” (Evolution, 1). One of the biggest breakthroughs came from by Blaise Pascal in 1642, who invented a mechanical calculator whose main function was adding and subtracting numbers. Years later, Gottfried Leibnez improved Pascal’s model by allowing it to also perform such operations as multiplying, dividing, taking the square root.
Understanding the importance of literature has always been a challenging and pinning task. Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. It mostly refers to creative work ranging from imagination to even non fiction. I believe that literature extends beyond its definition, it is way more than what I can see and perceive. Life is portrayed in the form of literature, it is the foundation of humanity’s beliefs, festivals, custom and traditions. Fiction, comedy, drama, poetry, prose and nonfiction are all forms of literature. Literature has inspired me as a student to broaden my knowledge, observe my reflection and expand my vocabulary. Therefore, literature should be given the importance it deserves.
The fist computer, known as the abacus, was made of wood and parallel wires on which beads were strung. Arithmetic operations were performed when the beads were moved along the wire according to “programming” rules that had to be memorized by the user (Soma, 14). The second earliest computer, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1694, was a “digital calculating machine.” Pascal designed this first known digital computer to help his father, who was a tax collector. Pascal’s computer could only add numbers, and they had to be entered by turning dials (Soma, 32). It required a manual process like its ancestor, the abacus. Automation was introduced in the early 1800’s by a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage. He created an automatic calculation machine that was steam powered and stored up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Unlike its two earliest ancestors, Babbage’s invention was able to perform various operations. It relied on cards with holes punched in them, which are called “punch cards.” These cards carried out the programming and storing operations for the machine. Unluckily, Babbage’s creation flopped due to the lack of mechanical precision and the lack of demand for the product (Soma, 46). The machine could not operate efficiently because technology was t adequate to make the machine operate efficiently Computer interest dwindled for many years, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people became interested in them once again.