Re: [GNU-linux-libre] MAME emulator is giving incentive to use non-free software

[Leo]

On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 8:51 AM, Ivan Zaigralin <address@hidden> wrote:

The point of emulators like this one is to preserve software history.
Yes, it emulates non-free software. No, it's no longer relevant. I mean,
it's no longer relevant as software, but only as the historical record
of what entertainment software was like in the times of yore. New
nonfree games are being written today in order to seduce people, so I
can see why something like wine is dangerous, but no one, no one will
get seduced by a museum piece. MAME does not give any incentive to use
non-free software, because all of this old software is obsolete and
useless. But it does give an ability to study it from the historical
perspective, which is a good thing.

I disagree with all this. My brother-in-law built an arcade-like cabinet and put MAME in it. He plays these games and invites his friends to play these games with him. A coworker is working on the same thing. They are not exactly obsolete if they still provide entertainment. That's like saying that Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is obsolete because now we have romantic comedies in 3D.

That being said, I'm still not sure what to think of MAME, but I personally see it in the same level as WINE.