SEAN McNAMARADATE BY
1 SEPTEMBER 2017
RETROCOMPUTING PRESERVATION USING MODERN TOOLS
Oz KFest 2017

Who am I?
Computer user since 1980 (TRS-80)
Apple ][ user since 1982
Mac user since 1984
Mac/Apple consultant since 1997
Apple ][ hoarder collector since 1998
WOzFest host since 2015
Contacts:
europlus@europlus.zone
europlus on a2c.chat
@apple2europlus on Twitter
https://the.europlus.zone/
Fair use of copyrighted material for non-profit
educational purposes is claimed for this presentation.

Preservation Through
Hoarding – a History
I accepted any retrocomputers
offered, including material I wasn’t
directly interested in collecting
Disks, software packages
Books, manuals, promotional
material
Now pass items on to those
interested in them

How and What to
Preserve?
Accepted methods and tactics depend on preservationist,
item type and item attributes (e.g. current rarity, original
popularity)
Hardware preservation
Software preservation
Software protection preservation
Print material preservation
There is no single “right way”

Preservation, Digitisation, Repair,
Refurbishment and Retr0brighting
Preservation vs digitisation
Digitisation of physical objects may see them altered
physically (e.g. sanding back ICs for MAME)
Period-correct vs modern vs workalike
When is an item no longer what it was?
Retrocomputing collectors share such questions with
classic car collectors
To Retr0bright, or not to Retr0bright – that is the
question

“Acceptable Preservation Methods”
is Subjective and Personal
Collectors and enthusiasts have the right to do with their items as
they see fit
What if the item is not rare, but digitisation is highly desirable?
Preservation technology will only improve
I personally err on the side of physically preserving when digitising
Medical ethics offers me guidance: “First, do no harm”
Earlier availability of material should be assessed against potential
future non-destructive preservation methods
What if the only way to preserve a software title is to remove disk
from sleeve for cleaning? Should we do so?

Modern Tools Differ for
Item Types
Retrocomputing hardware (electronic and
otherwise)
Software and storage media
Books, pamphlets, manuals, magazines
Other

Hardware Preservation
ESR for capacitors
Modern components vs
NOS vs parts salvage
Modern logic probes and
chip testers
Solid state storage
Retr0bright
STORRENCE, VCFED FORUMS

Software and Storage
Media
ADTPro
CFFA3000, Floppy Emu and other solid
state storage solutions
Ciderpress and other block-level capable
file managers
Passport – 58 protection schemes
recognised
imfEDDup (requires EDD card)
Bitsy-Rip – creates EDD files on IIgs without
EDD card
Applesauce – connect 5¼” drive to modern
computers via USB for imaging and
analysis
APPLESAUCE DISK IMAGING

Software Miscellany
Cleaning disks by removing
from sleeve
Combining data from
multiple corrupt disks
Software protection scheme
preservation and
documentation is a thing
------------Blazing Paddles------------
A 4am crack 2014-06-10
---------------------------------------
"Blazing Paddles" is a 1984 paint
program distributed by Baudville, Inc.
COPYA gives no read errors, but the
copy does not work. (EDD 4 bit copy
fares no better.) It displays the two
strings "BLAZING PADDLES" and "04431"
(apparently a version number of sorts),
then grinds the disk in a most unusual
fashion (hopping back and forth between
two tracks? trying to read a quarter
track? I've never heard anything like
it) until I frantically power off in an
attempt to save my 30 year old floppy
drive from twerking right off my desk.
Time for boot tracing, I suppose.
[S6,D1=original disk]
[S5,D1=my work disk]

Books, Manuals and Other
Print Media
Destructive vs non-destructive
digitisation
Sheet feed scanners
Flat bed scanners
Book scanners

Retrocomputing-related
Reproductions
Preserve the experience of using retrocomputers
Fonts, e.g. Silentype Font, PR Number 3,
Print Char 21
FPGA reproductions, e.g. Carte Blanche II
Workalikes, e.g. Replica 1
SBC-based emulators
CIRCUITBEARD.CO.UK

Acknowledgements
Andrew Roughan, Steve Kazoullis and the other
organisers of Oz KFest 2017
The developers of modern tools for preserving
retrocomputers and associated materials, allowing
these materials to be appreciated for years to
come