Abandonware

Abandonware is a product, typically software, ignored by its owner and manufacturer, and for which no official support is available.Within an intellectual rights contextual background, abandonware is a software (or hardware) sub-case of the general concept of orphan works. Museums and various organizations dedicated to preserving this software continue to provide legal access.The term "abandonware" is broad, and encompasses many types of old software. Definitions of "abandoned" vary, but in general it is like any item that is abandoned – it is ignored by the owner, and as such product support and possibly copyright enforcement are also "abandoned". Types Commercial software unsupported but still owned by a viable company The availability of the software depends on the company's attitude toward the software. In many cases, the company which owns the software rights may not...