Ok this is unfair, I’m trying to get these responses done quickly, but then there iss a link to classic arcade games, and solitaire?! I’m not getting that hour back.
Jokes aside, functional archiving of digital material is fantastic, it really leans into the idea that heritage is best when holistic experiences are preserved, not just the evidence of them. For tangible heritage its a lot harder, keeping functional items functional, and able to be used by anyone, is often difficult or impossible. For example, keeping a 100 year old motorbike working, and letting anyone who asked a ride of that bike would not only be dangerous, but probably damage the bike itself. But anyone can play Sega’s Hang On.
Again, saving old websites, and UI’s and games, seems closely linked to ideas of intangible heritage. I mean, they’re pretty much intangible anyway being digital, but being able to preserve the experience of using Windows 3.1 is amazing, particularly when we live in a world of constant updates to software.
