recycled wrote:why bother etc
Really? He bothers because this is vintage kit, and wishes to have the machine stay running. At barest minimum, sometimes it's the only chance you will get to see the machine in a
working configuration. This is
particularly true for expensive UNIX boxes and mainframes. I've seen many people embark upon a "rebuild" only to find they can't get everything they need. He may not have the relevant media that should accompany the machine. He might not even have experience reinstalling the type of machine.
He's not remotely interested in the legacy data, and the reference to kiddie porn was totally uncalled for.
recycled wrote:Phrases like ...<kryoflux, recovered game etc>..., are probably acceptable
Actually, Despite the often implied moral justification of "preserving" software, kryoflux and recovered copies of an old games is the
most likely item to be of dubious legality, depending upon the generosity of the publisher regarding titles no longer sold.
Why imply wrongdoing here? The software is not "free" in any sense of the word implying piracy. He has purchased the machine, for better or worse. Sometimes the monetary value was zero, but either way the machine and ALL that it comes with is now owned by you. Very commercial software that tends to be on expensive UNIX servers, is
far more likely that the proper licenses for the software would be tied to the machine and be validly owned by the person by virtue of owning the machine.
recycled wrote:At it's simplest, it is not a good look to go advertising that you get your jollies reading through other peoples old files.
No-one is getting their jollies here. It's pretty normal to do a cleanup of personal data, without starting from scratch. No-one is "trawling megabytes of personal data". You might check to see what something is, before removal, but you treat it with the same level of confidentiality and detachment as would the original sysadmin of the machine removing a user.
And just like removing a user, I've even seen occasions where personal data has been able to be returned to someone who thought they had lost it forever.
recycled wrote:Certainly not advertising we can crack your password, as that can only ever imply we're doing evil things!
Many people don't think about what happens to their data on machines they dispose of. Paul made a reference to "saving an install." I'd say it's actually you who just waved a big red flag drawing attention to the bleeding obvious implications that personal data can be recovered.
"dsakey" on trademe. Apple II's are my thing.