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by degenerate 1981 days ago
The article doesn't link to the Tucows Downloads Archive, for whatever reason it only links to the archive.org homepage.

Here's the direct link: https://archive.org/details/tucows

It also appears that the archive wasn't manually reviewed; some items are just screenshots, and others are unrelated to software at all.

Example (mildly nsfw): https://archive.org/details/tucows_71077_Sung_Hi_Lee_2

5 comments

> The article doesn't link to the Tucows Downloads Archive, for whatever reason it only links to the archive.org homepage.

> Here's the direct link: https://archive.org/details/tucows

> It also appears that the archive wasn't manually reviewed; some items are just screenshots, and others are unrelated to software at all.

I'm really glad they went through the trouble of even doing that. They didn't have to.

A lot of it's probably only good for nostalgia, before it's totally forgotten without much loss; but as someone who recently spent a bunch of time trying to track down 90s FTP site mirrors chasing a vague memory of a game, I appreciate it.

I, ahem, had to look into this as a matter of intellectual curiosity -- there is an archive file in the "DOWNLOAD OPTIONS" section which holds the .scr Windows screensaver file: https://archive.org/download/tucows_71077_Sung_Hi_Lee_2

(On another note, .scr-s are just renamed .exe-s, and it was a highly questionable choice to download and run those in their heyday as well.)

> it was a highly questionable choice to download and run those in their heyday as well

I never let that stop me! I was going to have my realistic fish aquarium screensaver, come hell or high water.

Besides, I could always reformat. I had that Windows XP serial key memorized, after all!

That's exactly me, you described there!
>and others are unrelated to software at all.

Your example is software.

It is a "screensaver", a program that displays something other than a static image on the screen when the computer is idle (which prevented CRT burn-in).

Those used to be popular back in the day, and long after few people had CRTs around.

Maybe email them with your findings? They to care about history, maybe they'll be receptive to fixing the issues.
Your example has a link to a ZIP which has a windows screensaver in it.