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Does source code of submitted programs still exist somewhere?

M

mk5734

New member
From what I understand, almost all programs submitted to Loadstar needed to have their source code submitted as well. I believe I read it in one of the Diskovery texts somewhere. Does anyone know if all that source code still exists somewhere?
 
Many Loadstar programs were written in BASIC, and didn't need source. I should say that I had several programs published in its issues, and some of them had machine code components. I don't remember having to submit source code--indeed I couldn't, as many of my routines were written by bashing together opcodes looked up in the C64 Programmer's Reference Guide. No assembler, no monitor, just data statements and numbers. Nearly all of my programs were before Issue 100 though, I wouldn't know if their later issues were made with a different policy.

Beyond that, a number of programs were first published elsewhere, and it seems unlikely that Polarware would have handed over their source code.
 
rodneylives said:
No assembler, no monitor, just data statements and numbers.
Click to expand...
Right. Data statements are part of the source code.

Below is the "Program Submission Form" from #83 (chosen randomly). As you can see in the note, "Source code MUST accompany machine language files." I'm sure they bent the rules for various submissions, especially demos.

Notice the request for Social Security number? Those were wild times!

LS_submission_form.png
 
The SS# was likely so they could report payments to contributors to the IRS.

That'd be pretty wild if any of the original source code was still floating around out there. It makes me wonder if a master repository was maintained while LS was still being actively published as part of prepping the issues. These days of course services like GIT make that pretty seamless but back then it would've been an undertaking to maintain.
 
Kevin said:
It makes me wonder if a master repository was maintained while LS was still being actively published as part of prepping the issues.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't have expected a repo the likes of Git, though SCCS and RCS were in wide usage at the time.

I'd imagine the process being something like this:
  1. A disk containing the submission (executable, source code, & documentation) would arrive.
  2. Someone would eventually try out the executable.
  3. If not good or no potential, then /dev/null
  4. If good or potential,
    1. Evaluate source code
    2. Suggest changes to author and/or make changes yourself.
    3. Iterate.
  5. Use final output in release process.
All of those disks are somewhere. I just hope they're not in the Shreveport landfill.

In a Diskovery, Fender mentions that Softdisk went through a big cleaning where they disposed of thousands of disks, but he kept at least one copy of everything and has it at home.
 
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