Chris Trottier on Nostr: All right, so let me be clear. It’s not shareware software that I miss. Yes, anyone ...

All right, so let me be clear. It’s not shareware software that I miss. Yes, anyone can download shareware right now and run it.

What I miss is the physical experience of shareware. If you’re unfamiliar with it, picture this.

A friend of yours talks to you at recess. He tells you that he just played the best game ever – so good, he must give you a copy. He passes you that small 3.5” floppy with a handwritten word on the label. He gives you a nod, tells you that you must try it.

You go home, turn on your PC, put the floppy into the drive – and for the first time ever, you encounter Doom. You’re completely, utterly blown away.

So what do you do? You make your own shareware floppy copy, pass it off to another friend, who’s about to discover Doom for the first time.

Now that was the physical experience of shareware.