This is completely random, but I happened to stumble across this guy's master's thesis about tape trading and the preservation of old programming. Very interesting and well done. Thought I would share. For what it's worth, I am not the author, nor do I have affiliation with him. It's just interesting to read an actual academic study of a hobby we have all been immersed in for so long.

https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0072679

This is an interesting read (scanning a few parts--it's quite long!).

Whoever wrote that is obviously a member of myspleen. :happyface

That thesis supports what i was saying how in some trading groups (the music bootleg traders in particular) have evolved from snail mail trading into exchanging links. That's why you can find most of stuff people traded years ago still. It was given out to so many people if you're looking for something someone is bound to have it! :cool:

What if something happens to you tomorrow Justin? You think your family would save all your VHS tapes or just throw them out if they had to go though your stuff if you died? I bet they just throw everything out since majority of people don't care for bootleg VHS tapes :eek3:

Yes torrent sites go down, plenty of sites get taken down. You just need dedicated people willing to put it back up. Traders retire and stuff stops getting circulated that way too. Like who has a copy of the complete PI workprint? The deleted scenes from the workprint can be found on the DVD but the complete workprint? I don't know one person who has that in 2018. :eek:

What if something happens to you tomorrow Justin? You think your family would save all your VHS tapes or just throw them out if they had to go though your stuff if you died? I bet they just throw everything out since majority of people don't care for bootleg VHS tapes :eek3:

Yes torrent sites go down, plenty of sites get taken down. You just need dedicated people willing to put it back up. Traders retire and stuff stops getting circulated that way too. Like who has a copy of the complete PI workprint? The deleted scenes from the workprint can be found on the DVD but the complete workprint? I don't know one person who has that in 2018. :eek:

You make a solid point with that. I know when I die that my family is more than likely gonna toss my collection. Which is why I try to trade as much as possible to keep the media I'm trading alive in some fashion. Weather it be movies, tv series, documentaries, or anything else. Cause let's face it our families more than likely would toss our collections right into the dumpster after we're gone. Like you said there's not a huge market for bootleg VHS tapes these days.

It's true Justin, you have a good amount of stuff no one else has. With your retirement the circulation of said thing kinda comes to a halt. That's unless someone you traded with before has it and is still actively trading themselves. He's right I don't know anyone else who has the complete Pi workprint other than you either. Not to mention the Superman IV TBS TV version.

Whoever wrote that is obviously a member of myspleen. :happyface
Anyone want to help me with that?