The Computer's Lament

I've been working with my old computer recently in a bid to make it better, but that's not the topic of this post.

It's my use of the old computer that's got me to thinking on something strange - why is it that so many old CDs and programs, etc., don't work on modern computers and operating systems (i.e. Windows XP, and so on)? Many old programs, when asked to, say, install, will bring up one of those DOS black screens with white text for a split second, and then disappear, terminating the installation and rendering it impossible to operate the program. The screen is there so briefly you can't possibly read what it says, and no matter what you try, you can't make it stay longer or continue the installation by other means. Even when you tell the program to run under an older Windows (by going into its 'properties'; it comes under a tab somewhere), nothing changes.
If you don't understand, then you might try putting an old CD of yours in the computer and trying to install. Some work, but many will get the result I've just described.

I say all this in relation to when you try to install old software from CD, but this kind of thing seems to occur with many other applications, which don't require installation, that you may have downloaded from the internet, say - that black screen will appear, then nothing happens.

So, this problem is quite a nuisance when you try to run older things. The cause of the problem seems to be dismissed as simply the age of the program, making it unable to work with new computers. If this is indeed true, then it seems very fishy to me. I fail to see why the computer couldn't adapt itself by what it's running in order to make itself work with the program in question. To my knowledge, this kind of thing is done with 'emulators' - programs that allow your operating system to imitate other ones (from Windows to Macintosh, for example), and even let your computer run other types of application. However, if emulators can do this, why don't the computers come pre-installed with an ability to 'backtrack' its parameters to work with these old things? Is it because the IT companies don't want people running old things for some sinister reason? Or perhaps they want you to just buy these emulators, I don't know.

I think the problem might come down to not having MS DOS installed on the computer; that's the operating system that runs these programs that don't work. Still, if my old one came equipped with it, why not the new one?

It's a strange thing, but I doubt that the next wave of computers will fix the problem. Wait, what am I saying, they probably will. Until then, though, I've got to keep working on the old computer.

Anyway, Rob's back from holiday, in case you didn't know. Why don't you go and greet him.  ¶ 3:11 pm