Orphaned technology

Orphaned technology is a descriptive term for computer products, programs, and platforms that have been abandoned by their original developers. Orphaned technology refers to software, such as abandonware and antique software, but also to hardware and practices. In computer software standards and documentation, deprecation is the gradual phasing-out of a software or programming language feature.

For users of superior technologies that have been withdrawn from the market, there is a choice between maintaining their surrounding environments in some form of emulation or switching to other supported products and losing those capabilities.

Examples of orphaned technologies that still have or had a following after being dropped include:

• Amiga - 16/32-bit computer
• The Apple II series - 8-bit computer
• Apple Lisa - 16/32-bit graphical computer
• Newton PDA (Apple Newton) - tablet computer
• CP/M - 8-bit program loader
• Commodore 64 - 8-bit computer
• DEC Alpha - 64-bit microprocessor
• HyperCard - hypermedia
• ICAD (KBE) - knowledge-based engineering
• Javelin Software - modeling and data analysis
• LISP machines - LISP oriented computer
• Classic Mac OS - m68k and PowerPC operating system
• Microsoft Bob - graphical helper
• NeXT's NeXTSTEP - object oriented operating system
• OpenDoc - compound documents (Mac OS, OS/2)
• OS/2 - next generation ms-dos
• Prograph - visual programming system

Symbolics Inc's operating systems, Genera (operating system) and OpenGenera, were twice orphaned, as they were ported from LISP machines to computers using the Alpha 64-bit CPU. User groups often exist for specific orphaned technologies, such as The Hong Kong Newton User Group, Symbolics Lisp [Machines] Users' Group, and Newton Reference.

See also

• Orphan works

External links

• Orphaned Technology: Factors Inhibiting the Use of Data Management Software at a Northern California Middle School
• Is DHTML Dead?