摘要：The brief history of software preservation efforts illustrates one phenomenon repeatedly: not unlike
spinning a plate on a broomstick, it is easy to get things going, but diffcult to keep them stable and
moving. Within the context of video games and other forms of cultural heritage (where most software
preservation efforts have lately been focused), this challenge has several characteristic expressions,
some technical (e.g., the diffculty of capturing and emulating protected binary fles and proprietary
hardware), and some legal (e.g., providing archive users with access to preserved games in the face of
variously threatening end user licence agreements). In other contexts, such as the preservation of
research-oriented software, there can be additional challenges, including insuffcient awareness and
training on unusual (or even unique) software and hardware systems, as well as a general lack of
incentive for preserving “old data.” We believe that in both contexts, there is a relatively accessible
solution: the fostering of communities of practice. Such groups are designed to bring together likeminded
individuals to discuss, share, teach, implement, and sustain special interest groups—in this
case, groups engaged in software preservation.
