FAQ - Dmoz/Computers/Emulators

Archive-name: dmoz.org/Computers/Emulators
Posting-Frequency: none
Last-modified: 2004-01-14 15:40:12
URL: http://dmoz.org/Computers/Emulators/faq.html
Category: Computers/Emulators

1	What is emulation?

2	What is an emulator?

3	What is a ROM image?

4	Is emulation ethical?

5	Is emulation legal?

6	How is this category organized?

1	Q:	What is emulation?
	A:	Emulation is the process of simulating the hardware of one computer (particularly the processor) via software on a different one. In other words, it allows you to use software meant for another system that you may not have access to by running a program on your system. For instance, an emulator will let you use an arcade machine that no longer exist or use a game console that can no longer be purchased.

by elminster at 2002-04-19 10:37:00

2	Q:	What is an emulator?
	A:	An emulator is the software that does the emulation. It's like a magic box inside your computer that makes it act like another piece of hardware all together.

by redbird at 1999-04-28 00:22:59

3	Q:	What is a ROM image?
	A:	A ROM image (sometimes called a ROM file, or just a ROM) is the software that an emulator can run. In the case of a game console emulator, this would be the data off a game cartridge. Like your computer is useless without any software, an emulator won't do much without a ROM image.

by redbird at 1999-04-28 00:27:19

4	Q:	Is emulation ethical?
	A:	This is an issue of great debate, and your answer will depend upon whom you ask. The general consensus among the emulation community is that it is okay so long as the developers/manufacteurs are no longer making a significant profit from the hardware being emulated or the ROM image being run. However, even among emulation fans there is dispute, so it is ultimately up to you to decide whether or not you will participate in the exciting world of emulation.

by tschild at 2004-01-14 15:40:12

5	Q:	Is emulation legal?
	A:	Legally, you may only have the ROM image from something (game cart, hardware, etc.) that you physically own. The thinking is that you paid for it, so why not let you have it in soft form. The reason for most of the fuss that you hear about emulation is that people download the ROM images without having made the physical purchase, theoretically taking sales away from the producers of those images. This really become an ethical issue for you to decide for yourself as there isn't anyone who will come knocking at your door to make sure that you don't have any ROM images that you're not supposed to (although I wouldn't put it past the IDSA).

by redbird at 1999-05-08 18:15:02

6	Q:	How is this category organized?
	A:	This category is tough to organize, because there isn't one obvious way to group emulators - there are two: by target, or by host platform. Most emulators emulate one specific target, on one specific host. For example, there are programs to emulate Windows on a Macintosh, and there are other programs to emulate a Macintosh on Windows - two very different things. There are sites that do it each way: some dedicated to grouping all the emulators on one host platform, and there are some dedicated to all the emulators of one target. In general, we have chosen to group emulators by target, rather than by host platform. So if you are looking for an emulator that emulates machine X and runs on machine Y, look under the X category first. The Host Platforms category is only for sites dedicated to "all the emulators that run on a specific machine".

by elminster at 2002-04-11 12:40:01

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