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ROM images are also used when developing for Embedded Computers . Software which is being developed for embedded computers is often written to ROM files for testing on a standard computer before it is written to a ROM chip for use in the embedded system. At present, this article deals mainly with the use of ROM in relation to emulation. USAGE OF ROMS Changing Meaning ROM chips, while still in use, have been replaced in many instances by optical media such as CD-ROM s and DVD-ROM s, magnetic media such as hard disks and magnetic tapes and, more recently, Flash Memory chips. However, the term ''ROM'' has grown to encompass many of these newer media so, for instance, a computer game copied from a magnetic tape may also be referred to as a ROM. Images copied from optical media are also called ISO images, after the standard File System for optical media, ISO 9660 . ''Dumping'' ROMs ROMs can be copied from the read-only memory chips found in cartridge-based games and many arcade machines using a dedicated device in a process known as ''dumping''. For most common home video game systems these devices are widely available. Dumping ROMs from arcade machines, which in fact are highly customized PCB's , often requires individual setups for each machine along with a large amount of expertise. Creating ROMs from other media is often considerably easier and can often be performed with off-the-shelf hardware. For example, the creation of ROMs from games stored on magnetic tapes (from, for example, the Sinclair ZX80 computer) generally involves simply playing the magnetic tape using a standard Audio Tape player connected to the line-in of a PC Sound Card . This is then recorded to an audio file and transformed into a ROM file using a simple program. Likewise, many CD and DVD games may be copied using a standard PC CD/DVD drive. Copy prevention mechanisms While ROM images are often used as a means of preserving the history of computer games, they are also often used to facilitate the unauthorised copying of modern games which are still commercially viable. Seeing this as potentially reducing sales of their products, many game distributors have incorporated features into newer games which are designed to prevent copying, while still allowing the original game to be played. For instance, the Nintendo GameCube used a non-standard 8 cm DVD-like optical media which for a long time prevented games from being copied to PCs. It was not until a hole was found in Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II that GameCube games could be successfully copied to a PC. ROMs and Preservation The lifespan of digital media is rarely great. While black-and-white photographs may survive for a century or more, many digital media can become unreadable after only a decade. This is beginning to become a problem as early computer systems may be, at the time of writing, fifty or sixty years old while early home video consoles may be nearing forty years old. Due to this aging, there is a significant threat that many early computer and video games may not survive without being transferred to new media. So, those with an interest in preservation are actively seeking older arcade and video games and attempting to dump them to ROMs. When stored on standardised media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, they can be copied to future media with significantly reduced effort. The trend towards mass digital distribution of ROMs, while potentially damaging to copyright holders, may also have a positive effect on preservation. While over time many original copies of older games may deteriorate, be broken or thrown away, a copy in ROM form may be distributed throughout the world, allowing games which would otherwise have been lost, a more robust survival. Collecting ROMs Like many other items such as Stamps and Coins , ROMs are also collected by many people. The motives for doing this vary from a desire to preserve the history of computer and video games to obsessive collectors. Those who desire to collect all ROMs have been derided by the team behind the MAME Emulator as PokéROMs, in a reference to the Pokémon fad, ''Gotta Catch 'em All''. Given this desire by many people to collect ROMs, there are many projects on the internet which dump ROMs, catalogue them or provide tools to verify the correctness and completeness of ROM collections. For instance, the TOSEC and Good Tools projects produce regularly updated databases of games and other software for various old computers and video games consoles. According to some, the " Holy Grail " of ROM collecting is the NES Nintendo World Championship 1990 cartridge ROM image. Before the release of this ROM on the internet, there were only 127 original cartridges in the world. INTERNET DISTRIBUTION OF ROMS The trading of ROMs over the internet is extremely widespread. Many methods are used for such distribution, including:
Although the large size of newer games makes the distribution of more than one game at a time impractical, it is often the case for older games that many thousands of games may be distributed together as a collection. For example, the entire Good2600 set of 2,687 Atari 2600 games could be downloaded in around two minutes over a Broadband connection. ROM naming schemes Most ROMs will have a some information about the ROM in the file name. The following are naming codes that are generally accepted around the Internet . Some of these tags can be used in conjunction with a number to denote that there's more than one version with the same code. Example: There may be two copies of a ROM that were overdumped, so they will be appended with and [o2 accordingly. HACKS AND FAN TRANSLATIONS Once games have been made available in ROM format, it is often trivial for users to make modifications to the games. This may take the form of modifying graphics, changing the levels or even translating the game into a language in which it was not originally made available. Hacks can often take the form of humourous modifications to games, as is the case with a hack of the NES version of Mario Brothers , entitled “''Afro Mario Brothers''” which featured the famous brothers wearing Afro Haircuts . A large scene has developed to translate games. Many games receive a release in one part of the world but not in another. For example, many 2006 , some five years after the fan translation was released. ''see also'' Fan Translation and Rom Hacking LEGAL STATUS OF ROMS ROMs themselves are not illegal per se. This section gives a general discussion of the legal status of ROMs as regards the various uses to which they may be put, though this should not be construed as legal advice. Games owned by the user In some countries, it is legal for an individual to personally make backup copies of a game they own. Individuals may make backup copies for various reasons, perhaps as insurance against losing the game or as redundancy in the event that the original game's medium becomes unreadable. See the section on ROMs and Preservation. |
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