TOSEC
Encyclopedia
The Old School Emulation Center (TOSEC) is a retrocomputing
initiative dedicated to the cataloging
and preservation
of software, firmware
and resources for microcomputer
s, minicomputer
s and video game console
s. The main goal of the project is to catalog and audit all possible kinds of software and firmware images for these systems.
As of release 2011-11-11, TOSEC catalogs over 200 unique computing platforms and continues to grow. As of this time the project had identified and cataloged 430,557 different software images/sets, consisting of over 3.16TB of software, firmware and resources.
retrocomputing enthusiast using the pseudonym "Grendel".
Whilst the original founder of TOSEC has since ceased to have such an active involvement in the initiative, a dedicated virtual team of volunteers continue to expand and contribute to the project. In 2001, the project had more than 40 volunteers.
TOSEC catalogs software and firmware such as:
As well as other computing and games related resources such as:
Using this data, TOSEC can provide quality assurance and auditing tools for cataloging and validating software images (such as ROM chip images, CD images and floppy disk images etc.) and computing resources (such as manuals and magazines).
The TOSEC database contains detailed information on images of hundreds of thousands of ROM
s, EEPROM
s, optical disc
s, magnetic disks, magnetic tape
s, document scans, and other sundry media and individual files.
As of release 2011-11-11, there are 1,638 DAT files within the TOSEC release pack.
Previous tools have also included an on-the-fly custom DAT creation facility generated within the TOSEC website. This was dubbed the 'TOSEC 2.0's Database Generator'.
A TOSEC named image would take the format of:
For example:
Note: "Title (Year)(Publisher)" is the bare minimum required for a renamed image.
in the form of the newsgroup alt.binaries.emulators.tosec. On 1 November 2000, in the charter and proposal for the group's creation, TOSEC founder Grendel described the purpose he intended for TOSEC and its newsgroup.
There are also two official TOSEC IRC Channels on the ForeverChat IRC Network under #tosec2.0 and #tosecdev.
Retrocomputing
Retrocomputing is the use of early computer hardware and software today. Retrocomputing is usually classed as a hobby and recreation rather than a practical application of technology; enthusiasts often collect rare and valuable hardware and software for sentimental reasons...
initiative dedicated to the cataloging
Cataloging
Cataloging is the process of listing or include something in a catalog. In library science is is the producing of bibliographical descriptions of books or other kinds of documents...
and preservation
Preservation (library and archival science)
Preservation is a branch of library and information science concerned with maintaining or restoring access to artifacts, documents and records through the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of decay and damage....
of software, firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
and resources for microcomputer
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
s, minicomputer
Minicomputer
A minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
s and video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s. The main goal of the project is to catalog and audit all possible kinds of software and firmware images for these systems.
As of release 2011-11-11, TOSEC catalogs over 200 unique computing platforms and continues to grow. As of this time the project had identified and cataloged 430,557 different software images/sets, consisting of over 3.16TB of software, firmware and resources.
History
The initiative was founded on 18th January 2000, with the first official TOSEC website going live 18th August 2000, by a DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
retrocomputing enthusiast using the pseudonym "Grendel".
Whilst the original founder of TOSEC has since ceased to have such an active involvement in the initiative, a dedicated virtual team of volunteers continue to expand and contribute to the project. In 2001, the project had more than 40 volunteers.
Project goals
The goal of the TOSEC project is to maintain a database of all software and firmware images for all microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. In addition to this, the project also catalogs other computing and gaming resources such as software and hardware manuals, magazine scans and computing catalogs.TOSEC catalogs software and firmware such as:
- ApplicationsApplication softwareApplication software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
- BIOSBIOSIn IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
- Compilations
- Coverdisks
- Demos
- Device DriversDevice driverIn computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
- Educational softwareEducational softwareEducational software is computer software, the primary purpose of which is teaching or self-learning.-Early History, 1940s - 1970s:The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developed flight simulators which used analog...
- Games
- Magazines
- MultimediaMultimediaMultimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
- Operating Systems
- Promotional and sampler software
As well as other computing and games related resources such as:
- Box Art
- Catalogs
- ComicsComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
- Educational manuals and books
- Hardware manuals
- Magazines
- Software manuals
Using this data, TOSEC can provide quality assurance and auditing tools for cataloging and validating software images (such as ROM chip images, CD images and floppy disk images etc.) and computing resources (such as manuals and magazines).
The TOSEC database contains detailed information on images of hundreds of thousands of ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
s, EEPROM
EEPROM
EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration...
s, optical disc
Optical disc
In computing and optical disc recording technologies, an optical disc is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data in the form of pits and lands on a special material on one of its flat surfaces...
s, magnetic disks, magnetic tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
s, document scans, and other sundry media and individual files.
TOSEC tools
As of release 2009-12-27, TOSEC's end user cataloging tools take the form of DAT files that can be used in a number of popular auditing applications such as ClrMamePro, RomCenter and RomVault.As of release 2011-11-11, there are 1,638 DAT files within the TOSEC release pack.
Discontinued TOSEC tools
Prior to release 2009-12-27 the official TOSEC cataloging tool was the 'TOSEC Information Manager (TIM)', a discontinued freeware application for Microsoft Windows. Much like current auditing applications, it was used for validating and renaming a collection of imaged media against the TOSEC database. TIM compared generated checksums to recorded checksums in the database and renamed (and optionally compressed) the user's matching files to what was recorded in TOSEC. TIM was also used as a distribution method for the official end user databases, and could generate datfiles for ClrMamePro and RomCenter. TIM was officially discontinued 27 December 2009.Previous tools have also included an on-the-fly custom DAT creation facility generated within the TOSEC website. This was dubbed the 'TOSEC 2.0's Database Generator'.
TOSEC Naming Convention
The TOSEC Naming Convention (TNC) is a document outlining the strict naming and cataloging rules set out to allow TOSEC renamers to provide a clear, concise and consistent naming scheme for cataloging any image of any system. The document contains conventions that must be followed, as well as detailed definitions and examples of 'flags' that software images can be tagged with.A TOSEC named image would take the format of:
- Title version (demo) (Year)(Publisher)(System)(Video)(Country)(Language)(Copyright status)(Development status)(Media Type)(Media Label)[Dump info flags][more info]
For example:
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)
- Legend of TOSEC, The v1.2 (1986)(Devstudio)
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(de)
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(JP)(en-ja)
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)(Disk 1 of 2)(Program)
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)(beta)
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)[b]
- Legend of TOSEC, The (1986)(Devstudio)(US)[h]
Note: "Title (Year)(Publisher)" is the bare minimum required for a renamed image.
TOSEC (main)
TOSEC (main), or more often simply referred to as 'TOSEC', is the original main branch of the project. It catalogs all the non-optical disc based systems and remains the bulk of the TOSEC database.TOSEC-ISO
TOSEC-ISO is an ancillary branch and includes all optical disc based systems. This branch contains both optical disc based images (such as CD and GD based images) as well as the firmware for these disc based systems.TOSEC-PIX
TOSEC-PIX is the second ancillary branch and includes computing and gaming resources such as scans of software and hardware manuals, magazine scans and computing catalogs.Online presence
As well as the official TOSEC website and TOSEC forum, the project also has a presence on UsenetUsenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
in the form of the newsgroup alt.binaries.emulators.tosec. On 1 November 2000, in the charter and proposal for the group's creation, TOSEC founder Grendel described the purpose he intended for TOSEC and its newsgroup.
There are also two official TOSEC IRC Channels on the ForeverChat IRC Network under #tosec2.0 and #tosecdev.
See also
- Computer data storage
- Digital preservationDigital preservationDigital preservation is the set of processes, activities and management of digital information over time to ensure its long term accessibility. The goal of digital preservation is to preserve materials resulting from digital reformatting, and particularly information that is born-digital with no...
- EmulatorEmulatorIn computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
- GoodTools
- MAMEMAMEMAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten...
- MESSMESSMulti Emulator Super System is an emulator for many game consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME core.The primary purpose of MESS is to preserve decades of computer and console history...
- RetrogamingRetrogamingRetrogaming, also known as old-school gaming, is the hobby of playing and collecting older computer, video, and arcade games. These games are played either on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations...
External links
- TOSEC Project Homepage
- TOSEC Downloads
- TOSEC Forum
- project.TOSEC Forum at the English Amiga Board