Is there any good reason for me to keep my old Bryce Discs?

Subtropic Pixel

I have CD/DVD discs going back to Bryce 5.5, Bryce 4 and even earlier.

I want to declutter (have been clearing out a lot of junk lately) and I feel that since Bryce is pretty much dead, there is no reason for me to keep the old discs, not even for nostalgia.  I still have the Bryce 7 installer files, of course.  Those are on HDDs.

Do any of you think there's a good technical reason to keep any of my old installer discs?

Thanks!

WendyLuvsCatz

Maybe you could put them on a drive if you wanted to keep them for a future need, ie an old scene incompatible with a later version you find etc, I am glad I kept Carrara 6 for that reason, found something I needed it for once I had to save uncompressed to use in later versions.

Subtropic Pixel

Good point.  I'll keep the discs for now.  Thank you!

Horo

Subtropic Pixel - well, I wouldn't say Bryce is dead, it's pretty much alive. And since it is currently not developed also means that there are no new bugs introduced. 

From Bryce 4 up I have all versions installed. I don't use them very often anymore but even though v7.1 is pretty advanced, there are a few things that don't work anymore but do work in earlier versions.

Chohole

I still have the discs for Bryce 2 through 5 and discs for poser 3 through to 7, plus both versions of PS that i could afford back in the day, And some versions of PSP and also Corel Draw and Pjhotopaint.  Oh and I still have a couple of flavours of MS office as well, even though I now use Libre Office. The discs take up no more room than a small book. In fact the manuals take up more room on the shelf than all those discs do

Subtropic Pixel

Hello and thank you both.  I am keeping the discs for now, although there is always a chance that they are no longer functional because optical media is not as long-term as we once thought.  I have several data, music, and movie discs that have degraded over the years to the point that they are no longer usable.

Also, yes...the discs take up no more room than a small book; that is absolutely true.  But I struggle with clutter, as many folks do.  So when decluttering, I must be militant about it; absolutely ruthless.  It's not about small items vs. big items.  Even to a point, I cannot let it become a question of "Oh, maybe I'll need that someday."  That is a major ROOT CAUSE of clutter in my life.  Keeping old clothing, old books, old discs, old magazines, old bits and bobs from past projects.  I'm talking about the little bits of naff (my word for this type of clutter) such as screws, bolts, brackets, plastic doohickeys left over from office furniture discarded long ago, computer parts that haven't been energized with electricity since the Bill Clinton administration, software no longer used, games no longer played.

The items I keep in my life must be items that make sense to keep.

I have taken the advice to keep my Bryce discs for "another little while" which basically means I'll re-assess again in a year or so.  But they are on a limited life expectancy with me primarily because I don't even use Bryce 7.1.  I'm just too frustrated with its limitations (and yes, crashes) and I'm just too frustrated with DAZ's neglect. 

Maybe it's a version of "corporate clutter" for DAZ, like Windows 95 or ME would be for Microsoft (if they still supported it).

Clutter must go.  It goes to the peaceful afterlife either by way of a box to my local library, the Goodwill donation, my local electronic waste drop-off, or landfill service.  It is the only way that I can clear my creative chakras, so to speak.  It is the only way for me to make room for new things in my life.  When I declutter and force myself to let go of things I no longer love, need, or use, it really is amazing what new possibilities begin to open up for me.  So I am compelled to be harsh and clean out mind, body, and house every few years.

Horo, much respect to you for all your work, and also to you Chohole; I admire your artwork very much.

But Bryce 7.1 really is not advanced.  Not even by any tongue-in-cheek meaning.  64 Bit mode is my minimum benchmark for that.  I've been running 64 bit OS and application software since 2003 or 2004 and I think that if I can do it, then so should DAZ.  And I'm actually looking for more features that are competitive in the marketplace.  If the maker is not motivated to maintain the program, then why should I be motivated to use it and become a subject matter expert in it?  That's a lost labor factor to me, and my time is important too! 

Maybe DAZ lost the source code to Bryce, and that's why we don't have a new version.  Or, haha, maybe Bryce is cluttered source code.  I've had to work with cluttered source code.  That's a special hell of its own and maybe that's why Bryce "lost" (ahem!) the source code. 

So now I am currently comparing Vue and Terragen.  And Blender is still a fabulous solution, as are other choices in the marketplace.  All are maintained and updated; and yes, even the "open source" one is kept up to date.  And they support modern rendering engines, GPU rendering, and large scenes; all things I can be enthusiastic about.

Anyway, I will end my soliloquy with this: 

I'll stop boycotting Bryce as soon as DAZ stops boycotting Bryce.  64 Bit, plugin methodology, built-in render farm (one that really works), ability to implement additional renderers such as Iray, Cycles, Octane, etc.  Oh, and let's provide a bona-fide plant, cloud, sky, earth, fire, and water builder, complete with built-in texturer(s). 

Oh yes, I'll come back.  Even if I've discarded the old install discs.  But my time is important too, I have my dignity, and right now for me the ball is in DAZ's court.  Come on DAZ, do the right thing!