Article 1C2G3 Can I run old 16-bit programs like Superbase in Windows 10?

Can I run old 16-bit programs like Superbase in Windows 10?

by
Jack Schofield
from Technology | The Guardian on (#1C2G3)
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Since the early 1990s, John has stored all his records using the Superbase database, but he reckons it won't run in Windows 10. Are there still ways to run 16-bit software or is it time to move on?

All my personal records since the very early 1990s, my record catalogue, and my family research - which has been deposited as data DVDs in County Records in England and State Records in Australia - are based on 16-bit programming in Superbase.

I've alerted the various organisations that my data DVDs will not install in Microsoft Windows 10. At this stage, they will have to keep PCs running earlier editions of Windows, but this is not a satisfactory long-term bet for them or me.

Microsoft and the Superbase programmers have done well if a personal computer program has worked for more than 35 years, but you really should have moved on before now. Schofield's First Law of Computing says that you should never put data into a program unless you know exactly how to get it out. Perhaps I should also have specified "when".

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