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Message: 6863
Author: jetsetdanny
Date: 16/08/2015
Subject: Re: Question about the final release date of "The Time Hole SE"
Thanks a lot for your reply, Edward, it's good to see you around 
.
My query mainly had to do with the fact that the TAP file of the definitive revision of "The Time Hole SE" has the time stamp of 22.04.2001, while the date of the last announcement of the game's release I was able to find is from 04.01.2001. So there is a clear alternative:
either The file with the time stamp of 22.04.2001 is the same as the file released on 04.01.2001 and it's just that the time stamp on it is later for some reason.
or The file with the time stamp of 22.04.2001 was modified in relation to the file released on 04.01.2001. In such case a question arises whether there was another announcement of release of the definitive revision at some point, which should find its place in Chronology.
Edward wrote:
> Memory of ten years previous is not to be trusted, but most likely the version on here as of January 4th is the same one
If I understand you correctly, you think that the file with the time stamp of 22.04.2001 is the same definitive revision which was released on 04.01.2001, is that right? If this is the case, then Chronology is not missing anything regarding "The Time Hole".
This could be verified by comparing the two files (the one with the 22.04.2001 time stamp and the one released on 04.01.2001), while finding a later release announcement would be a proof otherwise. The problem is that I don't seem to have in my archives any "The Time Hole" file which would have a time stamp of 04.01.2001 or thereabouts. Andrew might have one, as I imagine he does not delete any files, being a file-completist.
I have been able to find in my archives the version of SE which begins in "An Office in Manhattan" and which used to be hosted on WoS. It has the time stamp of 30.12.2001 and it is in TZX format. I believe that it was converted to TZX format by Steve Brown, alongside the original edition, as both files were added to the TZX Vault at the 21.01.2002 update (and from there found their way onto WoS, I presume). An erroneous revision of the SE edition (the one beginning in "An Office in Manhattan") was used for the conversion on that occasion, while the proper definitive revision had been in existence for a few months or almost a year.
Fortunately, these days everything is fine on WoS and TZX Vault as far as "The Time Hole" is concerned. The four files of the game hosted on WoS are:
- a TAP file of the original edition v. 1.1 with a time stamp of 18.06.2000, which was uploaded by Andrew to his website at 13:45 GMT on 19 June 2000, as described in message 271.
- a TAP file of the Special Edition with a time stamp of 22.04.2001, which is the definitive revision of the SE and which is discussed in message 5173.
- two TZX files converted from both of the above-mentioned TAP files on 14.02.2007. These are also currently hosted on TZX Vault. They were made by Steve Brown just before the 15.02.2007 update of his website, which included a massive number of MM and JSW games and editors – around 120 files in total (to which I contributed by selecting and sending Steve the files, as described in message 6033).
Daniel
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