One of the core pieces of the IFTF mission is to maintain, improve, and preserve the tools used to create interactive fiction. Most IF engines and tools were created by individual IF enthusiasts, which demonstrates how much enthusiasm exists for IF (hooray!) But it also means that these systems lose support when their individual creators move on to new projects (rats!). When IF authors and players have been depending on now-unsupported tools, it can leave those people in a rough situation.

We’ve received a number of community requests that related to this problem, and we wanted to find a way to help. But while we wish we could take over and maintain software projects, we just don’t have the resources right now. What we can do instead is act as social matchmakers and try to connect projects with volunteers.

Toward this end, we’re establishing a new project called the IFTF Adoptable Technology Archive.

The IFTF Adoptable Technology Archive will be a public archive of adoptable technology on GitHub. If someone owns a project that needs a new owner, they can put it on a free and open-source software license (we favor the MIT license) and pass it over to us, and we’ll put it up on the archive. The benefit of using our archive (instead of putting it up on GitHub as an individual) is that it will be visible under the IFTF “adopt me!” umbrella. This will create a place where developers can go and see all submitted IF projects in need of adoption, while abandoned projects benefit from the related publicity. We’ll also announce all new additions to the archive via our social media channels.

The archive doesn’t exist yet, but we’re setting it up soon! If you’re interested in submitting your IF tools project to the IFTF Adoptable Technology Archive, send us the details at info@iftechfoundation.org.