Where do failed projects live?

Idzuna writes: "With the somewhat recent announcement of Tabula Rasa shutting down, I have been thinking about what happens to the Server/Client code? Does it get used as a guide for other projects? Does it get destroyed? Or does it just sit there on a hard drive somewhere in storage?. The same question applies to many failed creations and MMO's alike. I know the likelihood of the code being distributed freely is next to nil as most companies probably recycle code so if a vulnerability was found in old code it could be applied to other products that the company has released. But wouldn't it help development of other projects if such a resource was available?."