CRACKERS I: The Gold Rush (with PDF)

(* free shipping only for shipping to addresses in Germany)

Software piracy in the 80s and 90s. The first book in the CRACKERS series. Digital visions and copy parties, intrigues and industrial espionage, disk dealers and pirates. Elitism, escape and persecution: the mysterious life of the crackers and their scene organizations shaped the computer age .

From the USA to Europe. A narrative journey back to the last century, when data was stored on floppy disks, computer games became entertainment and the law was not prepared for what happened next.

In a mixture of oral histories and media reports, the trail of one of the most secret underground IT societies is uncovered: What distinguishes a cracker from a hacker? Why were they seen as a threat to the entire gaming industry? Captivating anecdotes, historical accounts and hundreds of images bring this exciting software episode back to life.

The book series not only exposes the machinations of the underground, but also takes a deep look at today's games industry, press work and the limits and possibilities of the various national laws. But CRACKERS doesn't stop there. The authors calculate production budgets, give game makers a voice and advocate for the development of cracker and demo groups.

Special features and articles on: Hagbard Celine (Illuminatus!) // Hackers vs. Crackers // Radwar Party 2 & 3 // Was (Not Was) // Cracking the Industry // The Crackers Deal (Mimetic Entrepreneurs) // Cult of The Circle // Blue Boxing // GNU License // Hackers in the Movies // WD1772 (Atari Floppy Controller) // Bootsector Messages (Thalion) // Dragonflight (uncrackable protection?) // Manual Protection // Game Extensions (value enhancement).

Included are: Radwar, German Cracking Service, BOSS, MCA, Hotline, Dynamic Duo, 42-Crew, Copy Service Stuttgart, Troll & Co, ST Computer Service, The Blade Runners, The Medway Boys, Pompey Pirates, Automation, LSD, The Corporation, BBC, Cynix, The Replicants, Delight, The Exceptions, The Union, The Lost Boys, TCB, The Empire, Elite, Tristar & Red Sector, Thalion, Eclipse, Magic Bytes, Factor 5, Rainbow Arts, Argonica, Acornsoft, Graftgold, Firebird, Ocean, US Gold, Magnetic Scrolls, Bullfrog, DMA Design, Mastertronic, Codemasters, Kingsoft, Erbe Software, Epyx, Electronic Arts, Ubi Soft, Infocom , Brøderbund, Microprose, Sierra, Lucasfilm Games, FAST, APP, Copylock Software, Gravenreuth & Syndikus ... and many more.

CRACKERS: The Gold Rush takes the reader a crucial step deeper into a highly organized illegal European network that operated like a company ahead of its time. Key figures in the industry such as Rob Northen have their say here. Former codebreakers on Apple II, BBC Micro, Sinclair Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, C64, Amiga and, above all, Atari ST reveal the truth about a unique computer youth.

specifications of the book

with PDF!

Hardback edition
170 × 230 mm portrait format
336 brilliant color pages
130g/m² Art Silk Plus paper
Fine print
surface sealing with varnish
UV-resistant and abrasion-resistant