CRACKERS II: The Data Storm (with PDF)

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Software piracy in the 80s and 90s. The second 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.

Zero-day warez and 101% cracks with "++ Trainer" are the gold standard among C64 crackers. In the early 1990s, software pirates organized themselves and the underground scene grew into a worldwide distribution network. Uploads and downloads became part of everyday business.

The BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) became the distribution centers, the software gold mines. And when console games became copyable, some sensed a business opportunity. But how did the young crackers cope with the Far Eastern black market? And what led to perhaps the largest European piracy raid of the 1990s? What role did American phone cards play? And how did the groups manage to distribute their cracks via the public trade?

Special features and guest articles on the topics When Cracking became popular (written by David Almer) // The Spirit of Swapping (by Cedric/Stranger HMD) // The Wonders of ASCII graphics (by SNS) // Photocopy Protection (manuals) // World of Copy Protection (by Denis Lechevalier) // Chaos Computer Club // Compact Disk Menus // AmiExpo Fair (Amiga Messe) // Scene Letters (handwritten) // X-Copy Professional // Calling Cards, Minitel (France) // BBSses // Trojan Virus // Total Apathy (Demo).

Included are: Mr. Z, Eagle Soft Incorporated, Dynamic-Duo, Genesis Project, Cynix, ST/Amigos, ST Bandits, The Revolution, TOI, Nokturnal, The Big Four, HRFH, Cynix, Hotline, MCA, Elite, Elitendo , The Empire, The Syndicate, ICS, The Blade Runners, The Medway Boys, Pompey Pirates, Automation, BBC, Sub Humans of Turkey, RBCG, The Marvelous V8, Fuzion, Positivity, Jordan Corp, The Stranglers, Hemoroids, The Corporation, VMAX, Factory, The Overlanders, TCB, The Replicants, The Masters, Euro-Soft, 42-Crew, CSS, STCS, ACF, Vectronix, Tristar & Red Sector, Quartex, Fairlight, Paradox, Skid Row, Anthrox, Activision, Lucasfilm Games, Ubi Soft, Coktel Vision, Titus, Delphine, Lankhor, Ere Informatique, Infogrames, Eclipse, Gremlin, US Gold, Ocean France, Argonaut, Domark, Accolade, Sega, Nintendo, Microsoft, Stacker, IAAD, Brigade des Recherches, FAST, ELSPA, Copylock Software, RATsoft ST, DMC, Codehead, Cachet, Chaos Computer Club, Gravenreuth & Syndikus, Triton, Bobmark, Supercom Partner ... and many more.

90 pages of interviews with Rob Northen of Copylock Software // Tsunoo Rhilty of STCS // AN Cool of TCB // Axe of Delight // Arthur Dent of CSS // Floyd of 42- Crew // Robocamp of VMAX // Ellfire of Fuzion // Dom of The Replicants // EGB of Automation // Orion of Fuzion // Yoda of The Marvelleous V8 // Ratboy of STCS // Metallinos of Vectronix // Mr Fly of ICS // The Threat of ICS // Illegal of The Replicants // Bacchus of Fairlight // Zippy of The Medway Boys // Pan of Anthrox // The White Knight of Anthrox.

CRACKERS: The Data Storm sheds light on the networks and visionary entanglements of the BBS era. The world of the underground elite is spinning ever faster. Their digital utopia sets them apart from the harsh reality of a doomed games industry.

specifications of the book

with PDF!

Hardback edition
170 × 230 mm portrait format
336 brilliant color pages
135 gr/m² semi-matt paper
Finest printing grid (120)
surface sealing with varnish
UV-resistant and abrasion-resistant
Made in Germany