http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?title=Propaganda_25_ch07&feed=atom&action=historyPropaganda 25 ch07 - Revision history2024-03-29T00:09:57ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.19.0http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?title=Propaganda_25_ch07&diff=1622&oldid=prevYmgve at 21:05, 18 June 20072007-06-18T21:05:14Z<p></p>
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8-BIT THOUGHTS<br />
______________<br />
Observations of our digital<br />
culture as seen by two great<br />
thinkers from PROPAGANDA.<br />
<br />
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| |<br />
| |<br />
| ? |<br />
| |<br />
| |<br />
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+---------------+<br />
<br />
BY JACK DANIELS &amp; MIDFIT<br />
________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
SOME THOUGHS ON A CLOUDY MONDAY...<br />
+----------------+<br />
|by Jack Daniels.|<br />
+----------------+<br />
<br />
What is the scene all about? Some recent<br />
incidents made me think about this basic<br />
question once more. I don't want to talk<br />
about the things that have happened over<br />
the last weeks or months - some know<br />
what I am talking about, others don't.<br />
All I want is you to think, think about<br />
what I write here.<br />
<br />
It really makes me wonder, today as much<br />
as eleven or twelve years ago, when I<br />
entered the scene, how serious some<br />
people take the scene. It seems to me<br />
as if those guys want to compensate<br />
<br />
their luckless or even destroyed pri-<br />
vate life in the scene. I have seen lots<br />
of pretenders over the years, on the<br />
boards for example they have been trying<br />
to impress the others by their behaviour<br />
but when it came to a meeting IRL (=in<br />
real life) you could see who is behind<br />
the mask and sometimes couldn't resist<br />
laughing. If only half of what people<br />
wrote and said over the years would be<br />
true, we would all be driving Porsche.<br />
<br />
People try to build up an image which is<br />
the absolute contrast of what they are<br />
in real life. All the want is to gather<br />
some attention and respect. Hiding be-<br />
hind handles as well as the Internet as<br />
in this or any other scene allows them<br />
to be someone else, just like during<br />
carnival.<br />
<br />
<br />
On the other hand this is a chance for<br />
those people to gather some selfconfi-<br />
dence but it is a danger on the other<br />
hand as well. Users of the Internet and<br />
sceners are mostly anonymous - noone has<br />
to know the real identity of them and<br />
they can pretend to be anyone they want<br />
to be, unless they take of their masks.<br />
<br />
I just read an article about the first<br />
group of "anonymous Internet addicts"<br />
here in Germany. The stories of most of<br />
these people were horrible. They gave up<br />
all private contacts outside the net and<br />
spent all of their day online. A lot of<br />
them lost their jobs because they could<br />
not concentrate on anything else than<br />
the Internet. They were nervous and were<br />
just waiting to come home and switch the<br />
<br />
computer on. Just like a drug. Is that<br />
the real meaning? (ED.YES!)<br />
<br />
The computer and especially the scene is<br />
and will always be a hobby, no drug and<br />
especially no substitute for the real<br />
life. If God wanted us to live our life<br />
in the Internet we would have been born<br />
as bytes. So honestly, what is the se-<br />
nse of warring about a first-release,<br />
having trouble with others, cheating<br />
and pretending to be somebody you<br />
aren't? Okay, the scene needs competi-<br />
tion like every place in the world, if<br />
virtual or real, but some people just<br />
take it too seriously and exaggerate the<br />
whole affair. What is it that counts?<br />
Meeting people as well as in private,<br />
having fun and the friendship is what<br />
counts, not who was first in releasing<br />
<br />
a game or who is the best in ragging<br />
others down.<br />
<br />
The friendship in the scene of the<br />
Commodore 64 is something very special<br />
and unusal and that is what makes the<br />
scene itself so special in comparsion<br />
with others. Let us keep it that way!<br />
<br />
In the next issue of PROPAGANDA I will<br />
talk and write about this particular<br />
aspect of the everlasting C64-scene -<br />
the friendship. Stay tuned..<br />
<br />
I'd appreciate your feedback.<br />
<br />
Yours sincerly,<br />
<br />
JACK DANIELS, PROPAGANDA MAGAZINE<br />
JDOFF4CG@AOL.COM<br />
<br />
+-------------------------+ +------+<br />
|MOVING TO THE NET NOWI| |Midfit|<br />
|MOVING TO THE NET _ NOW.| +------+<br />
+-------------------------+<br />
________________________________________<br />
<br />
Hello Propaganda reader,<br />
<br />
after exchanging several e-mails with<br />
NEWSCOPY I am very happy to be chosen<br />
to report about the wide virtual world<br />
of the Internet, the place to be and the<br />
place, once visited making you addicted,<br />
resulting in a high phonebill. I want to<br />
speak about the FUTURE of the BOARDSCENE<br />
today as it is a very actual topic due<br />
to all USBBS'es being blacklisted by the<br />
major USA Phonecompanies making it im-<br />
possible to reach them at the moment.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The Commodore 64 was always a BBS-inf-<br />
luenced sysstem and some newcomers may<br />
ask themselves why it was like that.<br />
Well, the question is easily answered by<br />
covering the happenings during the years<br />
of 1986/87. The fresh n' young C64-scene<br />
was at that point still a mailtrader<br />
world. It was simply a lot people who<br />
exchanged their latest productions and<br />
cracks. And what else could be made as<br />
putting all these nice games on a floppy<br />
and send it over the to the place of<br />
their contacts. There were so many games<br />
released a month that everybody had di-<br />
fferent games and made different send-<br />
ings. While the Europeans seemd to be<br />
happy to work in this kind of way, the<br />
USA scen, covering groups like EAGLE<br />
SOFT INCORPORATED, ALLIANCE, NEPA who<br />
<br />
were not pleased with the mailway of<br />
spreading cracks. It needed weeks for<br />
a European crack from groups like HOT-<br />
LINE and TRIAD to reach the states by<br />
mail. And the other way around, of<br />
course.<br />
<br />
The USA, as the new modern world had<br />
always had very reasonable prices on<br />
hardware. And up-to-date. At this point<br />
the Americans were already exchaning<br />
their files through modems (at that time<br />
only at a mere 75 Bauds). This way of<br />
transfering brought the American scene<br />
on to a new idea of importing all the<br />
amazine quality and quantity from Eur-<br />
ope. You must know that the European<br />
titles were never intended to be re-<br />
leased in America, maybe due to the fact<br />
that companies did not quite know how<br />
<br />
to fix or for some other reason. The<br />
games situation was not shinging bright,<br />
nice titles from EPYX but not enough to<br />
cover the thirst and demand. The Amer-<br />
icans began to direct their interest in<br />
importing software from Europe. The plan<br />
was easy as they were already used to<br />
call up their European contacts through<br />
the use of tollfree PBX'es and the use<br />
of codes they received from the American<br />
hack/phreak-scene. Furthermore modems<br />
were cheap in the states while they cost<br />
a fortune in Europe. The Americans star-<br />
ted to buy modems for their European<br />
connections. The modems were either<br />
carded or bought by a supporter of the<br />
USA-groups who got games in exchange.<br />
The American groups started calling<br />
Europeans like HEADBANGER and HOTLINE<br />
and convinced them exchange software.<br />
<br />
<br />
The wish on the American scene was to<br />
be on an exclusive tradingbasis with as<br />
many of the European crackinggroups as<br />
possible. I don't need to tell you that<br />
it was plain easy to import a game -<br />
you only needed buy the cool groups the<br />
modem, have a code and dial your Euro-<br />
pean partner.<br />
<br />
It did not take long for the groups to<br />
get in trouble. They exchanged software<br />
and the great difference between Euro-<br />
pean 64's and American ones. Diskloaders<br />
crashed and intros as well as games fl-<br />
ickered like hell. Many actually thought<br />
that their American/European partners<br />
were not able to code properly and la-<br />
ughed. It led to the fact that people<br />
started to fix for each other. FBR and<br />
<br />
ESI on the American side, and HOTLINE,<br />
PAPILLIONS, TRIAD and RADWARE on the<br />
European.<br />
<br />
All in all, it was easy to import a<br />
game and it didn't require much know-<br />
ledge. You didn't even need a good su-<br />
pplier who could give you fast originals<br />
for no money. Quite quickly a flow of<br />
import-only-groups grew up, mainly on<br />
the American side, but THE SOFTRUNNER<br />
GROUP is an example of a European import<br />
-only label. Quickly these groups real-<br />
ized that it was totally pointless to<br />
import several versions of the same<br />
game and started to import an EXLCUSIVE<br />
VERSION. This meant that if for instance<br />
FBR imported the TRIAD-version and man-<br />
aged to fix loader-systems nobody else<br />
would import the FAIRLIGHT-version.<br />
<br />
<br />
At the same time the time-difference was<br />
between Europe and the USA was starting<br />
to bother the involve. Bulletin board<br />
systems had been around for quite a long<br />
time but had never been accessed by the<br />
Europeans. To enable the Europeans to<br />
call them and upload their games, they<br />
tried to get wares-addicted freaks into<br />
the business. These would be supplying<br />
the Europeans with codes. In later time,<br />
the BBS'es became more of a wares-data<br />
base, but not only for one group but for<br />
all groups. Virtually all European of<br />
class had modems and uploaded their<br />
software at all times.<br />
<br />
The term FIRST RELEASE came up due to<br />
an agreement beteween American groups<br />
so there would be no double-imports.<br />
<br />
The challenge was speed and quality and<br />
wars filled the message-areas on the<br />
baords. This is also what made the<br />
boards so popular - to be part of the<br />
competition, to exchange the latest and<br />
to be in contact with the elite. And at<br />
that point it was very attractive beca-<br />
use there were several ways to call out<br />
for free both for America and Europe.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, times changed. Phreaking<br />
became a business supported by the Amiga<br />
and PC quickly gaining ground. They re-<br />
alized selling ways to call out was more<br />
profitable than selling the game itself.<br />
They would be selling calling cards,<br />
PBX'es or Blueboxes. Many people follow-<br />
ed this trend and in 1993 it began to<br />
get worse for these people. The profit<br />
they gained was gone, FBI in cooperation<br />
<br />
with INTERPOL attacked the people behind<br />
the supply and we all know how that end-<br />
ed. Several people got busted and seve-<br />
ral people got out of their mess by co-<br />
operating with the law.<br />
<br />
More people got busted and it did not<br />
take long until there was a real lack<br />
of cards. Even the big groups couldn't<br />
call out any longer. To make the sit-<br />
uation even worse, Blue boxing became<br />
nearly impossible. Only a couple of<br />
guys could call out, and it was by far<br />
not as regular as it was in the past.<br />
<br />
We, the Commodore 64-scene always focus-<br />
ed on the major BBS'es lost the American<br />
part of the scene - which wasn't that<br />
active any longer anyway! PC- and Amiga-<br />
people searched for new ways.<br />
<br />
<br />
They found the Internet and they were<br />
really in the need of it. Doublereleases<br />
could be avoided - something that was<br />
usual due to the immense speed their<br />
scenes were travelling in on the PC,<br />
Amiga and on consoles. Communication<br />
was now based on IRC Channels on Efnet<br />
and wares flooded through FTP-sites of<br />
certain elitegroups.<br />
<br />
And still the CBM64 stuck to their pri-<br />
cinples. People tried to get hold of<br />
the very last cardsuppliers and hackers<br />
enabling them to call out. But we all<br />
could see - the American boardscene was<br />
getting slower and slower. Far too many<br />
people got busted and many didn't want<br />
to pay in risking a good part of their<br />
life just for using cards. Still, rules<br />
<br />
remained and we still had to stay around<br />
to get out with the firstreleases on<br />
the American boards. Many groups got<br />
beaten only because they ran out of ways<br />
to call out.<br />
<br />
Some groups like MOTIV8, indeed a cont-<br />
roversial group followed the PC/AMIGA-<br />
and console-scene by exploring the<br />
Internet. Groups like SCS*TRC, F4CG and<br />
CHROMANCE started setting up FTPs and<br />
the new market got a steadily growing<br />
audience. More and more people expressed<br />
their thoughts that it was rather point-<br />
less to keep up a BBS-dominated first-<br />
release-sceene if the American scene<br />
vanished years ago anyway. Besides, the<br />
FTP-scene is much more global than a<br />
BBS. The Americans left soon accepted<br />
the FTP's and it did not take very long<br />
<br />
for a magazine to come along. PROPA-<br />
GANDA, the magazine I am writing this<br />
article for was the first one to present<br />
us an Internet-related Chartsystem -<br />
refused to be accepted by other groups.<br />
Their arguments were weak too, saying<br />
the BBS-system made our scene unique<br />
while calling the two remaining elite-<br />
boards a call.<br />
<br />
The blacklisting in the USA proved<br />
these people wrong. Less action is<br />
taking place in the USA only, while<br />
the IRC #C-64 and the audience of old<br />
elite, newbees and normal sceners pay-<br />
ing time to visit daily. And we're<br />
seeing the other scenes who do not care<br />
about codes any longer where the BBS-<br />
scene is almost expolited. The Internet<br />
makes it possible to exchange wares at<br />
<br />
a good speed and it unitess the people<br />
through one concept. In former times<br />
you had to search the BBS for a certain<br />
people to leave him Email. Now you can<br />
leave him a direct Email his account or<br />
meet him on the IRC.<br />
<br />
What is the point of holding up in a<br />
system which is considered to be dead<br />
by all the other scenes? The messages<br />
in the subs and the union between<br />
subs and fileareas??<br />
<br />
Yes, the FTPs surely don't give the<br />
feeling of a BBS. And a mailinglist<br />
doesn't give the feeling of a sub. Why<br />
transfer with 24OO bps if there are<br />
enough tools to connect your 1541 to<br />
a PC/Amiga and transfer files from<br />
there?<br />
<br />
<br />
Now there was daylight again. LEGEND<br />
returned to the scene introducing a new<br />
principle to live with. A web-BBS!<br />
Running on the progam QCBBS invented<br />
by UNCLE D, also known as DAVE/LEGEND.<br />
It has been well appreciated since the<br />
day of the first version running and<br />
we encounter heavily growing interest<br />
by the scene. Since a few months the<br />
BBS offers a file-base and should be<br />
seen as a great possiblity to make the<br />
daily boardlife livable. No need of<br />
codes. Just a very fast way to get<br />
the wares around.<br />
<br />
Is this the step to the net? The quest-<br />
ion should be: is it not? I discussed<br />
this topic with several people in the<br />
scene. Some are for, some against. Some<br />
<br />
fear the scene will die from it. It we<br />
look over the whole topic, we encounter<br />
that this BBS already achieved more re-<br />
gular visists in the last days than any<br />
American BBS did before the fall of the<br />
American boards. We know that this QCBBC<br />
is also something for hardcore C64-fre-<br />
aks who access the net through the C64.<br />
So there is absolutely no way to keep<br />
up with something that is doomed to<br />
die. Phreaking is doomed to die but<br />
should we let our C64-scene die to?<br />
No! We should try to keep up with our<br />
tradition but try to find new ways,<br />
encountering the facts that C64-emul-<br />
ators get popular and many people who<br />
are outside of the scene and who don't<br />
own a C64 anylonger have now also<br />
access to the latest releases of the<br />
C64-scene. (ED. ALL THE STAFF OF PRO-<br />
<br />
PAGANDA DOES NOT AGREE. PEOPLE WHO RUN<br />
EMULATORS SHOULD BURN IN HELL AND BE<br />
CRUCIFIED FOR GETTING RID OF THEIR<br />
C64'S IN THE FIRST PLACE. GET A NEW<br />
C64!)<br />
<br />
Some of the sceptic audience I tried to<br />
question on this subject said to me they<br />
are afraid that smaller groups who are<br />
not used to boards will try to get into<br />
the firstreleasing business. Well, and<br />
if so, I think that as long as they<br />
stick to the rules and don't act dumb<br />
we have to live with it.<br />
<br />
Every group was at a beginning phase,<br />
so I don't understand these words. I<br />
don't think anybody would have success<br />
in taking place in the 64 crackingscene<br />
if he does not stick his groupconcept<br />
<br />
tight and to the rules and the tradition<br />
we have. Rags and wars will come quickly<br />
if not. And by the way, if you don't<br />
gvie a chance to the new groups I don't<br />
see the sense in the scene. I think<br />
these people forgot that a group like<br />
STRIKE FORCE once was small. And a group<br />
like MOVERS knew about their potential<br />
and gave them the chance.<br />
<br />
Tradition, yes. Rules, yes. But we can't<br />
reanmiate something that died. Is not<br />
the Internet to be seen as a gift? I<br />
think it is. Not only in private life<br />
but also in the scene. It is cheap and<br />
will be much cheaper in the years to<br />
come. Why am I seeing such a fear when<br />
I ask people about the Internet? Don't<br />
they all forget there is always a tom-<br />
orrow? It may not be as stunning as the<br />
<br />
old BBS-days in the first years but the<br />
real stunning action is since long gone.<br />
We are only here to keep the spirit of<br />
the 64 - a spirit you cannot explain<br />
that is not comparable to other scenes.<br />
We should try to keep this spirit alive<br />
as long as possible. This is only pos-<br />
sible if we keep our wares machine pro-<br />
ducing. We got competition through the<br />
boards. But is it really important where<br />
the competition takes place? The thrill<br />
is to beat the others.<br />
<br />
Think it over. Be sure that one fact<br />
remains. The US boards are yesterday<br />
and the Internet is the future.<br />
<br />
It has always been the same, since the<br />
day Amiga was released. Everybody was<br />
talking about the end of the C64. As<br />
<br />
companies like OCEAN and RAINBOW ARTS<br />
stopped to produce for our beloved<br />
machine people people said it was soon<br />
to die. And still most of the highlights<br />
of the scene had not been seen. The<br />
new scene will be with us when we move<br />
to the Internet. Don't try to turn back<br />
time, because you can't. If we look at<br />
the states, the country which is always<br />
a step in front of us we encounter that<br />
86% of all the public BBS'es are gone,<br />
either down due to usersupport or using<br />
the local cheap rates through being on-<br />
line via Telnet. (ED. NOW THAT WOULD<br />
BE SOMETHING! TELNET TO A C64-BOARD!)<br />
And we know that 86% is no value we<br />
can express through numbers. So we see<br />
that we are a bit late with finally de-<br />
ciding which way we want to go. We<br />
should try not to be too late. Just in<br />
<br />
interest for our little beloved<br />
C64Kbyte machine.<br />
<br />
Yours truly,<br />
<br />
MIDFIT, PROPAGANDA MAGAZINE<br />
</pre></div>Ymgve