#2999 -TCB!-: plenty of “ways to communicate” (i.e. bluebox for the Germans and a steady calling card supply from Killerette & Phonestud)
Wait wait, what? Who are “Killarette” and “Phonestud” now? Never heard of ’em!
And why did they need calling cards in the first place? Blueboxing in Europe was pioneered by Agile on the C= 64, and Razor 1911 continued in that vein… why didn’t these guys use Blue boxes?
Towards the end of the Golden Era, we used PC-buckets with DOS and SoundBlaster to BlueBox our way into Zion’s hideout, so why were these guys so dependent on calling cards?
And what about today? Telecommunications are cheap and abudant, and although the Shop watches tirelessly like the Eye of Sauron, there are still ways to encrypt. There used to be secret “tier 1” FTP sites in the past, I personally never considered them safe, but the more intriguing question for me is, how does the whole thing work today?
(Personal confession: I am too lazy and/or wary to search for cracks, and I buy the originals since I can afford them now, and I’m too scared of malware being embedded in cracks. I do have a guilty conscience every time I buy an original though, like I am betraying my heritage.)
PS: You forgot the period where Fairlight was pretty much putting out every single release 🙂
In my experience: yes, there was a period where Fairlight put out lots of releases on Amiga, but it was very brief. Again, this is an experience of someone who was forced to live in isolation not of one’s own volition, and did not have the same resources as these guys did.
Added 10 minutes later:
#3002 -TCB!-:
I think all in all, GOD lasted a good 3 years and I have very fond memories of those times. There is not a single MBA-program that can prep you for corporate life as being a group organizer for a little while:
– You need to attract the right talent/skills and retain them
– You need to coordinate all activities and drive for results
– You need to compete in an ultra-competitive environment
– You need operating income to cover expenses
– You need a distribution model and need to overcome logistical challenges
– You need branding/marketing/image/PR
– You need quality assurance
Bah, most people end up getting MBA’s just to move up the corporate ladder. I never went because after being in management, I realized that being a fat cat was against my core principles: I could never be corrupt and I despised the fact that the rest of the managers were incompetent douchebags playing “bullshit bingo”, and that being competent I was considered a threat.
Once I realized it is a rat race, and that I would have to become the equivalent of an emotional whore, I ditched the whole thing, even though it paid shitloads of money. I could not be a slime like they were.
Running a cracking group is an order of magnitude better experience than being a manager in a soul crushing corporation. Take my advice, do not go into management unless you have the power to fire all the fucking bullshitters playing “Bullshit bingo”. They are fucking worse than the mafia, because these assholes have found a way to rob, cheat, steal and lie to one’s face without going to jail. (Smart, but terribly short-sighted, and very detrimental to humanity in the long term.)
Added 30 minutes later:
“Still, I recognize that as one of them, I’ve committed bad deeds with the consequences I’ve measured, so I’ve done a lot since then, and I will continue to support actively the fight against counterfeiting and piracy, in collaborating with governments, law enforcement and of course, with the right holders themselves.”