Thread

Warez: The Infrastructure and Aesthetics of Piracy (2021)

220 points · 120 comments · succinct_ideas

milchek · 1789716140 · focus · HN ↗
This is dense. I skimmed through hoping to see examples of the “aesthetics” with screenshots of old school installers (like the ones from Razor 1911, Class, Deviance etc) - it looks like these are scattered around the web, though. If anyone wants to relive some of the old chiptunes from these installers there’s <a href="https://archive.org/details/codex-installer-music-5-2018-03-192kbit-aac" rel="nofollow">https://archive.org/details/codex-installer-music-5-2018-03-...
1. 9dev · 1789769366 · focus · HN ↗
  Razor 1911! Now here’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time, but teenage me was very grateful to.
  The .nfo files alone, distributed with most releases, carrying the most elaborate of ASCII art. I distinctly remember the aesthetics you mention.
  1. nikanj · 1789769619 · focus · HN ↗
    Remember realizing it’s 0x777, one better than 666?
    mmanfrin · 1789776090 · focus · HN ↗
    Probably more a reference to total file permissions.
    bitwize · 1789785436 · focus · HN ↗
    That's 777 octal tho
    5-0 · 1789796919 · focus · HN ↗
    I believe this was the case, as there was a lot of 666 going around at the time.
    shinymark · 1789824722 · focus · HN ↗
    6-7 had yet to be discovered.

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