Crack intro: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Credit sequence added to cracked software}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}

__NOTOC__

[[File:Quartex.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Cracktro for the cracking group Quartex on [[Amiga]]. A typical crack intro has a scrolling text runningmarquee at the bottom of the screen.]]

A '''crack intro''', commonly abbreviated as '''cracktro''', is a small introduction sequence added to [[keygen]]s and [[Software cracking|cracked software]] aimed to inform the user which cracking crew or individual cracker removed the software's [[copy protection]] and distributed the crack or keygen.<ref name="EuroGamer" /><ref name="wired"/><ref name="0dayartTheVerge"/>

A '''crack intro''', also known as a '''cracktro''', '''loader''', or just '''intro''', is a small introduction sequence added to [[Software cracking|cracked software]], designed to inform the user of which "cracking crew" or individual cracker was responsible for removing the software's [[copy protection]] and distributing the crack.<ref name="EuroGamer" /><ref name="wired"/> Many people who did the actual cracking did this competitively. They even credited themselves alongside the software publisher's name in their custom cracktro screens.<ref name="0dayartTheVerge"/> [[Warez group|Warez groups]] began to add their own intros instead of modifying the existing loading screen. Names of the group's members would scroll as little animations. Intros became more complicated and sometimes as large as the game itself.<ref name="arstechnica2013"/> It had to look good to impress viewers as well as peers, and sometimes the result was more impressive than the [[video game|game]] itself.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Demoscene |url=http://www.digitalekultur.org/files/dk_whatisthedemoscene.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=Digitale Kultur e.V. |accessdate=2010-10-25}}</ref>{{better source|date=June 2015}} They first appeared on [[Apple II]] computer in the late 1970s, early 1980s.<ref name="wired"/><ref name="jason_scott_2010" /><ref name="reunanen2010"/> The early text screens are in many ways similar to [[graffiti]], although they invaded the [[private sphere]] and not the public space.<ref name="carlsson2009"/><ref name="kotlinski2009"/> In 1985 the Dutch teams ''The 1001 Crew'', programmers from the city of [[Alkmaar]], and ''The Judges'' started adding intro demos, challenging others to match theirs. Dozens of demo crews formed within a year to try and do just that.<ref name="donovan2010"/>

==History==

These first appeared on [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Commodore 64]] and [[Amstrad CPC]] games that were distributed around the world via [[Bulletin Board System]]s (BBSes) and [[floppy disk]] copying.<ref name="reunanen2010"/> Initially the intros consisted of simple messages, but they grew progressively more complex as they became a medium to demonstrate the purported superiority of a cracking group.<ref name="jason_scott_2010"/> Even the commercially available [[ISEPIC]] cartridge, which produced [[memory dump]]s of copy-protected Commodore 64 software, added a custom crack intro to the snapshots it produced.<ref name="kevelson198510"/>

Crack intros first appeared on [[Apple II]] computers in the late 1970s or early 1980s,<ref name="wired" /><ref name="jason_scott_2010" /><ref name="reunanen2010" /> and then on [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Commodore 64]] and [[Amstrad CPC]] games that were distributed around the world via [[Bulletin Board System]]s (BBSes) and [[floppy disk]] copying.<ref name="reunanen2010"/> By 1985, when reviewing the commercially available [[ISEPIC]] cartridge which adds a custom crack intro to [[memory dump]]s of Commodore 64 software, ''[[Ahoy!]]'' wrote that such intros were "in the tradition of the true hacker".<ref name="kevelson198510"/> Early crack intros resemble [[graffiti]] in many ways, although they invaded the [[private sphere]] and not the public space.<ref name="carlsson2009" /><ref name="kotlinski2009" />

As time went on, crack intros became a medium to demonstrate the purported superiority of a cracking group.<ref name="jason_scott_2010" /> Such intros grew very complex, sometimes exceeding the size<ref name="arstechnica2013" /> and complexity<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalekultur.org/files/dk_whatisthedemoscene.pdf|title=The Demoscene|publisher=Digitale Kultur e.V.|access-date=2010-10-25}}

Crack intros became more sophisticated on more advanced systems such as the [[Commodore Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]], as well as some [[IBM PC]] clone systems with sound cards.<ref name="reunanen2010" />

{{better source|date= June 2015}}</ref> of the software itself. Crack intros only became more sophisticated on more advanced systems such as the [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], and some [[IBM PC compatible]]s with sound cards.<ref name="reunanen2010" /> These intros feature big, colourful [[2D computer graphics|effects]], [[chiptune|music]], and [[Scrolling#Demos|scrollers]].<ref name="demographics" /><!-- 4:12+ -->

As a result, crack intros began to feature big colourful [[2D computer graphics|effects]], [[chiptune|music]], and [[Scrolling#Demos|scrollers]].<ref name="demographics"/><!-- 4:12+ --> Cracking groups would use the intros not just to gain credit for cracking, but to advertise their [[Bulletin board system|BBSes]], greet friends, and givegain themselves recognition.<ref name="jason_scott_2010" /> Messages were frequently of a vulgar nature, and on some occasions made threats of violence against software companies or the members of some rival crack -group.<ref name="jason_scott_2010" />

Crack -intro programming eventually became an art form in its own right, and people started coding intros without attaching them to a crack just to show off how well they could program. This practice evolved into the [[demoscene]].<ref name="EuroGamer"/>

Crack intros thatand useother [[chiptune]]ssmall livesoftware oncreated todayby in[[Software thecracker|software formcrackers]] ofsuch backgroundas music[[Keygen|keygens]] forand small[[Patch programs(computing)|patches]] intended tothat remove the software protection onfrom commercial andapplications sharewareoften softwareuse that[[chiptune]]s has limited or dumbed-down capabilities. Sometimes this is simplymade in the[[music form of a program that generates a software package'tracker]]s serialfor number,background usually referred to as a [[keygen]]music. These chiptunes are now still accessible as downloadable ''[[Module file#Music disk|musicdisks]]'' or ''musicpacks''.<ref name="chiptunes2009"/>

==See also==

* [[DemosceneHacker subculture]]

* [[List of warez groups]]

* ''[[Replay: The History of Video Games]]'' -– The book describes the Dutch demo making as a major influence on video games in the 1980s.

* [[Warez scene]]

* [[Chiptune]]

* [[Replay: The History of Video Games]] - The book describes the Dutch demo making as a major influence on video games in the 1980s.

==References==

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<!-- Journals -->

<ref name="reunanen2010">{{cite journalthesis |title=Computer Demos – What Makes Them Tick? |last=Reunanen |first=Markku |date=2010-04-23 |publisher=[[Aalto University]] |url=http://www.kameli.net/demoresearch2/reunanen-licthesis.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name="carlsson2009">{{cite conference |url=http://www.mat.ucsb.edu/Publications/burbano_MAH2009.pdf |title=The Forgotten Pioneers of Creative Hacking and Social Networking – Introducing the Demoscene |last1=Carlsson |first1=Anders |date=2009 |publisher=Cubitt, Sean & Thomas, Paul (eds.) |booktitlebook-title=Re:live: Media Art Histories 2009 Conference Proceedings |pages=16–20 |___location=University of Melbourne & Victorian College of the Arts and Music |isbn=978-0-9807186-3-8}}</ref>

<ref name="kotlinski2009">{{cite web |url=http://chipflip.org/dox/kotlinski_(2009)_amiga_music_programs_89-95.pdf |title=Amiga Music Programs 1985–1995 |last1=Kotlinski |first1=Johan |date=2009 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}<!--A seminar paper on the history of Amiga music programs, mostly trackers.--></ref>

<ref name="chiptunes2009">{{cite journal |url=http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/96/94 |title=Endless loop: A brief history of chiptunes |first1=Driscoll |last1=Kevin |first2=Joshua |last2=Diaz |year=2009 |workjournal=[[Transformative Works and Cultures]]|volume=2 |issue=2 |doi=10.3983/twc.2009.0096 |quote=As the demo scene established its independence, chiptunes were carried out of the gaming sphere altogether to finally establish their own stand-alone format: the downloadable musicdisk.|doi-access=free }}</ref>

<!-- Books -->

<!-- not currently used as a citation

<ref name="donovan2010">{{cite book|author=Tristan Donovan|title=Replay: The History of Video Games|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_lrSSAAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Yellow Ant|isbn=978-0-9565072-0-4}}<!--http://pastebin.com/pnQcM3tEref> --></ref>

<!-- News, magazine -->

<ref name="kevelson198510">{{citeCite news |last=Kevelson |first=Morton |date=October 1985 |title=Isepic |url=https://archive.org/streamdetails/Ahoy_Issue_22_1985ahoy-10_Ion_International_US#magazine-22/page/n69n70/mode/2up1up?view=theater |titleaccess-date=Isepic2025-01-14 |work=Ahoy! |date=October 1985 |last=Kevelson |first=Morton |pages=71–73}}</ref>

<ref name="EuroGamer">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=291159 |title=Linger in Shadows |first=Dan |last=Whitehead |date=2008-11-12 |publisherwebsite=[[Eurogamer]] |accessdateaccess-date=2010-10-23 |quote=Amateur coders busy cracking the copy-protection on the latest Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum games got into the habit of marking their work with an animated intro - or "cracktro" - inserted before the game began. |archive-date=2019-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924195029/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/linger-in-shadows-hands-on |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="0dayartTheVerge">{{cite web|last=KopsteinKopfstein|first=Joshua Janus|title=0-Day Art: saving digital art one torrent at a time - Net pirate provocateurs challenge the monetization of online works |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/4/23/2961601/0-day-art-digital-art-torrents-piracy|work=TheVerge|date=2012-04-23|accessdateaccess-date=2012-04-26}}</ref>

<ref name="arstechnica2013">{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/04/a-history-of-the-amiga-part-9-the-demo-scene/ |title=A history of the Amiga, part 8: The demo scene |first=Jeremy |last=Reimer |date=2013-04-29 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref>

<ref name="wired">{{cite webmagazine |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.07/democoders.html |title=Demo or Die! |first=Dave |last=Green |date=July 1995 |workmagazine=Wired |accessdateaccess-date=2010-10-23}}</ref>

<!-- Video -->

<ref name="jason_scott_2010">{{cite video |people=[[Jason Scott Sadofsky|Jason Scott]] |date=2010-07-31 |title=You're Stealing it Wrong: 30 Years of Inter-Pirate Battles |url=http://vimeo.com/15400820 |format=mov |publisher=[[DEF CON]] 18 |___location=Las Vegas, Nevada}}</ref>

<ref name="demographics">{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Jeremy|title=Demographics: Behind the Scene|url=http://vimeo.com/1289141|work=Mindcandy Volume 1: PC Demos|accessdateaccess-date=2012-05-19}}<!-- 4:12+ --></ref>

}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite journal |first1=Markku |last1=Reunanen |first2=Patryk |last2=Wasiak |first3=Daniel |last3=Botz |title=Crack Intros: Piracy, Creativity and Communication |journal=[[International Journal of Communication]] |volume=9 |pages=798–817 |year=2015 |issn=1932-8036 |url=http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/3731}}

* Patryk Wasiak, [http://www.zeithistorische-forschungen.de/16126041-Wasiak-2-2012 ‘Illegal Guys’]. A History of Digital Subcultures in Europe during the 1980s, in: Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History, Online-Ausgabe, 9 (2012), H. 2

* {{cite web |first=George |last=Borzyskowski |date=November 1996 |title=The Hacker Demo Scene and Its Cultural Artifacts |url=http://greent.mindnever.org/demoscene.pdf |publisher=Curtin University of Technology}}<!-- A paper presented at the Cybermind Conference 1996 in Perth, Australia --> Read online: [http://www.scheib.net/play/demos/what/borzyskowski/ http://www.scheib.net/play/demos/what/borzyskowski/].

* Hastik, Canan; Steinmetz, Arnd (2012a): [http://canan.hastik.de/science/cerc2012.pdf Demoscene Artists and Community] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212154444/http://canan.hastik.de/science/cerc2012.pdf |date=2013-12-12 }}. In Bours, Patrick; Humm, Bernhard; Loew, Robert; Stengel, Ingo; Walsh, Paul (eds.): Proceedings of CERC 2012, pp.&nbsp;43–48.

* Driscoll, Kevin; Diaz, Joshua (2009): [http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/96/94 Endless Loop: A Brief History of Chiptunes]. Transformative Works and Cultures 9, 2009.

* {{cite journal |url=http://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2014-1-2/crackers-became-us-demosceners/ |title=How Those Crackers Became Us Demosceners |first=Markku |last=Reunanen |date=2014-04-15 |workjournal=WiderScreen |issue=1-21–2}}

* {{cite web |url=http://www.elektrischer-reporter.de/elr/video/85/ |title=Demoszene: Hollywood in 64 Kilobyte |language=Germande |date=2008-12-05 |format=MP4 |website=Elektrische Reporter}}<!-- shows some cracktros -->

==External links==

* [http://www.intros.c64.org World of C64 Crackintros] &ndash; A large collection of C64 cracktros in native "prg" file format (supported by most C64 emulators)

* [http://www.defacto2.net/cracktros.cfm Defacto2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231045334/http://www.defacto2.net/cracktros.cfm |date=2005-12-31 }} &ndash; Hundreds of cracktros, loaders and installers for the PC

* [http://amp.dascene.net Amiga Music Preservation] &ndash; Thousands of cracktros in all tracker formats.

* [http://www.chiptune.com/ Chiptune.com] &ndash; A chiptune dedicated website containing thousands of chiptunes from Amiga and other formats. The website itself emulates the [[Amiga Workbench|Amiga Workbench 1.3]].

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WWFEBsgfk THE AMIGA CRACKTRO MARATHRON] &ndash; A large back-to-back collection of Amiga cracktros.

* [https://www.docsnyderspage.com Docsnyderspage.com] &ndash; Hundreds of C64 crack intros re-coded for the web.

[[Category:Demo effects]]