Cult pro light - DEMOSCENE for Dummies.

<b>Cult pro light</b> - DEMOSCENE for Dummies.

                    Cult pro light-II


(C) UnBEL! EVER ^ x7m


                     DEMOSCENE for Dummies

                               or

                     DEMOSCENE in the original

                               or

                     DEMOSCENE for rhinos

                               or

                               ...
Opening remarks
------------------

    A material similar to what you read below, has
long thought of me. I just got tired explaining to people far 
away from the demoscene or computers in general, what I do.

Such an explanation occupied several hours and still not
yield positive results. Moreover, I realized that
he really can not articulate and explain the concept DEMOSCENE.
But has not yet started writing, I came across a few ready-made
materials in English, the contents of which I was pleasantly
surprised - it was almost what I wanted from an article on
demoscene.


    To my great regret, this material is not
complete. Type was an inspiration - wrote. And now no
inspiration - gave up. Perhaps the publication of the initial 
part of push me to the end of the article. Indeed, until now, 
despite the apparent lack of information on the history of the 
demoscene, and No detailed documents, especially in Russian. 
And even all the good that has been created in the west, comes 
to us in terrible and clumsy translations (holders of copyright 
and PARADOX'e D. ASH - it your garden stone).



    In short, read pinned or surprised - that's
as anyone. Maybe find out for myself something new ... Advance
I warn that there may be some confusion with dates and
names - no time and did not try to reconcile all: (

--------------------------[ Top ]--------------------- --------
1. Introduction


    Today it is hard to imagine a house, office or school
audience without a PC. Modern graphics
shell made computer accessible shall be construed
professional programmers, but almost any beginner.
Intellectually, intuitive interface, a brilliant operating
system of Windows, a global network of Internet ... And now 
you're sitting and hang out with you before unknown man from 
the North Michigan or two clicks of the mouse button to decide 
MathCad'e complicated differential equation. Yes, the computer 
world unchanged even with the recent 80-90 years. Other

problem, other possibilities, a different attitude toward myself
computer.


    Working with a PC, you probably noticed a peculiarity: it 
is necessary think you know about the computer all of a sudden

there is a new layer of application of the electronic
device. And now, having thrown a monotonous Quake, you're
fighting in any MUD system, learning about the unknown
previous beauty role-playing games. Or, forgetting for a moment 
about missed EXSELe tables, you can escape to the report

in the news about Hacker, phreakers or even feykerah. "Who are 
they?" - Interested, you ask a neighbor to the workplace. 
"People who spend their time more interesting than we are "- 
with sadness he said.



    Computers and social phenomena associated with
It is extremely multifaceted. The purpose of this article - to 
tell you about DEMOSCENE (demoscene) - a complex and 
interesting protsesse that runs for 20 years worldwide on the 
most computer platforms, but usually behind the scenes of 
official chronicles.


2. Life before the scene


    Of course, a brief historical background of the appearance 
of "home" and "personal" computers can be found in other

sources. However, as the demoscene absolutely inseparable from
the concept of home computer, I would like to briefly talk 
about the events prior skachkoobaznomu development of computers 
in the 80th. 


    The first truly affordable and truly computer
was unforgettable Altair. A product of mind which vneshenemu
never say that a computer - just a box with
switches and lights. However, it was a very big step
Forward! Altair could have at home, at work, in the laboratory -
this is not a monster, which occupies several rooms in the 
spirit of large giants of the time PDP10/11 and IBM360.



    The next step was the emergence of gaming
video consoles and home computers directly to the first.
Video console had two main features - it is
connected to the usual TV and was instantly ready to
work (unlike computers, which accounted for one or
otherwise download the software). Hopefully, the domestic
reader will remember well the product of our industry by
title of the video-SPORT. It's nothing like a typical console.


    Thus, the video game paved the way for home PCs and
dispelled some stereotype that computer
needed only for specific calculations. That is why the first
design firms ATARI and APPLE, appeared on the market at the end
1979th slowly but surely find their buyers. And again
Two important factors have played on the break of home 
computers in a wide layers of the public. In the first place. 
this is a built-in language programmirvaniya, mostly Basic - 
which allowed immediately after turn on your computer to start 
writing your own programs. And secondly, all the same video 
game that with the same successfully worked on the computers - 
they only needed to download external media.



    1980th and 1981st years had been known by the release of a
range of products that safely could be called a home computer.
This ZX-80 ZX-81 from Clive Sinclair, APPLE-II, ATARI, and many
another. But the real sensation was the release at the end of 
the 82nd PCs ZX-Spectrum 16/48 and Commodore 64 (and in

consequence and a simplified model Commodore 16). Moreover, the 
breakthrough it was a release of C64, despite the current 
opinion (especially in Russia) that the ZX-SPECTRUM was the 
best and most popular 8-bit computer.


2. The soil for the birth.


    How well it all started? For a start it would not hurt to 
know that podrozumevaetsya under the concept of all:)



    So what? Home computers produced and sold. People
sufficiently prepared for the appearance of such products, and 
therefore cars quite actively bought up. Moreover, most

the lucky owners of computers are really happy.
Judge for yourself: before the child had to economize on school
breakfast to the evening go to the games room and a 2-3 times
play GALAXIAN's ... And now he can fight
space aliens indefinitely directly
home! We just have to wait for loading programs from tape, and
Connect the joystick!


    I'm not talking about the serious application of computer
students and engineers. Many of them could previously only dream
the possibility to use a computer lottery game to insane 
objectives. Need was a month wait for the queue to which a

"Two-room" computer, then to work out on it 02/01
"Engine hours". And then all at your fingertips, because BASIC 
interpreter was, in most cases, is recorded directly in ROM Home

Computer ... And as you know, to solve even simple tasks,
For example, simulation is much more convenient by RND
BASIC function than dice or a coin.


    But the euphoria soon passes. The standard scheme of a large
Business works perfectly in the case of home
computers. If there are some items and material to
it will be much more profitable to sell more products to
lower price, then to at inflated prices to drive
the consumer actually consumable. In the case of computers
"Consumables" is the software. In one
beautiful moment, the man realized that the modest reserve
standard programs and games that comes bundled with
machine has been exhausted - need something new ... New programs
of course, were, in fact it is a real computer, instead of
primitive electronic toy. But here's the price of these same
program ...


    Price ROM with the program for the C64 was in the range of 
40 to $ 60. You may be hard to understand, a lot or

low, even considering that the dollar in the early 80's was not
one that now (in the U.S. also have inflation). But one 
tendeniya proslezhivaetsya quite obvious - the purchase of 10 
new programs for any computer model was in the amount equal to 
the price of its new computer!



    Despite everything, the situation was completely natural!
Firstly, at the dawn of the computer era was very different
mentality in relation to soft'u. It is now possible for a 
couple of hours Download tens shareware'nyh programs and 
selecting one of them, to become a registered user paying

a symbolic sum. At the same time, the purchase program has been 
quite deliberate step! But secondly, Aware already mentioned 
game machines, evolved a complex situation. Now imagine if

before you walked into gambling houses and left every evening
0.5-1 dollar chasing through a maze pacman, but now, having 
invested once U.S. $ 300-400, you're playing for days on end 
perfectly free. Absurd!



    Thus, the price of the software was
incredibly high! And what is a computer with no new programs?
Just a pile of iron ... And yesterday's game regulars
salons continue to starve in the lunch breaks, but now
in order to feed their pennies into the belly of a slot machine!
Now cents and pennies evolved into a large pile to one
day be exchanged for a cassette or a floppy disk with which
Something new, totally revolutionary! Yes, just for one more
program for this "damn your home computer! By the way,
the high price of the program made them expensive and expected
gift, such as Christmas, New Year or just a day
birth.


    It is here at the arena there are those people who laid the 
foundation as scene in general and in particular the demoscene. 
These men, or rather word that they are called, you all know. 
That - hackers (hackers)!


3. Hack da world!


    And really - why buy a new program when it
You can take from a classmate or friend at work. Take on
time, and maybe even take a copy of it? Or buy a copy
programs in these strange guys standing around a computer
store? Of course, they have a beautiful box and booklet
instruction, but 20-30 "bucks" savings. And then, because it
ordinary shooter in it and no instructions can understand ...


    It is these thoughts began to visit many users
home computers shortly after they realized that
Most of the software sold by them
simply can not afford.


    In general, the word hack comes from the English - "break".
In fact, at first had to "break" just brains
to understand how and what is happening in the computer.
Actually, the program did not have any special protection from
copying. The best protection was the lack of proper programs
to copy the program:)


    Therefore, those who later will be called hacker'ami
starting with the fact that inventing ways to source the 
duplication Tape / Disk. Removing copy was done primarily for 
yourself! But soon discover that no copies would refuse to 
receive other people, sometimes even for money ... Number of 
turns into quality and have been innocently copied a program 
for teen becomes a real pirate shark business in his area.



    By the way, hacker - this is the first creative creature
generated by home computers. Despite all the
destructiveness hakkerskih action, it still works. At the
While the user (also gamer) only consumes. It
Therefore hacker laid the foundation stage itself - he did, and
scene - is primarily a creative community.

4. Grouping


    Home computer continues shestovat the world. Appear more
or smaller firms to create software.
Software is becoming more quality, the price of computers 
themselves slowly but steadily declining. A Hacker in the 
meantime continue to make illegal copies of programs ...



    Soon on branded entertainment and software programs are 
beginning to to set copy protection standard methods, already

mastered not only a Hacker, but also by many users. Y
Young burglars there are more and more work. Plus
that there is a question not only about copying, but also on 
making some changes in the program. In particular, in games that

becoming increasingly more attractive and dynamic, constantly 
missing "Lives" or "energy". At a certain knack Hacker can

Having dealt with the program code to stop the counter lives
"Immortalized" in a manner character in the game. Soon, 
trainer, and this is the name this change the game, it becomes

integral part of the "hack" program.


    Since the flow of the game to ensure a large enough
Hacker, despite the fact that there were many, did not start
cope with their problems. Therefore, soon, in the arena
there were two dark figures of the computer world. They were:
Supplier - a person supplying Hacker material to work with,
ie the protected program, and Trader - a person engaged in
isklyuchitelno trade hacked Hacker programs.


    By the way, Western teenagers were no different from our
domestic "teenagers." They also loved to write on the walls;
"It was John", thus perpetuating his name in ages. That
Hacker did his job, often signed her to their
name. That's only to write the real name was uncomfortable (in 
chastnoti too long) and even dangerous - the laws have worked 
in the West well, and software piracy, gave the most realistic 
articles and timing. Hacked game signed up a fictitious name

which he took himself Hacker. In addition, an assumed name (his
nick name or handle), you could choose a much more
sonorous and stylish than your own. Who watched the "Hacker"
and "The Matrix", will remember devushek Acid Burn (Acid Burn)
and Trinity (Trinity), not to mention about the Neo, and 
Morpheus'e others.



    Here it is, practically formed a virtual world. Hacker,
hiding behind false names, illegal traders
software, suppliers of fresh programming
material ... Someone had to manage the actions of these people
and that someone was named organizer'om. And if there is an 
organizer, hence there is the organization itself - a group 
united by some name. And now a fresh crack was signed not just 
Hacker Cris, a Hacker Cris of OverSeas Kracking Alliance, or 
something else more sonorous and unintelligible.



                     to be continue ... i hope!