Let me tell you about a technology called Hotline. Way back in 1996 a guy invented an application for the Mac called Hotline. It was basically the first file-sharing application, predating Napster by 3 years. It had a strong cult following in mac circles. It's early days were a joy to use. I remember using it in 1999 and it was revolutionary. The simple idea that you could connect to somebody else and download files was amazing. Hotline was kind of like Direct Connect meets BitTorrent. You had to first get a tracker that contained a list of servers you could connect to. Then once you connected to the tracker you had to connect to a server. But usually you had to be a member of the server to download. To become a member you had to upload a certain amount of files and then eventually the server's owner would make you a member.
This meant that there were very few leechers and idiots on the system. You could find what you wanted, have semi-normal conversations and were sort of protected in this mac only universe. Whilst you guys were napstering to your hearts content we were hotlining. And then the windows client came along.
With the windows client came porn, viruses (not that they affected me), leechers and increasingly complex membership systems. Some servers made you go to a website and then join up to that site. Once the referral fee came through you would become a member. There was long lines to download stuff. By that time the Mac community abandoned Hotline and moved on.
Another great technology from that time was Surfer's Serials. There was a guy called Surfer and he maintained a list of serials, CD keys etc for heaps of Mac applications. These were usually just polled from certain news forums, websites etc. But being a mac application this wasn't just a text file this was a full-blown database application that allowed you to search all the different applications and versions. Later version began including cracks that showed which hex code to change in a resource. This app is still being updated today and is the best resource for mac users wishing to crack apps.
So, for all the criticism mac people get we were file-sharing before you (and yes I realise that window's people were emailing, or downloading from website before this, but we had an app to connect to servers!). We may not have any street-cred in the world of geeks but mac users have been on the vanguard of illegal file-sharing and cracking. The difference is we do it with style!
The author in no way condones illegal file sharing applications or cracking of apps ; )
Comments
We don't need "Surfer's Serials". We've got Asta-Killer.
And Windows users were filesharing wellll before Napster. Napster was an formed after the MPAA/RIAA tried to close down IRC servers because of the rampant filesharing that was occurring there...
Napster's problem was it's backend was basically still an IRC server.
My point was that Mac users had an integrated application before Windows. We had access to IRC as well, but we were the first to start making stand alone apps. And thanks to our smaller market share we were barely noticed by the RIAA/MPAA.
Windows people seem to think that we Mac users don't do things like this. Hotline proves otherwise. So before you go thinking Window's has a monoploy on geeky/illegal practices think again.