Bootblock Rebels - The Hidden Stars of the Amiga Underground

I just launched a Kickstarter for a book about the Commodore Amiga cracking scene - from the early days (1985), the peak years (1990-1993), and the fade-out around 1996.

It’s story-driven, based on interviews and original scene material - groups, suppliers, BBS life, zero-day races, rivalries, nukes, cracktros, and the hidden economy behind it all.

I’m still collecting content. If you were part of the scene (any role - cracker, sysop, supplier, swapper, coder, trader, courier, magazine reviewer, publisher side, whatever), I would love to hear your story. Old photos, scans, screenshots, logs, disks, letters - anything from that period is welcome.

Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels

Launch video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkb0jH6dTOY

_________________
Maintainer of www.bigbookofamigahardware.com

Status:

Already 170+ backers in 4 days, great.

@Amigawolrd MOD - I submitted a news item about the book 4 days ago - can you approve the news item?

_________________
Maintainer of www.bigbookofamigahardware.com

Now just a couple of days later, there are close to 230 backers on board!

Hope more of you jump in. Here's extra information from the campaign page to pique your interest...


Author: Steen Jessen.

Pages: 200+

Physical Format:
- Hardcover.
- A4 size (210mm x 297mm).
- Offset color print on 115g G-Print paper.

Digital version available: Yes.


Key Topics Covered:

- The origins of Amiga cracking: First pioneers and groups.

- The rise of elite groups and zero-day releases.

- Major cracking groups, their members and how they worked.

- Hierarchy of a cracking group: Suppliers, Crackers, BBS Operators, Swappers.

- How original games were acquired and leaked.

- The BBS underground: modem-based distribution.

- Race to release: Get your crack out first or get nuked.

- Interviews with legendary crackers and sysops.

- The hidden economy of cracking: funding, calling cards, and BBS profits.

- Rivalries and wars between major groups.

- The evolution of crack intros.

- Cracking tools, methods, and techniques.

- The biggest cracks and infamous game releases.

- Copy protections and how they were defeated.

- Busting operations: police raids, F.A.S.T., and legal consequences.

- Game publishers’ response: Their view on the Amiga scene.

- Games modified by crackers: Fixes, built-in errors, and hidden messages.

- Almost everything there is to know about Amiga cracking.


More Information:

- 70% of the manuscript is already complete - only final details and layout remain.

- Steen is an experienced IT project manager; he has successfully run numerous complex projects.

- Steen has been the maintainer of www.BigBookOfAmigaHardware.com since 2013, demonstrating his dedication to the Amiga community.

- Steen is a scene member, not a journalist. This will be reflected in the book's authentic, insider perspective.


View book images on the following page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels

Amiga Bill recommends Bootblock Rebels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKsqHjSRzyk


Bootblock Rebels has been selected by Kickstarter as a Project We Love.


Support the campaign:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels