How To Become A Successful 
            Pirate

Special Edition for HackAddict - by Zeus

So you want to be a pirate? You want to have all the software? You want to be like me? You want to have no more time to yourself or your friends, but only time to download the latest version of Super Whatchamacallit Pro 2.0v6b4c666? Here is what to do:
There are 3 major part of software pirating: IRC, FTP, and Hotline sites.

- IRC

First off, you must be knowledgeable on the IRC. For that, go to these sites, and read a bit to at least know what IRC means and what you can do and not do on the IRC.

UnderNet.Org: http://www.undernet.org/
Ensor's IRC Extravaganza! : http://www.rahul.net/dholmes/irc/
IRC FAQ : http://www.kei.com/irc.html
IRC For Newbies : http://www.rahul.net/dholmes/irc/irc-info.html
Yahoo's IRC Links : http://www.yahoo.com/Computers/Internet/Chatting/IRC/

Now that you know what the IRC is, get the best Mac IRC Client software, Ircle, at this address: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ircle.

Now that you have your tools, let's get on the IRC. First, open Ircle. You now have to go in the Prefs to set your Nick (name you'll be known as on the IRC; don't choose a common name, as no one can have the same Nick as another user on the IRC at the same time). Now you have to logon to an IRC server. Which one will you choose? There are various IRC servers, which are very different. There are various IRC "networks" if I can say it that way. There is EFnet, UnderNet, DalNet, and ManyOtherNets. The one you're interested in is EFnet. From the list of available servers to logon to in Ircle, choose any one of them in the EFnet group. Choose the one closest to your home, this will speed up things normally. If one says you've got no authorization or that you are banned, or K-lined or anything else, just try other servers of EFnet, there are more than enough, one of them will let you in. Remember that servers can be full sometimes, and that you might get in a server once, and be refused the next time you try since it's full. Try another one. Here are the EFnet servers I prefer (all of which are located in the USA):

irc2.blackened.com
irc.ionet.net
irc.mindspring.com
irc.primenet.com

Or maybe your provider may have an IRC server set up for you, and will be able to provide the address of that server to you. If not, try to connect to one of these servers (pick the one nearest geographically). You can get help and find more appropriate servers by joining the channel #irchelp.

USA
irc.bu.edu
irc.colorado.edu
piglet.cc.utexas.edu

Canada
irc.mcgill.ca

Europe
irc.funet.fi
cismhp.univ-lyon1.fr
irc.ethz.ch
irc.nada.kth.se
sokrates.informatik.uni-kl.de
bim.itc.univie.ac.at

Australia
jello.qabc.uq.oz.au

Japan
endo.wide.ad.jp

Now you should be logged on to the EFnet servers. You now have to choose a channel to go in. I have two suggestions: #macfilez or #macsitez. The "#" sign here is just so that you now it is an IRC channel, it's like "http://" in your web browser. Now, you are on that channel. The first thing to do is this:

SHUT UP! Don't say anything, just watch what goes on! There are rules on the IRC, if you break them, you get kicked of a channel; if you break them too often, you are banned. This mean you'll never be able to enter that channel again unless the ban is removed. So the best thing to do for the first few times is to shut up and learn.

If you go in #macfilez or #macsitez, I suggest you to go get the #macfilez FAQ before and read it entirely. It is not very long, and could save you from a ban. Here's where to get it: http://www.macfilez.org. Here is a part of it with rules and stuff to do and not do.

People in #MacFileZ (that means you, the normal user)

• DO NOT ask for ops, since a waiting list is in effect.
• DO NOT try to hack ops, do so repeatedly and you will be banned.
• DO NOT flood the channel (with nick changes, multiple lines of text, or joins).
• DO NOT flood other users, that never works anyway. Don't make a fool of yourself.
• DO NOT use ircle colors in the channel.
• DO NOT use inverse or bold in the channel (plists are an exception).
• DO NOT use excessive CAPS or punctuation in the channel.
• DO NOT ask for sites (requests will be answered with a kick and/or ban).
• DO NOT mass invite, message, notice, or ctcp (version, xdcc, etc.) the channel.
• DO NOT repeat yourself, if no one replies, they either don't know or don't care.
• DO NOT advertise any sites or FirstClass,TeleFinder, Hotline, FTP systems or any other such places which require usernames and passwords.

• DO offer warez and filez to others if you would like to.
• DO help people out looking for a program or information.
• DO ask for help on setting up a BBS, Hotline, or FTP.
• DO share programs that you have leeched.
• DO advertise a site which YOU own or operate.
• DO offer anonymous sites, anonymous sites having no username/password.
• DO offer filez at least once a year. Don't be a leech.

On IRC channels, there are Operators, they control the channel. They can kick you out of the channel, ban you, and do many many other things. You are not an operator, so don't try to raise hell in a channel by trying to kick someone, it won't work anyway. Another thing there are in channels are Bots. Bots are not anyone, they appear to be a normal user on the IRC like you and me, but in fact, they are a simple (well not so simple) script that runs on another machine on the Internet. What Bots do normally is offer files for you to get by using a method called DCC. Normally, the Bots with DCC capabilities will have a name that reflect it: HornyDCC or GeekXDCC. There can also be some other Bots using CTCP instead of DCC, this just depends on what OS they are on normally, to you it does not matter, they are all the same, they get you your files. DCC is a method you can use within IRC to transfer files (among other things). This serves as a way to transfer your favorite illegal files. Here are the basics of DCC:

Let's say in #macfilez you see someone named BotDCC. Now, you want to know what files he's got to offer. Type this in the console box in Ircle:

/msg botdcc xdcc list

This will send you his list of available files. Most of the times, in the header he sends you, it will be written something like this:

-botdcc- ** 1 pack ** 1 of 8 slots open Min: 1kb/s, Record: 468kb/s
-botdcc- #1 69x[66.6M] SuperDuperSomething v6.66 |1kb/s min|
-botdcc- ^- Total Offered: 66.6 MB Total Snagged: 1554 MB

* 1 pack * => This means the guy has only 1 file to offer.
* 1 of 8 slots open * => This means he is sending the file to 7 persons already, he can send the file to one more person before the others have to wait for a slot to open. You will see this at the end of the line as it will be written "queue: 8/20". You'll then be in position 9 if you want something.
* Min: 1kb/s * => If you can't support to download at 1 kilobyte per second, the bot will drop you since you are too slow.
And the is the file in slot #1, with the times it was downloaded, the size, name and a small description.

Now you know how to see what files a bot has. But how to get them? Simple, here's the command:

/msg botdcc xdcc send #1

This will send you file in slot #1. Change to #2 if you want the file in slot #2 and so on.

One note though on this, when the bot sends you the file, it will not download automatically unless you set it in the Prefs to do it that way. Until you specify the Preferences for that, you have to start the transfer when you receive a notice of it. Just open the DCC Window in Ircle, choose the file you'll see there being offered, and click the GET button at the bottom of that window.

Also, I said there were also CTCP instead of DCC on the IRC. This is the same thing, but instead of /msg to send your commands, you replace it by /ctcp. Here's an example for BotCTCP:

/ctcp botctcp xdcc send list
/ctcp botctcp xdcc send #1

Now you see that your modem connection is not fast enough to get all the files, you can't sustain a 4k/sec speed. Even though you have a 33.6 modem, and it should be able to get 4k/sec, it doesn't. Why? Because there is a lot of network packets, and that eats up your bandwidth. You will never be able to get 4k/sec sustained for hours, unless you are very lucky or have a good 56k connection. But what can you do, with your modem, to speed up things? Get what is called a SHELL account on a server on the Internet. Basically, you'll logon to a server, using a Telnet program, and you'll use their line to the Internet as your speedway to get files faster. When you logon to a SHELL, you access the company's servers directly, and use their whole bandwidth if you need it and if the other person you are connected with goes that high. Instead of downloading files directly to your home, like Ircle does, it will just store files on your SHELL provider's server. Making it a fast transfer, as SHELL providers have much larger line than 56k modems. T1s and T3 and even more sometimes. A good server for SHELLs is Lumiere, go there and get an account, tell them Zeus sent you. But it will be complicated at first, you have to learn some commands. Here is a quick list of commands used on Unix SHELL accounts:

Helpful Unix Commands And Tutorials

DIRECTORIES:
cd - change the current (working) directory 
chmod - change the permissions of a file or directory 
ln - make a link between two directory entries 
ls - display information about files 
ls -l - display the long versions of the files (i.e. permissions) 
ls -a - display all hidden files (i.e. .login, .cshrc, etc..) 
ls -F - display files and indicate whether they are files or directories 
mkdir - makes a directory 
pwd - displays pathname of current directory 
rm - remove (delete) files or directories 
rm -i - removes the file or directory interactively 
rmdir - removes empty directories 
umask - set user mask for file creation 

FILES:

chmod - change permissions of a file or directory 
cp - copy files 
cp -i - copy files interactively 
ln - make a link between two directories 
ls - display information about files 
ls -l - same as above, under directories 
ls -a - same as above, under directories 
mv - move or rename files 
mv -i - move or rename files interactively 
rm - remove (delete) files or directories 
rm -i - remove interactively 
touch - update access and modification times of file 
umask - set user (file mode) mask for file creation 
od - (octal dump) views hidden characters in a file 

DISPLAY DATA:

head - display the first part of a file 
less - displays data one screenful at a time, allows you to scroll back 
more - displays data one screenful at a time, can only scroll forward 
pg - display data on screenful at a time 
tail - display the last part of a file 
od - (octal dump) views hidden characters in a file 

PRINTING:

lpq - show what print jobs are waiting in the print queue 
lpr - send a file to be printed 
lprm - remove (cancel) a job from the print queue 
nl - add line numbers to text 
pr - format text, suitable for printing 

GENERAL:

fmt - format text to fit a 72-character line 
cat - combine, copy standard input to standard output 
colrm - remove specified columns from each line of data 
cut - extract selected portions (columns) of each line 
egrep - like grep, searches for full regular expressions 
fgrep - like grep, searches for fixed character string 
grep - extract lines that contain a specified pattern 
look - extract lines beginning with a specified pattern 
nl - add line numbers to text 
paste - combine columns of data 
rev - reverse order of character in each line of data 
sort - sort or merge data 
spell - check text for words that may be spelled wrong 
tee - copy standard input to a file and standard output 
tr - translate or delete selected characters 
uniq - remove adjacent repeated lines in a text file 
wc - count number of lines, words or characters 

TERMINAL:

lock - temporarily lock your terminal 
mes - allow or deny receiving messages at your terminal 
stty - set/display operating options for your terminal 
tset - initialize your terminal 
tty - show special file that represents your terminal 

LOGGING IN AND OUT:

login - terminate a login shell and initiate a new login 
logout - terminate a login shell 
passwd - change your login password 

ONLINE MANUAL:

apropos - display command names based on keyword search 
man - display entries from online Unix reference manuals 
whatis - display one-line summary of specified commands 

INFORMATION:

du - displays disk storage usage statistics 
msgs - display local system messages 
news - display the local system news 
quota - display your system resource quotas 
ruptime - display how long local systems have been up 
uptime - display how long your system has been up 

INTERNET:

archie - client program to use 'archie'/anonymous ftp search 
ftp - transfer files to/from another computer 
gopher - client program to use 'gopher' information service 
host - display domain/IP address of an Internet computer 
irc - client program access "irc" channels 
netfind - client program to access 'netfind' service 
ping - check if Internet computer is responding 
swais - client program access 'wais' program 
telnet - connect to another computer 
traceroute - display Internet route to another computer 
whois - client program to access a 'whois' server 
xswais - X Window client program to access 'wais' service 
pine - Nifty Email program.. the easiest to use 
mail - Email, the hardest to use 
elm - more email 

TIMES AND DATES:

cal - display calendar 
date - display time and date 
leave - display reminder at specified time 
xclock - X Window clock 

USERS:

chfn - change your finger information 
finger - display information about a specified user 
id - display userid and groupid 
rwho - display info about userids on local network 
talk - send messages back and forth to another user 
users - display userids that are currently logged in 
w - display info about userids and active processes 
who - display info about currently logged in userids 
whoami - display the userid that is currently logged in 
write - send messages back and forth to another local user 

VARIABLES:

echo - write arguments to standard output 
printenv - display values of environment variables 
set - set or display the value of shell variables 
setenv - set or display value of environment variables 
unset - a shell variable 

WORD PROCESSING:

pico - easiest, yet not the best to use, still one of my favs to use because of this 
vi - the best, yet not the easiest, see below for help on it, its TOUGH 
joe - One of my top picks because it combines pico and vi, powerful 

CURSOR POSITIONING COMMANDS
(the arrow cursor keys may work also): 

^b - page up 1 screen 
^f - page down 1 screen 
j - moves cursor down 
k - moves cursor up 
h - moves cursor left 
l - moves cursor right 
e - move to end of word 
w - move to beginning of next word 
b - move to beginning of previous word 
:/pattern - moves cursor to next occurrence of pattern 
:?pattern - moves cursor to previous occurrence of pattern 
0 - moves cursor to beginning of line 
$ - moves cursor to end of line 
SPACE - moves cursor right one character 
nG - moves cursor to line n 
1G - moves cursor to the first line of your file 
G - moves cursor to the last line of your file 
H - moves the cursor to the first line on the screen window 
M - moves the cursor to the middle line on the screen window 
L - moves the cursor to the last line on the screen window 

TEXT INSERTION COMMANDS:

a - appends text after cursor 
A - appends text at end of line 
i - inserts text before cursor 
I - inserts text at beginning of line 
o - opens new line below current line 
O - opens new line above current line 
cw - change word - writes over current word 
u - undo the last change of your text 
U - restores current line to the state before it was edited 
DELETE - Overwrites last character during text insertion 
ESC - stops text insertion mode 

TEXT DELETION COMMANDS:

cw - change word - writes over current word 
dw - deletes current word 
x - deletes current character 
X - deletes character to left of cursor 
dd - deletes current line 
D, d$ - deletes from cursor to end of line 
d0 - deletes text to beginning of line 
P - puts back text from the previous delete 

EXITING:

:q - exits VI when no changes have been made 
:q! - exits VI after changes have been made but does not save the current file 
ZZ - exits VI and saves changes 
wq - writes changes to current file and quits edit session 

- FTP

Now FTP is a totally different thing, you don't talk to anyone, when you logon to a server, you just see filenames, as if you were in one of your folders on your HD. You can do FTP transfers from within Netscape Navigator or Communicator, or Microsoft Internet Explorer, but forget that, use a real FTP program. There are two: Fetch and Anarchie. Both are freeware, and should be available here: 
Info-Mac HyperArchive : http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html
Download.Com : http://www.download.com/
Filez.Com : http://www.filez.com

I suggest you download Fetch, it is much more reliable, and tries to support FTP-Resume, that is to restart downloads at the point they stopped, but this works once out of ten tries. Anarchie does not support this yet, version 3.0 will though.

Open up Fetch, you'll get a window that looks like this:

If the window does not show up, go to the FILE menu, and choose NEW CONNECTION. It is the same thing for Anarchie, they just use different words.

Now, Host is where you want to go; for example, ftp.apple.com would be a host. User ID and Password are what they say, username and password. Some FTP site will allow anonymous logins, so you leave both these fields blank, some other FTP sites will require a specific username and password, so you fill in the fields accordingly. Directory is what folder you will logon to remotely. Normally, FTP sites with pirate software will use very weird Directories, /dfkkj@@#lkj/WaReZ/ Nowz/incoming. That is an example. There may be spaces in the directory names, and they are important. Capital letter are a factor too, so don't just type everything in lowercase.

Now for the big question: Where do I get sites? Some people distribute a list of valid FTP sites, try to get those, normally you'll find those on the IRC, in EFnet, in channels such as #macsitez, #macsites, or something like that; don't ask me for sites, I don't access public sites. Why do I hate FTP sites? Because they move all the time, and when too many people get to know a site, everyone burns it. That is transferring like crazy from it, so the administrators have to shut it down, or move it because they don't want everyone to have access to it, because that might get them into trouble. So they close, or most often move to a new directory, and finding a new directory is next to impossible when they are hidden. That's all what I have to say about FTP sites.

- Hotline

Hotline is something that is new to the Internet, some guy decides one day to develop a server/client program to have people be able to transfer files and chat at the same time. Hotline was born. Hotline uses a different port than any normal protocols like FTP or HTTP. (5500 or 5501) Also, Hotline sites use a proprietary protocol to transfer files, and that protocol fully supports resumable transfers, it always works, unless you try to resume a different file than the one you started with. You can even download a file that someone has only started to upload, it'll work properly. Now that is quite amazing.

First off, you need the Client software, available at http://www.hotlinesw.com and the S/N for it, in Cracks&Numbers. When you have that, you again have to find sites, but this time, you can use a tracker to find them, here are a few tracker addresses, some might not work anymore; trackers are just server that will send you a list of working Hotline sites, then you double-click the server you want, and you're on. I don't use Hotline a lot, so if one address fails, try another one:

hltracker.com
therock.ml.org
tracked.dyn.ml.org
hotline.render.es
tracker.boffomac.com
tracker.macinfo.net

To use a tracker, just open your Hotline client application, go in the preferences from the toolbar, and put the address there. Next, click on the Tracker icon on the toolbar, and here it shoots you many many Hotline sites, double-click on and you're on. Click on files and here come the files section. Click on Chat and you chat, etc... Everything is self-explanatory here. To resume and already begun transfer, just double-click the file again, it'll resume it. You have a Task window to show who what are the processes running, downloading each file, etc... Make sure you Queue your transfer from the Options, this will only download one file at a time, but it'll free the server for other users, and it'll be generally faster to download each file by itself, than to try and download 4 files at the same time.

And that's it about Hotline. I hope you find the information valuable. If you'd like to add to what i wrote, Email me.

There is always the possibility of getting files directly from the web, via http, but that is even worse than FTP sites, normally you get only very old files, very small files, and normally corrupted files. That is if you can find a good place where you get files, normally web sites are not up to date at all.
That is about it for my Guide On How To Become A Successful Pirate. Hope you get something out of it. If you have questions, you can always Email me.

- Zeus

zeus@mad.scientist.com