How a Laser-Shot Disk Defeats Hackers & Pirates (Coding Secrets) on HackerTube: recommended by 2 Hacker News commenters across 2 separate months, 2018–2024.
explainer · intermediate · evergreen
An episode of Coding Secrets by Jon Burton on retro copy protection, in particular physically damaging a disk with a laser so copies fail. It explains how this defeated hackers and pirates.
Cited in anti-piracy discussions as a clear explanation of clever retro copy-protection tricks, though one commenter disputes a claim about Leander.
“I thought the two methods described in this video were both good”
4 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
For those who don't know, Burton explains this in depth here: [link] Another one of my favorite ones describes copy protection via intentionally destroyed floppy sectors: ▶ this video
in “The Coding Secrets Hidden in “Sonic the Hedgehog” [video]” · View on HN
I thought the two methods described in this video were both good: ▶ this video Also, the method described here, even though it didn't result in a financially successful game, was pretty clever (pirating the game meant your game company would be defeated by pirates): [link]
in “Gaming's most fiendish anti-piracy tricks (2010)” · View on HN
According to Jon Burton, something like this was actually done for the Amiga game Leander, although not with the intent to damage hardware: ▶ this video
in “Gaming's most fiendish anti-piracy tricks (2010)” · View on HN
I can give you an example of someone claiming there were holes in the disk, Jon Burton, but they're a goddamn liar : ▶ this video I have the original release of Leander. There are no holes in the disks. The code on the disk doesn't write anything besides hiscores. There is a protection routine exactly where he says there is, however what it does is check for a long track . It waits for the index pin, reads lots of data from the track, then looks to find two sync marks in the data it read, and they're at least a certain distance away from each other. No lasers, no holes, no writing. Standard long track protection. Here's the whole routine: [link] Here's a page that more accurately describes floppy disk protection methods (and also explains what a long track is): [link]
in “The Space Quest II Master Disk Blunder” · View on HN