What is Warez?

You've come to the warez groups on UseNet and you see various posts and requests with familiar software titles in the subject line, you see that you can download or upload these files, but you're not exactly sure where they come from, originally.  Don't think that you're alone, most people who use the warez newsgroups on UseNet don't know where the warez comes from when they first discover UseNet.

Let's first categorize the "warez" that you are seeing: There are cracks- which are things such as key-makers and patches, or the registry files or serial numbers you need to make a program work without restriction; these are created by "crackers" and "crack groups" and are not properly categorized as warez, although they are essential to the concept of warez itself. Most warez cannot be used as received from the software maker, without some sort of crack.  There are "rips": which are the essential "core" program and files from a much-larger application, perhaps a full CD image. There are ISO's- which are full CD-images of programs or games. For most warez, a "crack" is an integral and essential part of the release, the exceptions are those for which the software manufacturer has not felt it necessary to include protection other than restricted distribution. Such are often distributed as "full-retail" versions.

Warez is distributed by "warez release groups", which are groups of people with some common interests, and who have contacts that allow them to obtain software and reverse engineer and/or "rip" it for distribution. One such group was named Drink Or Die (DoD) - DoD got busted by the FBI, but they were at one time the premiere release group- "releasing" scores of applications every month.

These release groups are, usually, very closed; highly secretive; and very paranoid- all for good reason. 

They don't post their releases to UseNet, in fact they don't consider UseNet at all. What they do, they do for themselves and for others in "the scene"- as the "Warez World" is commonly called by it's members. It's a competitive endeavor, where status is achieved by releasing more, better and faster than anyone else. That's all they care about- not you, not the warez sites on the web, not UseNet- only recognition by their peers- and the sheer fun they get by getting a release out first. Second might as well be ten-zillionth, only the first full working or "proper" release counts. 

When a release is screwed-up, or for one reason or another is not fully working (it happens)  the "rules" of releasing allow  the original release group 48 hours to fix it and release the fix, otherwise any other group can "proper" it. Which is to say release their own version of the program, which will be marked as either "PROPER" or "WORKING" in the nfo and file_id.diz accompanying the release.

Some groups/individuals specialize in distributing what they call "full retail" applications, which work as-is, needing neither serial number nor crack. These are distributed by the software makers via more secure channels- you cannot simply go to their site and download the "full-retail" version. Many release groups buy the product, others have private sources for the software they distribute. It is frowned-upon in the warez scene to "card" a release (use a bogus or stolen credit card to obtain it.) Such releases are not "proper" and can be _NUKED_  - which is removed from all the scene's hidden FTP  and TOP-Sites. At that point the release is fair-game for anyone to 'proper'.

 So, now the answer to the initial question- what is warez?  Warez is any software, be it application, utility, game, etc. which is unpaid-for, but for which the manufacturer charges. So if a shareware program has a time-limitation built-in to the downloadable demo and some group 'cracks' that, the program is now warez. If it's a game that is only available on a CD and someone or some group makes the fully-working or cracked image of that available, then it is warez. Does warez include CD-images? Of course it does, either of applications or games. It is warez if it is software, and is in your hands against the wishes of the developer. Whether it's been cracked,. patched, has a serial number or keygen provided with it, or is the "full-retail" version that has been obtained and released- it's all warez.  The only requirements are that it is retail software and that it has either been cracked somehow, or is the restricted-distribution (AKA "full-retail") version.

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