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How a Laser-Shot Disk Defeats Hackers & Pirates (Coding Secrets)

GameHut · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Demoscene & retrocomputingGame history & retro gamingSpeedrunning, glitches & game hacking

What it is

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.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Cited in anti-piracy discussions as a clear explanation of clever retro copy-protection tricks, though one commenter disputes a claim about Leander.

  • 2 people recommended it
  • 2 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2018, last 2024

What HN commenters said

  1. “I thought the two methods described in this video were both good”

    Two good anti-piracy methods explained.

    ZenoArrow, 2018-02 · Recommendation · in “Gaming's most fiendish anti-piracy tricks (2010)”

  2. “Another one of my favorite ones describes copy protection via intentionally destroyed floppy sectors”

    Favorite among Burton's videos, on copy protection via destroyed floppy sectors.

    LaserDiscMan, 2021-10 · Recommendation · in “The Coding Secrets Hidden in “Sonic the Hedgehog” [video]”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: copy protection, amiga, game development, floppy disks, piracy

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