Warez Definitions - Part 3

Patch:
We all know games and applications aren't perfect. When they are released we would hope that they have been thoroughly tested for bugs and incompatibility problems, but you can guarantee that many of these will still slip through the quality control net. Once the program is released to the general public, the bug reports start to flood in. A patch is a downloadable executive file which takes these reports into account and attempts to incorporate all the fixes for these known problems. A patch can resolve incompatibility problems, prevent crashes or improve the performance of a piece of software.


Piracy:
The replication and distribution of videos or computer software.


Pop-ups:
Irritating browser windows that open automatically when you visit a warez site. Usually contain voting portals or porn sites.


Port:
A port is a term used when referring to FTP sites and is an essential extension of the address used to access them. If the port number of an FTP site isn't specified the default setting of 21 will automatically be used.


Pron:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away someone posted a request for porn on a bulletin board, only, because of a typing error what he ended up asking for was "pron". Since then this has become a bit of a running joke and so it is now deliberately misspelled.


Proxy:
A third party server which acts as an anonymous go between whenever you request a web page or contact a remote server. The message from your computer is first sent through the proxy server before being relayed to the final destination so that it appears as though the request has come from the IP address of the proxy server rather than you. Used when you wish to maintain your privacy on the net or speed up your connection (much more detailed info on this subject in the "more tips" section).


Psx:
A quick way of referring to the Sony Playstation.


Pub:
A free for all FTP site where anonymous access is permitted.


Pub Scanner:
Someone who scours the net for anonymous access FTP sites which permit the creation and deletion of files. These are then exploited by uploading software for others to share.


Pub Stealer:
Someone who posts the IP address of a public FTP site which they themselves have not built. Some pub stealers justify this by claiming that the elitism of private FXP groups discriminates against those people who do not have access, yet others simply post other people's work to try to claim the credit for themselves. Either way though, pub stealers are despised by the FXP groups and praised by those who would otherwise not have access to them.


Rar File:
The first file in a series of compressed archives (the one you double click on to decompress all the files at once). Usually decompressed using a program called Winrar.


Release Groups:
A group of people who are involved in cracking and / or ripping software and then repackaging it into easily downloadable segments.


Ratio:
Two numbers separated by a semi-colon. Indicates how much data you must upload to an FTP site before you are permitted to download anything.


Reg File:
Tiny file that adds essential configuration details into the registry.


Resume:
The ability to stop and start downloading / uploading a file whenever you choose without having to start from the beginning again.


Rip:
Software that has had all the non-essential gubbins removed to reduce its size. Videos and music are always the first casualties.


Raped:
A release is branded with this term if it has been damaged beyond repair during the ripping process.


RM File:
Shorthand for Real Media, a file format used to encode video sequences, which can only be played back using the "Real Player". Video clips produced using this format are not of the highest quality, but do have the advantage of a small file size.


ROM:
Games which are designed for other platforms, but are played on the PC using an emulator.


Serial:
A valid username and password that is saved as a basic text file and is used to register a shareware program and therefore remove all the restrictions.


Shareware:
Try before you buy software downloaded from the net.


Spam:
Unsolicited junk e-mail. Supposedly stands for "Stupid Person's Annoying Message".


Sponsor:
To make some money webmasters can place adverts on their sites. Each time you click on these adverts or banners they get paid a few cents for bringing potential customers to the sponsors website.


Surfer Friendly (SF):
Surfer friendly sites supposedly have no blind links, pop-ups or porn banners. Don't be fooled by this label though as some sites will tell you fibs to get you to visit them.


Sys Op:
The person who has the responsibility for running the computer from which an FTP site has been established. When warez is uploaded to public FTP sites and then suddenly goes "Missing In Action" you can often lay the blame at the door of the Sys Op who has an obligation to make sure his/her server stays within the boundaries of the law (i.e. warez free).


Top List:
Chart which lists in rank order the best warez sites. Worked out on the basis of votes.


Trading:
Swapping warez, file for file via FTP, ICQ etc. Not usually approved of by the real warez community who believe that warez should be freely distributed. To put it simply, it is not the "warez way".


Trainer:
A small, executable program which sits in your taskbar while you play a game. Hotkeys are associated with cheat commands so that when they are pressed you are given extra ammo, weapons, lives or the ability to toggle between invincible/mortal modes etc etc.


Trojans:
Nasty virus like attachments which can be merged with executable files. These are tiny so are unlikely to arouse suspicion. When run they allow a hacker to access your computer and wreak havoc. Can occasionally be found in warez files.


UBB:
Shorthand for Ultimate Bulletin Board, currently the most popular script used for creating warez bulletin boards.


UBB Hacks:
This term falsely gives the impression that something destructive or malicious is involved, but when you hear people talking about a hack in the context of bulletin boards they are simply referring to code which helps to improve the functionality of a board. For example a "thread hack" would effect the way in which individual threads look and operate.


Undeletable Pub:
An anonymous access, public FTP site where the permission attributes are set to allow uploads and downloads, but do not permit deletion.


Unzip:
Unpacking or decompressing many files that have been stored in a single archive. Technically only used when talking about zip files.


Upload:
Copying files from your computer to a web server or FTP site using a modem.


URL:
Stands for "Uniform Resource Locator". The web site address you type into your browser.


Voting:
Members of the warez scene are very keen to reach the number one slot of top lists such as Voodoo, Top 60 etc. and will therefore encourage you to vote for their site to improve their position and get the credit they deserve (or not as the case may be!).
Warez:
Full version software that is uploaded to the internet and is available for free download.




Warez Board:
Bulletin board used by the warez community to share links and discuss anything related to warez.


Winace:
Another utility used for decompressing all the common archive formats. Not great in my opinion. See below for a better one.


Winrar:
Utility used for decompressing .rar files and much more.


Winzip:
An essential tool used to decompress warez files.


Zip:
A common compression format used to store warez .