Hail the crackers! They have preserved our past forever.

[Zorin the Lynx <yakko@zorin.org>]

As I was looking recently through archives of disk images of Apple II 
software, particularly formerly copy-protected games, I just realized 
what a great service the crackers of old did for the Apple II community 
in the long run.

If not for being cracked, most of these games could not have made it 
into disk images for permanent preservation. They would be lost to 
eternity as the original disks wore out, never to be played again.

Sure, the crackers may have cost the publishers a few sales back when 
the games were selling... but would we be able to download and play 
these games today if not for their work?

Hail the crackers. They have preserved a generation of games for all 
eternity.

-Z