511 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
511 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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*******************************************************************************
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******* *******
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******* The Apple Mafia Story *******
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******* *******
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******* As Told To: Red Ghost *******
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******* *******
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*******************************************************************************
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The reason I'm writing this file is to (hopefully) once and for all, clear up
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all the rumors, false statements, and just lies, that are going around about
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one of the first 3 pirate groups ever. (Untouchables, Apple Mafia, Dirty Dozen)
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I won't get into the other two, because there already is "The Untouchables"
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story, and I'm not qualified to make comments about the Dirty Dozen.
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Everything in this file is fact. I grew up in Queens NY (now 718). Where many
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of the "original" pirates and phreaks, were from. Many of the readers will
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question certain aspects of this file, or my authority to write it. But they
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are always more than welcome to go to the sources themselves and find the truth
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is what I am writing.
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*******************************************************************************
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To begin with, I'm now 22 and going to college. I have been out of the "wares
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world" for the better part of 2 years. What prompted me to write this is a
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younger friend of mine, who is now a "pirate" and spends his life calling all
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the boards, and getting all the wares (Not making fun of anyone, I went
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through the same phase when I started, but it was very different from the
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pirates world of today). About a week ago he told me about the "Apple Mafia"
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regrouping. I said bullshit. And I was right. He gave me some of the files
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on discussions now going on about the "new" "apple mafia" and I must say it's
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pretty sad.
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I felt the real story of what went on should be told, so here it is.
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One more thing before I start. I was never in the Apple Mafia, or any of the
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other groups mentioned here. I never had that deep an interest in computers
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as anything but game machines or better typewriters. But I grew up in close
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proximety to many of the people involved, and spent time with them in other
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areas besides computers.
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*******************************************************************************
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From the messages posted about the controversy I have seen. I think it might be
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best to go through them 1 by 1. So here's the first one:
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(Buffer of msg's. Untouched by me, except the conversion from 40 to 80 cols.)
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*******************************************************************************
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To:The Fake Apple Mafia From:Disk Rigger
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You are definatly not the real Apple Mafia. It was a popular group a while ago.
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It incluted Bioc Agent 003, Tuc, Hight Technology, Creative Cracker and a few
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others. I will inform them of you losers using there names and you will be
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ragged out of your minds. I would recomend you changed your group name or you
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will feel the wrath of Bioc!
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This is serious and you losers can keep your unoriginal name but You will pay
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for it.
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(Someone's reply.)
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Disk Digger:
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Get a life dude. The Apple Mafia is OVER. BIOC Agent was thrown out of
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the Apple Mafia. The final members were Tuc, Lord Digital, Creative
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Cracker, High Technology, Big Brother the Phantom, Silicon Scorpion, &
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Sherlock Apple. Nobody is going to Feel the wrath of Bioc
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(hahahahahhahahahahha). because 1. he quit the phreak/pirate world over a year
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ago. 2. if he WAS around he wouldnt give a shit. 3. The old members who are
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still around probably care even less.
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(Someone elses reply.)
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While the new "apple mafia" (get a life you fuckups. you might as well call
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yourselves the Untouchables.) are idiots.
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new warez r0dentz who sure as hell weren't around when the REAL apple mafia was
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around, are even bigger r0dents. This means YOU disk digger.
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Naming yourself after a program used to pack new wherez. get a life you fat
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fuckup. And if the people in the apple mafia knew YOU were throwing their names
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around on a fucking catfur, YOU are the one they would be mad at.
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FUckup
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*******************************************************************************
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Despite incorrect statements in both parties messeges, this seems like a good
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time to point out that Bioc Agent was never in the Apple Mafia to begin with.
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The members changed through time, but Bioc was never a member. (More on him at
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a later time) The Final members were: (If you doubt this, then boot up any ware
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cracked by them in 84-85. Which was the final regrouping of the Mafia)
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The Godfather (Charles). The Phantom (Eric). Creative Cracker (Marc).
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High Technology (Craig). Lord Digital (Patrick). Jacque Lafitte (Jack).
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The Magnet (Joe). Sherlock Apple (Dave). Silicon Scorpion (Mark).
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Data Dragon (Jordon). Big Brother (Andy). & towards the very end: Tuc (Scott).
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Former members who were thrown out or quit: The Parasite, Tylenol Cyanide,
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Yosemite Sam, and people I don't remember from CA.
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(More Messages)
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*******************************************************************************
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Number > 7
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Subject> Apple Mafia? (Ha)
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Viewer > DISK RIGGER <Elite>
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Posted > MON MAR 17 4:24:17 PM
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Genius. Are you talking about that
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loser group in 213? They are in for it.
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If you didnt know already there was
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already a group Called Apple Mafia. Too
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bad two of 'em were FEDS.
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Hey, Where ANY of you ever on The Old
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Sherwood Forest's? [ /, //, /// ]?
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(Another msg.)
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Number > 8
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Subject> SHERWOOD FORESTS
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Author > CHRONOS
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Posted > MON MAR 17 5:03:32 PM
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Yeah, I was on // and ///... I never got an answer at / though... Wasn't the
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Apple Mafia (later Micro Mafia) running those boards?
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[chronos/KOTBC]
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And didn't they break up before they got busted? I remember something about
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them just giving up, cause 2 guys were doing all the work...then they put
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Yellowbeard in charge and it was never heard from again...
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(Another msg.)
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Number > 13
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Subject> Sherwood Forest
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Viewer > WARE BANDIT <Elite>
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Posted > TUE MAR 18 3:43:11 PM
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What two members of The Real Apple
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Mafia were feds? Because I knew several
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including High tech, and Creative.
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And the reason you neve got an answer
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at sherwood forest / was because that
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was the old sherwood forest //... High
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tech moved from Ny, and after he set it
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up at his new place he called it
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Sherwood forest //.... Well I have many
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old files, and posts saved from the
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last grand adventure (that was thier
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logo), So if you would like to view
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them then just leave me a message on
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the underground.
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later, [Ware Bandit]
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(Another msg.)
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Number > 14
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Subject> WB..
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Viewer > DISK RIGGER <Elite>
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Posted > TUE MAR 18 4:17:52 PM
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I think Magnetic Surfer ran it. Yeah I
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also have a lot of things saved on
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Buffer. They had a LARGE G-File
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section. And a TRUELY awesome Elite
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sub.
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And some people got the impression that
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Creative Cracker was a lazy ass. It is
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not true. The board was being runned by
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Federal Agents. He just came in to look
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at it.
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(Another msg.)
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Number > 15
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Subject> SERIOUS?
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Author > CHRONOS
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Posted > TUE MAR 18 5:44:17 PM
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Sherwood Forests were really being run by Feds? I'd like to know who... they
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let it get pretty far before they busted them then...
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[chronos/KOTBC]
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(Another msg.)
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Number > 18
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Subject> The forest
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Viewer > WARE BANDIT <Elite>
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Posted > WED MAR 19 3:23:11 PM
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Okay this might clear some things up between some people that might be confused
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on the subject.
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Sherwood Forest .... Used to be run by High Tech. About 2-3 years ago.
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Sherwood Forest // The later Sherwood forest run by High tech. when he moved.
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Sherwood Forest /// Ran by Creative Cracker, a good friend of High tech.
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and no they were not feds, they just got a little carried away with the way
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they were running thier boards by letting just about anyone access most of the
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phreak sections that they had on-line. The Treasury dept. finally closed them
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down along with cryton and some other un-heard of hack boards.
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If you have any questions feel free to ask.. I was going to run thier number 4
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board, but shortly after I was offered the opurtunity they went under...
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*******************************************************************************
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I don't know where these msg's are from, or who these people are. But almost
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everything said in them is wrong.
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"I heard 2 guys were doing all the work, so they quit". Whoever said that has
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obviously read the 1984 loserlist, because that is a verbatim quote from it.
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Not only is it wrong in slandering everyone from Apple Bandit, Hot Rod, and
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Wombat/Gonif, to Bioc Agent, Lord Digital and Paul Muad'Dib. But it's written
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in a such a ridiculous fashion, that any points the author was trying to make
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are lost in the jumble (For those who care it was written by "The Atom").
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Sherwood Forests (The last grand adventure).
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The FIRST Sherwood Forest was started in 1979 by Magnetic Surfer. The only
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people who were on it back then, and still recognized would be Mr. Xerox and
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Lord Digital. Other members included Nickie Halflinger, Captain Crunch,
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Napoleon Bonaparte, and many others, whose names are probably meaningless to
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the people around today.
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There was a 20 page write up on "Hackers", before it was in vogue to write
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about them (Before WarGames and the 414 busts), In a 1982 issue of "California"
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magazine. Which detailed the bust of Ron Austin, who was at the time of arrest
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22 years old and being tried for everything from credit card fraud, to grand
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theft. Also included in the article was a write up on Hacker bbs systems he
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was on and people he knew. The Sherwood Forest mentioned in that article was
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Magnetic Surfer's, not the later ones.
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Sherwood forest was run on a micromodem and 1 disk drive. There were no Cat's,
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DOS was at 3.1, and Disk Drives were still a novelty. It went down in 1981 for
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whatever reasons, and went back up as a public system with 1200 & a 46 mb hard
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drive in 1983. Shortly thereafter it went private and became the Knights of
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Shadow Base bbs. During it's final days in 1984, this was the FINAL memberlist:
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SYSTEM OPERATOR <-- Magnetic Surfer. TKOS member
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PIT FIEND <-- Local Queens person
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LORD DIGITAL <-- Name speaks for itself. Apple Mafia & TKOS member
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CRIMINAL ELEMENT <-- Local Queens person, semi notorious for being a ass
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STEPHEN FALKEN <-- aka: Jon Gleich of Earth News Central
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THE SURGE <-- Unknown. Access from Lord Digital
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BIG BROTHER <-- 617 phreak/pirate. Apple Mafia & TKOS member
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E.F. HUTTON <-- 312 Phreak/Hacker. TKOS member
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THE KNIGHTS OF SHADOW <-- TKOS account
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MR. XEROX <-- Name speaks for itself. TKOS founder
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CAPTAIN AVATAR <-- aka: Skip Rooney
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DISK DEMON <-- Local Queens person
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GUEST ACCOUNT <-- A guest account
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THE MAGNET <-- Apple Mafia co-founder
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THE PROWLER <-- Canadian Phreak, NOT the 612 Prowler
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BIOC AGENT 003 <-- Name speaks for itself. TKOS member
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QUASI MOTO <-- TKOS member. Ran PloverNet
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PHONE FIEND <-- Local Queens person
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TUC TUCBBS <-- Tuc. Name speaks for itself. TKOS member
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PAUL MUAD'DIB <-- Name speaks for itself. TKOS member
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HARDWARE HACKER <-- Local Queens person
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TOM TONE <-- Brooklyn person
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THE GODFATHER <-- Apple Mafia co-founder
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PETER MCIVERS <-- 617 phreak/hacker
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THE PHANTOM <-- Apple Mafia member
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NICKIE HALFLINGER <-- Hacker, EEE, in his mid 30's
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LEX LUTHOR <-- 305 person. Nobody at this time, later founded LOD
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UNCLE JOE <-- Have no idea who this is
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LESLIE KARASIC <-- Have no idea who this is
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THE NECROMANCER <-- TKOS member
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DR JIMMY MR JIM <-- TKOS member
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THE WIZARD <-- Asshole from 713. Access from Quasi Moto
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FRODO HOBBIT <-- Unknown, from 201. Access from Magnetic Surfer
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THE DJIN <-- Unknown, from 718. Access from Magnetic Surfer
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RICH DOUGAN <-- Unknown, from 718. Access from Magnetic Surfer
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APPLE CAT <-- Unknown, from 718. Access from The Phantom
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NAPOLEON BONAPARTE <-- TKOS member. Ex of: Inner Circle. ex Sys of SL
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CHRISTOPHER BUNN <-- Unknown, from 718. Access from The Phantom
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DR. DOOM <-- Have no idea who this is
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WILD CAT <-- Have no idea who this is
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THE DISKLAIMER <-- Have no idea who this is
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MR IBM <-- Have no idea who this is
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DRAGON LADY <-- Ex girlfriend of Chesire Catalyst
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GAP DRAGON <-- Have no idea who this is
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THE MARK <-- Have no idea who this is
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CABLE PAIR <-- Fed par excellance`
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STOSH FIXER <-- Have no idea who this is
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MILO PHONBIL <-- Sysop of Once & Future OSUNY
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MR. GUCCI <-- Sysop of AT&T Phone Center
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DR. NIBBLEMASTER <-- TKOS member
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STAINLESS STEAL RAT <-- TKOS member
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And that's it. Reading the list you have to keep in mind that this was right
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after the Inner Circle folded, and almost a year before LOD even began. So many
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of the current "Big Names", didn't even own computers yet.
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In 1983 a friend of their's (The 212/718 people), called Creative Cracker put
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up a bbs called Sherwood Forest ][. For a while it had an ae line simply known
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as "Sherwood Forest" in 201, then in 1984 Sherwood Forest ]I[ went up, run by
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High Technology. The original co-sysops on SF ][ were High Tech & Jack The
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Ripper. Jack was dropped, High Tech became a full sysop, and the new co-sysops
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became: Tuc, Bioc & Big Brother.
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SF ][ started on a disk ][ & a Rana ]I[ disk drive, Micromodem, and a clock. It
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went down for 2 weeks in 1984, then came back up with all new software, 20 megs
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and 1000's of files.
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SF ]I[ went up with a disk ][ & a Rana ]I[, and that's as big as it ever got.
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Creative Cracker was a full sysop. And the co-sysops were Sharp Razor, X-Man,
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and Wizard 414. co-sub-ops of maintenence (whatever that is), were: Sherlock
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Apple and Silicon Scorpion. All co-sysops and sub-ops were dropped after about
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2 months.
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None of the boards except for Magnetic Surfer's could be considered really
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impressive by todays standards. Impressive in terms of hardware that is. This
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is the time when just about the only hard drive was a corvus, whose prices for
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a 6 meg started at $2000 in that time. and a complete Apple-Cat/212 card/exp-
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ansion module system, came to over $1000.
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And finally the Apple Mafia, was NEVER the "Micro Mafia", this was yet another
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group of losers cashing in on their group name.
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*******************************************************************************
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I could go on about what happens to all the people from SF, but that's not the
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purpose of this file, so I'm not going to digress. There are many files out
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about many of the members (Lord Digital, Paul Muad'Dib, Mr. Xerox come to mind)
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already. And others have made themselves known through LOD as well (Lex). What
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this file is about is The Apple Mafia, so I'm not going to get into all that.
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Which brings me to the final part. The Sherwood Forest Busts....
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I'm saying right now that I don't know what happened, just offering the facts
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that I do know about it.
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If (as is said), SF][ was indeed run by the FBI towards the end. Then why did
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they let Creative Cracker keep cracking software? It doesn't seem likely they
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would have let him continue, did they just not know or what?
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Now if they weren't running SF][, then even more questions come to mind. The
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most important one is: why run a board if you truly don't care? CC never
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looked at his board, never logged in, the news was updated once every 9 months
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by BIOC.
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What's more, if it WAS a trap, then logically the other Apple Mafia members had
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to know about it. Or most of them. NONE of them EVER posted anything at all.
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With the exception of Silicon Scorpion & Sherlock Apple, who kept posting new
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wares.
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It could be that they lost interest in piracy (As is true of Tuc, Lord Digital,
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The Phantom, Big Brother, in fact, almost all the members), BUT this still does
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not clear up why NONE of them EVER posted ANYWHERE, including the phreak boards
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or the elite subs. Now BIOC did post, but if you know BIOC, he always left some
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500 line exerpt he typed up from some magazine, or manual (Which is actually
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just about all he ever did, much like Lex), nothing that could get him in any
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kind of trouble.
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These are the same people whose msg's I've seen buffers of from Sherwood Forest
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(Magnetic Surfer's), and World of Cryton, who were posting techniques, systems,
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and information, all over. But not ONE msg. from any of them on their supposed
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"home base". Pretty weird....
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The logical conclusion I draw from this is: They knew the board was being
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watched at the very least, and didn't want to draw attention to themselves.
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In which case they left everyone else to get caught, which is in keeping with
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many of the peoples present attitudes. This is also the time during which the
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Apple Mafia members who were also in TKOS got a lot of heat from that group
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falling apart in a rather spectacular manner. With almost all of them in danger
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of being busted for grand theft.
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While SF][ & ]I[ didn't go down until summer of 1985, I would say the Apple
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Mafia died almost a year eairlier. I talked to Silicon Scorpion towards the
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end of 1984 and as he put it: "What group? I don't even have anyones number
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anymore. How am I supposed to be part of a group whose members I can't even
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find?" This refers to Creative Cracker whose voice number dissapeared, and
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who never answered his feedback, The Phantom, ditto. Big Brother, ditto. Tuc,
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ditto. Lord Digital, ditto + he stopped calling any boards. Data Dragon, he's
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never home. Who's that leave? not many.
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In the cases of The Phantom, Lord Digital and Tuc, this is understandable. They
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were all undoubtedly living out paranoid fantasies of everything they'd ever
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done catching up with them, as it did with Mr. Xerox not too far in the past.
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But what happened to everyone else?
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*******************************************************************************
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The Apple Mafia is over. Maybe one day some of the members will regroup just
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for fun. It would be interesting. But some loser named Judge Dredd, should go
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crawl back where he came from. Or find another name for his lame excuse of a
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group.
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*******************************************************************************
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Here is the "flyer" heralding the regrouping of the Mafia in 1984. Verbatim as
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typed by The Godfather:
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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE APPLE MAFIA.
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FOUNDED IN 1980 BY THE GODFATHER AS
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A JOKE. REDONE IN 1981 AS A SEMI
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SERIOUS GROUP. KICKED SOME ASS IN
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'82. BLEW EVERYONE AWAY IN 83, AND
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WILL DO MUCH BETTER IN 84. SINCE
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THE BEGINNING THE GROUP HAS DIED
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OUT AND BEEN REBORN SEVERAL TIMES,
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THIS TIME LETS KEEP IT GOING. IS
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CURRENTLY THE OLDEST ACTIVE GROUP,
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NEXT (OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD STILL BE
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AROUND) ARE THE WARE LORDS ('83 I
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BEILIEVE) AND THE 1200 CLUB ('83
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ALSO, I THINK). THAT'S IT.
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A FEW GENERAL IDEAS WE WISH TO PROMOTE:
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WHEN YOU GET SOME NEW SOFTWARE CALL
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UP AS MANY MAFIA MEMBERS AND GET IT
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TO THEM FIRST.
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GET IT POSTED UP ON THE BOARDS AS FAST
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AS POSSIBLE, NOW WITH CATS, TIME IS
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CRUTIAL. BE SURE TO STICK THE MAFIA
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AT THE END.
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DON'T GET THE GROUP INTO FIGHTS, AND
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TRY NOT TO BE AN ASSHOLE.
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IT HELPS TO GIVE OUT SOFTWARE TO OTHERS
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- WITH THE MOB BEHIND YOU, NO ONE
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CAN STOP YOU.
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KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OTHER MEMBERS, IT
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SUCKS WHEN YOU LOSE CONTACT, IF YOU
|
||
NEED ANY HELP CATCHING UP, JUST ASK
|
||
SOMEONE... THEY SHOULD BE WILLING TO
|
||
HELP YOU CATCH UP.
|
||
|
||
NEW MEMBERSHIPS ARE DECEIDED BY ALL
|
||
OF THE MEMBERS, IF YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE
|
||
DECENT, TELL EVERYONE ELSE.
|
||
|
||
THATS ABOUT IT.
|
||
|
||
THE GODFATHER
|
||
|
||
|
||
1986.
|
||
The Apple Mafia Story
|
||
Red Ghost
|
||
|
||
*******************************************************************************
|
||
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|
||
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|
||
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