*********************************************************************** * * * The following letter was sent to Cracker Journal and Zine, * * that I know of, and was published by both. What follows * * is the original text file by the author (TRON of ZYLON), * * we have permission to publish it and we have not edited it * * in any way, apart from this leading note. The views * * expressed in this letter are solely those of the author * * and are not those of THE OUTLAWS. Although, it must be * * said, that I (BARBARIAN), do agree with SOME of the points * * raised. However, it is up to you, the reader, to draw your * * own conclusions and hopefully send your response to us for * * inclusion in the next issue........BARBARIAN * * * *********************************************************************** "ZYLON" 15/04/90 POST BOX 47, B-4700 EUPEN, BELGIUM. Hello there guys!, I thought it was time that you should let your readers hear about the B. A. O. R. Scene here in WEST GERMANY. I would appreciate it if you could print it. Ps: ZYLON is a new group that we have just formed with members such as.. ILLUSION/ crackers & programmers, CREST/ programmer, THE CYBORG/ modem trader & group manager, RE-ANIMATOR/ sys op MIGUEL/ gfx man, and myself TRON/ modem trader & swapper! I would apreciate it if you could mention that we are a newly formed group and plan to compete against the top groups! Thanks !!!! THE AMIGA SCENE IN B. A. O. R. (BRITISH ARMY OF RHINE) -------------------------------------------------------- by "TRON" of "ZYLON" ---- ------ Being a British Soldier stationed in WEST GERMANY now for the past 10 years, I would like to take this opportunity to inform my German Amiga friends about the B.A.O.R. scene here in WEST GERMANY. B.A.O.R. stands for "BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE" and we are basically British servicemen & women stationed here in West Germany, but did you know that there are over 60,000 "BRITS" living amongst you? Sure there is by far more than 6 times that in AMERICAN Troops, but they do not have a percentage ratio of 15% Amiga Users in favour of the BRITISH! Yes readers! there are a staggering 15% of us old "LIMIES" or "TOMMIES" (which we are sometimes referred to as by our beloved "WEST GERMAN" friends) who love the AMIGA!. What is more suprising is that the average age of the freak is around 25-30 years of age! and some are in there 50's! Amazing Yes? No! not quite, there has always been such high numbers of owners in the "UK", far more than in any other country mainly due to "COMMODORES" successful marketing & this is reflected in the figures partaining to the B.A.O.R. scene, but why are we so old compared to the normal 14 to 25 years of age seen here in GERMANY? Well for a start most of the B.A.O.R. Amiga freaks are married grown up mature adults (sometimes!) who have been looking for a new hobby to take them away from their "DEMANDING" "ADVENTUROUS" "DANGEROUS" lives. (laugh!) This is also probably why there are so many recent divorce cases amongst service men who own Amigas. (Only Joking!) or am I???, but more about the married Amiga user later! Single guys are not so lucky because they have to live in so called "BARRACK BLOCKS" where life is made a misery due to such shitty things as not being allowed out of camp after 22.30 hrs, or only "Smart" civilian clothes are to be worn whilst in the "PUBLIC EYE", or "ROOM INSPECTIONS" or "IN NIGHTS" (thats when everyone must clean the whole living quarters under the instru- ctions of a newly promoted "POWER CRAZY" L/CPL or CPL) 2-3 times a week! & if that is not enough to piss you off!, they must also conform to a "SET- ROOM LAYOUT" (Something that resembles a prison cell!) not to mention sharing a room with 2/3 or more cretins who come in after the end of every weekend totally "SHIT FACED" and piss on your bed cause they haven't been "HOUSE TRAINED"! Yes Army life is unjust when it comes to comparisons with our relitively free German Amiga freaks. Just imagine guys not being able to wear your favourite grotty old smelly flea ridden jeans to the local Mac Donalds or being able to leave your numerous empty coke cans around in your bedroom or feeling unsafe in leaving your mean machine lying in your room without some arsehole playing on it whilst trying to insert the disc the wrong way round! So you see it is not practical to have such luxurious machines such as an Amiga in your "BED SPACE" as it would either get "KNICKED" "FUCKED" or "PISSED ON" Yes its very much in favour of the married man as he can come home from work, relax in the comfort of his own home, put on his grotty jeans, drink his can of coke and proceed to throw it over his shoulder, switch on the computer & forget about his shitty job (especially if your in the ARMY) & nagging wife (if she permits?), & all this between EXERCISES/MANOUVERS! But what do these guys think the scene really is like? Well in every "Garrison Town" (and there are a few in Germany) they have whats known as "an Amiga User Group!". They are usually made up of 20 to 50 guys who asssemble once every week or month to exchange "IDEAS" & "VIEWS" and speak about how they can improve the so called "CLUB" for the benifit of the users. This is usually conducted in the relative security of an "ARMY"/"AIR FORCE" camp (German Police do not have any jurisdiction in these places!), but what really happens is that they all sit around "Trans-Fixed" to "X-COPY" and proceed to copy what L. A. M. E. oldies they can get there greasy little hands on! and if thats not all the really "GREAT" guys usually a "SENIOR RANK" (sgt & above cause they are rich bastards) stand to attention next to there "BOG STANDARD" Amiga 2000, A 590 Hard Drive, Twin 3.5 Disk Drives & 1084 Monitor & talk about such shit as "Oh I felt it was time that I should upgrade to a BIG machine as the 500 was comming to the end of its capabilities!" or:- "Well of course I do have a collection of over 600 disks and all full of the latest stuff" Pueek! Well "FUCK ME", I think I'll have an "ORGASM"! Gentlemen let me tell you, these guys would not even be able to tell you how you could edit a "Startup-Sequence" let alone take the 500 to its limits! (I've yet to see someone who can!) Another favourite pastime of the B.A.O.R. AMIGA USER LAMER is to go out & buy a really expensive colour printer & spend half his life trying to figure out how it works!, but he does'nt realise his preferences are not set! But by far the greatest sin is that of hyporicy!, yes the peverable LAMER commits this deed almost unendlessly!!!! here it is... As I said before they meet and discuss what piece of software they should buy "Legitimatly" for the club after paying there monthly 10 or 20 Deutch Marks to help offset this cost, so they go ahead and buy something really LAMISH like "MINI OFFICE" or "SUPERBASE PROFFESSIONAL". After weeks of waiting for it to arrive in the post they quickly (again) insert X-Copy I in order to copy it for every member, but when asked if they would like to put their money to a more viable cause like a software abo they turn round and say... "WE DO NOT WANT TO CONDONE SOFTWARE PIRACY" Guys these dudes are pig stupid and deserve an irreversable sentence of sheep shagging for all eternity! Yes folks the B.A.O.R. scene really and truly is the L.A.M.E.S.T. scene that ever has exsisted in the history of the Amiga. Ok maybe there are the odd one or two dudes out here who are cool guys, but seriously it seems that over the past 2 years everyone has advanced positively except the "Brits" serving over here. A word of advice to you guys and you know who I mean... 1] Get a good GERMAN contact, he will show you the real scene! 2] Try to get invites to copy parties, they're the tops for meeting cool guys! 3] Tell them you are a Brit serving here in Germany and wish to spread their work on your scene because both of you will profit from it. 4] Arrange some evenings at your clubs inside the various camps where the German guys can come in and exchange their views & and more importantly knowledge, they will only be to pleased to accept. 5] And lastly Germany is the centre of all that goes on in the Amiga scene so make the most of your stay here, after all they are the best crackers, spreaders, modem traders, around! TRON OF ZYLON -------------