
Math Blaster Copy Protection - wbl
https://ia802301.us.archive.org/11/items/MathBlaster4amCrack/Math%20Blaster%20%284am%20crack%29.txt
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applehack1234
I remember this one. I successfully extracted the data from this disk back in
the day, but using a much less complicated method. My memory is a bit hazy
after 30 years, but basically it went like this:

Reboot, let it load for a few seconds, then open the disk drive door. It will
print "I/O ERROR" and drop to the basic prompt. At this point, the autorun
flag is set, but you can clear it by typing "FP". Close the disk drive, then
you can load any of the basic programs and list them. If you look through the
listings, you will find some CALLs, which switch the RWTS. So I just loaded
the files, switched the RWTS, and saved them to a normal disk. Ta-da!

~~~
jcoffland
Did you read the whole article? What about the calls from the program itself
which check that you are running the modified DOS? Might you be confusing this
with another copy protected program?

~~~
applehack1234
I was running the modified DOS. Initially I booted the Math Blaster disk and
ran from there. Later I realized I could boot normal DOS, and then swap the
DOS in memory. I don't recall if I had to mess with zero page. I think those
calls did it automatically, but I don't remember.

This also explains why the BASIC programs were obfuscated. Once you find the
calls to switch the RWTS, the rest is easy. Getting around the obfuscation
wasn't too hard though. I just ran the program and then interrupted it.

I do suspect that I had a different version. The directory listing looks a bit
different, and I don't recall so many control characters in the filenames.
It's possible that they published an updated version with more obfuscation
(although it's also possible that I've just forgotten after so many years).

As as aside, I wasn't primarily interested in reverse-engineering the copy
protection when I did this. I was more interested in their graphics drivers.
The program had a thing where it would override the standard functions for
drawing characters to the screen, so you could use the standard PRINT command
and instead of using text mode, it would draw bitmapped characters into the
graphics page. I thought it was rather clever.

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tokenadult
From the link mentioned in another comment as a more stable and permanent URL:
""Math Blaster" is a 1983 educational game programmed by Richard Eckert and
Janice Davidson, Ph.D. and distributed by Davidson & Associates."

Wow. The timing of this post was opportune, because just yesterday I had a
chance to see (again) Bob Davidson, the husband of Janice (Jan) Davidson and a
leader of Davidson & Associates, at a meet-up of alumni of various Davidson
Institute for Talent Development[1] programs for young people. The Math
Blaster software was an early example of successful edutainment software, and
it led to quite a bit of revenue that funded other software titles developed
in-house or acquired over the years by Davidson & Associates.

Jan and Bob Davidson timed the Dot Com boom perfectly in choosing a time to
leave active management of Davidson & Associates and begin funding
philanthropy, which for them has been most devoted to developing programs for
unusually bright young people in the United States. The best-known program of
the Davidson Institute is the Davidson Fellows program,[2] which gets in the
news at least once a year as new Davidson Fellowship awards are announced,[3]
but the biggest program by number of young people involved is the Davidson
Young Scholars program,[4] which includes several alumni and I think some
current members who are active participants here on Hacker News.

We talk here on Hacker News about some other software entrepreneurs who get in
the news a lot these days for their philanthropic efforts, but I thought I
should give a shout-out to one of the early adopters of a career change to
full-time philanthropy funded by a software fortune, the Davidsons, because
their philanthropy has a direct influence on the Hacker News community.

[1] [http://www.davidsongifted.org/](http://www.davidsongifted.org/)

[2]
[http://www.davidsongifted.org/fellows/](http://www.davidsongifted.org/fellows/)

[3]
[http://www.davidsongifted.org//fellows/Article/Davidson_Fell...](http://www.davidsongifted.org//fellows/Article/Davidson_Fellows___Class_of_2014_505.aspx)

[4]
[http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/](http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/)

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edward
Maybe a better (more stable) URL:
[http://archive.org/download/MathBlaster4amCrack/Math%20Blast...](http://archive.org/download/MathBlaster4amCrack/Math%20Blaster%20%284am%20crack%29.txt)

Alternatively:
[http://archive.org/stream/MathBlaster4amCrack/Math%20Blaster...](http://archive.org/stream/MathBlaster4amCrack/Math%20Blaster%20%284am%20crack%29.txt)

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pkaye
From back when text screens were 40 characters wide!

~~~
thristian
Interestingly, the text itself is modern (at the very least, it mentions a
Google Groups URL), but it's still wrapped at 40 columns.

I find that very nostalgic for some reason, and it doesn't seem to hurt
readability at all.

~~~
jcoffland
In fact it improves readability. This is why news columns are not wide.

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mijustin
Interesting how the app store era (especially in Apple's ecosystem) has made
it much more difficult to copy software.

I remember in '80s and '90s copy protection was a major focus (for software
companies and legislators alike). As a kid of that era, I remember looking for
cracks on Usenet and FidoNet.

More info on Copy Protection here:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_protection#1980s_Locksmith](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_protection#1980s_Locksmith)

~~~
undertow
Honestly, it's not particularly difficult to copy programs from the app store.
With a jailbroken phone, you can just grab an app off the phone's file system.

I think the real difference is the constant, relentless change in platforms
presented to mobile phone consumers. Every year, it's a new phone, a major
operating system upgrade, or something else disrupting the ecosystem, so that
no out-of-band trade in raw files can take root.

When you have a zombie fanbase chasing the latest glitter, and disruptive
changes introduced every six months, it's tough to gain traction when you have
expend so much energy just to keep up with the herd.

~~~
luckman212
Not to mention that in that era, titles were often US$39, $49 (or more) and in
today's dollars that would be much higher. Compare to most apps on the app
store that are typically $4.99 or less... certainly makes paying for titles a
lot more palatable for the would-be pirate.

~~~
beagle3
... and that today's $4.99 is actually something like $1-$2 in 80's dollars.

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nathanallen
> According to the framed Beagle Bros. "Peeks, Pokes and Pointers" chart that
> hangs above my desk and reminds me that technical writing should be
> wondrous, useful, and fun (but not always in that order)...

I think this is the chart he's referring to:
[http://www.lazilong.com/apple_II/bbros/chart.jpg](http://www.lazilong.com/apple_II/bbros/chart.jpg)

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jacob019
Where can I find the code to fire up in an emulator?

~~~
duskwuff
[https://archive.org/details/MathBlaster4amCrack](https://archive.org/details/MathBlaster4amCrack)

Sadly, it isn't currently runnable in the browser, but I'm sure that will be
fixed soon.

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rosstex
This is a level of dedication I fear we lost somewhere in the 90s. That, or
being a cracker teaches you more about how computers work than most jobs.

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sblom
I especially love where the author likens resuming a crack attempt after
giving up for months to a detective picking up a cold case.

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jeffehobbs
Wow. Impressive work and dedication!

