† 27 October 2017

Pompey Pirates Co-founder, Spreader, Originals, Contacts

Taken from the Pompey Pirates website:

The Beginning

I am often asked how it all started. So here is my ( The Jugglers ) version as to how it all began.

I had always been into computers of one form or another since 1980 so after a succession of Sinclair ZX81, Spectrums, Atari 800 and XL's it was a natural progression to move onto an Atari ST. I got my ST in December of 19(something) from a local computer shop. The sales person was no other than Richard III, who later became a member.

I cannot actually remember how or why PP-Sledgehammer and I got into contact with each other but we did and I met him on Christmas Eve. He turned up with his metal camera case brimming with pirated software titles. Anyone that struggles with traffic on Christmas Eve just to copy some software for a bloke who he didn't know is alright in my book so we became software swappers and friends. I was already friends with Genie, and had been for a few years previous, as we both had considerable 8-bit Atari software collections and we also had mutual interests outside of computers. I can't remember if it was Genie who knew PP-Sledgehammer first or me but never mind all three of us soon became mutual collectors. We all got contacts and were soon amassing considerable collection of Pirate software.

As we collected we found that the quality of the menu's was very poor indeed and that many menu's had one good title mixed up with lots of crappy ones. We decided that wouldn't it be nice if we could make some menu's with just the good working titles that we wanted. So far so good but how would we code the menu's and would we distribute them and if so what would we call ourselves.

The origins of the name Pompey Pirates differs from each core member but as I recall it is something like this. We wanted a name that people could remember because it was catchy and one that we obvious from the start what we were about and that was Piracy. We all thought of names and generally kicked some idea's about. I remembered as a lad that my mothers old company had 'It's a knockout' competition and I had one of the team T-shirts. Printed on the chest was the phrase 'Pausgrove Pirates' ( Paulsgrove is a rather rough area on the outskirts of Portsmouth). As we all suggested different names I suggested POMPEY (slang for Portsmouth) PIRATES. All seemed to like it so the Pompey Pirates were born. Little did the three of us know what a ride the newly born crew would actually have.

Where I was working at the time a nipper (Graham) really wanted to join this new trading party known as the Pompey Pirates, but he didn't really have the contacts and charisma that we were looking for. He did however know of a lad who used to crack on the Spectrum and who was now playing with Atari ST's. We arranged a meet and after the initial meeting the core asked this young coder to join. His chosen pseudonym was ALIEN.

It didn't take lone for the first PP-Menu to be released. As I recall it consisted of the best of other groups cracks just put onto a menu. The Alien however used some nifty programming techniques and acquired source code to produce something special. The large collection of contacts we all had received PP-1 and all were over the moon with it. Alien soon had the 2nd menu out and this one was greeted with the same enthusiasm. I decided to flood the contact world with the Pompey menu's to create a demand. I was sending menu's to anyone who put a name and address in the computer magazines etc. Before we knew it everyone wanted the latest PP-Menu's. We became extremely popular in a very short time. The Alien's menu's were not only more sophisticated than anything that had gone before but alot of effort was put into docs and trainers to make the menu's more user friendly. We had our own packer written for us by JPM and instead of ripping music from games SPARKY wrote original and cover versions for us, even our menu pictures were done by a computer artist SYD.B. Even game Docs were put on the menu's. Sewer Soft helped out with pages and pages of docs for the menu's.

We got so big and famous that some software companies arranged for several of there latest titles to be delivered. via contacts, to the group as a bribe to stop us copying them, come to think of it T-shirts and mouse mats too. We invaded the USA by post of other groups modems until SHERI'O sent us our own 14.4 modem. Hey don't giggle at the time a 14.4 was not only the fastest baby on the block but also the latest technology. Sheri became our only official entry point to the USA. It was Sheri who got SPARKY interested in doing our music.

The inter group slagging wars started and eventually died, to be honest most of the slagging was due to the likes of Dork.MD (telling the odd fib or seven) who used to sell pirate floppy disks... YES SHOCK HORROR. In those days piracy was done not for profit but for the buzz the kudos of doing it. Once Dorkous.Mini.Dick was seen for what he was all the slagging ceased and a co-operation between the top groups began. Even a small group was put together of the best of the best called the Corporation but I can't actually remember us doing anything really.

The Pompey Pirates had a great relationship with the MEDWAY BOYS. This is probably the only other group I personally consider to have been superb. JUST WATCH THE E-MAIL FLY OVER THAT COMMENT. Let me explain. Quality is the means that we should measure how good a cracking group is/was not by quantity. The MEDWAY BOYS (Graham) not only cracked decent stuff but also did a bloody good job of doing it too.

Why did it stop?

Hmmmm strange one that one. I suppose we all moved on to other stages of our lives but the truth be told we all moved onto the PC scene. Piracy in the PC scene is all about money. I guess that because the kit costs so much to start with everyone wants to recoup their initial outlay. So money grabbing bastards flocked to the PC scene (Dorcous.Mini.Dick would be in his element). The group had a few dabbles in the PC scene but nothing to write home about. Some of us have a burner or two but to be honest as the scene was/is so money orientated it just didn't feel right anymore.

So that's it as my vodka damaged memory can remember. While we rode the speeding bus called the ST piracy scene we had great fun and became piracy legends in the process. We hope we paid for the tickets by instilling a professional approach to Pirate menu's that may have influenced all Pirate menu's/CD etc across all platforms alike. We had a great time and met some superb people, yes we were all software thieves and we were doing a 'bad thing' but we all enjoyed it. For those of you who collected our menu's thank you and I hope you got as much fun out of them as we did in producing them.

Des

(The Juggler)