Demon Roach Underground
Encyclopedia
Demon Roach Underground (DRU) was a Lubbock, Texas
based BBS
that was popular in the "hacker
" scene.
Grandmaster Ratte'
was the SysOp
of DRU, and the BBS was the "base system" for his group Cult of the Dead Cow
, a computer hacker organization.
It ran from 1985 to 1999, though the name changed twice in its early existence. The original name of the BBS was "The Amazing Captain Neato (TACN) BBS." The name was then changed to "The Marauding C*A*M*E*L," before Ratte' changed the name for the final time to DRU.
The BBS ran GBBS
software and was hosted on an Apple IIgs
for its entire original lifetime.
The BBS required a new user password in order to gain access. The password was "VOID".
The DRU login screen displayed the following warning:
"Warning
: This BBS may contain explicit descriptions of, or advocate one or more of the following: adultery
, murder
, morbid violence
, bad grammar
, deviant sexual conduct in violent contexts, or the consumption
of alcohol
and illegal drugs. But then again, it may not. Who knows?" This warning is now displayed on the cDc web site.
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
based BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
that was popular in the "hacker
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
" scene.
Grandmaster Ratte'
Grandmaster Ratte'
Grandmaster Ratte is one of the founders of the Cult of the Dead Cow hacker group, along with Franken Gibe and Sid Vicious. His official title in the cDc is "Imperial Wizard of ExXxtasy."Ratte' is originally from Lubbock, Texas, though he now resides in Harlem, New York City...
was the SysOp
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
of DRU, and the BBS was the "base system" for his group Cult of the Dead Cow
Cult of the Dead Cow
Cult of the Dead Cow, also known as cDc or cDc Communications, is a computer hacker and DIY media organization founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas. The group maintains a weblog on its site, also titled "Cult of the Dead Cow"...
, a computer hacker organization.
It ran from 1985 to 1999, though the name changed twice in its early existence. The original name of the BBS was "The Amazing Captain Neato (TACN) BBS." The name was then changed to "The Marauding C*A*M*E*L," before Ratte' changed the name for the final time to DRU.
The BBS ran GBBS
GBBS
GBBS is a popular BBS program for the Apple II. Its first series, named GBBS ][, was written in Applesoft and used by boards such as Demon Roach Underground in Lubbock, Texas Its successor, GBBS Pro, was ACOS-based. GBBS-Pro was used by boards like ProBOARD II in Paso Robles, California and Apple...
software and was hosted on an Apple IIgs
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
for its entire original lifetime.
Login
After connecting, the user was required to enter a certain word to be able to login to the BBS. Entries that would allow the user to enter the main DRU system included "THRASH" "GRUNGE" "CARCINOGEN" and "PIGFUCK".The BBS required a new user password in order to gain access. The password was "VOID".
The DRU login screen displayed the following warning:
"Warning
Warning
Warning may refer to:- Signal :* Precautionary statement* Warning sign* Warning system* Warning , issued by a police officer in lieu of a citation following a traffic stop- Music :* Warning...
: This BBS may contain explicit descriptions of, or advocate one or more of the following: adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, morbid violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, bad grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
, deviant sexual conduct in violent contexts, or the consumption
Ingestion
Ingestion is the consumption of a substance by an organism. In animals, it normally is accomplished by taking in the substance through the mouth into the gastrointestinal tract, such as through eating or drinking...
of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and illegal drugs. But then again, it may not. Who knows?" This warning is now displayed on the cDc web site.
___ >\ ___ |\/| /\ | /___) /\ ^ ___ | | | > /___ | | < > |\ | / \ < > /_\ / |___| |/ /_____ | | \/ | \| // \\ \/ / \ (_____ | | | \ | U N D E R G R O U N D cDc _ _ ((___)) [ x x ] cDc \ / cDc (' ') (U) '..and none but the Bovine survived the onslaught' -cDc- CULT OF THE DEAD COW -cDc- cDc communications -cDc- BASE SYSTEM -cDc- --------------------------- HAVE A NICE DAY ----------------------- ------------ --------- -------- ------ ---- -- - - - - xXx FUCK SHIT UP xXx - - - - - - - -- --- ------- -------- ------------ ------------------------ ......82 megs............300/1200/2400 baud......86400 seconds per day..... Prince of Monochrome SysButthead : Grandmaster Ratte' |
| The Demon Roach Underground login screen |
History
| --Fetal commands [] DEMON ROACH UNDERGROUND [] .______>_____________________|______. |[C] Wail to chat :[D] Set display | |[F] Feed Ratte :[I] Roach info | |[N] Roach news :[O] Outta here...| |[U] Fetus list :[Y] Yo stats | |[Z] Nothing :[@] Disclaimer | | Check back in a day or so | | for access | |___________________________________| |
| Demon Roach Underground menu |
- September 27, 1985 - DRU goes online
- 1986 - An ASCII ExpressASCII ExpressASCII Express is a telecommunications program, written for the Apple II series of computers. At a time when the use of the bulletin board system , or even telecommunications in general wasn't a common use of the Apple II, ASCII Express was the choice among telecommunication users throughout much...
(AE) was added to the BBS. It was called "The Polka AE." This name is a parody of the "Metal AE," which was a popular AE at the time. Entering the word "KILL" at the GBBS entry prompt launched "The Polka AE" (rather than DRU); "KILL" was also the entry for "the Metal AE." - 1993 - A fake-version of the BBS was added. It was called "Demon Roach Underground Elite." At the main BBS entry prompt, one entered "SMASH." This version of the BBS did not require a new user password. An interesting feature was that the user list showed the passwords for all users, including the sysop. Thus, any user could log in as any other user. Messages were often posted and e-mails were often sent under other users' names.
- 1999 - DRU ends its run as a public BBS
- 2002 - DRU is reborn as an exclusive, invitation-only system