Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Let’s start with the basics. When did you enter the scene, and who were some of your first contacts?

Hmm… the year 2000, I think it was, although it seems longer, so I’m not sure. First people? Hmm… Zbrains, Goth13, Lane, Marrsy, people like that

What was your first site? How did you come up with the name?

Urrrrm… my first site, hmm, was 3k Industries, *I think*. The name was generated from when I first joined the net—I used to use the username Ergin3000 (my surname plus 3000), and 3000 = 3k, so I took that from there. I always thought that if I built a gaming site, it would be like an industry, with many sections pumping through, so I went with 3k Industries—it was better than being one of the tons of people with the word “abandonware” or “games” in their site name.

How successful was your entry into the scene?

Depends on what you mean by “scene.” When I first opened my site, it was back when there wasn’t a difference between abandonware and old warez, and there were two types of old game scenes—the public places and the underground movement. I was first a part of the underground old games scene, a member of AWTOP219, etc., etc., which wasn’t too bad of an entry; the site was getting about 100 uniques a day, was hosted on free servers, and didn’t even have a proper URL.

Now if we’re talking about the public side of things, then it didn’t start off very well. I got quite a bad reputation at first, but things slowly started getting better. I made a few wrong moves, which made things tough, but I pulled out, and since then everything keeps getting better.

Can you briefly describe some of the more memorable points of your career, including the infamous anti-TUOL?

Heh, Anti-TUOL wasn’t exactly a memorable point, but yeah, I supported that movement because plenty of people were blaming TUOL for not treating members with equal respect, giving bigger sites favoritism, etc., etc. At first I didn’t want anything to do with it, but eventually I caved in. When I first properly entered the public scene, it was via a “problem” at HOTU, so I guess that is a major point. Um, apart from that, there aren’t any other major things to remember.

When did you open Diskworld?

Um… late 2001. Work started in November, and the site was released properly in December.

What is your relation to The Saint? When did you first meet NeoPickaze?

Saint is my sex slave, and Neo cleans up the mess after our sessions, hahaha. Nah, The Saint is my cousin, which is why we are always affiliated with things in one way or another. NeoPickaze, hmm, I met him through The Saint during the Anti-TUOL situation.

What projects did you work on with The Saint? When did you first hear of EchoRing?

Urm, a few that are better forgotten about, as well as his first Abandonware site, Assassins-Abandonware. I helped him with some stuff there; he’s written reviews for Diskworld when I owned it, we’ve both run DFL, we’ve both updated at AR, I’ve hosted Echoring, his site GodfatherGames, etc.—the list goes on. I first heard about Echo when Anti-TUOL was dying. Not only that, but I remember countless arguments between Vinny and Warmonger due to the fact Vinny wanted to start his own ring—one based around quality—whereas Warmonger was angry because he had opened a ring not so long before that.

What motivated you throughout the years to keep updating and working?

There was no motivation, only boredom and depression with my real life. Yeah, at first my goal was to have the biggest and best download site—which is a dream I think everyone shares. Obviously HOTU is the royal family when it comes to that, and you slowly realize you will never have the financial backing to get better than them. I guess after that it was mainly the fact I became obsessed with the internet and started getting more and more hooked into it, and that’s what kept me going—what I wouldn’t give to go back in time and never buy a first PC.

When did you first meet Bobosama? Any first impressions?

I first remember thinking how much money he had, heh…. He’s a good guy; you can rely on him. I first met him, I think it was when I was starting Creative-Eye (my hosting site). Originally it was a project between me and TZ, but it didn’t work out, as TZ was moving away, had no internet, etc., etc., so I went to do it alone. Can’t remember how we got in touch now, but I remember speaking with Bobosama, and we bought a virtual dedicated server off a guy who turned out to be shit. We went our own ways and just stayed in contact ever since.

What are your thoughts and opinions on EchoRing 4B?

Heh, sorry, I was talking to Marrsy, and Mong started to flood me. At first I didn’t like it. The reason was because I’d originally sold the proper echo to a client, and I thought it was wrong to have sold a site and then have someone else open up another one with the same name, etc. So at first I was against it, but now it’s slowly getting better in my mind. At least they are caring more about the site than the .com owners are, so it’s all good in my books; no beef at this end, even though I still think Vinny was wrong and that it would have been better if you made a new ring completely.

What are your plans for the future?

In life, or abandonware?

Both

To get out. To try and find a way to slowly lose all responsibilities I have with various sites and drift away back into the real world—something that is so much harder to do than it is to say. Every day Creative-Eye gets more involved with the scene, and it should be doing the opposite. I’ve already let Diskworld go, which was a big step for me, as it was my pride and joy for 2 years or so. I don’t want to take over the world; it’s better when there’s fresh blood coming in and new sites opening, rather than the same guy running them all.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Just one more question: What does “Your cherry on the ice -> Diskboy” mean?

It means I am your god…. Nah, heh, it’s just Jason playing around with the 4Ham’s coding system, so when people type my name, that shows up instead

That explains a lot. Any final words?

Yes, I never spam, but it’s about time I had a turn—so check out Da Fast Lane, the number 1 community hangout, which recently changed URLs to www.dafastlane.net

Thanks again; may you be remembered as the Godfather of Abandonware.