of a folder containing the material (sometimes split into RAR pieces), plus an NFO and SFV file. The NFO is a text file which has essential information about the files encoded, including a reason for the nuke if the file is a PROPER or REPACK release. A robust NFO file may contain a group's mission statement, recruitment requirements, greetings, and contact info; many groups have a standard ASCII art template for the file, with the most prolific exhibiting elaborate artistic examples. The SFV file uses checksums to ensure that the files of a release are working properly and have not been damaged or tampered with. This is typically done with the aid of an external executable like QuickSFV or SFV Checker. Failure to include an NFO or SFV file in the release will generally result in a nuke, as these are essential components of the warez standard to which The Scene adheres. In 2012, the Scene had over 100 active groups releasing material. Over 1,000 releases are made each day, with a cumulative total of more than five million releases through 2012. Crackers and reverse engineers Cracking has been the core element of The Scene since its beginning. This part of The Scene community sometimes referred to as the crack scene specializes in the creation of software cracks and keygens. The challenge of cracking and reverse engineering complicated software is what makes it an attraction. The game cracking group SKIDROW described it as follows in one of their NFO files: The game ripping group MYTH expressed it as follows in their NFO files: David Grime, former DrinkOrDie member, describes the motivation of the warez scene as follows: "It's all about stature. They are just trying to make a name for themselves for no reason other than self-gratification." See also Legal aspects of file sharing Copyright infringement Crack intro FXP board Topsite Standard (warez) The Scene – miniseries How Music Got Free – book by Stephen Witt List of warez groups SCA (computer virus) – first computer virus for the Commodore Amiga, created by Swiss Cracking Association Twilight – pressed warez disks sold in the Netherlands in the late nineties using scene releases I Am... (Nas album) – one of the first major label releases to be widely leaked using MP3 technology. References Further reading Stephen Witt, How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century,