The other night I was flipping through my boxes of Apple II floppy disks looking for the driver software for my Apple //c’s Cricket! soundbox (that story’s coming soon, I promise) when a certain floppy caught my eye. It was a two-sided disk full of BASIC programs I typed in from magazines sometime in 1984 (most of my Apple II floppies are from 1984-85). I booted it up in the IIgs and ran a few of the programs I’d entered—some that I remembered, some that I didn’t.

One of the programs that I did remember is a pretty corny little number entitled “Hacker’s Rap.” Judging from the nature of the thing, I’m guessing I typed it in from an issue of Family Computing magazine. Looking at it, I’m not sure what compelled me to take the time to type this one in, but hey, I was 11 years old.

Have a look.

I fear the song’s promise may not have held, in my case…