"Hacking the Xbox" available

For Immediate Release
June 25, 2003
To schedule an interview or to request a review copy or cover art, contact 
Leigh Sacks at leigh@nostarch.com or 415-863-9900

HACKING THE XBOX: A HANDBOOK FOR A NEW GENERATION OF HACKERS

San Francisco, CA - Reverse engineering, the not so gentle art of figuring 
out how something works by taking it apart, has been practiced by hardware 
oriented geeks and tinkerers for as long as anyone can remember. It's the 
way Wozniak learned to build the first Apple, and it's the way many of 
today's young engineers are learning about hardware engineering.

While many engineers believe that reverse engineering is a protected right, 
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) makes unauthorized access to 
intellectual property illegal, including certain types of reverse 
engineering. This controversial book, "Hacking the Xbox": An Introduction 
to Reverse Engineering" by Andrew "bunnie" Huang, tackles the thorny issue 
of reverse engineering head on by showing readers how to hack their Xbox 
(TM). Originally self-published, "Hacking the Xbox" has already become a 
cult classic, selling thousands of copies through the author's website in 
just a couple of months. Now with the full support of No Starch Press (the 
only publisher willing to take the risk), "Hacking the Xbox" is getting the 
distribution and exposure it needs to make it a major bestseller.

"No Starch Press distinguished itself as the only publisher with the 
courage to accept the book without any suggestion of censorship or 
caveats," says Huang. Even with the possibility of litigation under the 
DMCA, No Starch Press publisher Bill Pollock explains why his company is 
publishing this controversial book: "This is about freedom of speech and 
our First Amendment rights. It's also about the way people learn. It's the 
way I've been learning about hardware since I was 10 years old, when I took 
apart my first telephone."

With an estimated 8 million units sold, Microsoft's Xbox video game system 
is the second most popular gaming console on the market today. The Xbox is, 
at its core, nothing more than an inexpensive PC with extra pieces tacked 
on to prevent you from using it as such. With a bit of know how, the help 
of "Hacking the Xbox", and some elbow grease, the Xbox can be turned into a 
working PC, media player, or web server.

Using the Xbox as a teaching tool, Huang introduces novice hackers to basic 
hacking techniques such as reverse engineering and debugging. "Hacking the 
Xbox" also covers Xbox security mechanisms and other advanced hacking 
topics of interest to more seasoned hackers. A chapter written by the 
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) rounds out the book with a discussion 
of the rights and responsibilities of hackers. The book also includes 
numerous practical guides, such as where to get hacking gear, how to use 
soldering techniques, debugging tips, and an Xbox hardware reference guide, 
which make "Hacking the Xbox" truly a handbook for a new generation of 
hackers. So pick up a screwdriver and start hacking!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew "bunnie" Huang has an extensive background in electronics systems 
engineering and received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT. His 
experience includes work in digital design, reverse engineering, embedded 
systems design and programming, board fabrication and assembly, 
java/C/assembly programming, analog design, computer architecture, high 
speed interconnect and signal integrity, applied cryptography and systems 
security, and systems engineering.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Table of contents: http://nostarch.com/frameset.php?startat=xbox_toc
The author's site: http://hackingthexbox.com/
Text of the DMCA: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/legislation/dmca.pdf
The anti-DMCA movement: http://anti-dmca.org/
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): http://www.eff.org

HACKING THE XBOX
Andrew "bunnie" Huang
ISBN 1593270291
228 pp., $24.99
July 2003

Available in fine bookstores everywhere.
To order from No Starch Press - email orders@nostarch.com or call 
800-420-7240 or +1/415-863-9900

ABOUT NO STARCH PRESS
Since 1994, No Starch Press has published unique books on computing, with a 
focus on Open Source, security, hacking, web development, programming, 
gaming, and alternative operating systems. Our titles have personality, our 
authors are passionate, and our goal is to make computing accessible to 
everyone.

Contact: Leigh Sacks, leigh@nostarch.com or +1 415-863-9900