Oscar (software)

Oscar is software license key database software. It is able to store hundreds of thousands of serial numbers for anyone to use with any version of a program at a particular time. It uses a special format for storing them, and people update the database using that type of file. Updates for serial database software can be found on many Internet sites. The most common usage of Oscar is for warez software. Phrozen Crew was one of the first warez groups use the Oscar format to release thousands of license keys at once.

The legitimate use is to be able to store legally bought license keys into the database and be able to retrieve them for later use or if the physical documentation is lost.

These were especially used during the late 1990s and the trend has slowed since then. Most warez releases today include an NFO file with a serial number, or a keygen, or a patch, removing the need to open up a serial number database.

The competing software (also free) with Oscar was Serials 2000, whose format was encrypted and incompatible with Oscar's and vice versa. Serials 2000 eventually became the more commonly used software, with many more websites offering updates, usually taken from keygens and NFOs.