It's hard not to be bitter that this could have all been happening years ago.
But if this did happen years ago, the odds of NCSoft cracking down would have been greater then they are now.
plus with all the software changes that have occurred in that time, recoding the game for the "idiot proof" installation that has been mentioned by Ironwolf should be easier now then it was then. Also hardware has improved and a server now should be easier than then to run the game. Also with file distribution sites being what they are now compared to then, disseminating the final result for anyone and their brother or sister to rev up a server and play the game is also even better and with such wide dispersal, good luck to NCsoft if they try to crack down now.
However that all being said, if there were a way to have done all this back then it would have been great. However I am not being bitter nor will I judge ScoRe and anyone that was on the secret server.