Dear hacker: letters to the editor of 2600

579 Pages·2010·7.41 MB·English

by  Emmanuel Goldstein

Goldstein Emmanuel $29.95 US/$35.95 CAN
“2600 is the beating, thrumming lifeblood of “It’s always interesting to hear what the 2600
the militant arm of the information hobbyist community has to say, whether it’s discussing
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“You are hearing voices from under the fl oor- raised up my spirits in such a diffi cult time.”
EMMANUEL GOLDSTEIN boards of telecommunication here. Scholars —Kevin Mitnick, computer security consultant, a ke The hacker — god or demon? One’s
should treasure this.” author point of view determines the answer,
saw his fi rst letter to the editor published c
in The New York Post at the age of eight. —Bruce Sterling, author, one of the founders r a but one fact is irrefutable — hackers
of the cyberpunk movement in science fi ction H feed on questions. Questions are the
IdImnis chmoigeudhrsi easc ttehhloayto hol cedc uwurraisns i gna dtahd “eilc eltatetteder st1”o9 st7eh0cest i,o n. hackHearr dhi-jhienakdse, da nredb heolpse, hleastse pmaarialn,oia H pQttihoouerne tmsas ltao itorsoent nswp eoghwpeyut wLltahoeretr mtfleedr asist n out ofrtr e kot honuefob w2lEe6ld.e0 iQdt0ogu:r eeT .is sh- e
Gcoomldpsuteteinrs b. eHciasm inef aetnucahtaionnte sdo wonit gho t — read all about it! Hacker Quarterly.
a
him into trouble as he discovered he
Since 1984, 2600 has been the voice
could access things he shouldn’t. A few
From consumer advocates to criminals, the readers of 2600:The Hacker Quarterly c and forum for the hacker subculture,
years and an FBI raid later, he co-
are a diverse and dedicated lot. Corporate spies, adolescent rebels and their worried and thousands have raised their voices
founded 2600: The Hacker Quarterly
parents, computer geeks, anarchists, survivalists, private eyes, representatives of k in letters to the editor. Now you can
as an outlet for stories and tutorials
law enforcement — they read the magazine, and they write letters. Amusing letters. read the best of them, from the simply
from hackers around the world.
Insightful letters. Letters that reveal genius, and letters that frighten you out of curious (“What does ‘2600’ mean?”) to
e
Since 1988, Goldstein has hosted Off your socks. the slightly paranoid (“For years I have
been hearing voices saying they are
the Hook, a hacker-themed radio talk
r
show airing on WBAI FM in New York Whether you’re a subscriber or merely curious, they will entertain you, enlighten the Secret Service telling me what to
City. In 1994 he organized the fi rst you, enrage you, and quite possibly, alter your perspective forever. do….”), along with 2600’s responses.
HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth)
THE CATEGORIES: It’s entertaining, challenging, and
conference, held every other year, T
sometimes, just plain scary. But you
which attracts attendees from points • Question Upon Question • The Magic of the OL
O E will discover what makes a hacker
around the globe. Goldstein served • Tales from the Retail Front Corporate World FTT
as technical consultant for the 1995 • The Challenges of Life • Our Biggest Fans 2 HT tick. You will recognize the rebel,
EE the insatiably curious, the visionary
feature fi lm Hackers, and has testifi ed as a Hacker • Behind the Walls 6 R
ES LETTERS determined to push the envelope. You
before Congress on the issue of hacking • New Technology • A Culture of Rebels 0D may recognize yourself.
and where the threat actually lies. I
• Strange Ramblings
0T
O TO THE EDITOR
To this day, Emmanuel Goldstein has COMPUTERS/Security/General R The landscape has radically changed

over 26 years, but the tone and attitude
never taken a course in computers.
ISBN 978-0-470-62006-9 OF 2 6 0 0
of the 2600 letter writer remains as
Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks fresh as ever.
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Dear Hacker
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Dear Hacker
Letters to the Editor
of 2600
Emmanuel Goldstein
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Dear Hacker: Letters to the Editor of 2600
Published by
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Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-62006-9
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ISBN: 978-0-470-88979-4 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-0-470-89020-2 (ebk)
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This book is dedicated to those people who always feel the
need to speak out about whatever is on their mind. For my entire
life, letter writers have been an inspiration to me. These are the
people who actually make changes because so few of us take the
time to compose our thoughts into a written form. Even today,
when online forums are everywhere, it’s those people who think
it through and present their thoughts in a cohesive style who
really wind up getting through to the rest of us. With all of this,
it’s no wonder that the individuals who have written letters to
2600 over the years to express their opinions, ideas, or outrage
have comprised the most popular part of our magazine. It’s this
explosion of ideas that has made the whole thing so worthwhile.
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AbouT THE AuTHor
EmmanuEl GoldstEin ([email protected]) has been publishing 2600
Magazine, The Hacker Quarterly, since 1984. He traces his hacker roots to his high
school days in the late ’70s, when he first played with a distant computer over high-
speed, 300-baud phone lines. It didn’t take long for him to get into trouble by figuring
out how to access something he wasn’t supposed to access. He continued playing with
various machines in his college days at the State University of New York at Stony
Brook. This resulted in an FBI raid, as he once again gained access to something he
really shouldn’t have. It was in the midst of all this excitement that he cofounded
2600 Magazine, an outlet for hacker stories and tutorials from all over the world. The
rapid growth and success of the magazine was both shocking and scary to Goldstein,
who to this day has never taken a course in computers. Since 1988, he has also hosted
Off The Hook, a hacker-themed technology talk show on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York
City. In addition to making the hacker documentary Freedom Downtime, Goldstein
hosts the Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) conferences in New York City every two
years, drawing thousands of hackers from all over the world.
You can contact 2600 online at www.2600.com or by writing to 2600 Magazine,
P.O. Box 752, Middle Island, NY, 11953.
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CrEDiTs
Executive Editor Vice President and
Carol Long Executive Publisher
Barry Pruett
Project Editor
Maureen Spears Associate Publisher
Jim Minatel
Production Editor
Eric Charbonneau Project Coordinator, Cover
Lynsey Stanford
Copy Editor
Maryann Steinhart Compositor
Chris Gillespie,
Editorial Director Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Robyn B. Siesky
Proofreader
Editorial Manager Jen Larsen, Word One
Mary Beth Wakefield
indexer
Marketing Manager Johnna VanHoose Dinse
Ashley Zurcher
Cover image
Production Manager Jake Tilson/Getty Images
Tim Tate
Cover Designer
Vice President and Ryan Sneed
ExecutiveGroup Publisher
Richard Swadley
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ACkNoWLEDGMENTs
T
his book started off looking relatively simple but grew more and more complex
as the sheer size of the project became apparent; we print so many letters in every
issue of 2600 and we’ve been publishing the magazine since 1984, which means we had
a huge amount of source material to draw from. On top of that, it was no small task
to figure out the best way to sort them all into various categories and decide which
of those would be the most interesting. Because of the size of this collection and the
incredible number of pieces that it includes, many letters didn’t make the cut despite
each letter being precious in its own unique way.
In our last book, I thanked a whole ton of people who helped the magazine get off
the ground, stay afloat through difficult times, and remain relevant to this very day.
Without repeating those words precisely, I’d like to reiterate the tremendous contribu-
tions of 2600 cofounder Dave Ruderman back in our early years, cover designer and
photographer Dave Buchwald who continues to add magic and creativity to every
project he undertakes, our layout artist Mark Silverberg who makes the current issues
of 2600 look sharp and attractive, and our office manager Mary Nixdorf who manages
to keep the entire operation running smoothly, despite the odds.
We never would have succeeded without all of the writers, office managers, system
administrators, HOPE Conference organizers, radio show participants, and artists
that have worked with us over the years and helped to make this thing we do unique
and unparalleled. Special thanks also go to Robert Barat, who helped sort through the
many pages of letters in piles of issues to find the best ones. Finally, I must acknowl-
edge the inspiration and encouragement of Kyle Drosdick, whose appreciation and
skill in the fields of technology, history, and unbridled fun is a perfect summation
of what the true hacker spirit is.
I’m pleased to have once again worked with the folks at Wiley, particularly Carol
Long and Maureen Spears, who make it all so enjoyable. I also want to thank my
agent, Cameron McClure, without whose diligent efforts, this book would likely
never have come to fruition.
Last, but certainly not least, a big round of thanks to all of those many thousands
of people who decided to put their opinions into writing and compose a letter to the
editor of 2600. Whether it was praise, hostility, the sharing of a personal story, or
the discovery of some new security scandal, you’re the people who created the magic
of interaction that our magazine has become famous for over the years. I hope you
continue to use the magic of words to get your message out.
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