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Hacker culture(s)-- lecture notes, February 23, 2000 -- |
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Introduction |
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| Origins of hacker culture(s) |
There seems to be at least three lines of ancestry leading up to what we call the current hacker cultures. These are the hobbyists, the academics and the networkers. Hobby hacking originated with radio amateurs as far back as the 20s. A strong interest in electronics provided fertile ground for the first home computers, such as the Altair 8800. Sweden had a home-grown brand early on: the ABC80 in 1978, followed by the ABC800 in 1981. Some of the home computers were sold as construction kits, fostering the tradition of really understanding the technology. Home computers such as the Commodore 64, offering color graphics and quality audio, attracted game players and game developers. Cracking the copy protection of the games became a logical application for technical skills and aptitude. Cracked games needed a splash screen where the cracker could claim credit for his work. This developed into the intro, a full-scale multimedia production where technical and artistic skills could be demonstrated. The demos being presented today at demoparties are intros separated from the games they demo. Academic hacking is generally traced to Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where The Model Railroad Club developed sophisticated railroad systems in the 50s. The word "hack" was used to refer to technology-based practical jokes or stunts. Its meaning shifted to the technology needed to perform the prank, and later came to mean a clever technical solution in general. MIT ran a project in the early 60s intended to develop a timesharing computer. This project became the core of the AI lab, where the first academic hacker culture emerged. Students specialized in mathematics and artifical intelligence and spent 30 hours straight in programming sessions instead of going to regular classes. Ideas of free information developed. Several students learned to pick locks in order to better use the equipment in the building. Howard Rheingold captures the spirit well in Tools for thought (1985):
Network hacking was initially performed on telephone networks. Phone phreaks developed ways of surfing the phone system, creating connections across dozens of switches and countries using control commands that only the phone companies were supposed to know. Free phone calls could be obtained in many ways. For instance, on certain switches, a straight 2600 Hz tone meant that the line was not busy. If you had a line open and sent a 2600 tone into the receiver, charging of the call would stop. Some legendary phreaks were Joe Engressia, who was blind and could whistle control tones to perfect pitch, and Cap'n Crunch who got his name from the discovery that the whistle in Cap'n Crunch cereal boxes could be used for control tones. Most phreaks, however, bought or built simple tone generators called blue boxes. Gradually, computer networks began to develop. Phone companies turned to computer-controlled switches. Network hacking moved from electromechanical phone networks to digital computer networks. With a terminal and a modem, a new world opened.
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