Editorial

If you've just opened this magazine, you may want to glance over to your left.  That is the beginning of an advertisement for something that many of you have been asking about - 2600 back issues.  They've always been available in the past, but now we've had our entire collection reprinted to prevent us from running out for a very long time.

Having all of these back issues floating around has been an uplifting experience for us.  It's easy to lose track of the many different subjects we've tackled in these pages and it's really amazing to look back on what we've done.

2600 is not like other magazines.  Our readers are constantly referring back to previous issues as if they'd just come out, asking questions about certain articles.  And in reading over them ourselves, we can understand why.  It all seems so fresh and new, even though some of it is three years old and the circumstances have changed.

But one thing that hasn't changed is our feeling towards technological enthusiasts.  They understand at least some of what's going on in the world of computers and phones and the average person wants to know what they find out.  Most folks would have never heard of TRW Credit Services if it weren't for hackers, let alone know that huge credit files existed in their names.  More people wouldn't know what electronic and digital switching was capable of if phreaks and hackers didn't get in and show them.

Hackers have, through the help of 2600, exposed entrapment schemes that shady individuals engineered for reasons of greed and visions of glory.

In 1985, a bulletin board system belonging to 2600 was raided by law enforcement authorities on the shabbiest of pretexts.  Before we were around, they would have gotten away with it without any problem.  But we were able to draw attention to the absurdities and misconceptions.  And the average person listened.

This month we embark on another educational campaign - proving to the average person that the phone company's Touch-Tone fee is a farce.  We have the facts and now we've attracted attention to this matter.  The next couple of months will be interesting.

They'll be other campaigns in the future - and more mistruths.  But, looking back on our back issues, we can see that what we've already been through hasn't been for naught.

We hope you take the opportunity to further understand our unique world by examining what are surely on the way to becoming historical relics.  It certainly would give us more space to move around if you did.