Editorial

Spring has arrived.  And this is the spring issue of 2600.  Our new quarterly format has allowed us a bit more time to put together a more cohesive magazine.  We hope you're pleased with the result.

Never before have so many pages been printed in a hacker publication.  There are so many topics to discuss that are relevant to our "cause."  In this issue, you'll find pieces about disastrous telephone systems, the effects of becoming dependent on computers, ways of eavesdropping on telephone calls in such a way as to be completely undetectable, additions to our previous articles on IBM computer systems, and an interesting look at the world of phone phreaks and computer hackers which contrasts with the way we actually see ourselves.  Plus all kinds of numbers, codes, displays, and reproductions that ought to make it all more interesting.

We've got so much to say and an increasing number of ways to say it.  Our larger but less frequent schedule gives us both the time and the space we need.

We're happy to announce our affiliation with another computer bulletin board system (Yoyodyne), our third to date.  It's located in Columbus, Nebraska and can be reached 24-hours-a-day at 402-564-4518.  We expect to have more 2600 bulletin boards on line by the summer.

We've also been getting a lot of positive press response in the past couple of months, including a spot on a most incredible television program, Network 7 on England's Channel 4.  This program ought to be seen by every reporter in this country who wants to do a story on computer hacking.  Instead of looking at the "problem" of hackers and what they could be doing to you in the same way we've seen hundreds of times already, the producers of this program looked at the positive aspects - the adventure, imagination, and intelligence involved.  It wasn't just that they gave hackers a positive image - they used their brains and created a different way of viewing a topic.  That's something we can all use a bit more of.  Our thanks to John Drake for making this possible.

It's possible the press is finally growing up and realizing that hacking involves so much more than electronic bandits.  It's a symbol of our times and one of the hopes of the future.  If that sounds crazy to you, wander through our pages and it may start to make sense.