To the Unknown Hacker
by billk3ls0
I am sitting at a local 2600 meeting, wishing I had no time to write this article. But I am alone, at least for now and physically. So here goes something that feels like throwing a message inside a bottle and into the vast digital ocean.
I started hacking before there were computers at my house. I didn't know it was hacking, I just wanted to know how things worked and how to make them better. Sometimes I would break perfectly good stuff, sometimes I would manage to get things back - to work or close.
Later in my early teens back in the 1980s, my father brought a Speccy home (Sinclair ZX Spectrum) and, although I did not have many games to play, I dove headfirst into what would become one of my greatest passions in life. I would spend hours playing games and finding out about cool stuff for a kid, like infinite lives. I tried coding BASIC but found out I needed to use assembly and machine code to dig deeper, get more performance, and save memory. I recall instructions even after years of not coding: 01 03 00 (ld bc, 768), ring a bell?! I liked messing around with code in ROM and coming up with improved code that would allow faster loading of all my programs. I guess I could write a full article just on that experience.
A few years later, I got my first PC. No longer did I have fine control over every aspect on that machine. Modems were becoming standard in this corner of the world and, for the first time, I was able to connect my computer with others. Even a 2400 baud modem was faster than the Speccy loading a game! Terminal mode games were big, and playing Risk online with turns taking days was a pleasure.
I continued to code, using QuickBASIC and Pascal for generic applications, like running a video club and keeping track of all the VHS tapes. I didn't know if I would code for a life; I just liked doing it. This helped me during my studies and kept me busy. I learned C, C++, and later some old-school languages like COBOL, which are still much used in banking.
I also learned other proprietary languages like ABAP to code for SAP and then, with more responsibility, I drifted away from coding and the computing community at large.
This is when Linux got in the picture sometime in 2005, with Fedora Core 5. I rekindled my passion for messing with computers. I started joining IRC chats to provide support every once in a while and using forums to report bugs. I am proud to say that, since then, close family and friends have been using Linux. I love bringing new life to old systems, and sometimes the results are pretty amazing - like using my refurbished Dell Latitude E6230, a $250 USD machine that boots to a login screen in six seconds flat. May not seem like much, but it's faster than brand new computers at work. I am not against proprietary software; it's just that I like that you get to decide what is important or not to have.
The next serendipity came while browsing Amazon for some Kindle books and I came across 2600. This was back in 2011 and it had been years since I had even read a computer magazine on a regular basis. Long gone were the days where I would wait for Byte Magazine articles on cool topics. I have been a subscriber of 2600 ever since, mostly as an observer. I love the fact that although computers and technology are a central topic, it puts the focus on hacking no matter what. In my particular case, it also comes in the form of lock picking and human relations, to name a few.
So why am I writing this article now? I guess I want and need other fellow hackers to know a bit more about me. See, I have never joined a 2600 meeting except the ones I started recently here in Portugal. 2600 meetings should be about getting people together, and openly and freely discussing all topics that revolve around hacking. Chatting on irc.2600.net is great fun, but does not replace face-to-face time.
Next time you plan on traveling, why not make Portugal your destination? And if you target first Friday, then I or anyone attending the meeting will most surely have the pleasure to share a beer or whatever fills your cup.
Happy hacking!