Since 1984, the quarterly magazine 2600 has provided fascinating articles for readers who are curious about technology. Find the best of the magazine’s writing in Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey, a collection of the strongest, most interesting, and often most controversial articles covering 24 years of changes in technology, all from a hacker’s perspective. Included are stories about the creation of the infamous tone dialer “red box” that allowed hackers to make free phone calls from payphones, the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the insecurity of modern locks.
The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey
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" … The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey is an important, amazing book that tells the story of these kids and adults as they explore a new frontier."
—John Baichtal (Wired Blog, August, 2008)
—John Baichtal (Wired Blog, August, 2008)
"...a testament to a culture which thrived before computers and the internet mattered to most of the world." (New statesman, September, 2008)
From the Inside Flap
The hacker subculture — shrouded in mystery, spiced with a hint of glamour, and thoroughly misunderstood by those who don't belong — was revealed in the original edition of The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey. The book became an instant bestseller. If you're a 2600 subscriber, a member of the hacker community, a geek freak, or simply a hardcore technology fan, you are not surprised. The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey is a journey inside the hacker's world—indeed, inside the hacker's mind.
Since its birth in 1984, 2600: The Hacker Quarterly has published, sometimes anomymously, the discoveries and adventures of hackers worldwide. From the first curious and intrepid souls who discovered they could outwit Ma Bell to those who've hacked the Department of Defense and ParadisePoker.com, the people whose stories fill the pages of 2600 tell their experiences in this captivating book.
Now you can own a personal, numbered copy of this remarkable tour through 24 years of enduring exploits, creative controversy, and hackers who made history. Complete with a full-color poster showing every 2600 cover, a CD featuring the best of Emmanuel Goldstein's Off the Hook radio broadcasts, and credit given to all contributors, this one-of-a-kind Collector's Edition documents the experiences and experiments that have shaped technology.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember finding my first issue of 2600, in a bookshop attached to an enormous, secretive government laboratory. Those were in the days after ESS but before the Internet (well, we had NNTP and SMTP and telnet, but HTML hadn't been invented). It seemed so illicit and exciting, I bought every issue I could find for years, and even wrote one article for them.
Over time, I read it less and less, both because the writing was generally bad, and because the revelations were often so weak. The Best Of book fairly reflects the content of the magazine -- it gives a good sense for the passions of a particular technological subculture, but much of what is here is dross.
So many articles were clearly written by people who did not know much, and who punt when they get to difficult work. "The encryption is done by a custom chip and, uh, you might want to decompile the EEPROM and see what's in there." Or they contain only trivial information, made to fill many pages through the inclusion of anecdotes about how the writer came to know the trivial information. (Four pages on how you discovered that ATMs run OS/2? The entire article could have been reduced to four words: "Many ATMs run OS/2.") And then there are the political articles, most of which are screeds about how the government and/or big companies are coming to take your freedom away, and their desire to be paid for your pirated movies proves it.
In some cases, it is hard to imagine how a given article was selected for inclusion in the magazine, let alone for reprinting in the book. An essay on the mathematics of lotteries is particularly weak, using high school level combinatorics to argue that nobody should ever play. The article contradicts a much more interesting essay earlier in the book in which the weaknesses in certain lotteries were revealed and methods for exploiting these weaknesses detailed.
The best material in the book is historical -- the stories of individual hacks, arrests, court battles, etc., by the people involved. Emmanuel Goldstein could have printed just those and had a better book while saving 550 pages.
Over time, I read it less and less, both because the writing was generally bad, and because the revelations were often so weak. The Best Of book fairly reflects the content of the magazine -- it gives a good sense for the passions of a particular technological subculture, but much of what is here is dross.
So many articles were clearly written by people who did not know much, and who punt when they get to difficult work. "The encryption is done by a custom chip and, uh, you might want to decompile the EEPROM and see what's in there." Or they contain only trivial information, made to fill many pages through the inclusion of anecdotes about how the writer came to know the trivial information. (Four pages on how you discovered that ATMs run OS/2? The entire article could have been reduced to four words: "Many ATMs run OS/2.") And then there are the political articles, most of which are screeds about how the government and/or big companies are coming to take your freedom away, and their desire to be paid for your pirated movies proves it.
In some cases, it is hard to imagine how a given article was selected for inclusion in the magazine, let alone for reprinting in the book. An essay on the mathematics of lotteries is particularly weak, using high school level combinatorics to argue that nobody should ever play. The article contradicts a much more interesting essay earlier in the book in which the weaknesses in certain lotteries were revealed and methods for exploiting these weaknesses detailed.
The best material in the book is historical -- the stories of individual hacks, arrests, court battles, etc., by the people involved. Emmanuel Goldstein could have printed just those and had a better book while saving 550 pages.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The hacker ethos is beautifully captured in this anthology. I've often skimmed 2600 at bookstores but it was only when I went through this hefty tome that I realized how deep and rich are the culture and accomplishments of the hacking community.
More than just the cartoonish representation in popular media, the hacking movement is a testament to creativity and innovation. Rightly so, this book is a celebration of cleverness and ingenious engineering instead of the more malevolent applications.
More than just the cartoonish representation in popular media, the hacking movement is a testament to creativity and innovation. Rightly so, this book is a celebration of cleverness and ingenious engineering instead of the more malevolent applications.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book on the history of hacking by the people who wrote the magazine on hacking
August 24, 2008
Format:Hardcover
Emmanuel Goldstien and his companions have written alot about hacking over the years, but now most of their writings have come together in tome form.
If there was anything you ever wanted to know concerting what hacking was like before the explosion of the Internet, or how hackers have been portrayed with biased by the media and in some cases the government, this is a must read book.
If you subscribe to 2600: The Hacker Quarterly or if you patiently wait at the book store or mail box for a new issue every three months, you will definitely want to pick up this book.
It will be interesting to see in the future, online hacker zines to try their hand at publishing their writings such as TOTSE and Phrack.
If there was anything you ever wanted to know concerting what hacking was like before the explosion of the Internet, or how hackers have been portrayed with biased by the media and in some cases the government, this is a must read book.
If you subscribe to 2600: The Hacker Quarterly or if you patiently wait at the book store or mail box for a new issue every three months, you will definitely want to pick up this book.
It will be interesting to see in the future, online hacker zines to try their hand at publishing their writings such as TOTSE and Phrack.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
2600? Is that a new sex position?
It is hard to overstate how excellent this book is.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in technology, even to those who are NOT normally into the... Read more
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in technology, even to those who are NOT normally into the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brian Seeley
3.0 out of 5 stars
Where is the book sleeve?!
This book is enormous and I am confident my husband will love it, BUT I received it without the illustrated sleeve! Tacky!
Published 5 months ago by Amber Madison
5.0 out of 5 stars
A treasure trove of wisdom
What good is a book with a bunch of outdated information? 2600 is a reference to the 2600Hz tone that in the past could be used to trick land line phones to enable free long... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Low Blood Sugar
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a good book for all true hackers.
This is a good book for all true hackers.
2600 is where you go to find this best info on hacking and this book has it all in one place.
2600 is where you go to find this best info on hacking and this book has it all in one place.
Published 14 months ago by Jasmine O'Connor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent value, great stories
For anyone who has any interest in technology, this will be a great investment. I've only begun to dig in and already the stories are interesting - stories from an era before my... Read more
Published on March 1, 2011 by T. A. Baker
4.0 out of 5 stars
A history of the culture of hacking
This books contains selected articles from the magazine 2600. It is not to be read as a technical guide, but as an anthology and history book about the culture of hacking. Read more
Published on August 10, 2010 by Laurent D
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as I had hoped.
Generally when something is the "best" it is actually really really good. This book is full of average and slightly above average. Worth reading but not amazing.
Published on May 29, 2010 by J. Ciriello
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hack The Planet (one book at a time!)
2600: A Hacker Odyssey is an invaluable tome of knowledge, history and perspective on the hacker culture. Read more
Published on September 7, 2009 by Jaypoc
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great way to get all
Great way to get all the great stories from back issues of 2600 magazine. Love it.
Published on March 31, 2009 by Thomas Kyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mirada històrica a l'underground de les telecomunicacions
Un llibre interessant per tenir una idea de l'evolució de les comunicacions des del punt de vista nortamericà i underground, amb tot el que comporta. Read more
Published on February 8, 2009 by Seiruga
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