2600: The Hacker Quarterly, January 1984

The first year of 2600, twelve monthly issues beginning in January 1984, when the magazine was a few photocopied sheets of telephone network intelligence edited by Emmanuel Goldstein.

The debut carries "AHOY! - 2600 Debuts" alongside "FBI Goes After ADS Hackers" and "The Truth Behind Those 9999 Numbers." Across the year the newsletter prints a White House phone list, guides to Telenet, MCI and Telemail, MILNET host tables, CN/A and E-Com dialups, and "Arpanet Hopping: America's Newest Pastime." "ESS: Orwell's Prophecy" and "TRW: Big Business is Watching You" state the surveillance argument the magazine has made ever since. Hardware begins with "Introducing the Clear Box!"; "Some Thoughts on 'Garbage Picking'" and "More on Trashing" make dumpster diving a standing subject. Later issues add "The Hacker's Guide To An Area Code," "History of British Phreaking," "Vital Ingredients: Switching Centers and Operators" and "Fun With Fortress Fones."

AT&T's breakup took effect on 1 January 1984, the month 2600 began, and the volume reads as running commentary on it: "The Dark and Tragic Side of the Great Break-up," "Whose Strike Was That Anyway?" and "Be Nice To Your Telco." MCI's lawyers wrote to the magazine before the year was out, an exchange printed as "MCI Mail Targets 2600."