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THE PERSONAL COMPUTER AWARENESS DICTIONARY FOR BEGINNERS
Do you feel confused by the jargon of the personal computer
revolution? Afraid to enter the world of the computer salesmen to
browse because you don't understand their language? Well, here's a
quick lesson on just what some of those slick phrases you've heard
REALLY mean!
IBM-COMPATIBLE: usually not IBM-compatible at all and runs MS-DOS
v1.25 on a very strange disk format
FULLY IBM-COMPATIBLE: somewhat IBM-compatible, but won't run
BASICA without hanging the machine
100% IBM-COMPATIBLE: compatible with most available hardware
and software, but not with the blockbusters IBM always introduces the
day after tomorrow
LAP-TOP: smaller and lighter than the average secretary
PORTABLE: smaller and lighter than the average refrigerator
TRANSPORTABLE: neither chained to a wall nor attached to an alarm
system, roller dolly is optional
HARD DISK: a device that allows naive users to delete vast
amounts of data with very simple commands
MOUSE: a peripheral originally named "vermiform appendix" because
of its functional resemblance, renamed for its usefulness only as a cat
toy
PRINTER: an electromechanical paper-shredding device
MODEM: a peripheral used in the unsucessful attempts to get two
computers to communicate with each other
NETWORK: an electronic means of allowing more than one person
at a time to corrupt, trash, or otherwise cause permanent damage to very
important data
DOCUMENTATION: a perplexing linen-bound accessory resorted to
only in situations of dire need when friends, dealers, and user
groups are unavailable, normally employed only as a decorative
bookend
USER-FRIENDLY: supplied with a full-color manual
VERY USER-FRIENDLY: supplied with an on-disk and audiotape
tutorial, so the user need not bother with the full-color
manual
EXTREMELY USER-FRIENDLY: comes with a mouse so that the user
need not bother with the on-disk and/or audiotape tutorials, the full-
color manual, or the program itself
EASY TO LEARN: hard to use
POWERFUL: hard to learn and use
MENU-DRIVEN: easy to learn
COPY-PROTECTED:
(1) a clever method of preventing incompetent pirates
from STEALING software and legitimate customers
from USING it.
(2) a means of distinguishing honest users from
theives by preventing larceny by the former but
not the latter.
VERSION 1.1: eats data only occasionally, upgrades free to avoid
litigation by disgruntled users of version 1.0
VERSION 2.0: the version originally planned as the first release
[execept for a couple of data-eating bugs that just won't seem to
go away], no free upgrades or the company would go bankrupt
VERSION 3.0: the revision in the works when the company goes
bankrupt
STANDARD: similar to something else on the market
BACKUP: the duplicate copy of essential data that no one
bothered to make
SPREADSHEET: a program that gives the user quick and easy access
to a wide variety of highly detailed reports based on highly
inaccurate assumptions
WORD PROCESSOR: software that magically transforms its user into a
professional (looking) author
BUSINESS GRAPHICS: popular with managers who understand
neither decimals, fractions, Roman numerals, nor PI, but have
more than a passing acquaintance with pies and bars
DATABASE MANAGER: a program that allows the user to
manipulate data in every conceivable way except the
absolutely essential one the program was purchased to do
INTEGRATED SOFTWARE: a single product that deftly performs
hundreds of functions the user never needs and awkwardly
performs the half-dozen he uses constantly and never works the way the
salesman said it would
WINDOWS: an ingenious method of dividing a computer screen into
two or more unusably tiny portions.
USER GROUP: where you go for support after your local dealership
(or the factory) goes bankrupt
-={ The Night of the Hackers }=-
by Richard Sanza, NEWSWEEK Magazine
As you are surveying the dark and misty swamp you come across what
appears to be a small cave. You light a torch and enter. You have
walked several hundred feet when you stumble into a bright blue
portal. . . With a sudden burst of light and a loud explosion
you are swept into . . . DRAGONFIRE . . . Press Any Key if You Dare."
You have programmed your personal computer to dial into Dragonfire, a
computer bulletin board in Gainesville, Texas. But before you get any
information, Dragonfire demands your name, home city and phone number.
So, for tonight's tour of the electronic wilderness you become Montana
Wildhack of San Francisco.
Dragonfire, Sherwood Forest (sic), Forbidden Zone, Blottoland,
Plovernet, The Vault, Shadowland, PHBI and scores of other computer
bulletin boards are hangouts of a new generation of vandals. These
precocious teenagers use their electronic skills to play hide-and-seek
with computer and telephone security forces. Many computer
bulletin boards are perfectly legitimate: they resemble electronic
versions of the familiar cork boards in supermarkets and school
corridors, listing services and providing information someone out there
is bound to find useful. But this is a walk on the wild side, a
trip into the world of underground bulletin boards dedicated to
encouraging -- and making -- mischief.
The phone number for these boards are as closely guarded as a
psychiatrist's home telephone number. Some numbers are posted on
underground boards; others are exchanged over the telephone. A
friendly hacker provided Dragonfire's number. Hook up and you see a
broad choice of topics offered. For Phone Phreaks -- who delight in
stealing service from AT&T and other phone networks.
Phreakenstein's Lair is a potpourri of phone numbers, access codes and
technical information. For computer hackers -- who dial into other
people's computers -- Ranger's Lodge is chock-full of phone numbers
and passwords for government, university and corporate computers.
Moving through Dragonfire's offerings, you can only marvel at how
conversant these teen-agers are with the technical esoterica of today's
electronic age. Obviously they have spent a great deal of time
studying computers, though their grammar and spelling indicate they
haven't been diligent in other subjects. You are constantly reminded
of how young they are.
"Well it's that time of year again. School is back in session so let's
get those high school computer phone numbers rolling in. Time to get
straight A's, have perfect attendance (except when you've been up
all night hacking school passwords), and messing up you worst teacher's
paycheck."
Forbidden Zone, in Detroit, is offering ammunition for hacker civil war
-- tips on crashing the most popular bulletin-board software.
There also are plans for building black, red and blue boxes to mimic
operator tones and get free phone service. And here are the details
for "the safest and best way to make and use nitroglycerine,"
compliments of Doctor Hex, who says he got it "from my chemistry
teacher."
Flip through the "pages." You have to wonder if this information is
accurate. Can this really be the phone number and password for Taco
Bell's computer? Do these kids really have the dial-up numbers for
dozens of university computers? The temptation is too much. You sign
off and have your computer dial the number for the Yale computer. Bingo
-- the words Yale University appear on your screen. You enter the
password. A menu appears. You hang up in a sweat. You are now a hacker.
Punch in another number and your modem zips off the touchtones. Here
comes the tedious side of all of this. Bulletin boards are popular. No
vacancy in Bates Motel (named for Anthony Perkin's creepy motel in the
movie "Psycho"); the line is busy. So are 221 B. Baker Street, PHBI,
Shadowland and The Vault, Caesar's Palace rings and connects. This
is different breed of board. Caesar's Palace is a combination Phreak
board and computer store in Miami. This is the place to learn ways
to mess up a department store's anti-shoplifting system, or make free
calls on telephones with locks on the dial. Pure capitalism
accompanies such anarchy, Caesar's Palace is offering good deals on disc
drives, software, computers and all sorts of hardware. Orders are
placed through electronic mail messages.
'Tele-Trial': Bored by Caesar's Palace, you enter the number for
Blottoland, the board operated by one of the nation's most notorious
computer phreaks -- King Blotto. This one has been busy all night, but
it's now pretty late in Cleveland. The phone rings and you connect. To
get past the blank screen, type the secondary password "S-L-I-M-E." King
Blotto obliges, listing his rules: he must have your real name, phone
number, address, occupation and interests. He will call and disclose
the primary password, "if you belong on this board." If admitted, do not
reveal the phone number or the secondary password, lest you face
"tele-trial," the King warns as he dismisses you by hanging up. You
expected heavy security, but this teenager's security is, as they
say, awesome. Computers at the Defense Department and hundreds of
businesses let you know when you've reached them. Here you need a
password just to find out what system answered the phone. Then King
Blotto asks questions -- and hangs up. Professional computer-security
experts could learn something from this kid. He knows that ever since
the 414 computer hackers were arrested in August 1982, law-enforcement
officers have been searching for leads on computer bulletin
boards.
"Do you have any ties to or connections with any law enforcement agency
or any agency which would inform such a law enforcement agency of this
bulletin board?"
Such is the welcoming message from Plovernet, a Florida board known for
its great hacker/phreak files. There amid a string of valid VISA and
MasterCard numbers are dozens of computer phone numbers and
passwords. Here you also learn what Blotto means by tele-trial. "As
some of you may or may not know, a session of the conference court was
held and the Wizard was found guilty of some miscellaneous charges,
and sentenced to four months without bulletin boards." If Wizard
calls, system operators like King Blotto disconnect him. Paging through
bulletin boards is a test of your patience. Each board has different
commands. Few are easy to follow, leaving you to hunt and peck your
way around. So far you haven't had the nerve to type "C," which
summons the system operator for a live, computer-to-computer
conversation. The time, however, however has come for you to ask a
few questions of the "sysop." You dial a computer in Boston. It answers
and you begin working your way throughout the menus. You scan a handful
of dial-up numbers, including one for Arpanet, the Defense
Department's research computer. Bravely tap C and in seconds the screen
blanks and your cursor dances across the screen.
Hello . . . What kind of computer do you have?
Contact. The sysop is here. You exchange amenities and get "talking."
How much hacking does he do? Not much, too busy. Is he afraid of being
busted, having his computer confiscated like the Los Angeles man
facing criminal changes because his computer bulletin board contained
a stolen telephone-credit-card number? "Hmmmm . . . No," he
replies. Finally, he asks the dreaded question: "How old are you?"
"How old are YOU," you reply, stalling. "15," he types. Once
you confess and he knows you're old enough to be his father, the
conversation gets very serious. You fear each new question; he
probably thinks you're a cop. But all he wants to know is your
choice for president. The chat continues, until he asks, "What
time is it there?" Just past midnight, you reply. Expletive. "it's 3:08
here," Sysop types. "I must be going to sleep. I've got school
tomorrow." The cursor dances "*********** Thank you for Calling." The
screen goes blank.
Epilog:
A few weeks after this reporter submitted this article to Newsweek, he
found that his credit had been altered, his drivers' licence revoked,
and EVEN HIS Social Security records changed! Just in case you all
might like to construe this as a 'Victimless' crime. The next time a
computer fouls up your billing on some matter, and COSTS YOU, think
about it!
This the follow-up to the previous article concerning the Newsweek
reporter. It spells out SOME of the REAL dangers to ALL of us, due to
this type of activity!
-={ The REVENGE of the Hackers }=-
In the mischievous fraternity of computer hackers, few things are
prized more than the veil of secrecy. As NEWSWEEK San Francisco
correspondent Richard Sandza found out after writing a story on the
electronic underground's (DISPATCHES, Nov. 12, 1986 ability to exact
revenge can be unnerving. Also severe.... Sandza's report:
"Conference!" someone yelled as I put the phone to my ear. Then came a
mind-piercing "beep," and suddenly my kitchen seemed full of
hyperactive 15-year-olds. "You the guy who wrote the article in
NEWSWEEK?" someone shouted from the depths of static, and giggles.
"We're going disconnect your phone," one shrieked. "We're going to
blow up your house," called another. I hung up.
Some irate readers write letters to the editor. A few call their
lawyers. Hackers, however, use the computer and the telephone,
and for more than simple comment. Within days, computer "bulletin
boards" around the country were lit up with attacks on NEWSWEEK's
"Montana Wildhack" (a name I took from a Kurt Vonnegut character),
questioning everything from my manhood to my prose style. "Until we
get real good revenge," said one message from Unknown Warrior, "I
would like to suggest that everyone with an auto-l modem call Montana
Butthack then hang up when he answers." Since then the hackers of
America have called my home at least 2000 times. My harshest critics
communicate on Dragonfire, a Gainesville, Texas, bulletin board
where I am on teletrial, a video-lynching in which a computer user with
grievance dials the board and presses charges against the
offending party. Other hackers -- including the defendant --post
concurrences or rebuttals. Despite the mealtime interruptions, all
this was at most a minor nuisance; some was amusing, even fun.
FRAUD: The fun stopped with a call from a man who identified himself
only as Joe. "I'm calling to warn you," he said. When I barked back,
he said, "Wait, I'm on your side. Someone has broken into TRW and
obtained a list of all your credit-card numbers, your home address,
social-security number and wife's name and is posting it on
bulletin boards around the country." He named the charge cards in my
wallet.
Credit-card numbers are a very hot commodity among some hackers. To get
one from a computer system and post it is the hacker equivalent of
making the team. After hearing from Joe I visited the local office of
the TRW credit bureau and got a copy of my credit record. Sure
enough, it showed a Nov. 13 inquiry by the Lenox (Mass.) Savings Bank,
an institution with no reason whatever to ask about me. Clearly
some hacker had used Lenox's password to the TRW computers to get to my
files (the bank has since changed the password).
It wasn't long before I found out what was being done with my credit-
card numbers, thanks to another friendly hacker who tipped me to Pirate
80, a bulletin board in Charleston, W.Va., where I found this: "I'm
sure you guys have heard about Richard Stza or Montana Wildhack. He's
the guy who wrote the obscene story about phreaking in NewsWeek Well,
my friend did a credit card check on TRW . . . try this number, it' a
VISA . . Please nail this guy bad . . . Captain Quieg.
Captain Quieg may himself be nailed. He has violated the Credit Card
Fraud Act of 1984 signed by President Reagan on Oct. 12. The law
provides a $10,000 fine and up to a 15-year prison term for
"trafficking" in illegally obtained credit-card account numbers. He
"friend" has committed a felony violation of the California
computer-crime law. TRW spokeswoman Delia Fernandex said that TRW
would "be more than happy to prosecute" both of them.
TRW has good reason for concern. Its computers contain the credit
histories of 120 million people. Last year TRW sold 50 million
credit reports on their customers. But these highly confidential
personal records are so poorly guarded that computerized
teenagers can ransack the files and depart undetected. TRW
passwords -- unlike many others -- often print out when entered by
TRW's customers. Hackers then look for discarded printouts. A good
source: the trash of banks and automobile dealerships, which
routinely do credit checks. "Everybody hacks TRW," says Cleveland
hacker King Blotto, whose bulletin board has security system the
Pentagon would envy. "It's the easiest." For her her part, Fernandez
insists that TRW "does everything it can to keep the system secure.
In my case, however, that was not enough. My credit limits would hardly
support big-time fraud, but victimization takes many forms. Another
hacker said it was likely that merchandise would be ordered in my name
and shipped to me -- just to harass me. I used to use credit-card
numbers against someone I didn't like," the hacker said. "I'd call
Sears and have a dozen toilets shipped to his house."
Meanwhile, back on Dragonfire, my teletrial was going strong. The
charges, as pressed my Unknown Warrior, include "endangering all
phreaks and hacks." The judge in this case is a hacker with the apt
name of Ax Murderer. Possible sentences range from exile from the
entire planet" to "kill the dude." King Blotto has taken up my defense,
using hacker power to make his first pleading: he dialed up
Dragonfire, broke into its operating system and "crashed" the
bulletin board, destroying all of its messages naming me. The board
is back up now, with a retrial in full swing. But then, exile from
the electronic underground looks better all the time.
-={ Subject: Hard Disk Noise Results }=-
Author Unknown
A few weeks ago I posted this message requesting help for my 10Mb hard
disk.
HELP!!!! HELP!!!! HELP!!!! HELP!!!! HELP!!!!
I have a 10 Mb CMI hard disk on my PC, mounted in an external cabinet.
The HD never goes "out of service", but it makes a strange sound.
Shortly after power up and then every once in a while after that, there
is a very strange whining sound. It has never interfered with the
data on it, but I worry that there is something wrong. Can something be
oiled or what?
- Please send mail, I will post a summary.
I have gotten many responses and almost as many solutions. Here then
are the possible solutions to the problem. I am still unsure as to
which I will try, but... To the people who responded, Thanks. To
other, with same problem, here are some of the possibilities.
This is the Summary of rec'd msgs:
This noise is often caused by a slight rubbing of the drive's spindle
brakes. It usually requires a radical disassembly of the drive on a
clean air bench to adjust ('though CMI may have done it differently).
If the noise is not excessively annoying, your data is okay. If the
noise is excessively annoying, your data is still okay but components
in you drive's brake mechanism are wearing out a little faster than
normal.
I don't know specifically about the CMI drives, but many 10Mb
drives are constructed with a copper spring which contacts the
motor spindle to remove static electricity. The spring usually has a
finger in the center which contacts the spindle, and is surrounded
by copper. This spring can resonate, creating a whine or a squeal. The
fix is to take some silicone rubber and put two drops where the finder
joins the rest of the copper:
___________ #################
| #* #
| ############# #
spring side view #* #
#################
top view - apply silicone to '*' areas
=================================================
Sounds like you are losing a bearing in the spindle. If this is
indeed the case the drive will totally fail in 6 months to a year. I
suggest you back it up regularly.
=================================================
I have the same setup and same noise on my Shugart 606 8 MByte drive.
I was told by a very knowledgeable hardware guy that it is some bushing
or other that is not critical and only annoying. It seems to be
lessening with use.
=================================================
I am sorry to say that the whining sound is just the nature of the
beast. We have dozens of hard disks at work, some whine all
the time, some whine intermittently, other don't whine at all. The
whining seems totally unrelated to whether the drive will fail or
not. I don't think there is anyway to oil the drives, since they are
sealed and breaking that seal is inviting trouble. If it gets bad
enough, you might want to consult the manufacturer for their
recommendation.
================================================
I have an Eagle 1630 (XT somewhat-compatible) that made an intermittent
whining noise. I don't know whether or not it was a CMI, but that
sounds familiar. Fortunately, it was still under warranty (by a matter
of weeks) and so I took it in for work. Not after taking it
out to look at it. No, there is absolutely nothing to be oiled -- it
is undoubtably a sealed unit, bearings and all. I believe that it had a
bearing going out, which I would imagine could be dangerous to data if
left to wear. If particles didn't start flying around, slowing the
disk rotation would eventually cause problems. Better get it fixed --
and do some backups.
=================================================
When I used to work computer repair, we had people complain of such
noises about three or four times a day. Every time the problem was
caused by the static ring on the bottom of the Hard Disk (the ring in
the center of the bottom of the drive that touches a ball to
drain off rotational static). Anyway, the fix to this problem is to
lightly lift the ring off of the ball and let it snap back. I have
never seen this fail and the drive will shut up for a long time. If it
doesn't work then you haven't snapped the ring hard enough.
What you are probably hearing is the disk finding a bad track or sector.
This sector has already been mapped out by the format procedure, but
the controller must be reset to find home. The reset uses the slowest
step rate for the disk drive head motor, thus the strange growling
whine.
Do you have an AT&T 6300 with the "sidecar" expansion disk, the baby
that is attached to the left-hand side of the AT&T CPU box? If
so, the problem is pretty well known, at least here at AT&T
International, and can be fixed pretty easily:
Open up the sidecar and take a look at the disk. You can put the
entire unit on its side, so that the expansion box is on top, and then
the disk drive will be turned 90 degrees, back to the horizontal
orientation that most of the world uses. On the top, there will be
a small metal arm with some kind of carbon brush under it. As the disk
turns, this brush is making contact with the surface underneath
it (not actually the disk platter, of course, but it turns with the disk
anyway). It is not actually supposed to make contact with the disk;
it just does. Hence the noise.
(I hope you realize that most of these are more humerous than
informative and have been re-printed here for entertainment purposes
only. -Editor)
