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What was hacking like in the '80s and '90s? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 3 days ago by hellfire103@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I have somehow found myself doing a lighthearted talk on retro hacking this Wednesday. Would anyone here happen to know anything about it?

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[–] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago

My dad and his buddy devised a plan to get unlimited calls from phone booths to abroad. They drilled a 2 Deutschmark coin and put a fishing line through it. They figured out that the coin only drops after the allotted time is up, allowing the machine for there to be credit registered. But there was nothing preventing the coin from going upwards again. So they just kept pulling it out and then inserting the coin again. And re-dialing the international number. Like some petty comic book villains.