The Untold Story of How Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak Launched Their Tech Journey

The term “hacker” today often conjures images of illegal computer activities and cybercrime. However, in the 1960s, a hacker was simply an expert programmer who mastered the intricacies of computer systems.

Although these meanings are connected, the word “hacker” gradually became associated with illicit actions, partly due to the exploits of some pioneering figures in tech history.

At the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, you can see the Blue Box — a device invented by two brilliant tech enthusiasts: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. You might have heard of them. :) Let’s dive into their fascinating journey.

The Blue Box was a gadget designed for phone phreaking — a term that combines “phone” and “freak” — allowing users to make free phone calls by manipulating the telephone system.

The telephone network consists of interconnected switching stations. When you dial a number, each station along the path connects to establish the call. Initially, human operators managed these connections, but automated telephone exchanges (ATXs) replaced them as technology advanced.

These ATXs communicate through a process called signaling, which in the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. involved a series of audio tones. These tones became the system’s vulnerability.

The Blue Box was engineered to mimic these internal signaling tones. When played through a speaker connected to the phone’s microphone, the device tricked the automated stations into thinking they received legitimate signals. Once hackers understood all the signaling codes, they could manipulate the system at will.

Jobs and Wozniak developed and secretly sold their Blue Boxes in the early 1970s, effectively becoming phone phreakers. Their motivation was initially technical curiosity, but they soon realized the potential for financial gain.

After a close call with law enforcement, they abandoned illegal activities. Steve Jobs later credited their Blue Box experiments as a foundational experience that inspired the creation of Apple.

Phone companies eventually upgraded their systems to use out-of-band signaling, eliminating the vulnerability that Blue Boxes exploited.

So, how should we view Wozniak and Jobs? Skilled programmers? Yes. Participants in illegal activities? Technically yes. Hackers in the modern sense? Probably not — their fame rests on much more than this chapter.

Nevertheless, without this early invention, they might not have gained the insights that fueled their revolutionary contributions to technology. Today, as we use Apple’s innovative devices, we can appreciate the journey that began with a simple yet ingenious Blue Box.

Are there hackers today who walk the fine line between crime and creativity? Could a genius hacker like Steve Jobs face legal consequences? Perspectives vary greatly...

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