Alt.2600

2600: The Hacker Quarterly

Spring 2012 issue of 2600
Editor	Emmanuel Goldstein (Eric Gordon Corley)
Categories	Computers, technology
Frequency	Quarterly
Publisher	2600 Enterprises Inc.
Total circulation (2009)	52,250
Year founded	1984
Country	United States
Based in	Middle Island, New York
Language	English
Website	www.2600.com
ISSN	0749-3851

2600: The Hacker Quarterly is an American seasonal publication of technical information and articles, many of which are written and submitted by the readership, on a variety of subjects including hacking, telephone switching systems, and services, as well as general news concerning the computer "underground".

With origins in the phreaking community and late 20th century counterculture, 2600 and its associated conference transitioned to coverage of modern hacker culture, and the magazine has become a platform for speaking out against increased digital surveillance and advocacy of personal and digital freedoms.

The magazine's name comes from the phreaker discovery in the 1960s that the transmission of a 2600 hertz tone (which could be produced perfectly with a plastic toy whistle given away free with Cap'n Crunch cereal—discovered by friends of John Draper) over a long-distance trunk connection gained access to "operator mode" and allowed the user to explore aspects of the telephone system that were not otherwise accessible. The magazine was given its name by David Ruderman, who co-founded the magazine with his college friend, Eric Corley. Ruderman ended his direct involvement with the magazine three years later.

The magazine traces its origins to early Bulletin Board Systems as a place for hackers to share information and stories with each other. It was launched in 1984, coinciding with the book of the same name and the break-up of AT&T. It is published and edited by its co-founder Emmanuel Goldstein (a pen name of Corley and allusion to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four) and his company 2600 Enterprises, Inc.2600 is released on the first Friday of the month following a season change, usually January, April, July, and October.