this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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No such thing. Ask away!

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Pretty much the question. I heard about Usenet a while back but never managed to wrap my head around it.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Wow, this caught me off guard. I read an article about kids being given old tech and they knew people waved Polaroids (even though it doesn’t enhance development) from pop culture. Are young people really unaware that we used to dial with a modem to connect to the net?

[–] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

No I meant do analog modems use tones to transmit information, or how does it work?

Like what is the process of "dial with a modem to connect to the net".

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Modem is short for modulator/demodulator. It took a data stream and encoded it onto tones, multiple (audible) frequencies were used to increase data rates. You had to dial in to either a server, another computer, or an ISP. If you picked up the phone you would hear what sounded like white noise.

I lost many a download, or 'online' game to my mother picking up the phone to make a phone call.

[–] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's very clear, thanks. I remember reading about the original phreakers, one guy had perfect pitch so he could just sing the tone to open a long distance line and then dial away. I think he got sued by one of the American phone companies for stealing.

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

There are some amazing stories about the cat and mouse games regarding phone phreaking. The "captain crunch whistle" is great. All their attempts at security, beaten by a bit of audible brute force, via a cereal box toy.

[–] Fuck_u_spez_@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Think of it like a "fast", automated telegraph that speaks in audible binary instead of Morse code.

[–] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

audible binary

Thanks yea, that's exactly what I was wondering.

[–] Fuck_u_spez_@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago

It might actually be hexadecimal or some other encoding but you get the point.