Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: "war-dialing" etymology? Organization: Plethora . Net - More Net, Less Spam! X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test74 (May 26, 2000) From: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Originator: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Date: 28 Jan 2002 02:07:37 GMT Lines: 22 Message-ID: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: 399c886c.news.plethora.net X-Trace: 1012183657 gemini.plethora.net 79562 seebs@205.166.146.8 X-Complaints-To: abuse@plethora.net Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.imp.ch!news.imp.ch!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!wesley.videotron.net!priapus.visi.com!news-out.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!gemini.plethora.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:100107 I have been told, many times, that the term "war-dialer" is a contraction from "wargames dialer", and that the term was coined after _War Games_ game out in 1983. Obviously, the technique was known earlier, but I have been unable to find a single earlier usage in print. I'm crossposting to the two newsgroups most likely to have people who would know. Can anyone confirm or deny the usage of that term *before* the movie? This etymology is so widely repeated that I've always assumed it's true. The guy saying it's not the case assures me that he remembers the usage, but memory is a fickle beast, and it's not unheard of for people to remember hearing a word or phrase before it was actually used, as they gradually translate old memories to current usage. I haven't been able to find any phrase similar to this in pre-1983 Usenet (thanks, Google!), but that hardly means anything. -s -- Copyright 2001, all wrongs reversed. Peter Seebach / seebs@plethora.net $ chmod a+x /bin/laden Please do not feed or harbor the terrorists. C/Unix wizard, Pro-commerce radical, Spam fighter. Boycott Spamazon! Consulting, computers, web hosting, and shell access: http://www.plethora.net/ ###### From: "Charlie Gibbs" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? Date: 29 Jan 02 09:28:26 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Lines: 23 Message-ID: <851.794T1327T5684472@sky.bus.com> References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: p-325.newsdawg.com X-Newsreader: THOR 2.5a (Amiga;TCP/IP) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!35269!news.imp.ch!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-hog.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!enews.sgi.com!pln-w!spln!dex!extra.newsguy.com!newsp.newsguy.com!enews4 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99807 In article <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> eduorg@com.net (Jim) writes: >In article <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net>, Peter Seebach > wrote: > >> I have been told, many times, that the term "war-dialer" is a >> contraction from "wargames dialer", and that the term was coined >> after _War Games_ game out in 1983. Obviously, the technique was >> known earlier, but I have been unable to find a single earlier >> usage in print. > >Not to mention that "War Games" brought us the auto-dial *acoustic* >modem! :-) Which, judging by the speed of screen redraws, could run at 9600 bps. -- cgibbs@sky.bus.com (Charlie Gibbs) Remove the first period after the "at" sign to reply. I don't read top-posted messages. If you want me to see your reply, appropriately trim the quoted text and put your reply below it. ###### From: "Keith F. Lynch" Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? Date: 28 Jan 2002 00:15:49 -0500 Organization: United Individualist Lines: 45 Message-ID: References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: panix2.panix.com X-Trace: news.panix.com 1012194949 10411 166.84.1.2 (28 Jan 2002 05:15:49 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@panix.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 28 Jan 2002 05:15:49 GMT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!1064947!news.imp.ch!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!newsfeed.cwix.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!nycmny1-snh1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!panix!panix2.panix.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99896 Peter Seebach wrote: > I have been told, many times, that the term "war-dialer" is a > contraction from "wargames dialer", and that the term was coined > after _War Games_ game out in 1983. I checked both my personal archives and Google's. The earliest usages I could find were: * Wardialer (December 1988) * Wargames dialer (December 1988, ten days later) * War-dialer (March 1989) The forms war-dial, wardial, war-dialing, and wardialing do not occur in the 1980s. Of course neither my personal archives nor Google's are complete. But if the term was in use, the use certainly wasn't widespread. Nor do I remember it. > Obviously, the technique was known earlier, but I have been unable > to find a single earlier usage in print. More common terms are (or were) demon dialer and auto-redial, both of which first appeared in November 1982, according to Google. Of course the technique is far older than that. If I recall correctly, a Hayes 1200 bps modem I bought in 1984 would redial only nine times without a new command. This was supposedly because of some law. Of course these days the redialing is more likely to be due to software on a PC than a command built into a modem being triggered by a user at a terminal. Since I've never closely looked at any such software, I don't know if it still requires periodic manual intervention, or whether it will keep trying forever. I do know that I can recognize a busy signal faster than any computer that I've seen, and that I can further shave the redial time with the ATS11=40 command. (The default seems to be 70 ms per touchtone, but 40 will almost always work. 35 is pushing it.) This was useful when trying to get into busy BBSs that were busy 99% of the time, and that only had one phone line. I don't miss those days at all. -- Keith F. Lynch - kfl@keithlynch.net - http://keithlynch.net/ I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable. Please do not send me HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread. ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> Organization: Plethora . Net - More Net, Less Spam! X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test74 (May 26, 2000) From: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Originator: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Date: 28 Jan 2002 05:40:43 GMT Lines: 21 Message-ID: <3c54e45b$0$79558$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: 6bff878f.news.plethora.net X-Trace: 1012196443 gemini.plethora.net 79558 seebs@205.166.146.8 X-Complaints-To: abuse@plethora.net Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!207039!news.imp.ch!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-out.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!gemini.plethora.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:100125 In article , Keith F. Lynch wrote: >More common terms are (or were) demon dialer and auto-redial, both of >which first appeared in November 1982, according to Google. Of course >the technique is far older than that. Yeah. I got email from a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend - the guy who wrote the program to make it look like a computer was doing that, in WarGames, and he said he was pretty sure the term was coined *after* the movie, and he was *there*. So, looks like I probably win this one. Whee! Obviously, anyone who *does* have citations for an earlier use of the term is welcome to post them. I did find a "WARDIAL3" program for the TRS-80 - and it says it's a "Wargames Dialer", so I'm assuming it postdates the movie. -s -- Copyright 2001, all wrongs reversed. Peter Seebach / seebs@plethora.net $ chmod a+x /bin/laden Please do not feed or harbor the terrorists. C/Unix wizard, Pro-commerce radical, Spam fighter. Boycott Spamazon! Consulting, computers, web hosting, and shell access: http://www.plethora.net/ ###### From: jraben@cascinc.com (Jeff Raben) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 17:03:36 GMT Reply-To: jraben@cascinc.com Message-ID: <3c5583a3.1004409@news.bullseyetelecom.net> References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.21/32.243 NNTP-Posting-Host: 216.29.33.242 X-Trace: 28 Jan 2002 12:03:51 -0500, 216.29.33.242 Organization: NetSet Internet Services Lines: 17 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.imp.ch!news.imp.ch!news.stealth.net!news-feed.fnsi.net!athena.netset.com!216.29.33.242 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:100158 seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) wrote: >I have been told, many times, that the term "war-dialer" is a contraction from >"wargames dialer", and that the term was coined after _War Games_ game out in >1983. Obviously, the technique was known earlier, but I have been unable to >find a single earlier usage in print. > snip It was also called "demon dialer" which is from "daemon dialer". Daemon tasks run in the background while other things go on (like find fast rebuilding in Window$ and other indexing done on many systems). The daemon dialer would run in the background and log candidates for later call back. (I wouldn't know anything about that) Jeff and stir with a Runcible spoon... ###### From: Jim Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? Date: 28 Jan 2002 21:43:06 -0600 Lines: 12 Message-ID: <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 8bit User-Agent: Thoth/1.4.2 (Carbon/OS X) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!surfnet.nl!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.novia.net.MISMATCH!novia!novia!sequencer.newscene.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99834 In article <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net>, Peter Seebach wrote: > I have been told, many times, that the term "war-dialer" is a contraction from > "wargames dialer", and that the term was coined after _War Games_ game out in > 1983. Obviously, the technique was known earlier, but I have been unable to > find a single earlier usage in print. Not to mention that "War Games" brought us the auto-dial *acoustic* modem! :-) Jim ###### Sender: lynn@LYNNPC Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> Reply-To: Anne & Lynn Wheeler From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler Message-ID: Organization: Wheeler&Wheeler Lines: 12 User-Agent: Gnus/5.090003 (Oort Gnus v0.03) Emacs/20.7 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 16:22:16 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 199.174.227.218 X-Complaints-To: abuse@earthlink.net X-Trace: newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net 1012321336 199.174.227.218 (Tue, 29 Jan 2002 08:22:16 PST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 08:22:16 PST X-Received-Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 08:22:16 PST (newsmaster1.prod.itd.earthlink.net) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!feed2.news.rcn.net!rcn!newsfeed1.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newsmaster1.prod.itd.earthlink.net!newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99962 Jim writes: > Not to mention that "War Games" brought us the auto-dial *acoustic* > modem! :-) and the scene in war games on the ferry was actually from steilicom to anderson is (in puget sound) .... and that ferry has since been retrofitted as tourist bout on lake washington out of kirkland (one of the "high" spots is by bill's place) http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000d.html#39 -- Anne & Lynn Wheeler | lynn@garlic.com - http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/ ###### From: cbh@ieya.co.REMOVE_THIS.uk (Chris Hedley) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 17:33:03 +0000 Organization: Honest Chris' Sysadmin Emporium Message-ID: References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: teabag.demon.co.uk X-NNTP-Posting-Host: teabag.demon.co.uk:193.237.4.110 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 1012327204 nnrp-02:10735 NO-IDENT teabag.demon.co.uk:193.237.4.110 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test76 (Apr 2, 2001) Originator: cbh@ieya.co.REMOVE_THIS.uk (Chris Hedley) Lines: 10 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!colt.net!dispose.news.demon.net!news.demon.co.uk!demon!teabag.demon.co.uk!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99866 According to Anne & Lynn Wheeler : > and the scene in war games on the ferry was actually from steilicom to > anderson is (in puget sound) .... and that ferry has since been > retrofitted as tourist bout on lake washington out of kirkland (one > of the "high" spots is by bill's place) So Bill's place is next to the infamous Steilacoom nuthouse, then? Figures, I suppose... Chris. ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> Organization: Plethora . Net - More Net, Less Spam! X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test74 (May 26, 2000) From: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Originator: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Date: 29 Jan 2002 21:07:14 GMT Lines: 13 Message-ID: <3c570f02$0$36736$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: b769b7ed.news.plethora.net X-Trace: 1012338434 gemini.plethora.net 36736 seebs@205.166.146.8 X-Complaints-To: abuse@plethora.net Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-out.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!gemini.plethora.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:100099 In article <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net>, Jim wrote: >Not to mention that "War Games" brought us the auto-dial *acoustic* >modem! :-) Yes. They wrote a special program for the computer to simulate the display as if it were dialing. That was funny. -s -- Copyright 2001, all wrongs reversed. Peter Seebach / seebs@plethora.net $ chmod a+x /bin/laden Please do not feed or harbor the terrorists. C/Unix wizard, Pro-commerce radical, Spam fighter. Boycott Spamazon! Consulting, computers, web hosting, and shell access: http://www.plethora.net/ ###### Sender: lynn@LYNNPC Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> Reply-To: Anne & Lynn Wheeler From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler Message-ID: Organization: Wheeler&Wheeler Lines: 12 User-Agent: Gnus/5.090003 (Oort Gnus v0.03) Emacs/20.7 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 22:25:14 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 199.174.229.122 X-Complaints-To: abuse@earthlink.net X-Trace: newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net 1012343114 199.174.229.122 (Tue, 29 Jan 2002 14:25:14 PST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 14:25:14 PST X-Received-Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 14:25:15 PST (newsmaster1.prod.itd.earthlink.net) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!newsfeed1.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newsmaster1.prod.itd.earthlink.net!newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99949 cbh@ieya.co.REMOVE_THIS.uk (Chris Hedley) writes: > So Bill's place is next to the infamous Steilacoom nuthouse, > then? Figures, I suppose... steilacom is on puget sound ... sort of west of ft. lewis & south of tacoma. ferry is now refurbished & running as tourist boat on lake washington out of kirkland ... east of seattle -- Anne & Lynn Wheeler | lynn@garlic.com - http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/ ###### From: cbh@ieya.co.REMOVE_THIS.uk (Chris Hedley) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 22:36:26 +0000 Organization: Honest Chris' Sysadmin Emporium Message-ID: References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: teabag.demon.co.uk X-NNTP-Posting-Host: teabag.demon.co.uk:193.237.4.110 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 1012345204 nnrp-12:13356 NO-IDENT teabag.demon.co.uk:193.237.4.110 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test76 (Apr 2, 2001) Originator: cbh@ieya.co.REMOVE_THIS.uk (Chris Hedley) Lines: 9 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!colt.net!dispose.news.demon.net!news.demon.co.uk!demon!teabag.demon.co.uk!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:99835 According to Anne & Lynn Wheeler : > steilacom is on puget sound ... sort of west of ft. lewis & south of > tacoma. I'll know where to avoid should I ever visit Seattle, then! :) (Smiley probably inappropriate having read that actress' autobiography of life as an inmate there...) Chris. ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.2600 Subject: Re: "war-dialing" etymology? From: gsnow@mchs.org (Glenn Snow) Message-ID: <200201292041382303325@[192.168.0.4]> References: <3c54b269$0$79562$3c090ad1@news.plethora.net> <280120022241500111%eduorg@com.net> X-Newsreader: MacSOUP 2.2b6 Lines: 15 X-Complaints-To: abuse@easynews.com Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! - Test our service with our FREE trial at https://www.easynews.com/trial/trial.phtml X-Complaints-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly. Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 02:40:31 GMT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.imp.ch!news.imp.ch!nntp-out.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!feeder.qis.net!washdc3-snh1.gtei.net!cambridge1-snf1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!bos-service1.ext.raytheon.com!cyclone.swbell.net!easynews!news.easynews.com.POSTED!gsnow Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.folklore.computers:100259 ...and the video arcade he was playing in at the beginning of the movie was the one next to the high school I grew up next to in Woodland Hills, (southern) California... Anne & Lynn Wheeler wrote: > Jim writes: > > Not to mention that "War Games" brought us the auto-dial *acoustic* > > modem! :-) > > and the scene in war games on the ferry was actually from steilicom to > anderson is (in puget sound) .... and that ferry has since been > retrofitted as tourist bout on lake washington out of kirkland (one > of the "high" spots is by bill's place) > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000d.html#39