Worth reading!

Very good. Even years later this book is thought provoking. In addition, it gives a historical view of computing at beginning of the widespread use of the Internet. ( )

An interesting story but about 150 pages too long for this non-computer guy. I am a proud owner of one of Stoll's Klein bottles. ( )

USA, Californien, 1986
Clifford Stoll er astronom, men hans bevilling er tørret ud og han får i stedet arbejde som systemadministrator på Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. En dag i 1986 bemærker han at nogen laver numre med afdelingens VAX installation.

??? ( )

I found this to be an enjoyable true story of tracking a hacker in the early days if the Internet, setting up alarms, putting in traps, and working with numerous agencies and telcos. It was a bit drawn out at times but I still enjoyed it. Good storytelling from a first person perspective of the hunt. ( )

Maybe a little too concerned with narrating every single step in the process, even the many, many failed attempts that lead nowhere. This comes at the expense of excitement in the middle sections of the book.

But that's a minor complaint, overall this was a really cracking story. I'm really impressed by how well Stoll explained topics in computer science, networking, and security to readers who may very well have never been on a network before, and who may be hearing about hacking for the first time. He did a good job choosing what to simplify, and how, to let readers understand what was going on, while not overwhelming them or talking down to them. Even more impressive given that these intrusion detection techniques were things he invented, so he had no examples to draw from, and not many people around to give him advice.

This book was all the rage in the BBS scene in the 90s, and I didn't read it then. I'm glad I finally got around to it. Maybe the longest time between putting a book on my "to read" pile and then actually reading it: about 30 years. ( )