WHYcast history episode 7

Episode 7 – Stories from Hacking In Progress (1997): The Middle of Nowhere, Orange Badges, and Early Tech

In this episode of WHYcast, the hosts Nancy and Ad maintain their tradition of spotlighting the rich and idiosyncratic history of Dutch hacker camps by welcoming Walter, affectionately referred to as the “80s hacker,” to share his personal recollections from Hacking In Progress (HIP) 1997. This episode’s historical segment is particularly vivid, offering a window into the evolving culture, technical experimentation, and playful spirit that have defined the Dutch hacker community for decades.

The Setting: Building HIP in the Middle of Nowhere

Walter’s story begins with the physical and social setting of HIP 1997. The camp was located “in the middle of the Netherlands,” described evocatively as being in the “middle of nowhere.” Volunteers arrived early to set up tents and infrastructure. Walter recalls the experience of working long days, rewarded by evenings under a star-filled sky untouched by light pollution, since no lighting had been installed yet. The site itself—open, expansive, near water, with a big pit of sand for campfires and barbecues—embodies the communal and rustic atmosphere that has become a hallmark of hacker camps.

Rob, one of the organizers, gave the opening address by welcoming everyone to "the exact middle of nowhere," setting the tone for a week that would balance technical ambition with a sense of playful camaraderie and adventure.

Technical Milestones and Firsts

HIP 1997 was notable for several technological advancements and firsts within the hacker camp tradition:

• Live Video Feed with 2600 (US): At the opening, organizers attempted a live video connection with the famed US hacker group 2600. Given the era—1997—this was ambitious. Bandwidth was limited, especially for international connections, and the feed was only partially successful. Yet, it signified both the technical daring and the international outlook of the Dutch hacker community.

• Network Infrastructure: The event supported a substantial network for its time, with a six-megabit uplink to the internet and infrastructure for roughly 1,600 computers. For many, this was their first experience with such a large, connected environment. Walter humorously recalls bringing his own PC with a 20-megabyte hard disk and encountering MP3s—then a new and magical technology that allowed more than one song to fit on a disk. He recounts the frustration of not being able to download a parody video, “Windsongs 95,” because it simply wouldn't fit on his drive.

• PEG DHCP: The episode references a previous WHYcast history segment detailing the introduction of PEG DHCP at HIP. This was a creative, low-tech solution to network address management, where attendees would physically claim their IP configuration using clothespins (“pegs”) labeled with IP addresses. This story is not retold in detail in this episode but is cross-referenced as an important technical anecdote from the same event.

Badges, HIPs, and the Emergence of Volunteer Culture

Badges at HIP 1997 continued the tradition from earlier camps by providing printed identification to all attendees. Payment at the event was made using “HIPs”—tokens valued at 50 cents each, which could be exchanged at the bar. This currency system added an element of playful self-sufficiency and community economics to the camp.

The food at HIP 1997 was remarked upon as a significant improvement over previous camps. Walter reminisces about earlier events where food was “super healthy, ugly-looking,” in contrast to HIP, where pizza was served for the first time, much to the delight of attendees. This seemingly minor detail reflects the gradual adaptation of the camps to the needs and desires of the participants and the evolution of the volunteer-run infrastructure.

The Police: Orange Badges and Playful Subversion

One of the most memorable and telling anecdotes from HIP 1997 revolves around the presence of police at the event. By this point, law enforcement had become aware of hacker gatherings and attended out of both curiosity and concern. The organizers decided that police should have their own special badge. Initially, the idea was to make the badges pink with a pig motif—a tongue-in-cheek jab at police stereotypes—but ultimately, a more diplomatic orange badge was chosen.

However, the hacker spirit soon took over: some attendees began creating their own orange “police” badges as a joke, blurring the lines between authority and participant, and highlighting the community’s penchant for subverting even its own systems. Not all police attended in uniform; some blended in with regular badges, creating an environment where distinctions between authority and attendee were intentionally muddied.

Dialogue and Ethics: The Police as Participants

Walter reflects on the interactions between hackers and police, noting that the atmosphere was not hostile but varied by individual. He singles out “The Fridge” (Harry on the Water), a police officer from Amsterdam’s central crime unit and a familiar presence in online discussions. Harry exemplified the ideal of dialogue and mutual understanding, engaging openly with hackers to discuss the ethics and implications of hacking. He sought to steer the community away from illegal activity and towards more constructive and ethical uses of their skills, acknowledging the shifting legal landscape: in the 1980s, hacking was not yet criminalized, but by the mid-1990s, new laws had changed the calculus.

This episode situates HIP 1997 as a turning point—a space where the hacker community and authorities negotiated new boundaries, responsibilities, and relationships, often through humor and direct, personal conversation rather than confrontation.

Cultural Snapshots

Walter’s account is peppered with small details that bring HIP 1997 to life: the sign reading “Watch out: Hack,” friends gathering at the site, and the enduring sense of being part of something both deeply technical and profoundly social. The event’s scale (a tent for a thousand people, a bustling volunteer crew, the need for angels or helpers at every talk) is matched by its informality and the warmth of its community.

Legacy

Through these stories, HIP 1997 emerges as a milestone in Dutch hacker camp history—a place where technical innovation, playful resistance, and open dialogue with authority figures coexisted. The event’s spirit lives on in the traditions and organizational methods of subsequent camps, and in the personal memories of those who built and attended it.