I think the allure of phreaking was more than getting phone calls for free — hackers got access for free, and crackers got software for free (well, we ALL got software for free, but I digress.) I think the draw to phreaking for many of us was the fact that hackers and crackers had very little power outside their circles. Cracking the latest game wasn’t going to impress most adults, and while hacking might have been fun in the BBS world, let’s face it; very few of us were changing our grades a’la David Lightman. But phones were different; everyone had a phone. The redbox stuffed in your front pocket would allow you to call anyone from any payphone; memorized c0d3z/PBXs/etc could be used anywhere, at anytime.

When it came down to harassing adults, slandering their name on a cracking screen didn’t affect their world; convincing an operator to disconnect their phone line most certainly would.