<nettime> HIP - FAQ

[Geert Lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

Sender: owner-hip-announce@hip97.nl
Reply-To: info@hip97.nl

Hacking In Progress Frequently Asked Questions
----------------------------------------------


Last-Modified:     2 May 1997
Maintained by:     [general] Maurice Wessling <info@hip97.nl>
                   [hipnet]  Daniel Ockeloen  <daniel@hip97.nl>

New in this FAQ:   Information about the network


1.0    General Information

1.1    What is Hacking In Progress?
1.2    Who is organizing it?
1.3    Open-air?
1.4    What will be the issues at HIP?
1.5    How can I help?
1.6    Is it worth coming to HIP when I don't know 
       anything about computers?
1.7    Beyond HOPE
1.8    Press

2.0    Practical info

2.1    How do I get to the campsite?
2.2    Are there any hotels or restaurants nearby?
2.3    What if it rains?

3.0    What does it cost?

4.0.0  HipNet

4.0.1  General Info
4.1.0  How do I connect to the HIP network ?   
4.1.1  Ethernet and ?
4.1.2  Coax or RJ45 ?
4.1.3  Samba/AppleTalk or TCP/IP
4.1.4  What kind of Operating systems can/may we use ?
4.1.5  I haven't got an ethernet card, should I get one ?
4.1.6  Can you guys lend me an ethernet card ?
4.1.7  What will be my IP number and the DNS server for HIPnet ?
4.2.0  What if I want something other than ethernet ?
4.3.0  Can i bring my networking hardware ?
4.3.1  Extra network cards
4.3.2  Extra network components (hubs/switches/routers
       /terminal servers)
4.3.3  Setting up 'pockets' of weird networks or local networks

5.0    Miscellaneous

5.1    What about some music and bands?
5.2    Will there be Jolt?
5.3    Dogs

6.0    Stay informed

6.1    How can I get the latest news on HIP?
6.2    What is the newsgroup about?
6.3    What is discussed in the newsgroup?
6.4    How can I contact the people behind HIP?



1.0 General Information
-----------------------

1.1 What is Hacking In Progress?
--------------------------------

Hacking In Progress is an open-air hacker convention on a 
campsite near Almere in the Netherlands on the 8th, 9th 
and 10th of August 1997. Visitors will bring their own 
computer equipment and tents to build the largest 
non-military open-air ethernet ever. People from all over 
the Netherlands and other countries will come together to 
learn and discuss the benefits and the risks of new 
technologies. They'll listen to lectures, participate in 
workshops, enjoy special presentations and - last but not 
least - party. All of this in the friendly open-air 
environment of a very wired campsite far away from the 
civilized world.

HIP will be a place for hackers, artists, activists and 
many, many others to network themselves, both in the social 
and electronic sense of the word. HIP will deal with the 
social and political aspects of information technology, 
security, Internet, access to technology, cryptography, and 
concerns about spamming and other 'hacker-related' topics.


1.2 Who is organizing HIP?
--------------------------

Once there was a little magazine in The Netherlands called 
`Hack-Tic', and it published wild ways to play tricks on the 
information infrastructure of the world. The magazine 
doesn't exist anymore, but most of the people that wrote 
articles for the magazine or helped organize Hacking at the 
End of the Universe (1993) and even some of the people that 
helped put up the Galactic Hacker Party (1989) are still in 
touch with each other. The every-four-year-itch has gotten 
to us again...


1.3 Open-air?
-------------

There'll be no hotel rooms or anything like that so you'll 
want to bring at least a tent and a sleeping bag to HIP, 
even if this means you can't bring the paper-tape unit that 
came with your VAX 11/780. We'll supply a campground, 
toilets, showers, good food and electrical power (as close 
to 220V/50Hz as possible) and we'll do our best to supply 
everyone who wants it with an Ethernet connection. You will 
probably be able to trade wiring, extra outlets, Ethernet 
cards, and the use of modular crimping tools for almost 
anything.


1.4 What will be the issues at HIP?
-----------------------------------

A lot can and will happen in the coming months, and we'll 
keep adding new topics even during the event itself. But 
we're definitely going to discuss the legal situation 
regarding encryption, as well as the latest technical 
developments in this field. The current decay of the Usenet, 
copyright issues, censorship as well as many other 
legislative, social political and technical issues 
surrounding Internet will be discussed. Computer security, 
or the lack thereof will also be a hot topic. We'll have 
research workshops (i.e. GSM and chipcard security) and you 
can also join many `how-to' workshops and lectures where you 
can pick up on Linux (Unix you can run at home, not built by 
Microsoft), perl (a very powerful computer language) and 
many, many other topics.

At this moment we are working on discussions and workshops 
about smartcard security, Tempest attacks, the SPAM threat, 
virtual communities, cryptography and the law (Trusted Third 
Parties and Key Recovery), a tele-presence experiment, 
activism on the Net, and much more.

If you want to see the latest information regarding the program 
take a look at the website.


1.5 How can I help?
-------------------

We need lots of people that have ideas for organizing their 
own small part of HIP and the organizational talent to do 
this without too much help from us.

One of the proven recipes for fun:

* GET a group of friends together in an early stage; arrange 
how you're going to get there if you're far away.

* THINK: Is there something you and your friends would like 
to show others, discuss or do there?

* If so: TELL us about it, so we can coordinate, help or 
announce things.

* BRING lots of computers and other electronics, maybe your 
own army surplus tent.

* HOOK it all up once you get there.

* Check out what others have been doing and MEET nice people, 
hang out, have fun!

HIPcamp will open on August 5th, three days before HIP 
starts. If you decide to join in that early expect pretty 
primitive circumstances. If you don't care about that, or 
think that's the best part, you can help build HIPnet and 
all other facilities.


1.6 Is it worth coming to HIP when I don't know anything about 
--------------------------------------------------------------
computers?
----------

HIP will be about information technology and the Internet, 
both in technical as in social and political sense.

HIP is not the event to buy a computer or get advice on 
buying one, and there're not going to be any beginner 
courses on using the Internet. If you're not into networking 
of some sort, you'll think it's boring.

But if you're very technically inclined, part of some remote 
community on the edge of the net, or if the politics 
surrounding information technology are just your thing, HIP 
is definitely made for you (and by you, we hope).


1.7 Beyond HOPE
---------------

HIP will happen on the same days as Beyond HOPE, a hacker 
convention in New York, organized by the people of 2600 
Magazine. There will be audio and video links between both 
events, and we're working on cool gadgets to further enhance 
your sense of `grassroots telepresence'. This will be a 
twin-event in the true sense of the word.

More info on Beyond Hope can be found at:

http://www.hope.net/


1.8 Press
---------

All press is welcome to visit HIP, but there will be a few 
rules. All members of the press will pay the entrance fee, no 
discussion about this. There will be a part of the campsite, 
where people actually that put up their own tent and sleep, 
that is off-limits to all press. No filming, photographing or 
recording is to take place there. Some people like to have a 
press-free moment, some have employment-related reason for 
shunning media attention.


2.0 Practical information
-------------------------

2.1 How do I get to the campsite?
---------------------------------

If you come to HIP from abroad, whether it is by plane, 
train or car, you'll start off in Amsterdam. Campsite 
Kotterbos near Almere is about a 30-minute drive from 
Amsterdam. We'll put a detailed description of the route on 
the website later.


2.2 Are there any hotels or restaurants nearby?
-----------------------------------------------

Bring your own tent to HIP, that is the whole point of this 
festival. We will provide snacks, meals and drinks at a 
reasonable price. There is nothing besides trees and empty 
fields around HIP. The city of Almere is about five 
kilometers away, but it has few facilities, it is a commuter 
town. If you really want to sleep in a hotel (and have only 
half the fun) you'll be better off in Amsterdam. But you'll 
have quite some trouble getting from Amsterdam to HIP every 
day if you have no car. We'll provide a small bus to ride 
between HIP and Almere train station (more details as the 
festival draws closer) but there will not be a continuous 
service.


2.3 What if it rains?
---------------------

The weather in the Netherlands is not very good but August 
is the hottest month of the year. And your hardware will not 
be standing outside. There will be a few very big tents, 
with wooden floors, tables and chairs where you can set up 
your computer. You won't be sitting in the grass all the 
time (unless you want to).


3.0 What does it cost?
----------------------

We don't know yet. There will be two different tickets, for 
only one day and an all-in ticket. The all-in ticket will be 
somewhere between 100 and 150 guilders ($50 / $75). For 
snacks and meals you'll have to pay separate. Information 
about the price and how to send your reservation will be on 
the website as soon as we have figured out the details.


4.0.0  HipNet
-------------

4.0.1 What is HipNet?
---------------------

Like the last time, at Hacking at the End of the Universe (HEU), 
the HIP will be wired to the rest of the world using different 
kinds of networks. Because of the nature of the event, this 
will not be an easy task.

We are already planning and working with lots of people to 
get the job done. But only with the help of all participants 
coming to the HIP will it be possible to build the largest 
outdoor network ever created, once again, in the middle of nowhere.

This FAQ will give you answers on what to bring, how the basic 
network will be, and how you can help us (and be a builder 
in this network, not a user!). Anyone coming to the HIP 
expecting a perfect network layout where he or she can plug 
in and complain to the HIP "organization" if it doesn't work, 
should stay at home. The HIP network will be built by you!

Like a good picnic, we will provide the digital grounds and 
tables, and make sure that the main routes to the picnic fields 
are clean. But we do expect you guys to bring the food ;-)

This does not mean that you will need to be a networker by trade, 
but it does mean that we expect participants to help out where 
they can. By sharing hardware and software, but most importantly, 
by helping each other. We hope that at the end of HIP we will have 
made many connections between people - in more ways than one.


4.1.0 How do I connect to the HIP network ?
-------------------------------------------

In principle anything can be connected but if you've read the 
above, you'll understand that we want to keep things as simple 
as possible. The best chances of you to get connected easily, 
are to follow the hints in this FAQ. If everything goes well, 
you will be up and running in minutes.


4.1.1 Ethernet and ?
--------------------

The main network will be an ethernet that will be available on 
all parts of the camping grounds. For the end users this will 
be 10 Mbit/Sec. If you want to run a different kind of network, 
read paragraph 4.2.0. If you want to connect at a higher speed 
for valid reasons, contact us.


4.1.2 Coax or RJ45 ?
------------------

We would prefer you to come with an ethernet connection of the 
UTP/RJ45 type. We understand that this will not always be possible 
on older computer systems, so we'll try to supply a coax loop on 
most grounds; all the event areas will definitely have coax.

So: try to get an UTP/RJ45 ethernet card if possible, and you'll 
save yourself a lot of trouble. If you have more cards than 
computers please bring them with you.


4.1.3 Samba/AppleTalk or TCP/IP
-------------------------------

TCP/IP will be the base protocol on the network. We might allow 
other protocols but we reserve the right block them, for performance 
or other reasons. If you are in need of other protocols you should 
set it up as a 'pocket' with a gate to our TCP/IP network if needed. 


4.1.4 What kind of Operating systems can/may we use ?
-----------------------------------------------------

Anything goes, if you think for some reason you can't talk the 
needed protocols, and don't see how you can solve this using a 
pocket/gate, contact us.


4.1.5 I haven't got an ethernet card, should I get one ?
--------------------------------------------------------

Yes, get an ethernet card before the HIP. If you don't have an 
ethernet card now you probably are not a heavy ethernet user so 
get a simple network card with a RJ45 _and_ a COAX if possible. 
These cards can be found in good computer shops for around 
60 / 70 Guilders ($30/$40) for a NE2000 compatible card.


4.1.6 Can you guys lend me an ethernet card ?
---------------------------------------------

No, we won't, but there *might* be people who have some spares.
It's *not smart* to come to HIP unprepared. 


4.1.7 What will be my IP number and the DNS server for HIPnet ?
-------------------------------------------------------------

Don't Panic! Most important numbers will probably end with 1 
or 42 but for now, that's all you need to know. We promise 
we'll tell you before the HIP or at the HIP. This is not a 
big deal, trust us. ;-)


4.2.0 What if I want something other than ethernet ?
--------------------------------------------------

It's possible, you could think of packetradio for example. We will 
provide more about this in the FAQ in time.


4.3.0 Can I bring my networking hardware ?
------------------------------------------

In fact, we expect you to do this. We will *not* give you the 
largest outdoor network ever built; but we *will* give you room 
to build it. So, the more you bring, the easier our task will be.


4.3.1 Extra network cards
-------------------------

If you have extra network cards, great! Bring 'em! However, 
should you lend one to a fellow hipper, it will be up to you 
to keep track of your cards.

Don't worry, last time there where *not* much problems with 
people not returning things. 


4.3.2 Extra network components
------------------------------

HIPnet will not be possible without your help and your skills 
for borrowing, convincing and talking people into bringing 
the parts we need to build this thing (hubs/switches/routers
/terminal servers).

If you can, bring your own hubs and cables, then drop us a line 
with what kind of hub (number of ports) you will be bringing.

If you come in a group just mail us 'we will come with 
10 people, 15 computers and we only need one connection' or 
'I will have 10 ports left at my tent'.


4.3.3 Setting up 'pockets' of weird networks or local networks
--------------------------------------------------------------

We will setup or expect you to setup gates to these network 
pockets that as a pocket conform to the needed systems we need. 
Contact us if you want to setup such a gate to something.


5.0 Miscellaneous
-----------------

5.1 What about some music and bands?
------------------------------------

We'll throw a party on the last evening of HIP, but HIP 
won't be a music festival or a rave.


5.2 Will there be Jolt?
-----------------------

Don't worry, we'll have it at HIP. There will be enough 
for everyone.


5.3 Dogs
--------

No dogs allowed at HIP, sorry.


6.0 Stay informed
-----------------

6.1 How can I get the latest news on HIP?
-----------------------------------------

Just visit our web site at http://www.hip97.nl/ and use the 
form to subscribe to the announcement mailing list. It's 
spam-free and will only carry HIP announcements written by 
us. You can also participate in the ongoing, yet slightly 
messy debate in the newsgroup alt.hacking.in.progress

If you don't have access to the web you can subscribe to the 
announcement mailing list by sending an email message to

    majordomo@hip97.nl

with the line

    subscribe hip-announce

in the body of the message.

Announcements will also be posted in alt.hacking.in.progress


6.2 What is the newsgroup about?
--------------------------------

Alt.hacking.in.progress is about Hacking In Progress (HIP), 
a hacker convention and festival in the Netherlands on the 
8th, 9th and 10th of August 1997. This newsgroup is meant as 
a meeting place for hackers and others who are interested in 
the convention or even plan to visit it.


6.3 What is discussed in the newsgroup?
---------------------------------------

Everything on the crossroad of camping, information 
technology, politics, hacking and Dutch weather forecasting.


6.4 How can I contact the people behind HIP?
--------------------------------------------

Check out our website at http://www.hip97.nl/

Mail us at info@hip97.nl

Snailmail us at: 

HIP
Postbus 1035
1000 BA  Amsterdam
Netherlands

Tel. +31 20 5352081
Fax. +31 20 5352082

EOF

--
Hacking In Progress 1997
8-10 August, Almere, Netherlands
http://www.hip97.nl/
info@hip97.nl

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