John Draper

20151004 Captain Crunch at Maker Faire Berlin IMG 1282 by sebaso

American computer programmer and former phone phreak

John Draper

Name	John Draper
Birth name
Birth date	March 11, 1943
Birth place	United States
Death date
Death place
Alma mater
Occupation	Computer programmer
Years active
Organization
Known for	Phone phreaking
Notable works
Spouse(s)
Website

John Thomas Draper (born March 11, 1943), also known as Captain Crunch, is an American computer programmer and former phone phreak. He is a well-known figure in the hacker community and is recognized for his early contributions to phone phreaking.

Early Life

John Draper was born on March 11, 1943, in the United States. He developed an interest in electronics and telecommunications at a young age.

Phone Phreaking

Draper became famous in the early 1970s for his involvement in phone phreaking, a form of hacking that involved manipulating the telephone network to make free long-distance calls. He discovered that a toy whistle given away in boxes of Cap'n Crunch cereal could be used to generate a 2600 Hz tone, which was the same frequency used by the AT&T long-distance switching system. This discovery earned him the nickname "Captain Crunch."

Contributions to Computing

In addition to his phone phreaking activities, Draper made significant contributions to the field of computer programming. He wrote several early programs for the Apple II computer, including the popular word processor EasyWriter. Draper also worked with Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, the co-founders of Apple Inc., during the early days of the company.

Legal Issues

Draper's phone phreaking activities eventually led to legal troubles. He was arrested and convicted multiple times for his involvement in telephone fraud. Despite these setbacks, Draper remains a respected figure in the hacker community.

Later Life

In his later years, Draper continued to be active in the technology and hacker communities. He has given numerous talks and presentations at hacker conferences and has been featured in various documentaries and books about the history of hacking.

Legacy

John Draper's work in phone phreaking and computer programming has left a lasting impact on the hacker community and the field of telecommunications. He is considered a pioneer in the world of hacking and is often cited as an inspiration by many modern-day hackers.

See Also

• Phone phreaking
• Hacker (computer security)
• Steve Wozniak
• Steve Jobs
• Apple II
• EasyWriter