David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH)

I was enamored with what they were able to create.

And I just wanted to be a part of it, even though I kind of didn't have any skills to contribute.

And that's how I got into running BBSs.

I didn't learn programming then, and I wouldn't learn programming until much later, until I was almost 20 years old.

The bulletin board systems existed in this funny space where they were part

service to the demo scenes, allowing all these demo groups to distribute their amazing demos.

And then it was also a place to trade piracy software, pirated software.

And I ended up starting one of those when I was 14 years old in my tiny little bedroom in Copenhagen.

I had my, at that point, Amiga 4000.

I had three telephone lines coming into my tiny room.

Nice.

Which was funny because, again, I'm 14 years old.

By the time I was installing my third line, you had to get someone from the telephone company to come do it.

I get this guy, and he's just looking around like, what is this?

Why the hell is a 14-year-old having three phone lines into their tiny little bedroom?

What's going on here?

Why are all these modems blinking red and black and making funny sounds?

They did and they didn't.

They knew I had the phone lines.

They knew I had the computer.