The beginning of XS4ALL

HackTic

In 1989 the first edition of HackTic appeared. HackTic was a magazine for everyone who wanted to do more with technology than just consume. For example, HackTic had articles on hacking, free telephone calls, viruses, magnetic cards and the Dutch PTT. Rop Gonggrijp and Paul Jongsma were two of the editors of HackTic. Rop soon became nationally and internationally known. As a result of his articles he was loved, hated and even feared.
For more information, see the Hack-Tic Magazine Archive (1989-1994) (Dutch).

Utopia

In 1992 Rop and Paul met Felipe Rodriquez. Felipe was the operator of the Utopia bulletin board (BBS). Utopia was an online meeting place for Hackers, where tricks, tips and files could be exchanged. In those days speeds were still 300 to 1200 bps. The internet was still in its infancy. There were no providers and access to the internet was only possible through the universities. That same year Rop, Paul and Felipe came into contact with Matthew Lewis. He was working as a system administrator at the University of Amsterdam and enabled Rop, Paul and Felipe to operate an account on a system at the University of Amsterdam. He also set up an e-mail connection to Utopia. People dialling into Utopia could now send e-mail worldwide. The first step had been taken.

Internet in the Netherlands

As a result of a hacking incident Matthew was forced to close the accounts at the University of Amsterdam in 1992. Then the idea was born of setting up an independent internet service. In America the first Internet Service Providers (ISPs) had been up and running for some time. In Britain the Demon ISP was proving very successful. In the Netherlands only NLnet was active at the time. NLnet only provided internet access for companies and not for private individuals because, according to NLnet, there would not be any market for private individuals. That would prove to be an enormous error.

XS4ALL established

It was then that Felipe got to know Cor Bosman through Utopia. Felipe invited Cor to visit Rop and after a brief discussion Cor became the fourth person in the group. Rop was the linchpin, Felipe the visionary and Paul and Cor were the technicians. The first few months of 1993 were dominated by the formation of XS4ALL, the flagship of the HackTic network. They had to get hold of computers and modems and set up a connection to NLnet. The foursome reckoned that XS4ALL would have around 500 users after six months.

The first day

XS4ALL opened to the public on 1 May 1993 and the first ISP in the Netherlands was now a reality. But something happened that no one had anticipated. By 7 o'clock that evening the 500th customer had already signed up! The fight to keep pace with the growth of the business had begun and this fight would prove an unending one.

HEU

In the summer of 1993 Rop Gonggrijp organised HEU. 'Hacking at the End of the Universe' was a 3-day summer conference for hackers, phone-breaks, programmers, cyberpunks and all the other "unshaven techno-anarchistic riff-raff". HEU took place at the Larsenbos camp site in the middle of the Flevopolder. It was a great success. There were workshops, lectures, courses, shows and those attending could make use of the largest non-military network ever to be set up in the open air. In the summer of 1997 the success of HEU was surpassed by that of its successor 'Hacking in Progress', or HIP. In the meantime XS4ALL was progressing at a rapid rate.

DDS

On 15 January 1994 De Digitale Stad (The Digital City) opened, the result of a joint venture by De Balie and XS4ALL. DDS was a FreeNet, a free system which everyone could use. With DDS the aim was to bring politics and the citizen together in an online community. It managed to do this only in part. Nevertheless, DDS was on the whole a great success and even now it is still operating independently. The publicity surrounding De Digitale Stad put the internet on the map in the Netherlands once and for all: not a day went by without an article on DDS appearing in the newspapers, magazines or on television.

From a Foundation to XS4ALL Internet bv

XS4ALL ceased to sail under the same flag as HackTic. The name remained the same, but XS4ALL continued as an independent foundation Stichting XS4ALL. In 1994 and 1995 XS4ALL grew into a company with 15 employees, many of whom were friends from the HackTic days or had been with XS4ALL from the beginning. In March 1996 the name was changed for the final time. XS4ALL had grown into a fully-fledged company and the legal form of a foundation no longer seemed workable. XS4ALL became XS4ALL Internet bv.

The people there at the beginning

On Sunday 3 March 1996 Matthew Lewis, one of the co-originators, died of AIDS. XS4ALL is extremely grateful to him for everything he did for XS4ALL and the company continues to give active support to numerous AIDS funds. In 1997 Felipe Rodriquez decided to leave XS4ALL. He felt it was time for a new broom, a new manager who could take XS4ALL into the next phase. In five years the business had grown from a tiny provider into a medium-sized company with 40,000 subscribers. Rop Gonggrijp also left XS4ALL; he set up ITSX, a successful security business.

New developments

In 1997 XS4ALL moved from the attractive old premises on Prins Hendrikkade to a modern office building in Diemen-Zuid. In addition to the well-known Standard Account, XS4ALL began some time ago to offer an extensive range of business services. XS4ALL then looked for ways of safeguarding its position as a technological leader. In 1998 broadband technology was developing fast. XS4ALL wanted to offer internet access through that channel in order to strengthen its position and looked for a strong partner. KPN turned out to be the best candidate.

XS4ALL and KPN

On 17 December 1998 XS4ALL Internet was acquired by KPN Telecom. XS4ALL became an independent subsidiary within KPN Telecom. KPN gave XS4ALL the freedom to operate independently. As a result, XS4ALL was still able to develop new internet services, optimise the quality and security of the internet and continuously safeguard the privacy of its customers. The former shareholders signed a three-year contract with KPN specifying a number of crucial aspects relating to the independence of XS4ALL. Doke Pelleboer, a former member of the management team of KPN's Internet Services business line, became Managing Director. XS4ALL was given a Supervisory Board (Raad van Commissarissen), to consolidate and guarantee XS4ALL's independent position within KPN. Felipe Rodriquez was a member of the board.

New agreement

After 18 December 2001 XS4ALL and KPN signed a new agreement on XS4ALL's independence within the KPN group. KPN agreed to a series of new policies, which provided a permanent basis for XS4ALL's independence. The Supervisory Board which formed part of the previous structure was converted into an Advisory Board. Felipe Rodriquez, the founder of XS4ALL and a supervisory director, stayed on as an adviser.

Company portraits

A series of company portraits have been published since 2001, providing an annual review of events and developments at XS4ALL. You can find these under Facts & Figures.