> The "groups" for me were a secondary thing and a means to share knowledge

I think this is the key point. For those that grew up with computers before modems became popular in early 90's, your best option to have access to information was to meet folks with similar interests and find your nearest computer club.

I remember Phrack from those early days, with the editions being passed in 5 1/4 diskettes. Nice to see that it is still alive.