Before the current version of what we know as the internet there were alternative silos of information you could mine. Some of these, like bitnet/netnorth, usenet, BBSes, FTP sites (like Simtel-20) were eventually absorbed by the internet. If you worked for a big enough company they usually had internal repositories you could access that were full of "hackers" showing off their stuff. Software/Developer focused magazines like Dr. Dobbs, BYTE, CUJ, etc. were a LOT more useful and relevant before the internet stole their thunder.