http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/Geek/geek41.html The Bad Guys Are Crackers In Defense of Hackers Will there be more and more hackers over the next couple of years? Brent Gomes I sincerely hope so! Now, before you label me as some crazed anarchist, let me explain. Most of us geeks who are in the technology business believe ourselves to be hackers, and if someone ever calls me one I consider it a compliment. It's time to dispel some rumors about hackers and clear the air about one of the most misused terms of the computer generation. The ancient definition of a hacker is someone who makes furniture with an axe. These days a hacker can be described as a very capable programmer, or a person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems. Someone might think you are a hacker if you spend hours and hours figuring out how your computer system works and developing cool applications (called "hacks") that perform some useful function. In short, the computer industry needs more and more hackers in order to advance technology and solve current problems. Media Misnomer Being a hacker does not mean you spend your time breaking into computers. We can blame the journalistic community for grabbing hold of what it perceived as a catchall term and deprecating the true meaning of the word. The correct way to describe someone who circumvents computer security is a system "cracker." These malcontents are well known for breaking into the Pentagon, several defense contractors, various ISPs, and other supposedly secure systems. They have shared classified documents on the Net, given copy-protected software away, stolen credit card information and, in the process, made the online community nervous. Most of the system crackers I know are either in jail, have been in jail or are going to jail. When Hackers Grow Up The hacker population will probably rise at the same rate as every other profession, so a per-capita increase seems unlikely. The media might have us believe otherwise, since even the least-newsworthy computer "hackers" get tons of television exposure. If you want to join the elite group of technophiles, there is no time like to present to start working on your craft. "Didn't you used to be a hacker before you were a geek?"; the wife asks. "And what's the difference anyway?" I'm not paying attention. Instead I'm looking at how I can replicate the inode dataset on a ufs partition to an NTFS volume. "Never mind," she sighs, "I just figured that one out on my own." Jack Valko is the senior network manager for Buena Vista Internet Group, which produces ABCNEWS.com. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Hacker News Network [www.hackernews.com]
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