Forwarded from: Robert G. Ferrell <rferrellat_private> At 03:37 AM 10/7/02 -0500, InfoSec News wrote: > A "hacker" isn't a cute character; he is a felon. Perpetrators often > justify their actions by saying something to the effect that, "If > someone can get into the computer it isn't secure. If the companies > made their systems secure, I wouldn't be able to get in. I can get > in, so it's the company's fault for not making it secure." What worries me about this article is that even though this person advocates clarity of expression, he never actually comes right out and says that the word "hacker" is inappropriate in the contexts he is examining. Instead, he includes the above paragraph, which seems to equate all hacking with felonious behavior. This is, of course, utter nonsense, and perpetuates exactly the sort of misinformation the author seems to be decrying. And as for the statements that the term "hacker" is "frivolous" and "light-hearted," it can be argued that whoever killed Lizzie Borden's parents was a "hacker," and there was nothing frivolous or light-hearted about those grisly actions. Finally, let us not forget that the term "hacker" was applied to sloppy journalists and authors of the trite long before the digital computer age came along. Context is everything, isn't it? RGF Robert G. Ferrell rferrellat_private http://rferrell.home.texas.net/rgflit.html - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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