Saturday, February 08, 2003
That is straight out of the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary, tenth ed.
I have had to deal with this word alot in the past few weeks, as many of you know (and many, I'm sure, don't). The only two definitions I am worried about are the last two. I would like to consider myself a hacker, by definition number three. I ejoy programming a whole lot, and though I may not be considered an 'expert', I am getting there, learning; plus I enjoy 'solving problems' with computers. However, the definition I have been pestered with is the fourth one. The ONLY one that even mentions the word 'illegal' or 'sometimes' tampers with evidence. Whether I admit to being categorized under this definition or not is not my point; my point is is that you can be one, and not the other. When someone claims to be a hacker, especially in a newsgroup or bbs, think about which they are referring to, number 3 or number 4.
Which brings me to the next topic I wanted to shed some light on in this post: what makes someone a hacker (definition 4, the 'bad' one)? Well, you are NOT a hacker if you download warez, cracks, keygens, patches, etc... Hell, my mother could open up that little *.nfo file that has the ascii art someone labored over, look for the serial number, type it in, and 'unlock' the program. Programs as expensive as photoshop and maya can be 'bought' in less than 30 seconds. This, my friend, I hate to burst your bubble, is not hacking.
So now what, you ask? You probably think that I am going to claim to be a hakcer, a true hacker. No, actually, I'm not. For one, I don't nearly have the heart of a hacker. I crack under too much pressure. Plus, I would brag (as you may know...). A true hacker (definition 4) would only brag using a fake name on some bbs or ng out there. However, he is not hacking to get noticed. He is the one redirecting microsofts homepage to some linux site, or the one changing a headline on a unisys website claiming that anyone can create .gifs without having to pay a hefty fee (don't believe it?) So I gained unauthorized access into a school server for a few weeks. It eventually (as it was bound to do) came back to me, and I had no excuse. That may be considered 'hacking' according to americas definition, but I don't personally look upon it as anything like it. It is something I never wish to repeat (unless completely necessary, but I have learned my lesson :))