Hacker: Difference between revisions
imported>Joshua David Williams (re-worded introduction) |
imported>Eric M Gearhart (Intro - less bais-sounding statement) |
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In society, the term '''hacker''' has been used as both a compliment and a derogatory term. In its original sense, it is used to describe one who is an expert, a problem solver, and a brilliant programmer. | In society, the term '''hacker''' has been used as both a compliment and a derogatory term. In its original sense, it is used to describe one who is an expert, a problem solver, and generally a brilliant programmer. In the media and in society, however, the term has come to mean criminals who illegally break into [[Computer network| Computers networks]] and systems.<ref>{{cite web | ||
| url=http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/introduction/ | | url=http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/introduction/ | ||
| title=The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Introduction | | title=The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Introduction | ||
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==Two sides of the Coin== | ==Two sides of the Coin== | ||
===Hackers as criminals=== | ===Hackers as criminals=== | ||
The media have generally painted hackers as [[computer security]] [[criminals]]. Some proponents of the original meaning of "hacker" call these people | The media have generally painted hackers as [[computer security]] [[criminals]]. Some proponents of the original meaning of the term "hacker" (knowledge seekers) call these people crackers, to specifically point out these people "crack security." | ||
===Hackers as Knowledge Seekers=== | ===Hackers as Knowledge Seekers=== | ||
Revision as of 23:39, 20 April 2007
In society, the term hacker has been used as both a compliment and a derogatory term. In its original sense, it is used to describe one who is an expert, a problem solver, and generally a brilliant programmer. In the media and in society, however, the term has come to mean criminals who illegally break into Computers networks and systems.[1]
Two sides of the Coin
Hackers as criminals
The media have generally painted hackers as computer security criminals. Some proponents of the original meaning of the term "hacker" (knowledge seekers) call these people crackers, to specifically point out these people "crack security."
Hackers as Knowledge Seekers
The original meaning of the term hacker was someone who had great technical knowledge. A hack was something to be proud of, usually described as pushing something beyond its design limits. People who usually "hacked on" certain projects would have descriptive names bestowed upon them, thus someone who wrote a lot of kernel code would come to be called a "kernel hacker," or someone who worked on and was knowledgeable with the Unix operating system would come to be called a "Unix hacker."
The Jargon file describes a hacker as "One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations."[2]
Related Topics
External links
How To Become A Hacker by Eric S. Raymond. Describes how to become a hacker in the "traditional sense" - someone with "technical adeptness and a delight in solving problems and overcoming limits"
References
- ↑ Eric S. Raymond (Accessed April 18th, 2007). The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Introduction.
- ↑ Hacker entry in the "Jargon File".