Hacker

Generally in society today asking someone if they are a hacker can either be construed as a compliment or it is a loaded question.

Two sides of the Coin

Hackers as criminals

The media have generally painted hackers as computer security criminals.

Hackers as Knowledge Seekers

The original meaning of the term hacker when applied to the realm of computers 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 [[source code|code} would come to be called a "kernel hacker," or someone who worked on and was knowledgeable with Unix would come to be called a "Unix hacker."

"One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations."

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"