Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 19:47:00 -0400 From: Tim Vanderhoek <vanderh@ecf.utoronto.ca> To: Janie Dykes <jkn33@pangeatech.com> Cc: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com>, "G. Adam Stanislav" <adam@whizkidtech.net>, Bill Fumerola <billf@chc-chimes.com>, haodongpan@netease.com, freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: how to start to be a hacker? Message-ID: <19990703194700.A44583@mad> In-Reply-To: <377E71F6.8877ED47@pangeatech.com>; from Janie Dykes on Sat, Jul 03, 1999 at 01:26:30PM -0700 References: <Pine.HPP.3.96.990702075306.20843F-100000@hp9000.chc-chimes.com> <377DB95C.448E4227@softweyr.com> <19990703113140.B220@whizkidtech.net> <377E4C45.522F3E78@softweyr.com> <377E71F6.8877ED47@pangeatech.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Sat, Jul 03, 1999 at 01:26:30PM -0700, Janie Dykes wrote:
>
> you make excellent points. For the most part, the novice/average
> person, believes that hackers are malicious, destructive individuals. A
> huge number of computer users are misled and misinformed about the true
> definition of the term 'hacker'. This is unfortunate - if those people
I don't know. I'm not sure that's so true anymore as it once was.
I've been bugged before by kids (hehe, from my peer group, that
is) wanting to know what the best thing I'd ever done was. After
giving some answer about some really insiduous batch files I'd written
for DOS, I was rather disappointed to find-out they meant "what
was the most illegal thing you've ever done". I didn't really give an
answer to that, but I think many hackers have broken into a system
or done something similar at some time (probably fewer of the younger
ones since wide availability of real operating systems helps on this
ticket). Not to let this become a passage of right or anything.
A hacker, of course, is not going to concern themselves with what
a hacker is, but others might. The tone of this thread seems to
have been set by esr's little p/r definition of hacker. I'd like
to declare at this time that a hacker is someone who sends me money
in the mail. Upon these people I will bestow the title hacker.
Anyways, like I said: I'm not sure your description of the average
person's definition of "hacker" is so true anymore. The average
person's definition is probably a little more true than esr's, if
not nearly as articulate.
PS: don't worry, you aren't expected to send much money these days
anymore.
PSS: Sending cash in the mail is illegal, don't do it. Canadian or
American money orders only, please.
> could spend some time reading the brilliant posts to this list, they
> might realize that we are not all 16 year olds, hiding behind the glow
Heh. Despite the -list name, this whole thread belongs on -chat.
--
This is my .signature which gets appended to the end of my messages.
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?19990703194700.A44583>