Comments on: Hackers at Microsoft http://4sysops.com/archives/hackers-at-microsoft/ For Windows Administrators Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:02:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Michael http://4sysops.com/archives/hackers-at-microsoft/comment-page-1/#comment-23527 Michael Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:00:16 +0000 http://4sysops.com/archives/hackers-at-microsoft/#comment-23527 Andy, ask anyone on the street if a hacker is a good or a bad guy and you will always get the same answer. The meaning of a word can’t be defined by a minority. It is based on the way the majority uses it. Of course, you can always change the way you want to use a certain word, but this doesn’t change its meaning. This is how language works. The words “hacker” and “cracker” refer to the same group of persons, although there is a slight difference in their sense. So those journalists you mentioned used the word „hacker“ absolutely correct. They wanted their readers to understand them. So they had to use the word “hacker” as it is commonly used and not how a small group of people wants it to be used. Hackers are the experts when it comes to hacking, but this doesn’t mean that they can determine the meaning of the word “hacker”. Andy, ask anyone on the street if a hacker is a good or a bad guy and you will always get the same answer. The meaning of a word can’t be defined by a minority. It is based on the way the majority uses it. Of course, you can always change the way you want to use a certain word, but this doesn’t change its meaning. This is how language works. The words “hacker” and “cracker” refer to the same group of persons, although there is a slight difference in their sense. So those journalists you mentioned used the word „hacker“ absolutely correct. They wanted their readers to understand them. So they had to use the word “hacker” as it is commonly used and not how a small group of people wants it to be used. Hackers are the experts when it comes to hacking, but this doesn’t mean that they can determine the meaning of the word “hacker”.

]]> By: Andy Bach http://4sysops.com/archives/hackers-at-microsoft/comment-page-1/#comment-22784 Andy Bach Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:38:39 +0000 http://4sysops.com/archives/hackers-at-microsoft/#comment-22784 Er, the 'black hat' version is 'cracker' 'hacker' was long the name of the inventive computer geek who tried to hack the code or the box to do something new, like adding external storage to a TRS-80 (or whatever). Only after some of those folks joined the Dark Side and began wreaking havoc that the term began to get a bad rep. "Ethical hackers" is a way to try and get the term back See Eric S Raymond's "How to be a Hacker" http://wwwu.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/epirker/unix/hacker-howto.html There is another group of people who loudly call themselves hackers, but aren't. These are people (mainly adolescent males) who get a kick out of breaking into computers and phreaking the phone system. ... Unfortunately, many journalists and writers have been fooled into using the word `hacker' to describe crackers; this irritates real hackers no end. The basic difference is this: hackers build things, crackers break them. If you want to be a hacker, keep reading. If you want to be a cracker, go read the alt.2600 newsgroup and get ready to do five to ten in the slammer after finding out you aren't as smart as you think you are. And that's all I'm going to say about crackers. or: http://www.hackernotcracker.com/ http://www.beemerworld.com/tips/hacker.htm http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid45_gci998037,00.html Er, the ‘black hat’ version is ‘cracker’ ‘hacker’ was long the name of the inventive computer geek who tried to hack the code or the box to do something new, like adding external storage to a TRS-80 (or whatever). Only after some of those folks joined the Dark Side and began wreaking havoc that the term began to get a bad rep. “Ethical hackers” is a way to try and get the term back

See Eric S Raymond’s “How to be a Hacker”
http://wwwu.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/epirker/unix/hacker-howto.html
There is another group of people who loudly call themselves hackers, but aren’t. These are people (mainly adolescent males) who get a kick out of breaking into computers and phreaking the phone system. … Unfortunately, many journalists and writers have been fooled into using the word `hacker’ to describe crackers; this irritates real hackers no end.

The basic difference is this: hackers build things, crackers break them.

If you want to be a hacker, keep reading. If you want to be a cracker, go read the alt.2600 newsgroup and get ready to do five to ten in the slammer after finding out you aren’t as smart as you think you are. And that’s all I’m going to say about crackers.

or:
http://www.hackernotcracker.com/
http://www.beemerworld.com/tips/hacker.htm
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid45_gci998037,00.html

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