3 ms·
All of his hacker ethos feels very superficial to me. I.e. get this or that gizmo under control etc. There does not seem to be a deep curiosity for CS or maths
by fsloth 6y ago
All of his hacker ethos feels very superficial to me. I.e. get this or that gizmo under control etc. There does not seem to be a deep curiosity for CS or maths as such, rather a childish joy in opening other peoples locks and taking other peoples hardware under control.
That was cool in the 70's when telecoms infrastructure wasn't commoditized. I understand how enticing it is to hack big co telephone networks, for example. Big, big machines with very strict access rights.
2009. Computing and communications infrastructure is commoditized. The world is literally swimming in computers. There is no unusual computing or telecoms capability you can harness by breaking into another system. It just means you want to break into the system instead of actually using your own.
It's pedestrian and rude, like stealing someone's umbrella.
Plus, he breached the implicit trust in him as an employer.
10 years is a lot, though, for bad taste and disappointing social graces.
- jonny_eh 6y agoThese days it's more interesting, and justified, to hack into your own hardware, that you legally bought and own.
- fsloth 6y agoYes. The direct analogue is trying to pick your own lock, versus picking a lock in someone else's property just for kicks.
- facorreia 6y agoNot even picking locks. More like smashing people's windows, grabbing food from their fridges while enjoying the satisfaction of being a l33t hax0r.
- ta17711771 6y agoA better analogy might be using the same encryption key Volkswagen and Audi were shipping as security to every car to steal a car...
- derangedHorse 6y ago“There does not seem to be a deep curiosity for CS or maths as such, rather a childish joy in opening other peoples locks and taking other peoples hardware under control.” Not all technical problems have to be framed in a mathematical context to be seen as rewarding and something if interest