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I agree. I think the generally accepted meaning has evolved over time. Hacker, to most people, now means cracker/intruder. Perhaps a more positive way to appro
by davb 12y ago
I agree. I think the generally accepted meaning has evolved over time. Hacker, to most people, now means cracker/intruder.
Perhaps a more positive way to approach this is to popularise a different term for what we mean by hacker (tinkerer, maker). It's not admitting defeat by abandoning the original meaning - it's taking the path of least resistance and evolving with the language.
- imdsm 12y agoThe thing is, a cracker/intruder is also most likely a hacker, in the more mild sense of the term. They wouldn't be able to crack/intrude without 'hacking' in order to have that ability/knowledge. The problem is that people think of A when they read B, because to them, they don't understand, or care, enough about the history of word to properly use it.
- rpenm 12y agoMost crackers are script kiddies, using exploits or code developed by someone else. So most crackers are not hackers in the Stallman sense.
- davidgerard 12y agoIt started meaning that. http://imranontech.com/2008/04/01/the-origin-of-hacker/ http://imranontech.com/2008/04/01/the-origin-of-hacker/
- davb 12y agoWhen I was first learning about computing and networks (late 90's), I always knew "hackers" as part of the H/P/V/C/A scene (Hacking/Phreaking/Virus Writing/Cracking/Anarchy) as used in many of the zines, forums and IRC chans of the period. However, over the years I've seen articles supporting multiple etymologies. I think we're at a point where we're probably all at least a little right, not that it matters. It would just be useful when relating to the mainstream media and public if we could form some sort of consensus on the terminology.