@pesnta.UUCP (10/15/83)
I am not so sure that the media is mis-interpreting the term. My most
authoritative source on this is the my well worn listing of the file
"jargon.txt;1" which made the rounds of the Arpa community a number of
years ago. It was biased towards Cambridge, Mass lingo, but many of the
words spring from the old tech square community of the 60's so this seems
a good source. I quote:
Hacker [originally someone who makes furniture with an axe] N. 1. A
person who enjoys learning the details of programming systems and
how to stretch their capabilities as opposed to most users who prefer
to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. one who programs enthusiasti-
cally or who enjoys programming rather than just hack value (q.v.)
4. a person who is good at programming quickly -- not everything a
hacker produces is a hack 5. An expert at a particular program, or
one who frequently does work using it or on it; example a Lisp hacker
(Definitions 1 to 5 are correlated and people who fit them congregate.)
6. A malicious or inquisitive meddler who tried to discover information
by poking around. Hence "password hacker" or "network hacker".
Even back then the word had the connotation the media have used. Nothing new
in that, just the first 5 uses seem to cast you (us?) in a favorable light,
while the latter does not. But are you going to argue with "jargon.txt"?
----GaryFostel----