brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (11/08/88)
The net may never get this much attention again, at least not for some time. So I ask those of you who are being interviewed, whether you had something to do with this worm/virus or not, to try and do something about the media's annoying redefinition of "hacker." Before start talking to you, tell them politely not to call the creator of the "virus" a hacker. Tell them it means wizard, not criminal, and suggest they use "cracker." Tell them "hacker" is like "ace journalist" and "cracker" is like "unethical reporter," and ask them how they would feel if people went around calling lawbreaking journalists "aces." Then go on with the interview. They'll probably ignore it, but maybe one of them won't. -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473
root@utoday.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg) (11/09/88)
Hacker: a person with a healthy sense of curiosity. Often seen trying
doorknobs just to see if somebody left them unlocked, but never
entering unless invited.
Worm: A hacker who has sold out to the dark side of The Force. He always
tries to enter the room, regardless of whether he was invited or
not...
Ross M. Greenberggeoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning) (11/10/88)
In article <2276@looking.UUCP> brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes: > Tell them it ["hacker"] means wizard > > Tell them "hacker" is like "ace journalist"... Many people subscribe to this definition. And I agree that "cracker" is a better term for a system-breaker. But please remember that many of us consider "hacker" to be the ultimate insult. In my book, a "hacker" is a sloppy, ill-educated, unprofessional person who produces third-rate results ("hacks"), while thinking that he or she in fact is an expert simply because he or she knows a lot of intimate details about the system. A "hacker" is not like an "ace journalist". A "hacker" is like a "hack" (F&W's n. def. 4: "A person who hires himself out to do routine or tedious work, especially literary work; drudge." adj. def. 2: "For hire as a hack or drudge: a *hack* writer." adj. def. 3: "Of a routine or mercenary nature: *hack* writing.") *That's* the definition I subscribe to. P.S. If we're going to get into a big flamefest about the definition of "hacker", as happened some years ago, we should move the discussion. Lacking a better group (I don't get soc.* or talk.*, which probably has more appropriate places) I've redirected this to misc.misc. -- Geoff Kuenning geoff@ITcorp.com uunet!desint!geoff