Firewall Wizards mailing list archives
Re: Current definition of a hack
From: Christopher Nicholls <chrisn () softway com au>
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 18:00:18 +1000
At 23:50 17/05/98 -0400, mht () clark net wrote:
Since the definition of a hack has been greatly exaggerated lately, what is the current definition of a hack in the eyes of computer hacking..
When I were a lad... A hacker was a computer wizard - someone who could "hack" software code and build systems - make software work in different and interesting ways... They were clever and essentially good; or benign anyway. Now it seems that a hacker is a bad type who "cracks" computer systems security (or lack thereof) and breaks into systems in order to steal, damage or destroy computer data. Really they should be crackers not hackers... So to answer your question, a hack *was* a creative or purposeful change of computer software code to enable something to work, but nowadays it seems to mean more the action of a cracker - to break or disrupt computer code or systems... Thank you very much -> the media. Regards Christopher ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christopher Nicholls chrisn () dynamite com au ~~~~~~~ chrisn () softway com au ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- m: 0411 454755 w: +61 2 6243 4834 h: +61 2 6241 2112 wf: +61 2 6243 4848 hf: +61 2 6241 8926 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -
Current thread:
- DTK Fred Cohen (May 16)
- Re: Current definition of a hack mht (May 17)
- Re: Current definition of a hack Jan B. Koum (May 18)
- RE: Current definition of a hack Matt Fisher (May 19)
- Re: Current definition of a hack Christopher Nicholls (May 18)
- Message not available
- Re: Current definition of a hack -reply mht (May 18)
- Re: Current definition of a hack -reply Joseph S. D. Yao (May 19)
- Re: Current definition of a hack Jan B. Koum (May 18)
- Message not available
- Re: Current definition of a hack Vanja Hrustic (May 19)
- Re: Current definition of a hack mht (May 17)