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From: jlg@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: hackers
Message-ID: <17762@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 13:39:23 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl.17762
Posted: Mon Dec 10 13:39:23 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Dec-84 04:19:20 EST
References: <361@wxlvax.UUCP>
Sender: newsreader@lanl.ARPA
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 32

> The country's media hacker fever seems on the rise again. I
> would like to contribute to the clarity of the debate by telling
> you about a "real" hacker I know.
> [...] He started then programming his PC, connecting himself to
> various electronic boards and nets,...and became a hacker.
> [...] There is no reason why I should not trust his "computerese" to
> hire him to work on some of my tedious computer problems, 
> avoiding a few over-time evening hours at work, and actually,
> saving my company a lot of dollars.
> Were I to label him a "computer vandal", I might as well label
> him a car vandal. Nobody is complaining about car vandals, not
> even New-York insurance companies. Why should the media start or
> rekindle a witch hunt on hackers? I am sure they could do much
> better service to the public.

No one is complaining about 'hackers' that connect to nets and bboards
and spend lots of time programming their PCs.  The complaint is aimed
at the group of kids that spent their time trying to gain unauthorized
access to machines that they have no business on.  There have been 
instances of unauthorized access to hospital machines and other computers
which contain VERY sensitive data as well as being used as real time 
controllers for life-support devices for patients.  Unauthorized access
to these machines are not only illegal, but life-threatening as well.
And what about those TRW credit monitoring computers that were compromised?
Maybe YOU want your young neighbor putting junk into your credit records,
I don't.

I still can't figure out why any legitimate computer user would use the
term 'hacker' to describe himself (herself).  'Hacker' has ALWAYS been
a derogatory term in the computer industry; refering, as it does, to
a computer trickster who is not interested in learning the discipline
or techniques required to program professionally.