Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcsvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!mcnc!akgua!sdcsvax!hartsook From: hartsook@sdcsvax.UUCP (Larry Hartsook) Newsgroups: net.followup Subject: Re: Hackers and others take note Message-ID: <519@sdcsvax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 7-Dec-84 16:00:35 EST Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.519 Posted: Fri Dec 7 16:00:35 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 9-Dec-84 08:02:45 EST References: <2612@dartvax.UUCP> Reply-To: hartsook@sdcsvax.UUCP (Larry Hartsook) Distribution: na Organization: EECS Dept. U.C. San Diego Lines: 38 Summary: In article <2612@dartvax.UUCP> holly@dartvax.UUCP (Holly Cabell) writes: > >I just read an article in USA TODAY that pertains very much to >the net. Now I realize that most of you are not hackers (well, >alright, some of you aren't :-) ). I quote (w/out permission, of >course :-) ) > > " Computer hackers across the USA have ganged > up on a NEWSWEEK reporter, who says his life has > become an electronic-era nightmare since he wrote > about them a month ago. . . . > > >--johnc at [...] ! dartvax ! holly It seems that the response--perhaps I should say retaliation--Sandza has received is better proof of his argument than any information he could have had in his original story. For those of you who think that the media has given hackers a bad name, you're wrong. Jerks like the ones hassling Sandza have done it. They call themselves hackers, and their lack of any sort of moral intelligence reflects on everyone using that appellation. No one agrees on whether the term `hacker' is deragatory or not--a glance at the various replies to johnc's original article should make that obvious--and to crucify someone because he happens to use a different dictionary than what you think he should is the height of stupidity. I doubt that the reason Sandza has come under attack, however, is because he used the word `hacker'. Rather, I think it's because he had the temerity to confront these people with the criminality of their acts. The light of public scrutiny is certainly not what people involved in illegal activities want. And I defy anyone to show me that posting someone's credit card numbers on a national bulletin board with the request that that person be `nailed' is not criminal. -- Larry Hartsook UCSD EMU/Pascal Project ``It's not only user friendly, it's completely moron-tolerant!''