Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site lanl.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!lanl!jlg 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.