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!''