Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rochester!rutgers!labrea!aurora!ames!sdcsvax!ucbvax!CLARKU.BITNET!DHASKIN
From: DHASKIN@CLARKU.BITNET (Denis W. Haskin, Manager, Technical Services)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Hackers
Message-ID: <8707240628.AA12406@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Fri, 24-Jul-87 01:07:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8707240628.AA12406
Posted: Fri Jul 24 01:07:00 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jul-87 12:20:35 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: world
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 31

I know I should avoid propagating this topic (not because it isn't interesting
and perhaps enlightening for some, but because Info-VAX is perhaps not the
best forum for it), but...

> Vladimir Ivanovic seems not to like the term "hacker" very much. I do.

One is entitled to one's own opinion, obviously, but we don't live in a
vacuum and one has to take into account society's definition of the term,
not just your own.  There were some *very* good discussions earlier of what
'hacker' now means to most people.

> Unfortunately, i think we basically agree on what it means. I just like
> other points of views: a hacker is someone who
> [...]
> - even to play with the ones you are not supposed to use (which i
>  don't consider a crime as long as you don't harm anyone),

I *strongly* disagree, and someday you may find yourself arguing this point
in court -- and losing (I believe the precedent is already there).

If someone steals your car and goes joyriding, what would your reaction
be?  Or better, yet, jimmys your window every night and plays with your
PC?  Would you consider kids (or adults) breaking into an Army base and
stealing an M-1 for a midnight romp a criminals?

Is there a INFO-HACKER-PHILOSOPHY list somewhere to which this could move?

% Denis W. Haskin                             Manager, Technical Services %
% ----------------------------------------------------------------------- %
% DHASKIN@CLARKU.BITNET   Office of Information Systems     (617)793-7193 %
% Clark University               950 Main Street      Worcester MA  01610 %