[NTLUG:Discuss] The "virus"

[Gregory A. Edwards]

Johnie Stafford wrote:
> 
> >>> On Thu, 04 May 2000 14:35:41 -0500, "Gregory A. Edwards" <greg at nas-inet.com> said:
> 
>  gae> hacker: I still don't like to be called a hacker as I view the term in
>  gae> it's original context of someone who illegally breaks (hacks) into a
>  gae> computer system
> 
> That's not the original context. The term 'hacker' originally meant
> one that sat at his computer and hacked out code. I, and a lot of
> other people I know, fall into that category. Unfortunately, some
> hackers used their talents for evil. Although these people are
> considered crackers, the media took the term hacker and ran with
> it. Now the general population equates 'hacker' with cracking. And all
> true hackers despise the media for it :)
> 
> Johnie
> 


Sorry I was a little vague in referring to the "original" meaning.  I
meant the "original" masses usage of the word.  The hacker term in its
usage in our industry before the media and general public changed its
meaning was a label without objection.  Before the negative usage
however the general public had no idea that the term existed as related
to our industry.

For years if you said "he/she's a hacker" it was thought of as a
negative.  And not just as related to network breakins, even though I
used that example.  The term hacker has also been used to label people
in our industry as people that cannot design even though they can do
code.  It has also been used to describe someone that can't get "hello
world" to run without core dumping.  People that don't document their
code in any way shape or form.  Among other things.

You get labeled a hacker and in a lot of companies you'll never be
anything but a coder pounding out other peoples designs.  You have to be
careful about labels and their meaning in the general knowledge base we
deal with.  I do not want to be called a hacker because I don't want any
questions left in the minds of others what I can and will do.  If
someone calls me a hacker and they're under the age of 40 I have to ask
if I should be offended or not.  However, if someone that actually knows
how to load a card reader calls me a hacker I say thank you and feel a
sense of honor cause that's someone who's been in the trenches:)

-- 
Greg Edwards
New Age Software, Inc.
http://www.nas-inet.com