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From: okunewck@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Phil OKunewick)
Newsgroups: alt.hackers
Subject: Re: 'Hackers'... Muha.
Message-ID: <7uaG.00$@cs.psu.edu>
Date: 11 Mar 91 19:24:20 GMT
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newton@ils.nwu.edu (David Newton) writes:
>   For the person that questioned my "dropping into a room filled with
>lasers and people with guns" as being a hack: if picking a tricky lock
>is a hack, then picking (at least) 5 of them is, and dropping down into
>a room filled with people, some with guns, most certainly is.  (Oh,
>those steam tunnels were so fun.)
>
>   Was this better?

Close, but not quite.

   To explain it to computer illiterates, I tell them that a cracker
is a Young Hacker who was seduced by the Dark Side Of The Force.
Admittedly, cracking involves basic hacking.  But the basic nature of
cracking prevents the cracker from reaching the level of enlightenment
that the true hacker will attain.

   In cracking, the highest level of one can reach is a major break-in.
(Some goal - you can do it using old hacks.)

   But the highest level a hacker can attain is a truly awesome hack -
a clever original trick that revolutionizes the computer industry.


   ObHack: Using a uart without building a control circuit.  Uses a
clock, a 1488, a 1489, and a uart.  Data_in_input_buffer is tied to
the reset_input.  If you tie the data_in_input_buffer to the
transmit_strobe, the uart will transmit its send_data every time an
input_char comes in.  And'ing it with one of the receive_data pins
will make it transmit only if that bit is asserted on the
receive_char.
   Uses: Device control.  Use the 8 lines to control the device; the
device will send its status every time a command comes in.  Send it a
dummy control signal if you just want to read the status.
   For instance, an electronic thermometer with several probes - every
time a new probe is selected (using a char sent out), the status of
that probe gets sent to the host.  (Or the previous probe, depending
on how the probe switch is timed - a delay between the data_in_buffer
and xmit_strobe will prevent ambiguity.)  Of course, a digital
thermometer with a single probe need only have dummy chars sent to it,
to report its status.