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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxi!houxm!3363ewf
From: 3363ewf@houxm.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: "Hackers" Strike Back
Message-ID: <546@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 16-Sep-83 08:37:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxm.546
Posted: Fri Sep 16 08:37:21 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Sep-83 01:59:56 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 14

After my attempt to correct people on the use of the word
hacker, i.e., nothing to do with computers, I received
many replies saying basically that if a word is generally
accepted to mean something it is ok to use it for that meaning
even if it is not shown in a dictionary.  Well, the 
"generally accepted" meaning of the word hacker seems to be
a computer break in artist as construed by the general public.
Yet many computer people feel that this is not right.  Seems
to me that by the replies I got from computer people we must
accept the definition as most people understand it-- a computer
break in artist.  All hackers in the computer sense should now
report to their local police dept.
                                     Gene Foster
                                     houxm!3363ewf