Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site cmu-cs-spice.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cmu-cs-spice!tdn
From: tdn@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA (Thomas Newton)
Newsgroups: net.micro.apple
Subject: Re: APPLe/PIRACY
Message-ID: <323@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 28-Mar-85 22:26:27 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-s.323
Posted: Thu Mar 28 22:26:27 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 31-Mar-85 05:21:29 EST
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 37

Don't equate "hackers" with "pirates".  From "The Hacker's Dictionary," by
Guy Steele, Donald Woods, Raphael Finkel, Mark Crispin, Richard Stallman,
and Geoffrey Goodfellow:

    HACKER @i(noun)
      1.  A person who enjoys learning the details of computer
          systems and how to stretch their capabilitites -- as
          opposed to most users of computers, who prefer to learn
          only the minimum amount necessary.
      2.  One who programs enthusiastically, or who enjoys
          programming rather than just theorizing about programming.
      3.  A person capable of appreciating HACK VALUE.
      4.  A person who is good at programming quickly.  (By the way,
          not everything a hacker produces is a hack.)
      5.  An expert on a particular program, or one who frequently
          does work using it or on it.  Example:  "A SAIL hacker."
          (This definition and the preceding ones are correlated,
          and people who fit them congregate.)
      6.  An expert of any kind.  One might be an astronomy hacker,
          for example.
      7.  A malicious or inquisitive meddler who tries to discover
          information by poking around.  For example, a "password
          hacker" is one who tries, possibly by deceptive or illegal
          means, to discover other people's computer passwords.  A
          "network hacker" is one who tries to learn about the computer
          network (possibly because he wants to improve it or possibly
          because he wants to interfere -- one can tell the difference
          only by context and tone of voice.

Note that only one of the seven definitions fits people like the '414s'.
The other definitions more closely fit the meaning of the word "hacker"
as it is used in the Carnegie-Mellon, Stanford, and MIT computer science
departments.  It's a shame that the media have equated "hackers" with
"crackers" and pirates.  Please don't help to perpetuate this misuse!

                                        -- Thomas Newton
                                           Thomas.Newton@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA