...are they? i came across this - the hacker's hall of fame (practitioners of the light and dark side of the force).
Hacker: Intruder and criminal
The most common usage of \"hacker\" in the popular press is to describe those who subvert computer security without authorization or indeed, anyone who has been accused of using technology (usually a computer or the internet) for terrorism, vandalism, credit card fraud, identity theft, intellectual property theft, and many other forms of crime. This can mean taking control of a remote computer through a network, or software cracking. This is the pejorative sense of hacker, also called cracker or black-hat hacker or simply \"criminal\" in order to preserve unambiguity.
Hacker: Brilliant programmer
The positive usage of hacker. One who knows a (sometimes specified) set of programming interfaces well enough to write software rapidly and expertly. This type of hacker is well-respected, although the term still carries some of the meaning of hack, developing programs without adequate planning. This zugzwang gives freedom and the ability to be creative against methodical careful progress.
At their best, hackers can be very productive. The downside of hacker productivity is often in maintainability, documentation, and completion. Very talented hackers may become bored with a project once they have figured out all of the hard parts, and be unwilling to finish off the \"details\". This attitude can cause friction in environments where other programmers are expected to pick up the half finished work, decipher the structures and ideas, and bullet-proof the code. In other cases, where a hacker is willing to maintain their own code, a company may be unable to find anyone else who is capable or willing to dig through code to maintain the program if the original programmer moves on to a new job.
Types of hackers in this sense are gurus and wizards. \"Guru\" implies age and experience, and \"wizard\" often implies particular expertise in a specific topic, and an almost magical ability to perform hacks no one else understands.
Hacker: Security expert
There is a third meaning which is a kind of fusion of the positive and pejorative senses of hacker. The term white hat hacker is often used to describe those who attempt to break into systems or networks in order to help the owners of the system by making them aware of security flaws, or to perform some other altruistic activity. Many such people are employed by computer security companies (such professionals are sometimes called sneakers).
woz is included in the list, he is one of the guys you should be thanking for having a pc now not bill. apple started with the two steves, their efforts changed the world.
THEN
NOW
BEFORE this guy jump the gun on then.
do i sound like a mac fanatic (think 1984 ad)? thats because i am! my first pc was a mac and i luv it! currently trapped in a windows world coz of a windows only software i use in my profession--anybody out there who knows how to run autocad2005 on a mac without emulation do let me know pls!
Tags: apple, hackers, macs.
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