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Broadly, Someone who enjoys exploring,
using and extending technology, Particularly but not exclusively computer
technology. This is to simplify the issue, however, and debate persists over
what a hacker is and who qualifies for membership of the essentially meritocratic
hacker community. Some people consider that to be a true hacker a person
must be an enthusiastic programmer, preferably for the unix operating
system. Other maintain that an expert or enthusiast of any kind
qualifies. Perhaps the most useful definition is simply someone who enjoys
intellectual challenges and creative problem-solving, especially within the
context of technology. One generally recognised truth is that people who
call themselves hackers are probably not: the honour is conferred by their
peers rather than by the individuals themselves.
The word is often
used to describe someone who is actually a cracker, which enrages the
hacker community. As Eric Raymond says in his enlightening essay "How To
Become A Hacker", hackers build things, crackers break them". And build
thing they do : unix, usenet, the world wide web and the
internet itself are all the work of hackers. |
