Just came across something today that reminded me of one of my pet peeves about definition misuse
Thats right the age old chestnut of Hacker vs Cracker.
Gerr can't count the number of times people have said 'ooh hacker so that means you can break the serial codes etc on things',
That is NOT what hacker means.
So I thought I would get this off my chest once and for all, with an all encompassing rant.
Amalgamated from various web dictionaries
Hacker :1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming. 3. A person who is good at programming quickly. 4. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it ; as in 'a UNIX hacker'.
Cracker: A "Cracker" is a computer user who attempts to break into copyrighted software or a network computer system. Sometimes this is done with intent of releasing the software so it can be used without paying royalties. Other times, cracking is to expose a system's security flaws. For the most part, crackers do their craft with the intent to steal confidential data, acquire free software, or perform malicious destruction of files.
