[MacPerl] Slightly Off-topic - Perl mindset (proud to be a hacker)

[Vicki Brown <vlb@cfcl.com>]

At 18:59 -0800 1/23/99, Jacob Steinberger wrote:
> 1. I like being called a hacker, i still see this word the way it was
> made, the way that people across the internet used it. I am a good
> programer and proud to wear that title.

Me too.  And if the Newsmedia people can't get their definitions right, we
just have to keep reminding them.

If you want to know what a _real_ hacker is, read Eric Raymond's paper on
the subject.

http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html

This is what *nix and Perl and Open Source / Free Software and a lot of
related things are about. And these are the ideals I ascribe to.

>
> 2. There is nothign wrong with cracking, there is a lot to learn from it.
> Of course, thats as long as you use it in the correct manner.

Where the correct manner is _very very carefully_ and _in the privacy of
your own home on your own personal unshared system_.  Not at work. Not at a
friend's house. Not on your ISP's system. Not over the telephone line.

Or you will risk being misunderstood and quite possibly arrested, no matter
how pure your intentions.

For example, in 1986, at Apple, when viruses in MacOS were become
prevalent, we were informed that _anyone_ caught making a virus OR an
interferon, decompiling a virus, or researching virii, _would_ _be_
_fired_.  Immediately.

Then there is the cautionary tale of Randal Schwartz... :-(

Cracking can be hazardous to your livlihood, your life style, and
everything you hold dear. Proceed with all possible caution (or do not
proceed at all).
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