what is a hacker?

[dooo]

well i have asked many people and they all say something different wht do you think?

[ayu]

For me a hacker has always been someone who brakes into servers and regular PC's and such, that they are not allowed to be in.

But lately the word "Hacker" and the word "Script kiddie" has started to melt together, since the word is to used around the "commoners"

Wikipedia: A hacker is often someone who likes to create and modify computer software or computer hardware, including computer programming, administration, and security-related items.

Hacker's Black Book: Hackers enjoy re-writing programs. Their aim is to continuously get better and to understand relations that are not easily identified. Hackers are very sensitive especially if their work is entirely conjugated with illegal action. They consider themselves as elite.

[floodhound2]

I define a hacker as a person that is exceptionally knowledgably in “the arena of what is being hacked.” Like electronics, computers, programming, phones, and other categories in technology; If not one but many of these systems combined.

In fact, so much so, that the person can tweak “the arena being hacked” to make it do things others did not consider it being able to do; including the designers or engineers of the system.

Remember, I am referring to a true hacker, not an individual that wants to wear the label “Hacker” and can bluff most in the community by using small scripts and the like. Any one can copy and paste, but only a hand full can write a masterpiece.

Often the person doing the hacking is considered at any given moment a threat or a genius to society, when in fact it is not the case. Typically a true hacker suffers from a incredible thirst to identify and develop a deeper understanding of a system/s, thus being able to tweak the system/s.

As a side note – If you think you are a hacker and tell people you are a hacker chances are good you are not a hacker. The true hackers out there know what I am talking about, it is very unglamorous and at times you loose days of sleep for reason unexplainable. Its not for Hollywood its for the passion.

[RNA]

I'd go for the someone who knows the subject alot, and how to tweak it to their liking.

[Necrix]

I think that a Hacker is someone who takes advantage of their knowledge to modify something to their liking.

Fitting?

[xtheblack9x]

i think i consider 2 types of people hackers

type 1: someone with extensive knowloge of networks/internet and can find ways around passwords security yada yada

type 2: someone who can take something made for one thing and extend its ability's or change them all together example: someone who makes a mod chip for a xbox or finds a way to change the software to something else they like (this is not to be confused with someone who looks it up online and does it. I'm talking about the people who figure this stuff out).

and i don't believe the word hacker should have the label good or bad much like life this just depends on the person.

side note: I do not consider my self a hacker ........ yet. I still have a lot to learn im pretty much a beginning programmer with a small amount of networking knowloge

[Lyecdevf]

when I first started learning hacking I downloaded "New York Hackers," video. There some one talks about a hacker being some one who takes two things and makes out of them some thing new. I sitll believe that is what is a hacker. I do not believe that you need extensive knowledge of computers although that helps.

I believe that a a good definition of a hacker needs to be simple and some thing that a lot of people can relate to. Of course you can not be a hacker if you do not know a couple of computer languages, have experience with more than one operating system,...but I believe that the definiton needs to be simple and that some thing that other people can relate to as well.

[hacker_one1]

For me a hacker has always been someone who brakes into ...