Chuckiferd

Alright here is a very newbish question, the stereotype of hacking is breaking in illegally into a computer or computer network, however I have heard recently hacking is something to do with programming and numbers.

So what does hacking have to do with numbers and programming?

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null_ptr0

Hacking is making a way around or editing something to kind of give the hacker an advantage or pleasure.

Chuckiferd

??? That is what i originaly thought (sort of) but then I saw this thing on Hacking, it said hacking was programming with numbers, which i don't get at all

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Sane

Chuckiferd, you are correct. The definition of Hacker has changed from the one defined by popular culture, to a new subculture-oriented definition meaning many different things, ranging from a computer hobbyist to someone working on a security problem.



The old definition has been taken on by the new term, Cracker.

King

As Sane mentioned there are a number of different meaning for the term "hacker". For more information check take a look at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker

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MiKuS

in my opinion hacking is the practice of finding undocumented features/holes in ANY sort of system, then (sometimes) publishing the findings to the author/maintenance crew of the system(s) in question, as opposed to a black hat (cracker) who mostly find known exploits (with google) and execute them on vulnerable systems, purely for the pleasure of pain.

Hacking can also mean expanding on a system in a way which was NOT intended.

Jimbo

I found this funny, as 'hacker' earlier referred to someone who developed creative solutions to problems with no easy answer.

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Jabo

Context, ladie and gents. In the industry, hacker is a good term, in the media, it's not. The media hath not understanding. A hacker is somebody who, as mentioned by Jimbo, is somebody who provides or finds solutions to computer related problems. Historically, a hacker is an experienced somebody who can fix things, and works for the good. Crackers work for their own gains and have questionable morals. I read this on a hacking website some years ago.

Social engineering goes with crackering.

Sane

Okay. So why have we repeated roughly the exact same thing in 5 consecutive permutations now? His question's been answered.

Jimbo

Because that's what the Internet is for. Redundant information.

Btw, the term hacker means... ah, you've probably gotten the idea by now

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