hacker - technical definition
- A computer enthusiast, or computerphile, who enjoys computer technology and programming to the point of examining the code of operating systems to figure out how they work. Note: I promise that I do not make this stuff up.
- Synonymous with cracker. A person who gains, or attempts to gain, unauthorized access to computers or computer networks and tamper with operating systems, application programs, and databases.
See hacker in Webster''s New World Hacker Dictionary
See Also: Crackers; Computer; White Hats or Ethical Hackers or Samurai Hackers.
See hacker in Computer
A person who writes programs in assembly language or in system-level languages, such as C. The term often refers to any programmer, but its true meaning is someone with a strong technical background who is "hacking away" at the bits and bytes.
Hackers Have a Bad Name
During the 1990s, the term "hacker" became synonymous with "cracker," which is a person who performs some form of computer sabotage. The association is understandable. In order to be an effective cracker, you had to be a good hacker, thus the terms got intertwined, and hacker won out in the popular press.
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