Don’t Be A Pussy

A Hacker is a bad guy—someone trying to break into computers with the intent
of causing harm. Don’t argue with it, and stop fighting it. It’s time for
those in the security community to stop with the stubborn romantization of
the word and start accepting what it means today.

[ NOTE: I don’t believe this argument anymore in 2015, but I am keeping it
to show my state of mind at the time. ]

We all know about the hacker vs. cracker debate; it’s a particularly lively
one that leaves its droppings all over the Internet. There are two main
sides: those that use hacker in a popular, negative light, and those that
demand the use of the term “cracker” instead of hacker when referring to a
criminal. Those on this side offer an argument that goes something like
this:

I know this argument well. I know it because I’ve made it dozens of times,
both online and in real-world conversation. I was one of those who went out
of his way to correct those who misused the Holy term. I gave the speech
whenever it was needed, like a knight protecting his maiden’s name. But no
more.

Language

Words and definitions are not as well-defined or unchanging as most believe.
A cursory glance at any dictionary will reveal hundreds of words that used
to mean something else. This is what’s currently happening to the word
hacker.

That being said, we in the geek world have lost the war for the word hacker.
It already means something else, i.e. a computer criminal. Hacker means
criminal because that’s what most people think it means. It really is that
simple.

It’s Time To Let It Go

So I implore you, fellow geeks of the world who know and love what hacker
used to mean: Let it go. Just let it go.

Remember, it doesn’t mean hacker completely lost its original, pure meaning.
We in the community can still use it the “real” way amongst ourselves. But
when a muggle uses it the
wrong new way, resist the
temptation to go into the speech. You know what he meant, and everyone else
listening did too. So the word did
its job.

If you absolutely must say something, offer them some advice on how to
secure their home network, or maybe explain why they should use
Firefox
instead of IE. Believe me, it’ll do more good.: