From: Bud Rogers (budrSIRINET.NET)
Date: Thu Jan 25 2001 - 04:44:43 CST

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On Wednesday 24 January 2001 12:42, Robert G. Ferrell wrote:

> Language is essentially a formal consensus of its users, not a tool
> to be mutated at will merely to accommodate an author's, or
> the public's (perceived), paucity of vocabulary.
>
> Now repeat after me: "Hackers are not (necessarily) criminals.
> Crackers are not usually hackers. I will stop confusing the two,
> because they very definitely ain't the same animal."

I agree with Robert. Totally and without reservation. I occasionally
have to bite my tongue in casual conversations when the term hacker
goes by. But I am afraid that, like King Canute, we're trying to push
back the tide.

Like it or not, the term hacker has entered the popular imagination
with a meaning much closer to what we might refer to as cracker. I
don't like it either, but I don't think there is much we can do about
it. This is a common process in the evolution of popular language.
Whenever a minority group of any kind attracts the attention of the
masses their jargon gets assimilated and redefined, usually in
unflattering ways.

--
Bud Rogers <budrsirinet.net> http://www.sirinet.net/~budr/zamm.html
    All things in moderation. And not too much moderation either.

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