Post ARtWIqrAFPSH9eJBmi by asmodai@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by asmodai@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #ARqHWQFJtpwNtKjxp2 by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2023-01-20T02:05:53Z
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Still angry about the ahistorical hacker/cracker distinction. Old versions of the jargon file included:6. A malicious or inquisitive meddler who tries todiscover information by poking around. Hence "password hacker", "network hacker".
(DIR) Post #ARqHWQsfXXPrrN9O9g by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2023-01-20T07:27:49Z
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First ESR version included this definition, but tagged it (deprecated). No context to support the deprecation is provided.
(DIR) Post #ARqHWRRlR3UNcDZPrE by verb@ioc.exchange
2023-01-20T07:47:51Z
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@mjg59 Ohhhhh. I can clarify this for you. ESR was a big proponent of this.I think he wanted to cling on to the term "hacker" - which has always described curiosity > destroy it > build it better (legal or otherwise) While simultaneously distinguishing himself from any illegal activity whatsoever.Particularly in a time when "nerds" vs "jocks" was a thing. And mainstream media was struggling to report early cyber crime. And a lot of BBSs were were about anarchy and freedom.So he invented the term "cracker" to try and say "no, us OG nerds who don't do crime are hackers... These criminal people aren't us... Don't arrest me for identifying as hacker."But the term struggled to gain traction due to it being a racial slur. And y'know, Hackers (1995) was pretty popular.After "cracker" died out, the blackhat v whitehat discourse started up. Same movement that supported "cracker" created "whitehat"... Think about that for a second... Inherent racism and exclusion in the whole etymology.
(DIR) Post #ARrLbuEoPc29KeKiB6 by Ertain@mast.linuxgamecast.com
2023-01-20T04:02:28Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@mjg59 I still prefer to call someone who does this stuff for malicious purposes a "cracker".
(DIR) Post #ARrLnGIMkBBGvXPUSO by nikclayton@mastodon.social
2023-01-20T09:27:43Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@verb @mjg59 "white hat" and "black hat" were already in use, and taken from film symbolism dating back to the early 1900s. The movement adopted them, not created them.
(DIR) Post #ARrOCxCaYQAR9F5QTg by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2023-01-20T07:50:59Z
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@verb That all seems consistent. The idea that a movement that grew out of the counterculture would draw a distinction between intellectual curiosity that was legal and intellectual curiosity that was illegal is bizarre to me.
(DIR) Post #ARrOCxnSLLeqzaKrwW by verb@ioc.exchange
2023-01-20T07:55:41Z
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@mjg59 Yeah it was bizarre at the time too.Edit: It likely had something to do with perceived wealth or status. The dude could be a bit narcissistic at times.In my mind, let's all be hackers together.Accept that some of us are super nice, others are super nasty, and most of us are inbetween with a sense of humour.Just. Like. Society. 🤯
(DIR) Post #ARrOCyHaXJlEV2QvuS by Soy_Magnus@detroitriotcity.com
2023-01-21T07:00:27.148482Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@verb @mjg59 kill yourself gender nigger
(DIR) Post #ARtWIqrAFPSH9eJBmi by asmodai@mastodon.social
2023-01-20T09:57:24Z
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@verb @mjg59 I definitely remember from my Commodore 64 and Amiga days the use of "cracker" by groups releasing software illegally. And generally it also implied they circumvented any copy protection that was used. So I wonder if that's a parallel use of the cracker label (this was all early 1980s-1990s).
(DIR) Post #ARtWIrQc7boMvatV2W by mjg59@nondeterministic.computer
2023-01-20T09:58:34Z
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@asmodai @verb By the late 80s at the latest, cracking was definitely the preferred term for describing the removal of copy protection
(DIR) Post #ARtWIrzi17ssgRJWk4 by doop@octodon.social
2023-01-20T11:48:48Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
😤✋ THIS IS UNPUBLISHED PROPRIETARY SOURCE CODE OF AT&T☺️👉 * * * * CRACKED BY BSD-CREW! * * * * GREETZ TO: KT, DMR, JLIONS, AND OUR GOOD FRIENDS THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA!!! * * * *