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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just to throw in my 2 cents worth</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Pre-networks (say 70's and earlier) a 'hacker' was
somebody who programmed by hacking at code for hours on end trying to make it
work instead of thinking and designing first. To quote Joseph Weizenbaum (1976),
"The compulsive programmer spends all the time he can working on one of his big
projects. 'Working' is not the word he uses; he calls what he does
'hacking'..."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robert T-A</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
href="mailto:kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au">Mark KELLY</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=itapps@edulists.com.au
href="mailto:itapps@edulists.com.au">Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing
List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, March 28, 2010 6:33
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] TJX Hacker
Gets 20 Years in Prison</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Hi all. English teacher speaking. (Not a claim of
expertise; just a declaration of bias)<BR><BR>The movie 'War Games' forever
broke the innocent original interpretation of 'hacker'. I regret the
change, just like I regret not being allowed to be (in the happy sense) 'gay'
or use the word 'cum' (in its Latin sense, not its XXX sense).
<BR><BR>'Cracker' would be considered a post hoc attempt to resurrect 'hacker'
in its original sense. I fear the battle is already lost; 99% of the
population simply does not know or care about the difference: and they
win.<BR><BR>English vocabulary is only defined by its current popular usage.
Love it or loathe it, "alright" will become a legitimate word, "whom"
will only be used by people who don't know when to use it properly, and
apostrophes are so tortured by misuse that it would be kinder to drown them
and end their suffering. <BR><BR>Americanisms like 'color' and 'aluminum'
(with the missing final "i" - a fascinating lesson in industrial history for
those who know it) will continue to infect the rotting corpse of Australian
vocabulary until even pedants such as I (who know when to say "I" instead of
"me") have to stop and think about what is "correct". <BR><BR>And don't get me
started on the demise of colons and semicolons.<BR><BR>Sigh. We may rage
against the dying of the light, but realise that there are still people
railing against "tomorrow" instead of "to-morrow". <BR><BR>And even I have
started the vile act of verbing nouns...<BR><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 11:41 AM, Roland Gesthuizen
<SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:rgesthuizen@gmail.com">rgesthuizen@gmail.com</A>></SPAN>
wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">I
was curious too about the difference and Donna does raise an interesting
point so I did some background reading to unpeel Hacking vs Cracking. I'll
openly acknowledge that it is a hot language debate going on with malicious
connotations floating about in this brew.<BR><BR>From what I can read, a
hacker is one who hacks, in the context of a computer this can be by
circumventing its security system. Not entirely evil if we read up about the
work by "white hats" and the more obscure "grey hats". There are others who
enjoy making innovative customizations or combinations of retail electronic
and computer equipment. This is also described as hacking and it doesnt have
to involve bypassing security codes, installing mod chips etc. Crikey, my
adaptation of a wiimote to play a game (still rather badly) on my computer
or its adaptation as an interactive whiteboard tool is hacking .. so is the
RACV chap who "hacked" into my car to recover my keys. His work was godly,
worthy of a thousands blessings and a beer.<BR><BR>We all know the great job
that the media does to educate and inform the public (tongue firmly pressed
in cheek) that the public is hugely unaware that different meanings exist.
Considering that computer security experts embrace all these different uses
of the word "hackers", we should similarly disassociate security breakers as
"crackers", a term that is analogous to a safecracker. I don't mince words.
As I remind my students:<BR>
<UL>
<LI>Glance into my open lunchbox? You were probably just curious. I should
have closed it and you should immediately tell me when you noticed that it
was open.<BR>
<LI>Steal my lunch without my knowledge or permission? You are a
thief!<BR>
<LI>I will share a slice with anybody who is hungry but only if they ask
me nicely FIRST!</LI></UL>Regards Roland
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=h5><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On 26 March 2010 10:19, Adrian Janson <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:janson.adrian.a@edumail.vic.gov.au"
target=_blank>janson.adrian.a@edumail.vic.gov.au</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">>From
your link:<BR><BR>"In common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into
computers"<BR><BR>Therefore hacker.<BR>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: <A
href="mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au"
target=_blank>itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</A> [mailto:<A
href="mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au"
target=_blank>itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</A>] On Behalf Of Donna
Benjamin<BR>Sent: Friday, 26 March 2010 10:09 AM<BR>To: Year 12 IT
Applications Teachers' Mailing List<BR>Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] TJX
Hacker Gets 20 Years in Prison<BR><BR><BR>Cracker please. Not
Hacker.<BR><BR><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_%28computer_security%29"
target=_blank>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_%28computer_security%29</A><BR><BR>On
Fri, 2010-03-26 at 08:13 +1100, Mark KELLY wrote:<BR>> BOSTON —
Convicted TJX hacker Albert Gonzalez was sentenced to 20<BR>> years in
prison on Thursday for leading a gang of cyberthieves who<BR>> stole
more than 90 million credit and debit card numbers from TJX and<BR>>
other retailers. The sentence for the largest computer-crime
case<BR>> ever prosecuted is the lengthiest ever imposed in the United
States<BR>> for hacking or identity-theft.<BR>><BR>> Read
More<BR>> <A
href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/tjx-sentencing/#ixzz0jE1QpB3a"
target=_blank>http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/tjx-sentencing/#ixzz0jE1QpB3a</A><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
<A href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/tjx-sentencing/"
target=_blank>http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/tjx-sentencing/</A><BR>><BR>>
--<BR>> Mark Kelly<BR>> Manager - Information Systems<BR>>
McKinnon Secondary College<BR>> McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria,
Australia<BR>> Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085<BR>> School Phone
+613 8520 9000<BR>> School Fax +613 9578 9253<BR>> <A
href="mailto:kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au"
target=_blank>kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au</A><BR>><BR>> Webmaster - <A
href="http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au"
target=_blank>http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au</A><BR>> IT Lecture
notes: <A href="http://vceit.com"
target=_blank>http://vceit.com</A><BR>> Moderator: IT Applications
Mailing List<BR>><BR>><BR>>
_______________________________________________<BR>> <A
href="http://www.edulists.com.au"
target=_blank>http://www.edulists.com.au</A> - FAQ, resources, subscribe,
unsubscribe<BR>> IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported
by<BR>> <A
href="http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/infotechindex.html"
target=_blank>http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/infotechindex.html</A>
-<BR>> Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and<BR>> <A
href="http://www.vitta.org.au" target=_blank>http://www.vitta.org.au</A> -
VITTA Victorian Information Technology<BR>> Teachers Association
Inc<BR>--<BR>Donna Benjamin - Executive Director<BR>Creative Contingencies
- <A href="http://cc.com.au" target=_blank>http://cc.com.au</A><BR>ph +61
3 9326 9985 - mob +61 418 310 414<BR>open source - facilitation - web
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- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and<BR><A
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<DIV class=im>-- <BR>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary
College<BR><A href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au"
target=_blank>http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</A><BR><BR>"Never doubt that a
small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed
it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret
Mead<BR>_______________________________________________ <BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=h5><A href="http://www.edulists.com.au"
target=_blank>http://www.edulists.com.au </A>- FAQ, resources, subscribe,
unsubscribe <BR>IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by <BR><A
href="http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html"
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</A>- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and <BR><A
href="http://www.vitta.org.au" target=_blank>http://www.vitta.org.au </A>-
VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association
Inc</DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Mark
Kelly<BR>Manager - Information Systems<BR>McKinnon Secondary
College<BR>McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia<BR>Direct line /
Voicemail: 8520 9085<BR>School Phone +613 8520 9000<BR>School Fax +613 9578
9253<BR><A
href="mailto:kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au">kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au</A><BR><BR>Webmaster
- <A
href="http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au</A><BR>IT
Lecture notes: <A href="http://vceit.com">http://vceit.com</A><BR>Moderator:
IT Applications Mailing
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</A>- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and <BR><A
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