Though law enforcement and corporate IT people might disagree, there is something heroic about a hacker. Those who first adopted the term had little to do with criminality. Back then — we’re talking 50 years ago — computers were expensive, well-protected servants of the powerful. Early hackers ventured beyond the user’s manual, creatively exploring the possibilities of a tool limited only by their imagination. Since computer access was precious, sometimes they had to sneak their way into the systems — but they were motivated by a hunger to learn more and to perform ever more interesting tricks. Technical acumen was valued most of all, and to be called a true hacker was a badge of honor.By the 1980s, when personal computers had found their way into the bedrooms of teenagers, a different figure emerged — the young coder who cleverly used his skills to break into big institutions. Though these hackers often created messes and broke some serious laws, there was (and still is) a punkish allure to the idea that a kid in a bedroom could flip out the graybeards at NORAD.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904140604576496092933161466.html
The Internet’s Most Wanted: In the mid-1990s, the hacker Kevin Mitnick was pursued by the FBI, then celebrated as a digital martyr
Though law enforcement and corporate IT people might disagree, there is something heroic about a hacker. Those who first adopted the term had little to do with criminality. Back then — we’re talking 50 years ago — computers were expensive, well-protected servants of the powerful. Early hackers ventured beyond the user’s manual, creatively exploring the possibilities of a tool limited only by their imagination. Since computer access was precious, sometimes they had to sneak their way into the systems — but they were motivated by a hunger to learn more and to perform ever more interesting tricks. Technical acumen was valued most of all, and to be called a true hacker was a badge of honor.