After reading the "Hacker's Manifesto, or The Conscience of a Hacker," by an anonymous writer known as the Mentor, and doing some research on the Internet, I begin to realize that hackers really do live in a different world. They speak almost a different language, and they know more about computers than an average person. Hackers have to be able to write computer programs. There are several different programming languages that they should know, such as Python, Java, PERL, LISP, and C--the core of UNIX. Learning these languages is very difficult and takes a lot of time. They cannot be learned all at once. These languages have similar properties, which make learning other languages easer, but they are still quite different.

If someone does not know how to write programs, there are several sites that can teach people how to write programs. Students just have to be patient and learn how to use the languages properly. Hackers also have to be able to work in Windows and DOS; these are two platforms for programmers to use to create their programs. Hackers also know the Internet like the back of their hands. In addition, they can move through other people's computers and go through businesses files.

In the "Manifesto," the Mentor writes that hackers are smarter than average people. Hackers spend more time behind a computer and, just like an athlete, become more adept at using technology with practice. Most hackers don't start out wanting to break any laws or commit any crimes. Most Internet sites agree that hackers just want to solve life's problems and make the world a better place. Sure, there are some people who want to hack into businesses to make money or create havoc for others by spreading viruses. These people usually end up getting caught. There are stiff penalties for those who get caught hacking into private computer systems.

There are several organizations that are designed to fight computer crimes and hackers. The FBI and the CIA are two organizations with highly trained personnel trained to track computer crimes and find hackers. These people have to be better than hackers; they have to think like a hacker and work like a hacker. Such people are, however, outnumbered by hackers and, with the computer world changing every day, their jobs are made even harder.

Cyberspace is the hacker's playground, which is where they grow and learn. They talk to friends ant teach each other new tricks and programs. Not just anyone can join this elite group; hackers can spot a novice a mile away and eat up a "pretender" for lunch. Not all hackers are evil, but they know how to create evil programs. Hackers are like everybody else--there are some good ones and some bad ones. Most of all, to be a hacker, people must be willing to live in their world, which is so much different from the one most of us inhabit.

The Mentor. "Hacker's Manifesto, or The Conscience of a Hacker." CyberReader. 2nd ed. Ed. Victor J. Vitanza. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. 122-123.