Guys, I wrote this article several months ago for the new members of my website mailgroup. I've put the same one here with no further modifications. Perhaps, you might find it boring, but if you really want to know what hacking is all about and how to start it, you won't sick any need of humour in between.
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(1) What is this hacker all about?
If you have a little knowledge about a particular field and if you are ambitious enough then you will certainly try to gain more knowledge in your field; you will try to understand the basic phenomenon working in the background of your field. Following so you will be a person whom we call as a brilliant or a master. Once you've surpassed the field and if you're enthusiastic you will surely try to build new things and new items by applying your skills what you've learnt so far. That is about whom you've always heard about - a hacker. In short, a hacker is one who build things, who brings changes in the stereo-type world, who solves the puzzles and problems irritating the world, who revolutionise the environment in which he has experienced.
Today, because of the media, people are misunderstanding the word'hacker'. When they hear the word hacker, they suddenly think that it is the one who destroys our systems. And one important thing is that a hacker is not necessarily related to computers always. You can become a hacker in whatever field you've findeth.
We are familiar with this term'hacker' since the problem of hacking in computers has evolved. People thinks negative about hackers, but the way in which they are thinking, they are not really thinking about hackers, they're thinking about crackers. Real hackers never break into computers or phreak the phone lines or something like that nuisanse. It's the crackers who have made all these hotch-potch and vanished the good name and characteristic of hackers. A real hacker steps into a system but never damages anything inside it, he does so to experiment his programs and logics.
There are so many websites available calling themselves hackers but they aren't really, they are crackers. One such newsgroup is working online - alt.2600. In such sites you will find nasty characters interfacing somewhere in all the pages which doesn't make a sense at all. One alphabet'x' is mostly loved by like minded people. The'X' character - does it make a sense? But, that is not any point about our discussion, beside there are other so many characteristics of both hackers and crackers about which we will be talking somewhere in all articles about hacking.
Looking at the history, the hackers are no new for the computer world. Hackers exist from the time of the time-sharing minicomputers and the earliest ARPAnet experiments. The member of this culture organized the term'hacker'. Hackers built the internet, hackers built the UNIX operating system what it is today, hackers runs the usenet, hackers makes the world wide web work. And, the programming languages what you may be studying are the products of a hacker mind. The developer of the popular'C' language, Dennis Ritchie, was an expert programmer and a hacker.
In short, a line to differentiate between a hacker and a cracker goes as below:
A hacker build things and solve problems and a cracker break things and create problems.
(2) How to become a hacker?
If you know what a hacker really is and if you are enthusiastic enough then you may probably want to become a hacker. Becoming a hacker and feel like being a hacker is a fun in itself, but the fun brings responsibilities, awareness and more hard work.
as the following modern Zen poem has it:
To follow the path:
look to the master,
follow the master,
walk with the master,
see through the master,
become the master.
Along with enthusiasm, eagerness, awareness, creativity and hard work you will need programming knowledge to become a hacker. There are different operating systems and various kinds of softwares available in the computer world. Different computers use different OS and softwares. So, it is clear that you can not hack into a system or modify a software until you know the algorithms used to build them. How can you change a thing about which you don't know anything? Each OS and each software is made up of different languages. You should learn these languages in order to enter the hacking zone.
(3) What programming skills are required to become a hacker?
Earlier the hackers were using Python programming language. It wasn't a hacker language but it was the only language capable of solving problems with an ease at that time. Today many advanced languages have over come Python, but still it is the one loved by hackers due to it's easiness. If you want to learn Python you can find out online tutorials at the Python website - https://python.org
C language will work a lot for you if you learn it well. It is one of the first languages which we can call complete high level languages. You can learn C+ for more advanced programming knowledge. C+ is similar to C language, or let's say the newer version of C language. It provides more effective skills and programming benefits than that of C.
Java is another example of programming language to get start with. Infact, there is no language existing to start as the beginning if you don't have any kind of programming experience before. But, I believe C is better to start with. If you know either of C or C+, Java will be much easier for you to learn. Being the latest programming language, Java provides so many skills to apply thoughts.
There are many other useful languages like Perl for UNIX Operaing System, LISP, etc. It will be better for you if you learn more than a single language, otherwise get touch with different programming languages than to stick with a single one. You can not become a hacker without the knowledge of programming languages but the most important thing is that you learn and think how programs work. Just having the knowledge isn't enough. If you have knowledge it should be applied in a proper manner at a proper place. First, gain knowledge and then apply it! The main purpose of telling you to learn programming language is that you learn how the algorithms for each program works. If you get through it, you will conquer the IT world! I dare you!
(4) Where to find sources about hacking and meet hackers online?
There are so many online places talking about hacking, but unfortunately many of them have nothing to do with the hacking scenarios. They are crackers with a little knowledge, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It will not work for you.
Instead, the IT Profiles( http://www.itprofiles.net - my website.he he - not marketing for it, mind it, telling you the truth.) is a great place for such people who are interested in the field of hacking.'Tis the place for both experienced programmers and hackers and newbies. Join IT Profiles MailGroup today and get that all which you can not find anywhere else. Just enter your e-mail address below in the textbox and click the'Join' button, you are up! I assure you if you work as an active member of IT Profiles you will certainly become a hacker in a couple of months!
But, again then, for your sake, here are some useful websites you can surf to learn hacking:
http://www.astalavista.com
http://www.antionline.com
http://www.ankitfadia.com
http://www.itprofiles.net
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Let me know what do you think in the'comments' section.
KeEp WaLKing!
