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Computers and the Internet are relatively young, though they are one of the fastest growing technology in the world. Computers have been developing since the early 1600s and the internet since the 1970s. Computers are a way of life for some people, stupid inconveniences for others, but computers will be integrated more and more into everyday life. Peoples view of computers, and the users, has already changed and will keep becoming a more positive image as computers become more mainstream. Computers will soon be the most implemented thing in the home and everything will be connected to the internet, the only place where true freedom will ever exist.

Computers started with the mechanical calculators that were being invented which eventually led to the development of simple computers. The first computer is an arguable topic because the definition of a true computer is varied but a computer is defined the most with the “stored-program” concept. Stored program refers to actually running the program from instructions stored in memory instead of reading the programs of punch cards every time the program is run. In this sense, The Manchester Mark I is the first computer. This led to a revolution that has been growing ever since.

The second most important invention is that of coffee. At around A.C.E. 1000 coffee was first created by the Arabians and introduced in Europe in 1517. Without coffee the computer world would be no where near where it is today because coffee is what kept the nerds and geeks and scientists up all night working on computers and it also enhances mental abilities. Coffee is one of the most common drinks of computer scientists and it is rare for one not to drink coffee.

The Internet was started by the government (in fact, Al Gore!¹³). ARPANET was the first network of computers, it was a WAN or wide area network. It was first established between four computers in 1969 and was semi-successful. From there on it gained servers and expanded into telnet, a commercial version. Email was developed shortly after. In 1979 the first MUD, or Multi-User Dungeon, was created. This was the birth of online gaming. Nerds and Geeks got there fun out of playing Dungeons and Dragons on MUDs. The world wide web is designed in 1990 and released in 1992.Netscape Navigator is only released in 1994 and Internet Explorer in 1996, only four years ago. The internet is now a major source of commerce and has been a major factors in making computers so popular with the general public.

Computers are affecting our lives hugely even now. Computers make things more efficient and have allowed information to be passed speedily and in greater quantities. They doing many things that are traditionally done by humans, such as investigating plane crashes, judging on a suspects character, and diagnosing patients for doctors. Computers have helped make significant advances because the allow research to be more easily conducted through the use of the internet. Computers are also a large part of American and Japanese economies. The gaming business alone makes up 6.6 billion dollars. By the end of 2001 it will have surpassed Hollywood in profit. Computers also allow more people to become in touch with their creativity and passions. The job market in the IT (Information Technician) field is huge the demand being extremely highly than the supply of programmers, web page designers, graphics designers, networking specialists, security specialists and hardware designers.

The rise of the internet has brought problems though. Computer security on the internet is a big problem because most people using computers or servers aren’t knowledgeable in the security field. Cracking is a big problem along with software piracy. Hackers and retired Crackers mostly make up the security profession because the know what breakable. The internet also allows easy access to objectionable materials, such as porn, to minors. It also allows access to information that could be potentially harmful, such as recipes for bombs (from things such as the infamous Anarchists Cookbook). With these problems the government feels the need to restrict access to these material, and many people agree, but it is impossible to restrict access without restricting the rights of the people. To keep the internet free a group called cyberarmy (www.cyberarmy.com) formed out of hackers, who are widely misunderstood by the public eye (please refer to “The Hacker’s Manifesto”, attached.).

Despite the problems, the internet is a community of people who don’t discriminate because of race, age, gender, or looks. The internet judges people simply by what they say or do. The internet has brought rise to all new art forms, web pages. It has also created a huge industry. The internet has caused the spawning of many successful products, such as the iMac. The internet also allows the expansion of knowledge by those you actively use and research on it.

Our civilization is advancing extremely rapidly in the area of technology. According to Moore’s Law, processor speed doubles every 18 months. The other aspects of the computer aren’t too far behind this rule. Things not ever thought possible are now being made. In fact it was stated that 3 computers would suffice for all of England’s calculating needs.

The computer community was at one time a world of scientists. Then came the “nerds” and “geeks” who built computers in their garage or programmed in their spare time. Then it came to the casual computer user and the game player. It has finally come to the few who can’t even figure out how to turn on the computer, they now have access and can learn to use it.

This is one of the most famous papers in the hacking community, no one has summed up the hacker's point of view as well as The Mentor has.

Mentor's Last Words

Another one got caught today, it's all over the papers. "Teenager Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal", "Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering"... Damn kids. They're all alike. But did you, in your three- piece psychology and 1950's technobrain, ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker? Did you ever wonder what made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him? I am a hacker, enter my world... Mine is a world that begins with school... I'm smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me... Damn underachiever. They're all alike. I'm in junior high or high school. I've listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. "No, Ms. Smith, I didn't show my work. I did it in my head..." Damn kid. Probably copied it. They're all alike. I made a discovery today. I found a computer. Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it's because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn't like me... Or feels threatened by me.. Or thinks I'm a smart ass.. Or doesn't like teaching and shouldn't be here... Damn kid. All he does is play games. They're all alike. And then it happened... a door opened to a world... rushing through the phone line like heroin through an addict's veins, an electronic pulse is sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought... a board is found. "This is it... this is where I belong..." I know everyone here... even if I've never met them, never talked to them, may never hear from them again... I know you all... Damn kid. Tying up the phone line again. They're all alike... You bet your ass we're all alike... we've been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak... the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We've been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.

This is our world now... the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn't run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore... and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge... and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias... and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals.

Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for. I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual,but you can't stop us all... after all, we're all alike.

+++The Mentor+++

links to other great articles explaining the hacker can be found on the links page