In the year 2000, over $1.0 billion of consumer money was spent on anti-virus programs. All that money proves that there are malicious people on the internet, who enjoy breaking into your computer and stealing whatever they can find. Like all things, others try to separate these people into groups to be more easily identifiable. The most common word used for these malicious people is "hackers".

I copied this exact definition off of Dictionary.com

hack'er 'h'k ?r - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hak-er]?noun

1.a person or thing that hacks.

2.Slang. a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill: weekend hackers on the golf course.

3.Computer Slang.

a.a computer enthusiast.

b.a microcomputer user who attempts to gain unauthorized access to proprietary computer systems.

I am here to tell you that this definition is 99% in-accurate. For, in the hacker world, there are segregated groups that (while similar) have almost nothing in common. The group of people referred to above are more accurately (labeled by others in the computer world) as ?crackers?. Crackers are not the point of this article, and in short, all they do is destroy. Crackers earn every word in the definition above, a lot of crackers do not know how to program computers; and by definition ?crack? their way into a system by trying over and over again until the system breaks. A lot of these people find a hefty fine and/or imprisonment for such actions.

The other group of people are indeed called hackers; they refer to themselves as hackers, they identify others as hackers, and proudly wear the title. In the computer society, the only way you can own the title of a hacker, is if someone who is one labels you as one. Hackers are the complete opposite of crackers, in the fact that many hackers know not just one, but several different computer languages, and computer systems. True hackers are masters of their skill, and that skill is to build. Most of the things we take for granted on the internet are built on fingertips of hackers.

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the internet claims himself as a hacker; so does John Carmack, the inventor of the 3D technology used in most video games these days. (John Carmack appeared as number 10 in TIME's 50 most influential people of technology). In short, hackers are innovative programmers that are always looking to build something better then before.

There are, however, a few things that link the hacker group to the cracker group: First of all, most crackers will call themselves hackers, therefore distinguishing between the two might seem difficult. To know the truth, hackers are only called hackers by other hackers. Meaning that the title is given to them, not taken, resulting in a sense of pride and responsibility. Second (this is the big issue), both hackers and crackers believe in free will and accessibility to information. The difference is, crackers lean more to the anarchical means of freedom, and hackers represent more of free access to information.

To re-enforce, hackers believe in free access to information. Example: Tim Berner-Lee created the internet; and to this date, internet access is 100% free. With a small investigation into telemarketing, you'll learn that the fee you pay every month for internet access is not paying for the internet, but the means to reach it (phone lines, electric used in keeping servers running, etc). The internet itself is free to access, download and use at your leisure.

Hackers communally post programs that they have written and/or modified on the internet in the form of freeware, shareware or free software. Freeware is usually free, but proprietary and licensed to specific people or firms that need it. Shareware is generally free, but in a marked down form of the original program (like a 30 day free trial of a tax program), and usually is accompanied with a promise to pay for the program. Free software is as it sounds, 100% free. And it is this type of code that hackers thrive off of. Many hackers build, modify, or create free software for the general public to use. Have you ever downloaded a free media player, or a free game from the internet? That program was created by a hacker for the public to enjoy and grow from.