Re: Starting up........

[Kevin Cullis <kevincu@orci.com>]

Alex Riley wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> My name is Alex, I'm thirteen and interested in starting Hacking. Now i
> don't want to learn to do this so i can hack and mess up peoples computers
> and phone lines, i don't want to become a Cracker. I read Eric Raymonds "How
> To Become a Hacker" which i found very absorbing and followed a link to your
> site. Now i don't want to say "I'm a hacker" and get frills out it i want to
> say nothing, but go on my computer solve problems and make kick-ass websites
> and learn HTML. I'm don't use The Internet for what most people use it for
> i.e chat rooms, clubs e.t.c. OK I play games online like Diablo, Diablo 2
> and Starcraft, but The Internet is so amazing, i want to use it to the full
> extent!
> Thankyou.
> Alex
> ace40000@hotmail.com

Alex,

If you want to start hacking, start learning, and don't stop!  Play
games after you've learned for a while. ;-) Besides, leaning Linux can
be fun because it's like a puzzle and things need to be solved.  The
bottom line for a hacker is understanding the system, but more
importantly there are two issues which will help you immeasureably:
communication of what you've doing/done, either by writing or by
speaking, and understanding businesses principles. In my experience,
those that can combine hacking skills with being able to communicate
with and understand why hacking is good for business are at the top of
the hackers.  Why?  Because sometimes businesses don't understand the
technology, and they make the decisions and have the money, and
sometimes hackers can't explain why it's good for business to do what
they've described.  If either the hacker or the business person gets an
"upper hand," it can take down a business very quickly by not remaining
competitive (penny wise, but pound/dollar foolish).  The hacker and
business person are a team and they need to act like it.  The best
combination is a hacker who understands business principles and a
business person who understands technology. These are rare breeds for
sure.

I hope this helps you.  Good luck

-- 
Kevin
--
Success is never final, failure is never fatal, unless you quit on
others and yourself.
If you get married to your ideas, you'll go through the pangs of divorce
when you're proven wrong.
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