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Williams, Sam

"Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software"

e., a
person who deliberately cracks a computer security
system to steal or vandalize data-to describe the
subset of hackers who apply their computing skills maliciously.
This central taboo against maliciousness remains the
primary cultural link between the notion of hacking in
the early 21st century and hacking in the 1950s. It is
important to note that, as the idea of computer hacking
has evolved over the last four decades, the original
notion of hacking-i.e., performing pranks or exploring
underground tunnels-remains intact. In the fall of
2000, the MIT Museum paid tradition to the Institute's
age-old hacking tradition with a dedicated exhibit, the
Hall of Hacks. The exhibit includes a number of
photographs dating back to the 1920s, including one
involving a mock police cruiser. In 1993, students paid
homage to the original MIT notion of hacking by placing
the same police cruiser, lights flashing, atop the
Institute's main dome. The cruiser's vanity license
plate read IHTFP, a popular MIT acronym with many
meanings.


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