Hackers in America

            "In the 1960's and 1970's, to be a computer hacker was to wear a badge of honor." (Cyberpunk, 11) Some say they"re thrill seekers. Others say they are criminals. Hackers have been a part of our vocabulary since the computer revolution started. They have a whole subculture viewed as dark by some, but others view it as a knowledge-seeking community of people that want to learn more. Some of them help business, but others destroy business. Either way they are using their knowledge of the world web of computer networks to show us just how vulnerable we all are. .
             The 1960's was when hackers first starting emerging in our vocabulary. They were the legions of programmers out there that sat for hours on end looking at punch cards and thousands of lines of computer code trying to find a bug. They weren't always at a computer necessarily. Their ability to use their minds to think up advanced logical hoaxes was legendary. "During a 1961 Rose Bowl game between Washington and Minnesota, Cal Tech students made substitutions for the cards to be held up by fans at halftime. Instead of Washington, the cards spelled out Cal Tech." (Cyberpunk, 11).
             In the 1980's the negative connotation of the hacker came into view. They were looked at as "password pirates and electronic burglars"(Cyberpunk, 11) who might take our nations secrets and sell them to the Soviets. Movies like War Games were put out to quell the nation's fear. War Games showed that the kids out there messing with computers were not the ones to fear. This movie showed a kid just having fun on his home computer, trying to learn about the hidden world of government projects and secrets. He gets into something he shouldn't have though, but his knowledge and experience are what ends up saving the world. The movie shows his knowledge is what helps in the long run, not making him a criminal, but a savior in the eyes of moviegoers.
             There was a criminal aspect out there as well.