Excuse me, Mr. Blank Frank

[Ralph Forsythe]

These programs are not what I'd consider to be hacking programs, per se.
They are not gaining illegal access on anything, or doing any damage.  He
might be royally annoying some people on the net, but that's about it.

Actually, kudos to your son ... You have to understand that most people
using the programs like your son's have never taken the time to learn how
they work, but just download them and use them.  Very few people take the
time to write the code themselves; to learn how the processes take place,
or why what's happening is the way it is.

I'd imagine quite a few people on this list have, at one time or another,
written programs that do things to piss people off, but in the end cause
no real harm.  Some of us have written programs to crack password files
even, just to "see if we can".  That doesn't mean we're out there
downloading passwords and breaking into sites worldwide.  (Well, most of
us anyway...)

To be honest, it's exactly because I was able to tinker and try these
things out that I have a good paying job in the computer security field,
am respected by my peers, and continue to accomplish new things.  I
*absolutely* look back on my past and feel accomplishment.  If your son
was posting script kiddie crap like "I 0wn j00 l0053r5" (I owned you
loosers, in english) on web sites that would be different.  He's already
above that.  And that "hackers oath" is also exactly what defines the line
between maliscious and constructive behavior.

I don't know you, and I don't know your son.  But at least in regards to
this, DEFINITELY encourage him to keep at it if he likes it.  He'll likely
land a great job someday because of it.  Just make sure he knows where to
draw the line between constructive learning and illegal activity that
tends to make cops come to your house...

(Man I just feel all warm and fuzzy all of a sudden....)

- Ralph

On Tue, 23 Jan 2001, Lori Banks wrote:

> Mr. May,
> 
> Actually ..... he tells me that he hasn't forgotten it at all .... he says
> that he knows that he should allow me to have access, that he's being
> stubborn, and that he doesn't know why he's not giving it up ... must be a
> "Hackers Oath" or something that's not allowing him to divulge it ... I
> think that he's hiding something personally .... something that will hurt
> our relationship -- what he doesn't realize, of which I've tried dilligently
> to explain to him is that I love him unconditionally -- whatever he's got
> ... I'm in there for the long run and we'll be  better people when we
> resolve the conflict!!  ... I understand certain temptations, desires, ect
> ... of course, I haven't told you that he has developed a hackers website in
> which he has made some wonderful programs ... beautiful programming, I mean
> ... but they are programs that flood the chatrooms -- "just to see if I
> could do it" ... and a ban program ... "they banned me for flooding and I
> just want to play the game ... so I had to create a ban program" ... see, I
> told you that he's very bright!! .... just want to see him use it for a good
> purpose ... one that he can look back on and feel accomplishment.....  so
> does this light give anymore fuel to someone's thoughts?
>