hacker

Back in the 70's, hacker was a term given to those fortunate enough to know how to code. During the 80's and 90's it was a term meant for those who worked their way through systems, without approval. Now, its meaning has been completely replaced by cracker, and hacker means nothing more than any idiot that can decipher a small page of HTML. Those who are computer illiterate still widely use the word in its 80s/90s sense. Not to be confused with hax0r, meaning a person who dreams to one day know how to hack, or another name for l337sp33k.
Of the 80s/90s version, there were three primary denominations:
The casual Hacker-hacks to learn information for his own curiosity.
The White Hat Hacker-hunts down and destroys malicious code.
The Black Hat Hacker-designs and releases malicious code;gathers dangerous information;brings down sensative systems.

"The hackers are working very hard."
"The hackers have managed to find their way into the system."
"The hackers are getting on my nerves."

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