Psychology Project

[somuchfortheafter]

Well I am doing a psychology study on computer hackers and well I do not know if there are any on this board or not, well as long as you are self proclaimed it is ok lol. Anyway if you wish to help I have a survey that is a personality profile of 70 A/B questions in an a spreadsheet format and 5 theoretical questions that will judge a small portion of your ethics regarding matters of hacking. And to answer the main question, yes your identity is not even asked of you because I do not wish this to bare any effect on my research or other peoples records :) . If you are still interested please reply with your email address or pm me.


thanks in advance.

[macewan]

you're being serious aren't you


1. no - report them
2. no
3. doesn't apply to Open Source Software -
4. waste of time
5. just submit a bug report -



Burgaw? Know any Futches?

[gylf]

Well I am doing a psychology study on computer hackers and well I do not know if there are any on this board or not, well as long as you are self proclaimed it is ok lol. Anyway if you wish to help I have a survey that is a personality profile of 70 A/B questions in an a spreadsheet format and 5 theoretical questions that will judge a small portion of your ethics regarding matters of hacking. And to answer the main question, yes your identity is not even asked of you because I do not wish this to bare any effect on my research or other peoples records :) . If you are still interested please reply with your email address or pm me.


thanks in advance.

Is this for a school project? I think you'll have more luck if you post a definition of who you consider a "hacker", as the term has taken on a couple different meanings. Do you mean people who "hack" at code? Or computer enthusiasts in general? Or specifically people who illegally "hack" into other people's systems (properly known as "crackers")?

[gylf]

you're being serious aren't you


1. no - report them
2. no
3. doesn't apply to Open Source Software -
4. waste of time
5. just submit a bug report -

I think your assuming he means a cracker.
" 1) According to The New Hacker's Dictionary a hacker is a clever computer programmer, who does not necessarily engage in illegal activities. 2) In the media, a Hacker refers to a person who illegally break in or attempts to break into a computer system. See Cracker. "
google definition here (http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A+hacker)
Sounds like a hacker is very applicable to Open Source Software... Ubuntu has many clever computer programmers :)

[macewan]

Sounds like a hacker is very applicable to Open Source Software... Ubuntu has many clever computer programmers :)

I'm a big believer in being clever http://www.ubuntuforums.org/images/icons/icon6.gif

[jdodson]

yeah as a few have stated already, first thing is you need to know what a hacker is. i am, by the original definition a hacker. i will take your survey. however some points of note, i have not and do not plan to ever break into a system or create any software to do anything damaging to a computer(of course i might code an app that messes something up, but it would not be intentional).

anyways, this is a forum for people who run the ubuntu gnu/linux operating system. i would suspect there might be a few people who are "crackers" here, but if there are they are a quiet minority. i would suggest you check out the plethora of computer forums dedicated to "cracking." there are some irc channels dedicated to it. though i think you should note a few things. 1) you are not going to be able to validate your findings. i.e., is this a true "cracker" or some stupid kid pretending to be one. 2) is this a script kiddie, or someone who actually knows what they are doing. 3) would i be able to contact the uber-leet-state-of-the-art "cracker"? or would they spend time avoiding someone who would have them fill out a survey? 4) would true "crackers" believe your story? not that you are lying but you could be some FBI agent needing a few more busts. are you going to go to lengths to assure your identity, if so that is pretty scary for you to do.

you might consider interviewing some people involved with computer/network security. they would have very good information on the current "cracking" trends.

kevin mitnick has a pretty big internet presence. he was a "cracker" and continues to be a "hacker." he might answer some of your questions, though he has garnered a "uber-god-geek" status amongst the computer knowledgable and might be hard to reach. i use him as an example as one who was "running from the law" and now no longer takes part in the back-door black "cracking" arts. though back then the laws were pretty vague on that sort of a thing, it was questionably illegal anyway. now it is pretty black and white on the whole matter as far as the law is concerned anyway.

[somuchfortheafter]

Actually for this project (yes it is for school) I am ignoring the never ending rants/debates on the hacker/cracker thing. All definitions of this word are being used in a survey because it is actually on "self proclaimed hackers" so it really doesnt matter which kind you are.