If you want to publish this, feel free.
To Hack or Crack, that is the question...
Hacker? Cracker? User? Programmer? Coder? Really not much difference today but, there was a time when being any of these was a revered and sought after position to be in.
Not to belabor the point but, back in the days when all this started, '70s & '80s, a "hacker" was someone with the skills to actually take a few circuit boards, or, make a few circuit boards, wire them together and create something that might become the forerunner of the modern computer. And, not just computers but all manor of electronic circuits and devices. To be able to "hack" a circuit together was a banner of excellence in hobbyist circles, a title to be earned, a moniker of respect and admiration from the GOOD guys!
A "Cracker" on the other hand was someone that used his skills for illegal purposes such as making free long distance calls or getting the pinball machine to give you free games. Crackers were revered as well but by a totally different group of people. Some of us belonged to both the dark side and the light side but one or the other soon won out.
So, what is (was?) a Hacker really? If you could turn grandpa's old tube radio into a guitar amp, you were a "hacker". If you could build an electronic timer for your Christmas lights, you were a hacker. In reality, if you could re-purpose old electronics into something new, you were a "Hacker". And lets not forget creating stuff from scratch. I can remember going to Radio Shack to buy blank PC boards and etching solution to make my own circuit boards. We would take a "magic marker" and draw the lines on the copper side of the board for where we wanted the copper to connect components together then, cover the board in etching solution (acid) to eat away all the unwanted copper. As far as the design was concerned, you either copied the layout from articles in "Electronics" magazine or, you drew it out by yourself using your very own brain!
After that, we would use alcohol to remove the marker, drill holes for the components, mount and solder, and, "Ta Da!" a logic board, or radio, or frequency counter or whatever circuit you had the skill and patience to make. THAT was hacking. Connecting home made logic boards and displays together into a rudimentary computer? THAT was hacking! Think about it, this was unknown territory to most of us. We would run around like crazy people if we could get a couple of chips to add whole numbers and light an LED to prove it! Words like "Altair", "ENIAC","Pegasus", "Colossus" and "AN/FSQ-7" excited us. Later, "TRS-80" and "Commodore" could draw our attention from across a crowded room. It was a magical time and we were the wizards of the realm.
Today, it seems, we have lost the wonder, the imagination, the self satisfaction of making something with our own two hands that performed a function heretofore not performed. At least, most of us have. And that is where DNotes and other digital currencies draw us in. Once again, we have the ability to create something that performs a heretofore unknown or unused function, put it out there and watch it grow and amaze people. And the carrot is still being dangled on the stick. If we do it well enough, there will be substantial rewards.
One of the things my friend and I designed and built in the back of his TV shop was patented. It wasn't glamorous, it never went into production but, it was patented and that, even though it cost us considerable money, was worth all the effort especially because the reward WAS in the effort and seeing the device work. Today, even the electronic hobbyist mostly uses "off the shelf" components and purpose built circuit boards. Want to add an audio amplifier to your project? Order a pre-built board from DigiKey. Need a power supply? There are thousands of pre-built modules to choose from.
What it all boils down to is this: people are creative. We have an inherent need to build and admire our work. Say the guy next door builds a swing set for his kids. It's the same thing, even if he bought a kit, it's the same thing. He used his hands and his brain to create something that did not previously exist.
Today, the Internet has enabled almost all of us on the planet to create something, to make a mark, to say "Look what I did!" The good guys and the bad guys are still there but now they get to hide behind a keyboard, to play both sides of the field, to hide in the digital shadows. The lines have blurred and those who don't know the history involved or, choose to ignore it for there own gain, are only making the problem worse. The popular press does not learn from it's mistakes since there is no longer any understanding of what a "mistake" is or why integrity is so important when publishing something most people will automatically take as gospel.
Have we lost the wonder of those pre-internet days when a blinking LED put you on top of the world? Maybe but, I would like to think it's just a matter of time before the next big think hits. Has that already happened? Perhaps. Perhaps it's the reason we are all here and reading this.
So, to all the true hackers out there, bravo! Keep up the good work. And, to all the crackers out there, it's time to come in from the cold, use your skills to advance the greater good and we will all profit in the long run.
Great article RJF, very interesting and inspiring.
. Glad you walked away unscathed. 
