What do you really think of hackers?

What is your opinion of the term hackers, whether you see them as the media presents them, they present themselves, their culture gives to you?

Also the people that built the internet.:D

Hackers...at least real ones are great. We discover new and interesting things.......

I still go by the old Berkley Definition

Hackers are enthusiastic computer programmers who share their work with others; they are not computer criminals.

And as a FYI- good book on the subject is, The Hacker Ethic by Pekka Hinamen — with a forward from Linus Torvalds.

Learning to hack, in my opinion, is the best way to learn security. When you try to secure down your system or network, it's best to think like a hacker. It's easier to think like a hacker when you are a hacker.
Crackers are evil hackers, and script kiddies are just crackers minus all knowledge.
It's a shame that most people put them all in one category and call them all evil.

no hackers...no internet...the friggin crackers would bring it down to its knees...to be a good admin you have to know what the person potentially breaking into your system is thinking and try to close as many gaps as possible before the unfixable happens and you have to bring down the server to repair it...the script-kiddies are not the ones to be blamed for nothing (anyone into Jack the Ripper would get this joke)

Nice to know people understand true hackers these days even though its gonna take forever to convince the media.

Here is a real life experience. A family members boyfriend was convicted some time ago for breaking into a local banks accounts and having money placed into his account which was at the same bank (stupidity level-off of the charts), Anyhow I was fairly new to the lifestyle and I actually held some respect for the guy being a newbie and not knowing the truths behind hacking. I asked him for all that he could teach me. All he offered me were password crackers and similar programs. This is when I started catching on. I asked "what the hell is this going to teach me"?. he said "they do the work for you". After some time I studied on my own and did what I could here and there to better educate myself. In the end, I am the one 4.0 student and he is working at a local lumber mill still amazing his friends with his "programs". God Bless the guy and I feel sorry for my sister who is going to marry him. hehe:D

Hackers: The media has latched onto the term and it has developed into a "bad" thing. Maybe somebody can come up with a new term that will apply to the "White hat" crowd that are ethical.:D

Yeah I suppose but imagine thinkin of a new nice name for hackers that didnt sound threatening.

Example - Windows Bunnies
Microsofties
Lovenix
Helpkers

Damn that would take forever.