i think that you are definitely a newbie only because you don't have an understanding of what it is you are trying to be. "hackers" don't HAVE to hack peoples puters to be "normal" as you put it. there is so much more to the term. besides, most people except newbies don't really aspire to be a "hacker" because of the media connotation. many people have changed what they call themselves to "security expert". but no there is no set number of puters you have to hack, it's more of a mentality and a skill level.