Is Security Being Commercialised and is it killing the "hacker scene"?

[hypronix]

Yeah foxyloxley but while the number og hackers might decrease, they will prpbably become specialized, and the need for underground factions to form would be more obvious. Let's say, somebody is really good at exploits, somebody at programming, somebody at networking etc. I think you are right about script-kiddies, once the computers will really be for a select few, skids will not have time nor resources to try n hack. I mean, hacking will really become a challenge, and probably exploits will be hard to find [unless they are coded by the person that needs them]

[el-half]

Due to the commercialisation people are impressed if you can actually use Windows.
Today you are a guru if you know MS-DOS and HTML.

So I can write exploits, so I can program in multiple programming languages, so I can FUBAR your box, Am I skilled? NO

If I read the courses they teach at the university I'm likely to go to, that's some 1337 stuff.
e.g. Compilers & languages, AI programming,...

[spurious_inode]

Commercialized? I think so. That is only a bad thing though when script-kidd'Os turned capitalists start going door to door at the local office complex selling their `security services'.

The new business trend seems to be focusing on the company core business and contracting everything else out. Security definitely has a role here, and there is some good money to be made. I would trust word of mouth, the Industry itself, and litigation to police the lamers quite handily.

-- spurious

[pooh sun tzu]

I can see this almost identically mirroring the "web designer" boom that only just recently ended. Having been a former web designer, I learned that the field was saturated with people who could use FrontPage or DreamweaverMX (drag and drop part of MX, not the code writing part) to a certain extend. They understood the buzzwords, they were zealotous about either full support of W3 standards (which they hardly understood in full) or in full support for "using anything that works".

While the market became filled with this mindless zombies in it just for profit, it caused a boom in webpage development. Not only were there more (albiet horrid looking) websites, but web access was becoming much more popular amoung less savvy users. The expanding of knowledge is almost always a Good Thing.

The only bad thing was that the opinions were so enforced and demanded from these half-hearted web designers, that glaring errors of opinion began to spread. Views on standards changed, people no longer cared that only IE could access a site, and now they had the proof of "professionals" to back them up. This later, however, backfired, as people are slowly starting to see.

Because, like a candle flame, he who shines the hardest with the most effort will burn out the fastest. Those who took not the time to truley learn web deisgn, nor it's culture, are beginning to die out. People are noticing the flaws in design, in programming, and methods that these people use and are beginning to seek out the "true" (if I may use that word) professionals. By true I mean those that started learning HTML by hand, and then by sheer passion and love for it moved further into other web programming languages. The difference in quality, usability, and sheer genius is starting to show through... and everyone is beginning to notice that the fanboi's of web design lack those 3 qualities.

I want to close by saying that commercialization of anything is both good and bad. Good, because information is passed along to enlighten the general public about a formerly cryptic idea/process. Bad, because misinformation and biased opinions are going to happen regardless of how hard standards fight them. However, in the end, while they burn out as quickly as a firey candle, those of us who remain true to the culture, the standards, and proper security methods through experience... we shall forever remain a bit brighter, longer. For we are the stars that continually light the sky in a world where a candle can be blown out by the winds of change.

[el-half]

Ow, well, in years I will probably look back like an old-skooler and think it was way much better today and think the geeks of then are nothing compared to us Compare with current old-skoolers