HowToBecomeAHacker

EricStevenRaymond
ThyrsusEnterprises
<esr@thyrsus.com>

Copyright2001EricS.Raymond
RevisionHistory
Revision1.49
21November2014
esr
Addedlinkto"HowToLearnHacking".
Revision1.48
19June2014
esr
freshmeat/freecodeisdead,alas.
Revision1.47
20May2014
esr
Fixupvariousstalelinks.Joinahackerspace!
Revision1.46
25Sep2013
esr
Addmicropatronageexplanationandgittiplink.Whyyoushouldnotaskmeforadviceonhowto
getstarted.
Revision1.45
12May2013
esr
OpenSolarisisn't,andUnityscrewedthepooch.
Revision1.44
20May2012
esr
UpdatedthecritiqueofJava.
Revision1.43
07Feb2011
esr
PythonpassedPerlinpopularityin2010.
Revision1.42
22Oct2010
esr
Added"Historicalnote".
Revision1.40
3Nov2008
esr
Linkfixes.
Revision1.39
14Aug2008
esr
Linkfixes.
Revision1.38
8Jan2008
esr
DeprecateJavaasalanguagetolearnearly.
Revision1.37
4Oct2007
esr
RecommendUbuntuasaUnixdistrofornewbies.
TableofContents
WhyThisDocument?
WhatIsaHacker?
TheHackerAttitude
1.Theworldisfulloffascinatingproblemswaitingtobesolved.

2.Noproblemshouldeverhavetobesolvedtwice.
3.Boredomanddrudgeryareevil.
4.Freedomisgood.
5.Attitudeisnosubstituteforcompetence.
BasicHackingSkills
1.Learnhowtoprogram.
2.GetoneoftheopensourceUnixesandlearntouseandrunit.
3.LearnhowtousetheWorldWideWebandwriteHTML.
4.Ifyoudon'thavefunctionalEnglish,learnit.
StatusintheHackerCulture
1.Writeopensourcesoftware
2.Helptestanddebugopensourcesoftware
3.Publishusefulinformation
4.Helpkeeptheinfrastructureworking
5.Servethehackercultureitself
TheHacker/NerdConnection
PointsForStyle
HistoricalNote:Hacking,OpenSource,andFreeSoftware
OtherResources
FrequentlyAskedQuestions

WhyThisDocument?
AseditoroftheJargonFileandauthorofafewotherwellknowndocumentsofsimilarnature,Ioften
getemailrequestsfromenthusiasticnetworknewbiesasking(ineffect)"howcanIlearntobea
wizardlyhacker?".Backin1996Inoticedthattheredidn'tseemtobeanyotherFAQsorweb
documentsthataddressedthisvitalquestion,soIstartedthisone.Alotofhackersnowconsiderit
definitive,andIsupposethatmeansitis.Still,Idon'tclaimtobetheexclusiveauthorityonthistopic
ifyoudon'tlikewhatyoureadhere,writeyourown.
Ifyouarereadingasnapshotofthisdocumentoffline,thecurrentversionlivesat
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hackerhowto.html.
Note:thereisalistofFrequentlyAskedQuestionsattheendofthisdocument.Pleasereadthese
twicebeforemailingmeanyquestionsaboutthisdocument.
Numeroustranslationsofthisdocumentareavailable:ArabicBelorussianChinese,Danish,Dutch,
Estonian,FrenchGerman,GreekItalianHebrew,Japanese,Lithuanian,Norwegian,Persian
Portuguese(Brazilian),RomanianSpanish,Turkish,andSwedish.Notethatsincethisdocument
changesoccasionally,theymaybeoutofdatetovaryingdegrees.
Thefivedotsinninesquaresdiagramthatdecoratesthisdocumentiscalledaglider.Itisasimple
patternwithsomesurprisingpropertiesinamathematicalsimulationcalledLifethathasfascinated
hackersformanyyears.Ithinkitmakesagoodvisualemblemforwhathackersarelikeabstract,
atfirstabitmysteriousseeming,butagatewaytoawholeworldwithanintricatelogicofitsown.

Readmoreabouttheglideremblemhere.
Ifyoufindthisdocumentvaluable,pleaseleavemeatiponGittip.Andconsideralsotippingother
hackerswhohaveproducedcodethatyouuseandvalue.Lotsofsmallbutcontinuingdonationsadd
upquickly,andcanfreethepeoplewhohavegivenyougiftsoftheirlabortocreatemorevalue.

WhatIsaHacker?
TheJargonFilecontainsabunchofdefinitionsofthetermhacker,mosthavingtodowithtechnical
adeptnessandadelightinsolvingproblemsandovercominglimits.Ifyouwanttoknowhowto
becomeahacker,though,onlytwoarereallyrelevant.
Thereisacommunity,asharedculture,ofexpertprogrammersandnetworkingwizardsthattracesits
historybackthroughdecadestothefirsttimesharingminicomputersandtheearliestARPAnet
experiments.Themembersofthiscultureoriginatedthetermhacker.HackersbuilttheInternet.
HackersmadetheUnixoperatingsystemwhatitistoday.HackersmaketheWorldWideWebwork.
Ifyouarepartofthisculture,ifyouhavecontributedtoitandotherpeopleinitknowwhoyouare
andcallyouahacker,you'reahacker.
Thehackermindsetisnotconfinedtothissoftwarehackerculture.Therearepeoplewhoapplythe
hackerattitudetootherthings,likeelectronicsormusicactually,youcanfinditatthehighest
levelsofanyscienceorart.Softwarehackersrecognizethesekindredspiritselsewhereandmaycall
themhackerstooandsomeclaimthatthehackernatureisreallyindependentoftheparticular
mediumthehackerworksin.Butintherestofthisdocumentwewillfocusontheskillsandattitudes
ofsoftwarehackers,andthetraditionsofthesharedculturethatoriginatedthetermhacker.
Thereisanothergroupofpeoplewholoudlycallthemselveshackers,butaren't.Thesearepeople
(mainlyadolescentmales)whogetakickoutofbreakingintocomputersandphreakingthephone
system.Realhackerscallthesepeoplecrackersandwantnothingtodowiththem.Realhackers
mostlythinkcrackersarelazy,irresponsible,andnotverybright,andobjectthatbeingabletobreak
securitydoesn'tmakeyouahackeranymorethanbeingabletohotwirecarsmakesyouanautomotive
engineer.Unfortunately,manyjournalistsandwritershavebeenfooledintousingthewordhacker
todescribecrackersthisirritatesrealhackersnoend.
Thebasicdifferenceisthis:hackersbuildthings,crackersbreakthem.
Ifyouwanttobeahacker,keepreading.Ifyouwanttobeacracker,goreadthealt.2600newsgroup
andgetreadytodofivetotenintheslammerafterfindingoutyouaren'tassmartasyouthinkyou
are.Andthat'sallI'mgoingtosayaboutcrackers.

TheHackerAttitude
1.Theworldisfulloffascinatingproblemswaitingtobesolved.
2.Noproblemshouldeverhavetobesolvedtwice.
3.Boredomanddrudgeryareevil.
4.Freedomisgood.
5.Attitudeisnosubstituteforcompetence.
Hackerssolveproblemsandbuildthings,andtheybelieveinfreedomandvoluntarymutualhelp.To

beacceptedasahacker,youhavetobehaveasthoughyouhavethiskindofattitudeyourself.Andto
behaveasthoughyouhavetheattitude,youhavetoreallybelievetheattitude.
Butifyouthinkofcultivatinghackerattitudesasjustawaytogainacceptanceintheculture,you'll
missthepoint.Becomingthekindofpersonwhobelievesthesethingsisimportantforyoufor
helpingyoulearnandkeepingyoumotivated.Aswithallcreativearts,themosteffectivewayto
becomeamasteristoimitatethemindsetofmastersnotjustintellectuallybutemotionallyas
well.
Or,asthefollowingmodernZenpoemhasit:
Tofollowthepath:
looktothemaster,
followthemaster,
walkwiththemaster,
seethroughthemaster,
becomethemaster.
So,ifyouwanttobeahacker,repeatthefollowingthingsuntilyoubelievethem:

1.Theworldisfulloffascinatingproblemswaitingtobesolved.
Beingahackerislotsoffun,butit'sakindoffunthattakeslotsofeffort.Theefforttakesmotivation.
Successfulathletesgettheirmotivationfromakindofphysicaldelightinmakingtheirbodies
perform,inpushingthemselvespasttheirownphysicallimits.Similarly,tobeahackeryouhaveto
getabasicthrillfromsolvingproblems,sharpeningyourskills,andexercisingyourintelligence.
Ifyouaren'tthekindofpersonthatfeelsthiswaynaturally,you'llneedtobecomeoneinorderto
makeitasahacker.Otherwiseyou'llfindyourhackingenergyissappedbydistractionslikesex,
money,andsocialapproval.
(Youalsohavetodevelopakindoffaithinyourownlearningcapacityabeliefthateventhough
youmaynotknowallofwhatyouneedtosolveaproblem,ifyoutacklejustapieceofitandlearn
fromthat,you'lllearnenoughtosolvethenextpieceandsoon,untilyou'redone.)

2.Noproblemshouldeverhavetobesolvedtwice.
Creativebrainsareavaluable,limitedresource.Theyshouldn'tbewastedonreinventingthewheel
whentherearesomanyfascinatingnewproblemswaitingoutthere.
Tobehavelikeahacker,youhavetobelievethatthethinkingtimeofotherhackersispreciousso
muchsothatit'salmostamoraldutyforyoutoshareinformation,solveproblemsandthengivethe
solutionsawayjustsootherhackerscansolvenewproblemsinsteadofhavingtoperpetuallyre
addressoldones.
Note,however,that"Noproblemshouldeverhavetobesolvedtwice."doesnotimplythatyouhave
toconsiderallexistingsolutionssacred,orthatthereisonlyonerightsolutiontoanygivenproblem.
Often,welearnalotabouttheproblemthatwedidn'tknowbeforebystudyingthefirstcutata
solution.It'sOK,andoftennecessary,todecidethatwecandobetter.What'snotOKisartificial
technical,legal,orinstitutionalbarriers(likeclosedsourcecode)thatpreventagoodsolutionfrom
beingreusedandforcepeopletoreinventwheels.
(Youdon'thavetobelievethatyou'reobligatedtogiveallyourcreativeproductaway,thoughthe

hackersthatdoaretheonesthatgetmostrespectfromotherhackers.It'sconsistentwithhackervalues
tosellenoughofittokeepyouinfoodandrentandcomputers.It'sfinetouseyourhackingskillsto
supportafamilyorevengetrich,aslongasyoudon'tforgetyourloyaltytoyourartandyourfellow
hackerswhiledoingit.)

3.Boredomanddrudgeryareevil.
Hackers(andcreativepeopleingeneral)shouldneverbeboredorhavetodrudgeatstupidrepetitive
work,becausewhenthishappensitmeanstheyaren'tdoingwhatonlytheycandosolvenew
problems.Thiswastefulnesshurtseverybody.Thereforeboredomanddrudgeryarenotjust
unpleasantbutactuallyevil.
Tobehavelikeahacker,youhavetobelievethisenoughtowanttoautomateawaytheboringbitsas
muchaspossible,notjustforyourselfbutforeverybodyelse(especiallyotherhackers).
(Thereisoneapparentexceptiontothis.Hackerswillsometimesdothingsthatmayseemrepetitiveor
boringtoanobserverasamindclearingexercise,orinordertoacquireaskillorhavesomeparticular
kindofexperienceyoucan'thaveotherwise.Butthisisbychoicenobodywhocanthinkshould
everbeforcedintoasituationthatboresthem.)

4.Freedomisgood.
Hackersarenaturallyantiauthoritarian.Anyonewhocangiveyouorderscanstopyoufromsolving
whateverproblemyou'rebeingfascinatedbyand,giventhewayauthoritarianmindswork,will
generallyfindsomeappallinglystupidreasontodoso.Sotheauthoritarianattitudehastobefought
whereveryoufindit,lestitsmotheryouandotherhackers.
(Thisisn'tthesameasfightingallauthority.Childrenneedtobeguidedandcriminalsrestrained.A
hackermayagreetoacceptsomekindsofauthorityinordertogetsomethinghewantsmorethanthe
timehespendsfollowingorders.Butthat'salimited,consciousbargainthekindofpersonal
surrenderauthoritarianswantisnotonoffer.)
Authoritariansthriveoncensorshipandsecrecy.Andtheydistrustvoluntarycooperationand
informationsharingtheyonlylikecooperationthattheycontrol.Sotobehavelikeahacker,you
havetodevelopaninstinctivehostilitytocensorship,secrecy,andtheuseofforceordeceptionto
compelresponsibleadults.Andyouhavetobewillingtoactonthatbelief.

5.Attitudeisnosubstituteforcompetence.
Tobeahacker,youhavetodevelopsomeoftheseattitudes.Butcoppinganattitudealonewon'tmake
youahacker,anymorethanitwillmakeyouachampionathleteorarockstar.Becomingahacker
willtakeintelligence,practice,dedication,andhardwork.
Therefore,youhavetolearntodistrustattitudeandrespectcompetenceofeverykind.Hackerswon't
letposerswastetheirtime,buttheyworshipcompetenceespeciallycompetenceathacking,but
competenceatanythingisvalued.Competenceatdemandingskillsthatfewcanmasterisespecially
good,andcompetenceatdemandingskillsthatinvolvementalacuteness,craft,andconcentrationis
best.
Ifyoureverecompetence,you'llenjoydevelopingitinyourselfthehardworkanddedicationwill
becomeakindofintenseplayratherthandrudgery.Thatattitudeisvitaltobecomingahacker.

BasicHackingSkills
1.Learnhowtoprogram.
2.GetoneoftheopensourceUnixesandlearntouseandrunit.
3.LearnhowtousetheWorldWideWebandwriteHTML.
4.Ifyoudon'thavefunctionalEnglish,learnit.
Thehackerattitudeisvital,butskillsareevenmorevital.Attitudeisnosubstituteforcompetence,
andthere'sacertainbasictoolkitofskillswhichyouhavetohavebeforeanyhackerwilldreamof
callingyouone.
Thistoolkitchangesslowlyovertimeastechnologycreatesnewskillsandmakesoldonesobsolete.
Forexample,itusedtoincludeprogramminginmachinelanguage,anddidn'tuntilrecentlyinvolve
HTML.Butrightnowitprettyclearlyincludesthefollowing:

1.Learnhowtoprogram.
This,ofcourse,isthefundamentalhackingskill.Ifyoudon'tknowanycomputerlanguages,I
recommendstartingwithPython.Itiscleanlydesigned,welldocumented,andrelativelykindto
beginners.Despitebeingagoodfirstlanguage,itisnotjustatoyitisverypowerfulandflexibleand
wellsuitedforlargeprojects.IhavewrittenamoredetailedevaluationofPython.Goodtutorialsare
availableatthePythonwebsitethere'sanexcellentthirdpartyoneatComputerScienceCircles.
IusedtorecommendJavaasagoodlanguagetolearnearly,butthiscritiquehaschangedmymind
(searchforThePitfallsofJavaasaFirstProgrammingLanguagewithinit).Ahackercannot,as
theydevastatinglyputitapproachproblemsolvinglikeaplumberinahardwarestoreyouhaveto
knowwhatthecomponentsactuallydo.NowIthinkitisprobablybesttolearnCandLispfirst,then
Java.
Thereisperhapsamoregeneralpointhere.Ifalanguagedoestoomuchforyou,itmaybe
simultaneouslyagoodtoolforproductionandabadoneforlearning.It'snotonlylanguagesthathave
thisproblemwebapplicationframeworkslikeRubyOnRails,CakePHP,Djangomaymakeittooeasy
toreachasuperficialsortofunderstandingthatwillleaveyouwithoutresourceswhenyouhaveto
tackleahardproblem,orevenjustdebugthesolutiontoaneasyone.
Ifyougetintoseriousprogramming,youwillhavetolearnC,thecorelanguageofUnix.C++isvery
closelyrelatedtoCifyouknowone,learningtheotherwillnotbedifficult.Neitherlanguageisa
goodonetotrylearningasyourfirst,however.And,actually,themoreyoucanavoidprogramming
inCthemoreproductiveyouwillbe.
Cisveryefficient,andverysparingofyourmachine'sresources.Unfortunately,Cgetsthatefficiency
byrequiringyoutodoalotoflowlevelmanagementofresources(likememory)byhand.Allthat
lowlevelcodeiscomplexandbugprone,andwillsoakuphugeamountsofyourtimeondebugging.
Withtoday'smachinesaspowerfulastheyare,thisisusuallyabadtradeoffit'ssmartertousea
languagethatusesthemachine'stimelessefficiently,butyourtimemuchmoreefficiently.Thus,
Python.
OtherlanguagesofparticularimportancetohackersincludePerlandLISP.Perlisworthlearningfor
practicalreasonsit'sverywidelyusedforactivewebpagesandsystemadministration,sothatevenif
youneverwritePerlyoushouldlearntoreadit.ManypeopleusePerlinthewayIsuggestyoushould

usePython,toavoidCprogrammingonjobsthatdon'trequireC'smachineefficiency.Youwillneed
tobeabletounderstandtheircode.
LISPisworthlearningforadifferentreasontheprofoundenlightenmentexperienceyouwillhave
whenyoufinallygetit.Thatexperiencewillmakeyouabetterprogrammerfortherestofyourdays,
evenifyouneveractuallyuseLISPitselfalot.(YoucangetsomebeginningexperiencewithLISP
fairlyeasilybywritingandmodifyingeditingmodesfortheEmacstexteditor,orScriptFuplugins
fortheGIMP.)
It'sbest,actually,tolearnallfiveofPython,C/C++,Java,Perl,andLISP.Besidesbeingthemost
importanthackinglanguages,theyrepresentverydifferentapproachestoprogramming,andeachwill
educateyouinvaluableways.
Butbeawarethatyouwon'treachtheskilllevelofahackerorevenmerelyaprogrammersimplyby
accumulatinglanguagesyouneedtolearnhowtothinkaboutprogrammingproblemsinageneral
way,independentofanyonelanguage.Tobearealhacker,youneedtogettothepointwhereyou
canlearnanewlanguageindaysbyrelatingwhat'sinthemanualtowhatyoualreadyknow.This
meansyoushouldlearnseveralverydifferentlanguages.
Ican'tgivecompleteinstructionsonhowtolearntoprogramhereit'sacomplexskill.ButIcantell
youthatbooksandcourseswon'tdoitmany,maybemostofthebesthackersareselftaught.You
canlearnlanguagefeaturesbitsofknowledgefrombooks,butthemindsetthatmakesthat
knowledgeintolivingskillcanbelearnedonlybypracticeandapprenticeship.Whatwilldoitis(a)
readingcodeand(b)writingcode.
PeterNorvig,whoisoneofGoogle'stophackersandthecoauthorofthemostwidelyusedtextbook
onAI,haswrittenanexcellentessaycalledTeachYourselfProgramminginTenYears.His"recipe
forprogrammingsuccess"isworthcarefulattention.
Learningtoprogramislikelearningtowritegoodnaturallanguage.Thebestwaytodoitistoread
somestuffwrittenbymastersoftheform,writesomethingsyourself,readalotmore,writealittle
more,readalotmore,writesomemore...andrepeatuntilyourwritingbeginstodevelopthekindof
strengthandeconomyyouseeinyourmodels.
IhavehadmoretosayaboutthislearningprocessinHowToLearnHacking.It'sasimplesetof
instructions,butnotaneasyone.
Findinggoodcodetoreadusedtobehard,becausetherewerefewlargeprogramsavailableinsource
forfledgelinghackerstoreadandtinkerwith.Thishaschangeddramaticallyopensourcesoftware,
programmingtools,andoperatingsystems(allbuiltbyhackers)arenowwidelyavailable.Which
bringsmeneatlytoournexttopic...

2.GetoneoftheopensourceUnixesandlearntouseandrunit.
I'llassumeyouhaveapersonalcomputerorcangetaccesstoone.(Takeamomenttoappreciatehow
muchthatmeans.Thehackercultureoriginallyevolvedbackwhencomputersweresoexpensivethat
individualscouldnotownthem.)Thesinglemostimportantstepanynewbiecantaketoward
acquiringhackerskillsistogetacopyofLinuxoroneoftheBSDUnixes,installitonapersonal
machine,andrunit.
Yes,thereareotheroperatingsystemsintheworldbesidesUnix.Butthey'redistributedinbinary
youcan'treadthecode,andyoucan'tmodifyit.TryingtolearntohackonaMicrosoftWindows
machineorunderanyotherclosedsourcesystemisliketryingtolearntodancewhilewearingabody
cast.

UnderMacOSXit'spossible,butonlypartofthesystemisopensourceyou'relikelytohitalotof
walls,andyouhavetobecarefulnottodevelopthebadhabitofdependingonApple'sproprietary
code.IfyouconcentrateontheUnixunderthehoodyoucanlearnsomeusefulthings.
UnixistheoperatingsystemoftheInternet.WhileyoucanlearntousetheInternetwithoutknowing
Unix,youcan'tbeanInternethackerwithoutunderstandingUnix.Forthisreason,thehackerculture
todayisprettystronglyUnixcentered.(Thiswasn'talwaystrue,andsomeoldtimehackersstillaren't
happyaboutit,butthesymbiosisbetweenUnixandtheInternethasbecomestrongenoughthateven
Microsoft'smuscledoesn'tseemabletoseriouslydentit.)
So,bringupaUnixIlikeLinuxmyselfbutthereareotherways(andyes,youcanrunbothLinux
andMicrosoftWindowsonthesamemachine).Learnit.Runit.Tinkerwithit.TalktotheInternet
withit.Readthecode.Modifythecode.You'llgetbetterprogrammingtools(includingC,LISP,
Python,andPerl)thananyMicrosoftoperatingsystemcandreamofhosting,you'llhavefun,and
you'llsoakupmoreknowledgethanyourealizeyou'relearninguntilyoulookbackonitasamaster
hacker.
FormoreaboutlearningUnix,seeTheLoginataka.YoumightalsowanttohavealookatTheArtOf
UnixProgramming.
TogetyourhandsonaLinux,seetheLinuxOnline!siteyoucandownloadfromthereor(better
idea)findalocalLinuxusergrouptohelpyouwithinstallation.
DuringthefirsttenyearsofthisHOWTO'slife,Ireportedthatfromanewuser'spointofview,all
Linuxdistributionsarealmostequivalent.Butin20062007,anactualbestchoiceemerged:Ubuntu.
Whileotherdistroshavetheirownareasofstrength,Ubuntuisfarandawaythemostaccessibleto
Linuxnewbies.Beware,though,ofthehideousandnighunusable"Unity"desktopinterfacethat
UbuntuintroducedasadefaultafewyearslatertheXubuntuorKubuntuvariantsarebetter.
YoucanfindBSDUnixhelpandresourcesatwww.bsd.org.
AgoodwaytodipyourtoesinthewateristobootupwhatLinuxfanscallaliveCD,adistribution
thatrunsentirelyoffaCDwithouthavingtomodifyyourharddisk.Thiswillbeslow,becauseCDs
areslow,butit'sawaytogetalookatthepossibilitieswithouthavingtodoanythingdrastic.
IhavewrittenaprimeronthebasicsofUnixandtheInternet.
IusedtorecommendagainstinstallingeitherLinuxorBSDasasoloprojectifyou'reanewbie.
Nowadaystheinstallershavegottengoodenoughthatdoingitentirelyonyourownispossible,even
foranewbie.Nevertheless,IstillrecommendmakingcontactwithyourlocalLinuxuser'sgroupand
askingforhelp.Itcan'thurt,andmaysmooththeprocess.

3.LearnhowtousetheWorldWideWebandwriteHTML.
Mostofthethingsthehackerculturehasbuiltdotheirworkoutofsight,helpingrunfactoriesand
officesanduniversitieswithoutanyobviousimpactonhownonhackerslive.TheWebistheonebig
exception,thehugeshinyhackertoythatevenpoliticiansadmithaschangedtheworld.Forthis
reasonalone(andalotofothergoodonesaswell)youneedtolearnhowtoworktheWeb.
Thisdoesn'tjustmeanlearninghowtodriveabrowser(anyonecandothat),butlearninghowtowrite
HTML,theWeb'smarkuplanguage.Ifyoudon'tknowhowtoprogram,writingHTMLwillteachyou
somementalhabitsthatwillhelpyoulearn.Sobuildahomepage.
Butjusthavingahomepageisn'tanywhereneargoodenoughtomakeyouahacker.TheWebisfull
ofhomepages.Mostofthemarepointless,zerocontentsludgeverysnazzylookingsludge,mind

you,butsludgeallthesame(formoreonthisseeTheHTMLHellPage).
Tobeworthwhile,yourpagemusthavecontentitmustbeinterestingand/orusefultoother
hackers.Andthatbringsustothenexttopic...

4.Ifyoudon'thavefunctionalEnglish,learnit.
AsanAmericanandnativeEnglishspeakermyself,Ihavepreviouslybeenreluctanttosuggestthis,
lestitbetakenasasortofculturalimperialism.Butseveralnativespeakersofotherlanguageshave
urgedmetopointoutthatEnglishistheworkinglanguageofthehackercultureandtheInternet,and
thatyouwillneedtoknowittofunctioninthehackercommunity.
Backaround1991IlearnedthatmanyhackerswhohaveEnglishasasecondlanguageuseitin
technicaldiscussionsevenwhentheyshareabirthtongueitwasreportedtomeatthetimethat
Englishhasarichertechnicalvocabularythananyotherlanguageandisthereforesimplyabettertool
forthejob.Forsimilarreasons,translationsoftechnicalbookswritteninEnglishareoften
unsatisfactory(whentheygetdoneatall).
LinusTorvalds,aFinn,commentshiscodeinEnglish(itapparentlyneveroccurredtohimtodo
otherwise).HisfluencyinEnglishhasbeenanimportantfactorinhisabilitytorecruitaworldwide
communityofdevelopersforLinux.It'sanexampleworthfollowing.
BeinganativeEnglishspeakerdoesnotguaranteethatyouhavelanguageskillsgoodenoughto
functionasahacker.Ifyourwritingissemiliterate,ungrammatical,andriddledwithmisspellings,
manyhackers(includingmyself)willtendtoignoreyou.Whilesloppywritingdoesnotinvariably
meansloppythinking,we'vegenerallyfoundthecorrelationtobestrongandwehavenousefor
sloppythinkers.Ifyoucan'tyetwritecompetently,learnto.

StatusintheHackerCulture
1.Writeopensourcesoftware
2.Helptestanddebugopensourcesoftware
3.Publishusefulinformation
4.Helpkeeptheinfrastructureworking
5.Servethehackercultureitself
Likemostcultureswithoutamoneyeconomy,hackerdomrunsonreputation.You'retryingtosolve
interestingproblems,buthowinterestingtheyare,andwhetheryoursolutionsarereallygood,is
somethingthatonlyyourtechnicalpeersorsuperiorsarenormallyequippedtojudge.
Accordingly,whenyouplaythehackergame,youlearntokeepscoreprimarilybywhatotherhackers
thinkofyourskill(thisiswhyyouaren'treallyahackeruntilotherhackersconsistentlycallyouone).
Thisfactisobscuredbytheimageofhackingassolitaryworkalsobyahackerculturaltaboo
(graduallydecayingsincethelate1990sbutstillpotent)againstadmittingthategoorexternal
validationareinvolvedinone'smotivationatall.
Specifically,hackerdomiswhatanthropologistscallagiftculture.Yougainstatusandreputationinit
notbydominatingotherpeople,norbybeingbeautiful,norbyhavingthingsotherpeoplewant,but
ratherbygivingthingsaway.Specifically,bygivingawayyourtime,yourcreativity,andtheresults
ofyourskill.

Therearebasicallyfivekindsofthingsyoucandotoberespectedbyhackers:

1.Writeopensourcesoftware
Thefirst(themostcentralandmosttraditional)istowriteprogramsthatotherhackersthinkarefunor
useful,andgivetheprogramsourcesawaytothewholehackerculturetouse.
(Weusedtocalltheseworksfreesoftware,butthisconfusedtoomanypeoplewhoweren'tsure
exactlywhatfreewassupposedtomean.Mostofusnowpreferthetermopensourcesoftware).
Hackerdom'smostrevereddemigodsarepeoplewhohavewrittenlarge,capableprogramsthatmeta
widespreadneedandgiventhemaway,sothatnoweveryoneusesthem.
Butthere'sabitofafinehistoricalpointhere.Whilehackershavealwayslookeduptotheopen
sourcedevelopersamongthemasourcommunity'shardestcore,beforethemid1990smosthackers
mostofthetimeworkedonclosedsource.ThiswasstilltruewhenIwrotethefirstversionofthis
HOWTOin1996ittookthemainstreamingofopensourcesoftwareafter1997tochangethings.
Today,"thehackercommunity"and"opensourcedevelopers"aretwodescriptionsforwhatis
essentiallythesamecultureandpopulationbutitisworthrememberingthatthiswasnotalways
so.(Formoreonthis,seethesectioncalledHistoricalNote:Hacking,OpenSource,andFree
Software.)

2.Helptestanddebugopensourcesoftware
Theyalsoservewhostandanddebugopensourcesoftware.Inthisimperfectworld,wewill
inevitablyspendmostofoursoftwaredevelopmenttimeinthedebuggingphase.That'swhyany
opensourceauthorwho'sthinkingwilltellyouthatgoodbetatesters(whoknowhowtodescribe
symptomsclearly,localizeproblemswell,cantoleratebugsinaquickierelease,andarewillingto
applyafewsimplediagnosticroutines)areworththeirweightinrubies.Evenoneofthesecanmake
thedifferencebetweenadebuggingphasethat'saprotracted,exhaustingnightmareandonethat's
merelyasalutarynuisance.
Ifyou'reanewbie,trytofindaprogramunderdevelopmentthatyou'reinterestedinandbeagood
betatester.There'sanaturalprogressionfromhelpingtestprogramstohelpingdebugthemtohelping
modifythem.You'lllearnalotthisway,andgenerategoodkarmawithpeoplewhowillhelpyoulater
on.

3.Publishusefulinformation
Anothergoodthingistocollectandfilterusefulandinterestinginformationintowebpagesor
documentslikeFrequentlyAskedQuestions(FAQ)lists,andmakethosegenerallyavailable.
MaintainersofmajortechnicalFAQsgetalmostasmuchrespectasopensourceauthors.

4.Helpkeeptheinfrastructureworking
Thehackerculture(andtheengineeringdevelopmentoftheInternet,forthatmatter)isrunby
volunteers.There'salotofnecessarybutunglamorousworkthatneedsdonetokeepitgoing
administeringmailinglists,moderatingnewsgroups,maintaininglargesoftwarearchivesites,
developingRFCsandothertechnicalstandards.
Peoplewhodothissortofthingwellgetalotofrespect,becauseeverybodyknowsthesejobsare
hugetimesinksandnotasmuchfunasplayingwithcode.Doingthemshowsdedication.

5.Servethehackercultureitself
Finally,youcanserveandpropagatethecultureitself(by,forexample,writinganaccurateprimeron
howtobecomeahacker:)).Thisisnotsomethingyou'llbepositionedtodountilyou'vebeenaround
forwhileandbecomewellknownforoneofthefirstfourthings.
Thehackerculturedoesn'thaveleaders,exactly,butitdoeshavecultureheroesandtribaleldersand
historiansandspokespeople.Whenyou'vebeeninthetrencheslongenough,youmaygrowintoone
ofthese.Beware:hackersdistrustblatantegointheirtribalelders,sovisiblyreachingforthiskindof
fameisdangerous.Ratherthanstrivingforit,youhavetosortofpositionyourselfsoitdropsinyour
lap,andthenbemodestandgraciousaboutyourstatus.

TheHacker/NerdConnection
Contrarytopopularmyth,youdon'thavetobeanerdtobeahacker.Itdoeshelp,however,andmany
hackersareinfactnerds.Beingsomethingofasocialoutcasthelpsyoustayconcentratedonthereally
importantthings,likethinkingandhacking.
Forthisreason,manyhackershaveadoptedthelabelgeekasabadgeofprideit'sawayof
declaringtheirindependencefromnormalsocialexpectations(aswellasafondnessforotherthings
likesciencefictionandstrategygamesthatoftengowithbeingahacker).Theterm'nerd'usedtobe
usedthiswaybackinthe1990s,backwhen'nerd'wasamildpejorativeand'geek'aratherharsher
onesometimeafter2000theyswitchedplaces,atleastinU.S.popularculture,andthereisnoweven
asignificantgeekpridecultureamongpeoplewhoaren'ttechies.
Ifyoucanmanagetoconcentrateenoughonhackingtobegoodatitandstillhavealife,that'sfine.
ThisisaloteasiertodaythanitwaswhenIwasanewbieinthe1970smainstreamcultureismuch
friendliertotechnonerdsnow.Thereareevengrowingnumbersofpeoplewhorealizethathackers
areoftenhighqualityloverandspousematerial.
Ifyou'reattractedtohackingbecauseyoudon'thavealife,that'sOKtooatleastyouwon'thave
troubleconcentrating.Maybeyou'llgetalifelateron.

PointsForStyle
Again,tobeahacker,youhavetoenterthehackermindset.Therearesomethingsyoucandowhen
you'renotatacomputerthatseemtohelp.They'renotsubstitutesforhacking(nothingis)butmany
hackersdothem,andfeelthattheyconnectinsomebasicwaywiththeessenceofhacking.
Learntowriteyournativelanguagewell.Thoughit'sacommonstereotypethatprogrammers
can'twrite,asurprisingnumberofhackers(includingallthemostaccomplishedonesIknow
of)areveryablewriters.
Readsciencefiction.Gotosciencefictionconventions(agoodwaytomeethackersandproto
hackers).

Joinahackerspaceandmakethings(anothergoodwaytomeethackersandprotohackers).
Traininamartialartsform.Thekindofmentaldisciplinerequiredformartialartsseemstobe
similarinimportantwaystowhathackersdo.Themostpopularformsamonghackersare
definitelyAsianemptyhandartssuchasTaeKwonDo,variousformsofKarate,KungFu,
Aikido,orJuJitsu.WesternfencingandAsianswordartsalsohavevisiblefollowings.In
placeswhereit'slegal,pistolshootinghasbeenrisinginpopularitysincethelate1990s.The
mosthackerlymartialartsarethosewhichemphasizementaldiscipline,relaxedawareness,and
precisecontrol,ratherthanrawstrength,athleticism,orphysicaltoughness.
Studyanactualmeditationdiscipline.TheperennialfavoriteamonghackersisZen
(importantly,itispossibletobenefitfromZenwithoutacquiringareligionordiscardingone
youalreadyhave).Otherstylesmayworkaswell,butbecarefultochooseonethatdoesn't
requireyoutobelievecrazythings.
Developananalyticalearformusic.Learntoappreciatepeculiarkindsofmusic.Learntoplay
somemusicalinstrumentwell,orhowtosing.
Developyourappreciationofpunsandwordplay.
Themoreofthesethingsyoualreadydo,themorelikelyitisthatyouarenaturalhackermaterial.
Whythesethingsinparticularisnotcompletelyclear,butthey'reconnectedwithamixofleftand
rightbrainskillsthatseemstobeimportanthackersneedtobeabletobothreasonlogicallyandstep
outsidetheapparentlogicofaproblematamoment'snotice.
Workasintenselyasyouplayandplayasintenselyasyouwork.Fortruehackers,theboundaries
between"play","work","science"and"art"alltendtodisappear,ortomergeintoahighlevel
creativeplayfulness.Also,don'tbecontentwithanarrowrangeofskills.Thoughmosthackersself
describeasprogrammers,theyareverylikelytobemorethancompetentinseveralrelatedskills
systemadministration,webdesign,andPChardwaretroubleshootingarecommonones.Ahacker
who'sasystemadministrator,ontheotherhand,islikelytobequiteskilledatscriptprogrammingand
webdesign.Hackersdon'tdothingsbyhalvesiftheyinvestinaskillatall,theytendtogetvery
goodatit.
Finally,afewthingsnottodo.
Don'tuseasilly,grandioseuserIDorscreenname.
Don'tgetinflamewarsonUsenet(oranywhereelse).
Don'tcallyourselfacyberpunk,anddon'twasteyourtimeonanybodywhodoes.
Don'tpostoremailwritingthat'sfullofspellingerrorsandbadgrammar.
Theonlyreputationyou'llmakedoinganyofthesethingsisasatwit.Hackershavelongmemories
itcouldtakeyouyearstoliveyourearlyblundersdownenoughtobeaccepted.
Theproblemwithscreennamesorhandlesdeservessomeamplification.Concealingyouridentity
behindahandleisajuvenileandsillybehaviorcharacteristicofcrackers,warezd00dz,andother
lowerlifeforms.Hackersdon'tdothisthey'reproudofwhattheydoandwantitassociatedwiththeir
realnames.Soifyouhaveahandle,dropit.Inthehackercultureitwillonlymarkyouasaloser.

HistoricalNote:Hacking,OpenSource,andFree
Software
WhenIoriginallywrotethishowtoinlate1996,someoftheconditionsarounditwereverydifferent
fromthewaytheylooktoday.Afewwordsaboutthesechangesmayhelpclarifymattersforpeople
whoareconfusedabouttherelationshipofopensource,freesoftware,andLinuxtothehacker
community.Ifyouarenotcuriousaboutthis,youcanskipstraighttotheFAQandbibliographyfrom
here.
ThehackerethosandcommunityasIhavedescribeditherelongpredatestheemergenceofLinux
after1990Ifirstbecameinvolvedwithitaround1976,and,itsrootsarereadilytraceablebacktothe
early1960s.ButbeforeLinux,mosthackingwasdoneoneitherproprietaryoperatingsystemsora
handfulofquasiexperimentalhomegrownsystemslikeMIT'sITSthatwereneverdeployedoutside
oftheiroriginalacademicniches.Whiletherehadbeensomeearlier(preLinux)attemptstochange
thissituation,theirimpactwasatbestverymarginalandconfinedtocommunitiesofdedicatedtrue
believerswhichweretinyminoritiesevenwithinthehackercommunity,letalonewithrespecttothe
largerworldofsoftwareingeneral.
Whatisnowcalled"opensource"goesbackasfarasthehackercommunitydoes,butuntil1985it
wasanunnamedfolkpracticeratherthanaconsciousmovementwiththeoriesandmanifestos
attachedtoit.Thisprehistoryendedwhen,in1985,archhackerRichardStallman("RMS")triedto
giveitaname"freesoftware".Buthisactofnamingwasalsoanactofclaimingheattached
ideologicalbaggagetothe"freesoftware"labelwhichmuchoftheexistinghackercommunitynever
accepted.Asaresult,the"freesoftware"labelwasloudlyrejectedbyasubstantialminorityofthe
hackercommunity(especiallyamongthoseassociatedwithBSDUnix),andusedwithseriousbut
silentreservationsbyamajorityoftheremainder(includingmyself).
Despitethesereservations,RMS'sclaimtodefineandleadthehackercommunityunderthe"free
software"bannerbroadlyhelduntilthemid1990s.Itwasseriouslychallengedonlybytheriseof
Linux.Linuxgaveopensourcedevelopmentanaturalhome.Manyprojectsissuedundertermswe
wouldnowcallopensourcemigratedfromproprietaryUnixestoLinux.Thecommunityaround
Linuxgrewexplosively,becomingfarlargerandmoreheterogenousthanthepreLinuxhacker
culture.RMSdeterminedlyattemptedtocooptallthisactivityintohis"freesoftware"movement,but
wasthwartedbyboththeexplodingdiversityoftheLinuxcommunityandthepublicskepticismofits
founder,LinusTorvalds.Torvaldscontinuedtousetheterm"freesoftware"forlackofany
alternative,butpubliclyrejectedRMS'sideologicalbaggage.Manyyoungerhackersfollowedsuit.
In1996,whenIfirstpublishedthisHackerHOWTO,thehackercommunitywasrapidlyreorganizing
aroundLinuxandahandfulofotheropensourceoperatingsystems(notablythosedescendedfrom
BSDUnix).Communitymemoryofthefactthatmostofushadspentdecadesdevelopingclosed
sourcesoftwareonclosedsourceoperatingsystemshadnotyetbeguntofade,butthatfactwas
alreadybeginningtoseemlikepartofadeadpasthackerswere,increasingly,definingthemselvesas
hackersbytheirattachmentstoopensourceprojectssuchasLinuxorApache.
Theterm"opensource",however,hadnotyetemergeditwouldnotdosountilearly1998.Whenit
did,mostofthehackercommunityadopteditwithinthefollowingsixmonthstheexceptionswerea
minorityideologicallyattachedtotheterm"freesoftware".Since1998,andespeciallyafterabout
2003,theidentificationof'hacking'with'opensource(andfreesoftware)development'hasbecome
extremelyclose.Todaythereislittlepointinattemptingtodistinguishbetweenthesecategories,and
itseemsunlikelythatwillchangeinthefuture.
Itisworthremembering,however,thatthiswasnotalwaysso.

OtherResources
PaulGrahamhaswrittenanessaycalledGreatHackers,andanotheronUndergraduation,inwhichhe
speaksmuchwisdom.
ThereisadocumentcalledHowToBeAProgrammerthatisanexcellentcomplementtothisone.It
hasvaluableadvicenotjustaboutcodingandskillsets,butabouthowtofunctiononaprogramming
team.
IhavealsowrittenABriefHistoryOfHackerdom.
Ihavewrittenapaper,TheCathedralandtheBazaar,whichexplainsalotabouthowtheLinuxand
opensourcecultureswork.IhaveaddressedthistopicevenmoredirectlyinitssequelHomesteading
theNoosphere.
RickMoenhaswrittenanexcellentdocumentonhowtorunaLinuxusergroup.
RickMoenandIhavecollaboratedonanotherdocumentonHowToAskSmartQuestions.Thiswill
helpyouseekassistanceinawaythatmakesitmorelikelythatyouwillactuallygetit.
Ifyouneedinstructioninthebasicsofhowpersonalcomputers,Unix,andtheInternetwork,seeThe
UnixandInternetFundamentalsHOWTO.
Whenyoureleasesoftwareorwritepatchesforsoftware,trytofollowtheguidelinesintheSoftware
ReleasePracticeHOWTO.
IfyouenjoyedtheZenpoem,youmightalsolikeRootlessRoot:TheUnixKoansofMasterFoo.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions
Q:HowdoItellifIamalreadyahacker?
Q:Willyouteachmehowtohack?
Q:HowcanIgetstarted,then?
Q:Whendoyouhavetostart?Isittoolateformetolearn?
Q:Howlongwillittakemetolearntohack?
Q:IsVisualBasicagoodlanguagetostartwith?
Q:Wouldyouhelpmetocrackasystem,orteachmehowtocrack?
Q:HowcanIgetthepasswordforsomeoneelse'saccount?
Q:HowcanIbreakinto/read/monitorsomeoneelse'semail?
Q:HowcanIstealchannelopprivilegesonIRC?
Q:I'vebeencracked.Willyouhelpmefendofffurtherattacks?
Q:I'mhavingproblemswithmyWindowssoftware.Willyouhelpme?
Q:WherecanIfindsomerealhackerstotalkwith?
Q:Canyourecommendusefulbooksabouthackingrelatedsubjects?
Q:DoIneedtobegoodatmathtobecomeahacker?

Q:WhatlanguageshouldIlearnfirst?
Q:WhatkindofhardwaredoIneed?
Q:Iwanttocontribute.Canyouhelpmepickaproblemtoworkon?
Q:DoIneedtohateandbashMicrosoft?
Q:Butwon'topensourcesoftwareleaveprogrammersunabletomakealiving?
Q:WherecanIgetafreeUnix?
Q: HowdoItellifIamalreadyahacker?
A: Askyourselfthefollowingthreequestions:
Doyouspeakcode,fluently?
Doyouidentifywiththegoalsandvaluesofthehackercommunity?
Hasawellestablishedmemberofthehackercommunityevercalledyouahacker?
Ifyoucanansweryestoallthreeofthesequestions,youarealreadyahacker.Notwoaloneare
sufficient.
Thefirsttestisaboutskills.Youprobablypassitifyouhavetheminimumtechnicalskills
describedearlierinthisdocument.Youblowrightthroughitifyouhavehadasubstantialamount
ofcodeacceptedbyanopensourcedevelopmentproject.
Thesecondtestisaboutattitude.Ifthefiveprinciplesofthehackermindsetseemedobviousto
you,morelikeadescriptionofthewayyoualreadylivethananythingnovel,youarealready
halfwaytopassingit.That'stheinwardhalftheother,outwardhalfisthedegreetowhichyou
identifywiththehackercommunity'slongtermprojects.
Hereisanincompletebutindicativelistofsomeofthoseprojects:Doesitmattertoyouthat
Linuximproveandspread?Areyoupassionateaboutsoftwarefreedom?Hostiletomonopolies?
Doyouactonthebeliefthatcomputerscanbeinstrumentsofempowermentthatmaketheworld
aricherandmorehumaneplace?
Butanoteofcautionisinorderhere.Thehackercommunityhassomespecific,primarily
defensivepoliticalintereststwoofthemaredefendingfreespeechrightsandfendingoff
"intellectualproperty"powergrabsthatwouldmakeopensourceillegal.Someofthoselongterm
projectsarecivillibertiesorganizationsliketheElectronicFrontierFoundation,andtheoutward
attitudeproperlyincludessupportofthem.Butbeyondthat,mosthackersviewattemptsto
systematizethehackerattitudeintoanexplicitpoliticalprogramwithsuspicionwe'velearned,
thehardway,thattheseattemptsaredivisiveanddistracting.Ifsomeonetriestorecruityouto
marchonyourcapitolinthenameofthehackerattitude,they'vemissedthepoint.Theright
responseisprobablyShutupandshowthemthecode.
Thethirdtesthasatrickyelementofrecursivenessaboutit.Iobservedinthesectioncalled
WhatIsaHacker?thatbeingahackerispartlyamatterofbelongingtoaparticularsubculture
orsocialnetworkwithasharedhistory,aninsideandanoutside.Inthefarpast,hackerswerea
muchlesscohesiveandselfawaregroupthantheyaretoday.Buttheimportanceofthesocial
networkaspecthasincreasedoverthelastthirtyyearsastheInternethasmadeconnectionswith
thecoreofthehackersubcultureeasiertodevelopandmaintain.Oneeasybehavioralindexofthe
changeisthat,inthiscentury,wehaveourownTshirts.
Sociologists,whostudynetworkslikethoseofthehackercultureunderthegeneralrubricof

"invisiblecolleges",havenotedthatonecharacteristicofsuchnetworksisthattheyhave
gatekeeperscorememberswiththesocialauthoritytoendorsenewmembersintothenetwork.
Becausethe"invisiblecollege"thatishackercultureisalooseandinformalone,theroleof
gatekeeperisinformaltoo.Butonethingthatallhackersunderstandintheirbonesisthatnot
everyhackerisagatekeeper.Gatekeepershavetohaveacertaindegreeofseniorityand
accomplishmentbeforetheycanbestowthetitle.Howmuchishardtoquantify,buteveryhacker
knowsitwhentheyseeit.
Q: Willyouteachmehowtohack?
A: Sincefirstpublishingthispage,I'vegottenseveralrequestsaweek(oftenseveraladay)from
peopleto"teachmeallabouthacking".Unfortunately,Idon'thavethetimeorenergytodothis
myownhackingprojects,andworkingasanopensourceadvocate,takeup110%ofmytime.
EvenifIdid,hackingisanattitudeandskillyoubasicallyhavetoteachyourself.You'llfindthat
whilerealhackerswanttohelpyou,theywon'trespectyouifyoubegtobespoonfedeverything
theyknow.
Learnafewthingsfirst.Showthatyou'retrying,thatyou'recapableoflearningonyourown.
Thengotothehackersyoumeetwithspecificquestions.
Ifyoudoemailahackeraskingforadvice,herearetwothingstoknowupfront.First,we've
foundthatpeoplewhoarelazyorcarelessintheirwritingareusuallytoolazyandcarelessin
theirthinkingtomakegoodhackerssotakecaretospellcorrectly,andusegoodgrammarand
punctuation,otherwiseyou'llprobablybeignored.Secondly,don'tdareaskforareplytoanISP
accountthat'sdifferentfromtheaccountyou'resendingfromwefindpeoplewhodothatare
usuallythievesusingstolenaccounts,andwehavenointerestinrewardingorassistingthievery.
Q: HowcanIgetstarted,then?
A: ThebestwayforyoutogetstartedwouldprobablybetogotoaLUG(Linuxusergroup)
meeting.YoucanfindsuchgroupsontheLDPGeneralLinuxInformationPagethereis
probablyonenearyou,possiblyassociatedwithacollegeoruniversity.LUGmemberswill
probablygiveyouaLinuxifyouask,andwillcertainlyhelpyouinstalloneandgetstarted.
Yournextstep(andyourfirststepifyoucan'tfindaLUGnearby)shouldbetofindanopen
sourceprojectthatinterestsyou.Startreadingcodeandreviewingbugs.Learntocontribute,and
workyourwayin.
Theonlywayinisbyworkingtoimproveyourskills.Ifyouaskmepersonallyforadviceonhow
togetstarted,Iwilltellyoutheseexactsamethings,becauseIdon'thaveanymagicshortcutsfor
you.Iwillalsomentallywriteyouoffasaprobableloserbecauseifyoulackedthestaminato
readthisFAQandtheintelligencetounderstandfromitthattheonlywayinisbyworkingto
improveyourskills,you'rehopeless.
Anotherinterestingpossibilityistogovisitahackerspace.Thereisaburgeoningmovementof
peoplecreatingphysicallocationsmaker'sclubswheretheycanhangouttoworkonhardware
andsoftwareprojectstogether,orworksoloinacogenialatmosphere.Hackerspacesoftencollect
toolsandspecializedequipmentthatwouldbetooexpensiveorlogisticallyinconvenientfor
individualstoown.HackerspacesareeasytofindontheInternetonemaybelocatednearyou.

Q: Whendoyouhavetostart?Isittoolateformetolearn?
A: Anyageatwhichyouaremotivatedtostartisagoodage.Mostpeopleseemtogetinterested
betweenages15and20,butIknowofexceptionsinbothdirections.
Q: Howlongwillittakemetolearntohack?
A: Thatdependsonhowtalentedyouareandhowhardyouworkatit.Mostpeoplewhotrycan
acquirearespectableskillsetineighteenmonthstotwoyears,iftheyconcentrate.Don'tthinkit
endsthere,thoughinhacking(asinmanyotherfields)ittakesabouttenyearstoachieve
mastery.Andifyouarearealhacker,youwillspendtherestofyourlifelearningandperfecting
yourcraft.
Q: IsVisualBasicagoodlanguagetostartwith?
A: Ifyou'reaskingthisquestion,italmostcertainlymeansyou'rethinkingabouttryingtohackunder
MicrosoftWindows.Thisisabadideainitself.WhenIcomparedtryingtolearntohackunder
Windowstotryingtolearntodancewhilewearingabodycast,Iwasn'tkidding.Don'tgothere.
It'sugly,anditneverstopsbeingugly.
ThereisaspecificproblemwithVisualBasicmainlythatit'snotportable.Thoughthereisa
prototypeopensourceimplementationsofVisualBasic,theapplicableECMAstandardsdon't
covermorethanasmallsetofitsprogramminginterfaces.OnWindowsmostofitslibrary
supportisproprietarytoasinglevendor(Microsoft)ifyouaren'textremelycarefulaboutwhich
featuresyouusemorecarefulthananynewbieisreallycapableofbeingyou'llendup
lockedintoonlythoseplatformsMicrosoftchoosestosupport.Ifyou'restartingonaUnix,much
betterlanguageswithbetterlibrariesareavailable.Python,forexample.
Also,likeotherBasics,VisualBasicisapoorlydesignedlanguagethatwillteachyoubad
programminghabits.No,don'taskmetodescribethemindetailthatexplanationwouldfilla
book.Learnawelldesignedlanguageinstead.
Oneofthosebadhabitsisbecomingdependentonasinglevendor'slibraries,widgets,and
developmenttools.Ingeneral,anylanguagethatisn'tfullysupportedunderatleastLinuxorone
oftheBSDs,and/oratleastthreedifferentvendors'operatingsystems,isapooronetolearnto
hackin.

Q: Wouldyouhelpmetocrackasystem,orteachmehowtocrack?
A: No.AnyonewhocanstillasksuchaquestionafterreadingthisFAQistoostupidtobeeducable
evenifIhadthetimefortutoring.AnyemailedrequestsofthiskindthatIgetwillbeignoredor
answeredwithextremerudeness.
Q: HowcanIgetthepasswordforsomeoneelse'saccount?

A: Thisiscracking.Goaway,idiot.
Q: HowcanIbreakinto/read/monitorsomeoneelse'semail?
A: Thisiscracking.Getlost,moron.
Q: HowcanIstealchannelopprivilegesonIRC?
A: Thisiscracking.Begone,cretin.
Q: I'vebeencracked.Willyouhelpmefendofffurtherattacks?
A: No.EverytimeI'vebeenaskedthisquestionsofar,it'sbeenfromsomepoorsaprunning
MicrosoftWindows.ItisnotpossibletoeffectivelysecureWindowssystemsagainstcrack
attacksthecodeandarchitecturesimplyhavetoomanyflaws,whichmakessecuringWindows
liketryingtobailoutaboatwithasieve.Theonlyreliablepreventionstartswithswitchingto
Linuxorsomeotheroperatingsystemthatisdesignedtoatleastbecapableofsecurity.
Q: I'mhavingproblemswithmyWindowssoftware.Willyouhelpme?
A: Yes.GotoaDOSpromptandtype"formatc:".Anyproblemsyouareexperiencingwillcease
withinafewminutes.
Q: WherecanIfindsomerealhackerstotalkwith?
A: ThebestwayistofindaUnixorLinuxuser'sgrouplocaltoyouandgototheirmeetings(you
canfindlinkstoseverallistsofusergroupsontheLDPsiteatibiblio).
(Iusedtosayherethatyouwouldn'tfindanyrealhackersonIRC,butI'mgiventounderstand
thisischanging.Apparentlysomerealhackercommunities,attachedtothingslikeGIMPand
Perl,haveIRCchannelsnow.)
Q: Canyourecommendusefulbooksabouthackingrelatedsubjects?
A: ImaintainaLinuxReadingListHOWTOthatyoumayfindhelpful.TheLoginatakamayalsobe
interesting.
ForanintroductiontoPython,seethetutorialonthePythonsite.
Q: DoIneedtobegoodatmathtobecomeahacker?

A: No.Hackingusesverylittleformalmathematicsorarithmetic.Inparticular,youwon'tusually
needtrigonometry,calculusoranalysis(thereareexceptionstothisinahandfulofspecific
applicationareaslike3Dcomputergraphics).KnowingsomeformallogicandBooleanalgebra
isgood.Somegroundinginfinitemathematics(includingfinitesettheory,combinatorics,and
graphtheory)canbehelpful.
Muchmoreimportantly:youneedtobeabletothinklogicallyandfollowchainsofexact
reasoning,thewaymathematiciansdo.Whilethecontentofmostmathematicswon'thelpyou,
youwillneedthedisciplineandintelligencetohandlemathematics.Ifyoulacktheintelligence,
thereislittlehopeforyouasahackerifyoulackthediscipline,you'dbettergrowit.
IthinkagoodwaytofindoutifyouhavewhatittakesistopickupacopyofRaymond
Smullyan'sbookWhatIsTheNameOfThisBook?.Smullyan'splayfullogicalconundrumsare
verymuchinthehackerspirit.Beingabletosolvethemisagoodsignenjoyingsolvingthemis
anevenbetterone.
Q: WhatlanguageshouldIlearnfirst?

A: HTMLifyoudon'talreadyknowit.Therearealotofglossy,hypeintensivebadHTMLbooks
outthere,anddistressinglyfewgoodones.TheoneIlikebestisHTML:TheDefinitiveGuide.
ButHTMLisnotafullprogramminglanguage.Whenyou'rereadytostartprogramming,Iwould
recommendstartingwithPython.YouwillhearalotofpeoplerecommendingPerl,butit'sharder
tolearnand(inmyopinion)lesswelldesigned.
Cisreallyimportant,butit'salsomuchmoredifficultthaneitherPythonorPerl.Don'ttryto
learnitfirst.
Windowsusers,donotsettleforVisualBasic.Itwillteachyoubadhabits,andit'snotportable
offWindows.Avoid.
Q: WhatkindofhardwaredoIneed?
A: Itusedtobethatpersonalcomputerswereratherunderpoweredandmemorypoor,enoughsothat
theyplacedartificiallimitsonahacker'slearningprocess.Thisstoppedbeingtrueinthemid
1990sanymachinefromanIntel486DX50upismorethanpowerfulenoughfordevelopment
work,X,andInternetcommunications,andthesmallestdisksyoucanbuytodayareplentybig
enough.
TheimportantthinginchoosingamachineonwhichtolearniswhetheritshardwareisLinux
compatible(orBSDcompatible,shouldyouchoosetogothatroute).Again,thiswillbetruefor
almostallmodernmachines.Theonlyreallystickyareasaremodemsandwirelesscardssome
machineshaveWindowsspecifichardwarethatwon'tworkwithLinux.
There'saFAQonhardwarecompatibilitythelatestversionishere.
Q: Iwanttocontribute.Canyouhelpmepickaproblemtoworkon?

A: No,becauseIdon'tknowyourtalentsorinterests.Youhavetobeselfmotivatedoryouwon't
stick,whichiswhyhavingotherpeoplechooseyourdirectionalmostneverworks.

Q: DoIneedtohateandbashMicrosoft?
A: No,youdon't.NotthatMicrosoftisn'tloathsome,buttherewasahackerculturelongbefore
MicrosoftandtherewillstillbeonelongafterMicrosoftishistory.Anyenergyyouspendhating
Microsoftwouldbebetterspentonlovingyourcraft.WritegoodcodethatwillbashMicrosoft
quitesufficientlywithoutpollutingyourkarma.
Q: Butwon'topensourcesoftwareleaveprogrammersunabletomakealiving?
A: Thisseemsunlikelysofar,theopensourcesoftwareindustryseemstobecreatingjobsrather
thantakingthemaway.Ifhavingaprogramwrittenisaneteconomicgainovernothavingit
written,aprogrammerwillgetpaidwhetherornottheprogramisgoingtobeopensourceafter
it'sdone.And,nomatterhowmuch"free"softwaregetswritten,therealwaysseemstobemore
demandfornewandcustomizedapplications.I'vewrittenmoreaboutthisattheOpenSource
pages.
Q: WherecanIgetafreeUnix?
A: Ifyoudon'thaveaUnixinstalledonyourmachineyet,elsewhereonthispageIincludepointers
towheretogetthemostcommonlyusedfreeUnix.Tobeahackeryouneedmotivationand
initiativeandtheabilitytoeducateyourself.Startnow...