>I'm surprised de Guzman hasn't received any discussion on this list as
>some sort of populist hero. He claims he developed the virus as a thesis
>project,
that is very likely true. virii are fascinating to alpha geeks for one thing. it's code, after all. all this is is about knowing how software works and finding ways to exploit it, particularly in microslut's case by taking advantage of "so-called" features auto-enabled as the default setting. secondly, i have see master's program requirements that require the development of something like this. Don't know if it's true or not but someplace i read the rumor that Indian IT students are expected to engage in some form of hacking.
>of all things, and that it was intended to give the poor free access to
>the Web. At the very least, he deserves credit, IMHO, for revealing the
>soft underbelly of the Web, which is now so central to global capitalism.
hackers consider it their primary mission in life to do so. that's what they tell them selves and reporters anyway. they often hack sites, networks, etc just to let people know what's up, where the security holes are.
the guy i work for was a hacker in the olden daze when the Web wasn't even a gleam in anyone's eye. that's what we do now: with permission (a complex contract) we hack into some firm, like a bank that wants to go on line. all very complicated legally because what we're doing is illegal, and the contract makes it legal. but we can't tell them what we're going to do, otherwise employees who don't want to be embarassed will try to prevent hacking.
hilarious for anyone rudimentarily interested in the sociology of law.
on the hacker lists i'm subbed to, that's what they do: start out as insatiably curious "hackers" and end up as consultants to firms and etc.
frankly, if i were de guzman, i'd cover my ass too but i'm cynical and projecting on the situation a rather jaded view of hackers as uber-libertarians not especially concerned with direct action for the poor.
kelley