Presentation-HVAUVA

Goal

The intention of this presentation is to inform students from HVA/UVA about the 'spirit of hacking', or 'what makes a hacker tick'.

Approach

So far, the approach is to use a mixture of history and anacdotes to illustrate the point; as well as highlight a number of pivotal moments in history.

Overview

• Start with the origin of the word 'hack'; the MIT/berkley attitude towards engineering; specifically relevant: their attitude to the use/ownership of mainframes and the software running on them. Using quick-fixes/workarounds to extend functionality
• Soon; 'hacks' turn into issues related to computer security with the creation of the first (accidental) email-worm.
• Was it Stallman or ESR who pointed out that , in the past, a password and account was purely a construct to be able to see who did what; not to restrict use of your account
• The 80's brought us blueboxing, mitnick, CCC, high-profile hacks of pentagon/CIA and the recognition of the word 'hacking' and 'hacker' as a word to refer to the 'wizkid who, for better or worse, breaks into computer systems for curiosity or financial gain'. Soon after; hackers were also the people who made all those virii and worms that plagued people... and later they were the credit-card stealers.
• End of 80's, early 90's, a couple of things happen. Hackers find value in the internet as a place of open communication; first ISP's are 'students/hackers who do deliver Internet Services out of idealism' (xs4all, etc). 1991 pivotal year; soon after, the 'graphical web' sweeps the planet.
• begin 90's; the 'full disclosure' doctrine is born/grown out of hacktivistic corporate programmers concerned with vulnerabilities in commercial software (sometimes by their own employer). A slew of vulnerability-scanners (NESSUS, nmap, etc) come into being; both as a way for people to 'test how safe they are or are not' as well as a tool to force vendors to 'shape up or get out of the playing field'
• The end of the 90's see the internet providing people with all that knowledge first trapped on BBS's and academia; all those hundreds of textfiles, courses, etc, are unleashed onto a greater and greater audience. Not only bomb-manuals but also other texts that provide a greater understanding of our world are now available to all. Electronics/informatics is 'pried away' from the domain of the holy cathedrals of college/university education. Anyone can script with free software, create a place on the internet, read and share about electronics, technology, etc.
• This increase in self-education leads to greater understanding and appreciation of technology; combined with the growth of China as a high-tech shopping-mall for commodity hardware at low-low-low prices makes for the birth of repurposing stock hardware for other purposes; a rebirth of hardware-hacking, now available to anyone outside of college/uni-labs.
• The 2000's give us the re-claiming of technology as a domain that everyone can participate in. The 'Maker'-doctrine is formed and celebrated; Hackspaces celebrate with them; but mostly on a deeper technological level and often with social connotations though it remains important to keep them as 'free spaces' to deploy a multitude of creative and technologically challenging enterprises, be it involving hard or software or the minds of the people.

Comments and considerations

Please provide comments here. I'll integrate them into the main text above on a case-by-case basis; or rework the idea as a whole if it makes sense to do so.

Gogogo! ;)