I read an early, German translated version of this in the late 90s when I was an impressionable 14yo and actually did want to become a hacker after seeing the movie Hackers. This text disillusioned me quite a bit, because I was exactly the type of person this text is frowning upon. I was using an AOL dialup connection, and I was using Windows, and had no idea how to change that. I couldn't tell my non-technical parents what kind of internet connection to get (at least not yet) and I did not know where to obtain a copy of Unix. I didn't know anybody who could explain these things to me, Google didn't exist yet and AOL chatrooms were full of pervs. My English was also quite limited. I also wasn't patient enough to invest as much time as the document suggested. So I completely abandoned my childish dream.
Instead, I went to school for physics with a minor in computer science. I got my PhD writing Fortran code, was tasked with updating the department's web portal, helped out with some 1st level Linux support for visiting scientists. I always tinkered around with different Linux distributions and different technologies in the two decades after reading that text. Most of it self-taught.
After my PhD I looked for jobs for physicists in IT and found an ad targeted at computer sciencists but also mathematicians and physicists. It was for a pentesting company. They thought me some more things on the job and I ended up not just using hacking tools but also made some (very minor) contributions to OpenSSL and nmap among other things. Published a few tools of my own, some of which I got to present at black hat USA arsenal.
So, more than 20 years after reading the text I hope I finally earned the right to call myself a hacker after all, even though I gave up the plan to become one.
PS: I find it funny that the author apparently changed his mind about hackers not using IRC. I'd say these days many real hackers are shitposting on twitter and slack while using silly or grandiose user names.
Instead, I went to school for physics with a minor in computer science. I got my PhD writing Fortran code, was tasked with updating the department's web portal, helped out with some 1st level Linux support for visiting scientists. I always tinkered around with different Linux distributions and different technologies in the two decades after reading that text. Most of it self-taught.
After my PhD I looked for jobs for physicists in IT and found an ad targeted at computer sciencists but also mathematicians and physicists. It was for a pentesting company. They thought me some more things on the job and I ended up not just using hacking tools but also made some (very minor) contributions to OpenSSL and nmap among other things. Published a few tools of my own, some of which I got to present at black hat USA arsenal.
So, more than 20 years after reading the text I hope I finally earned the right to call myself a hacker after all, even though I gave up the plan to become one.
PS: I find it funny that the author apparently changed his mind about hackers not using IRC. I'd say these days many real hackers are shitposting on twitter and slack while using silly or grandiose user names.