hacker A slang term for a computer enthusiast.
Among professional programmers,
the term hacker implies an amateur or a programmer who
lacks formal training. Depending on how it used, the term can
be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing
an increasingly derogatory connotation. The pejorative sense of
hacker is becoming more prominent largely because the popular
press has coopted the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorized
access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting
data. Hackers, themselves, maintain that the proper term for such
individuals is cracker.
