Hacker Culture

(Paperback)

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Douglas Thomas offers an in-depth history of this important and fascinating subculture, contrasting mainstream images of hackers with a detailed firsthand account of the computer underground. Thomas studies novels and films (Neuromancer, WarGames, Hackers, and The Matrix) and reveals contemporary views of hackers as technological wizards, high-tech pranksters, and virtual criminals. Thomas then examines the court cases of Kevin Mitnick and Chris Lamprecht to determine how hackers are defined as criminals. Thomas finds that popular hacker stereotypes express the publics anxieties about the information age far more than they do the reality of hacking.

Reviews

"Thomas gives the reader a thorough and accurate picture of who hackers are, how they interact, and what their motivations are. . . . A strong and important read."