Agent Smith wrote:
Chase Preuninger wrote:
I consider hacking and that kind of stuff to be very useful and
worthwhile.
I agree, but I think that the OP isn't the kind of person I would
want to know how to hack. I have a feeling it would be for petty
purposes.
You don't honestly think that his attention span is long enough to
teach himself such an intricate skill. ?
Which is exactly why I don't feel like giving him the tools to
bypass his ADD and achieve the fleeting goal of nothing-productive.
On the hacking bbs's, it's traditional to give the clueless newbies a
link to a code called "ValuHack," which is basically a "Hello World"
code, that prints a different character string, with all sorts of
pointless bells and whistles.
Personally, I would post a reply saying "Use the <fill-in>
statement," knowing full well that an entire code must be crafted
around the <fill in> statement, to make proper use of it.
You'd be answering his question honestly, while still knowing with
absolute certainty that his short attention span would inhibit
success in his momentary whim. ?:]
Various useful results may grow from this approach. The fool might
teach himself something useful, by taking the time to try to craft a
working code around <fill in> statement, before predictably losing
interest. Somebody more facile may make an interesting point as
follow-up, or someone competent might build a keylogger and
contribute to the hacking community.
This approach, known as "giving the wolf a taste, while keeping him
hungry," has long been valued as much more useful than spitting on a
nobody. Rather than witholding knowldege completely, The Guru is
adept at doling out small portions, directing the motivations of
others. He gets others to make interesting things happen for him,
while maintaining control over future events.