Who are the famous hackers?

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple Computers, are both hackers. Some of their early exploits even resemble of some questionable activities of some malicious hackers. However, both Jobs & Wozniak outgrew their malicious behavior and began concentrating on creating computer hardware & software. Their efforts helped usher in the age of the personal computer - before Apple, computer systems remained the property of large corporations, too expensive & cumbersome for average consumers.

Linux Torvalds, creator of Linux, is another famous honest hacker. His open source operating system (OS) is very popular with other hackers. He has helped promote the concept of open source software, showing that when you open information up to everyone, you can reap amazing benefits. Richard Stallman, also known as 'rms' founded the GNU Project, a free operating system. He promotes the concept of free software & computer access. He works with organizations like the Free Software Foundation (FSF) & opposes policies like Digital Rights Management.

On the other end of the spectrum are the black hats of the hacking world. At the age of 16, Jonathan James became the first juvenile hacker to get send to prison. He committed computer intrusions on some very high-profile victims, including NASA & a Defense Threat Reduction Agency server. Online, Jonathan used the nickname (called a handle) "comrade". Originally sentenced to house arrest, James was sent to prison when he violated parole.