Ken Thompson’s quote: “The act of breaking into a computer system has to have the same social stigma as breaking into a neighbor’s house.” (1984).

Nowadays, this and such an others similar “behaviours” are considered crimes in most of the UE countries. We think that what is a crime in the “real” life have to be also a crime in the “digital-virtual” life –when possible.

I say it, just in case –there are a lot of “special” people out there. :))

But Ken Thompson –father of UNIX–, said much more a lot of time ago (1984)…

Reflections on Trusting Trust
Ken Thompson

Another one to think about it…

“(…)
Moral
The moral is obvious. You can’t trust code that you did not totally create yourself. (Especially code from companies that employ people like me.) No amount of source-level verification or scrutiny will protect you from using untrusted code. In demonstrating the possibility of this kind of attack, I picked on the C compiler. I could have picked on any program-handling program such as an assembler, a loader, or even hardware microcode. As the level of program gets lower, these bugs will be harder and harder to detect. A well installed microcode bug will be almost impossible to detect.
After trying to convince you that I cannot be trusted, I wish to moralize. I would like to criticize the press in its handling of the “hackers,” the 414 gang, the Dalton gang, etc. The acts performed by these kids are vandalism at best and probably trespass and theft at worst. It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution. The companies that are vulnerable to this activity (and most large companies are very vulnerable) are pressing hard to update the criminal code. Unauthorized access to computer systems is already a serious crime in a few states and is currently being addressed in many more state legislatures as well as Congress.
There is an explosive situation brewing. On the one hand, the press, television, and movies make heroes of vandals by calling them whiz kids. On the other hand, the acts performed by these kids will soon be punishable by years in prison. ((italics are mine))
I have watched kids testifying before Congress. It is clear that they are completely unaware of the seriousness of their acts. There is obviously a cultural gap. The act of breaking into a computer system has to have the same social stigma as breaking into a neighbor’s house. It should not matter that the neighbor’s door is unlocked. The press must learn that misguided use of a computer is no more amazing than drunk driving of an automobile.”

“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.” – Bertrand Russell

“Our principles:
(…)
We will be respectful and honest. Developers and users have the right to be treated with respect. We do not make ad hominem attacks, and we encourage constructive criticism. Our commitment to civil discourse allows new users and contributors with contrarian ideas an opportunity to be heard without intimidation. (…)”

“Der Ungebildete sieht überall nur Einzelnes, der Halbgebildete die Regel, der Gebildete die Ausnahme.”

Lo siento, no recuerdo de dónde lo saqué.

Por cierto, con “singularidades” no me refiero a lo mismo a lo que se refieren los Físicos cuando usan esta palabra… :-)

“there really is no patch for human stupidity”

De ser programas de ordenador, la cosa cambiaría. Pero no…

Ver también, aunque en otros sentidos:

Hanlon’s Razor “Do not attribute to malice that which can easily be explained by stupidity”

“Es una pena que Dios haya puesto un límite a la inteligencia humana, pero no a nuestra estupidez.”
(“It’s a pity God has put a limit to human intelligence, but not to our sillyness.”)
–Konrad Adenauer