"What is a 'Hacker'? Is that the same as a 'hax0r'?"

You've heard of "hackers", and you've seen sensationalized versions of hackers in movies. But what exactly is a hacker? And are they the same as "haxors"?

Originally, a "hacker" was someone who illegally and unethically broke into other people's computers and networks. And indeed, that original 1980's definition still applies today in the 21st century. However, the term "hacker" (also spelled creatively as "haxor" and "Hax0r") now has multiple sub-meanings.

General meaning: hacker = lawbreaker
A hacker/haxor/Hax0r is a gifted but unethical computer user who breaks into computers and networks, usually to perform theft or digital vandalism. This is the classic definition of a hacker, and describes those computer users who willfully seek to destroy or steal from other people's networks.

Academic meaning: hacker = creative artist
An "academic hacker" is not interested in vandalizing or stealing, but rather in creating clever programs and beautiful interfaces.
Often, an academic hacker will take existing programmatic code, and improve upon it through clever alterations and additions. Their "hacking" is about obsessively innovating computer code to perform something more beautifully or more efficiently. Academic hackers, in general, are harmless and do not seek to hurt other people's networks.

Computer Security meaning: hacker = security technician
Not unlike a store security guard who is a former convict, a computer security hacker is a talented user who is employed in helping to protect computer networks. You will hear the term "ethical hacker" to describe these types of professionals. While they themselves may not be completely ethical, these professionals perform very technical security work in exchange for money. It is not surprising to see ethical hackers spending their paychecks on very expensive personal computers in their personal lives, so they can play online games after work. As long as they have a good paying job to support their personal habits, a computer security hacker is usually not motivated to destroy nor steal from their employer.

Hobby Computer meaning: hacker = tinkerer
There are many "hobby hackers" out there. These are users who like to disassemble and modify their own computers for hobby pleasure. Many hobby hackers are gamers who want to extract even more performance from their gaming computers. These individuals will often spend thousands of dollars on custom computer cases and liquid cooling modifications. But hobby hackers also like to do small "white collar crimes", like downloading pirated movies and music. By this definition, yes, millions of p2p downloaders are hobby hackers. And indeed, if you have ever modified your router and firewall to allow faster p2p downloads, you could describe yourself as a hobby hacker. Gratefully, only a small percentage of hobby hackers ever escalate into becoming unethical hackers.