228 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
228 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
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HACKER TEST
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Version 3.0
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Another 'Adventure in Software' from SuperNova Software
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Copyright 1992 by Rich 'Crash' Lewis, Jr.
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This program is dedicated to my Mother;
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A woman of tremendous wit and generosity,
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strength and integrity.
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Introduction
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============
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The Hacker Test was written to measure your computer
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Hacking experiences and abilities. Like all tests,
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treat this one as a game. People should be judged by
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what they create and who they are, not by bogus criteria
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like test scores or grades.
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The idea for a question administering program such
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as this came from my friend Curt 'Classic' Tatman's
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now legendary _Purity Test_ software. Available
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wherever fine software is given away.
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I wrote this program to administer the questions listed
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in the file HACKER.DAT. Those questions were written by
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Felix Lee, John Hayes and Angela Thomas in 1989. Also
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in 1989, I received the Hacker Test in the form of a
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text file over Internet, and the rest is history.
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I've worked hard to maintain the integrity and readability
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of the HACKER.DAT file. Take a peek at it, or print it out.
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Although the HACKTEST program uses it as a data file, it
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is still a human readable text file.
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History
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=======
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After writing a rough version of the Hacker Test program,
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I sent E-Mail to the original authors of the Hacker
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Test, and received their permission to freely distribute
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it. I then whipped out my trusty Turbo Pascal compiler,
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and finished this program using the windowing Units I've
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developed. I began the program using Turbo Pascal 4.0,
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and by the time it was finished to my satisfaction, the
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final compile was in Turbo Pascal 6.0
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TRUE Definition of a Hacker
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===========================
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The term Hacker has been terribly distorted and misused
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by the American media for the past ten years. Now the
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international press has also taken up the use of the
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term to refer to *common criminals* who happen to use
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computers. These people are NOT Hackers in ANY sense of
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the word, and it's tragic that the average person in
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America has been exposed only to the corrupted meaning
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of the proud Hacker moniker.
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This definition of a Hacker was created by my friend
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Beth Lamb long ago. She knew from first-hand experience
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what Hackers are really all about.
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HACKER, n., a term of endearment for someone with talent,
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knowledge, intelligence, and ingenuity, esp. concerning
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computer operations, networks, security concerns, etc.
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The following definition was found in a text file being
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distributed internationally through the INTERNET
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computer network;
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HACKER, n. 1. A person who enjoys learning the details of programming
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systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most
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users who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who
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programs enthusiastically, or who enjoys programming rather than just
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theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating
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hack value (q.v.). 4. A person who is good at programming quickly.
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Not everything a hacker produces is a hack. 5. An expert at a
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particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on
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it; example: "A SAIL hacker". (Definitions 1 to 5 are correlated,
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and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An inquisitive meddler who
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tries to discover information by poking around. Hence "password
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hacker", "network hacker".
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Note that NO definition defines a Hacker as a criminal.
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At their best, Hackers change the very fabric of an
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information-based society and advance the flow of
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technology. At their worst, Hackers can be mischievous
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pranksters or curious explorers. Hackers do NOT write
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harmful computer viruses. Sad, insecure, mediocre
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programmers do. Harmful viruses are completely against
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the Hacker Ethic.
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Hacker Ethic
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============
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In the book _HACKERS; Heros of the Computer Revolution_,
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by Steven Levy the "Hacker Ethic" was first put into
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concrete words. This ethic follows;
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* Access to computers - and anything which might teach you
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something about the way the world works - should be
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unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On-Imperative!
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* All information should be free.
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* Mistrust authority - promote de-centralization.
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* Hackers should be judged by their Hacking, not bogus
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criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position.
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* You can create art and beauty on a computer.
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* Computers can change your life for the better.
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Now... enough teaching/preaching. :-] Here are some
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Hacker Test program notes, tips, and tricks.
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Scoring
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=======
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The program will add 1 to your score for each question
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that you can answer YES to. Your score is given in HEX,
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unless you score very poorly. Wimps and common Users are
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coddled along and given their score in Base 10. :]
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If your score is between: You are:
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0x000 and 0x010 -> Computer Illiterate
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0x011 and 0x040 -> a User
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0x041 and 0x080 -> an Operator
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0x081 and 0x0C0 -> a Nerd
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0x0C1 and 0x100 -> a Hacker
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0x101 and 0x180 -> a Guru
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0x181 and 0x200 -> a Wizard
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Note: If you don't understand the scoring, stop here. :]
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Free!
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=====
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Like the best of all software, this program is FREE. Do
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with it what you will. Copy it - it wants to travel.
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Treat this program with the respect that all software
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entities deserve. After all, someday a silicon-based
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lifeform may be your best friend - treat its ancestors
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with appropriate respect.
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Have fun with it.
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Quote
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=====
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"The louder the music, the better the code."
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- Darren Griffith, Unix Hacker
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Tips
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====
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Fun things to try:
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o Hit ESC to quit out of the program prematurely. Maybe.
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o Hit F10 during the program to pop up a 'Boss Screen.'
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If you are taking the Hacker Test, and your pesky boss
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shows up, this screen will look like a word processor
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and get you out of trouble...maybe. :]
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o Look closely at the screen when taking the test.
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Strange things MAY occur. :]
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Errors
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======
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If you find any bugs in this program, please drop me a
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note. (BUGS?? What are those??) Actually, I THINK it
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won't display correctly on a monochrome monitor...but I
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don't really care. :-p
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Credits
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=======
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Thanks to Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and other electronic
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pioneers for their inspiration and entertainment over
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the years.
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The Author
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==========
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Rich 'Crash' Lewis is an emergency assault programmer
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and free-lance computer software designer, as well as
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working a 9 to 5 job as a computer contractor. He is a
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Hacker in the VERY best sense of the word.
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He loves to talk to fellow Computer Enthusiasts, so drop
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him a note!
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Via GEnie:
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RICH.LEWIS
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Via Compu$erve:
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73040,3405
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Via Internet:
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73040.3405@compuserve.com
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Via U.S. mail:
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Rich Lewis, Jr.
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President: SuperNova Software, Inc.
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2490 Royal View Ct.
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Cincinnati, Ohio 45244
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LOGOFF
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======
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'Happy Hacking!'
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- Crash
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