This text answers fundamental questions about life in the information age. In the original meaning of the word, "hackers" are enthusiastic computer programmers who share their work with others - they are not computer criminals. In this book, the authors show how hackers represent a new opposing ethos for the information age. Underlying hackers' technical creations, such as the Internet and the personal computer, which have become symbols of the age, are the hacker values that produced them. These values promote passionate and freely rhythmed work; the belief that individuals can create great things by joining forces in imaginative ways; and the need to maintain our existing ethical ideals, such as privacy and equality, in our increasingly technologized society.