What exactly is hacking?

[K.C.]

I have to warn you before I get started, this is borderline rant because I have strong opinions on this subject, here goes:

HACKING IS NOT BREAKING INTO COMPUTERS!!!

OK, got that out of my system. Hackers are people who use objects in ways they were not intended to accomplish a task, eg; the original hackers, MIT model train club who used phone relays to build model train sets. People who use computers to break into things are either Script Kiddies or Crackers. Script Kiddies are uneducated people who use prebuilt programs to "hack". Crackers are criminal hackers. The person you read about was a Cracker.