A good way to dip your toes in the water is to boot up a device called a live USB or CD, a distribution that runs entirely off a CD or USB without modifying your hard disk. A way to get a look at the possibilities without having to do anything drastic. [2] X Research source There are other UNIX-like operating systems besides Linux, such as the *BSD systems. The most popular *BSD systems are FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and DragonFly BSD. All are open source just like Linux. However, it’s important to remember that they are BSD and not Linux. MacOS on Darwin, a UNIX operating system that’s on FreeBSD. Darwin is fully free and open source and is available from http://opensource. apple. com. Because the core of the system is UNIX, and MacOS is very popular, many people have ported over Linux applications to MacOS. You can get those programs with a package manager like homebrew, fink or MacPorts. Alternatively, you can just run Linux on a Mac alongside macOS. If you want to get super niche, you can even run an operating system like Open Indiana, which is based on the open source release of the Solaris operating system before it was acquired by Oracle and made closed source. OpenIndiana and Solaris made on UNIX System V, and, as such, are not compatible with Linux applications. That said, there are many ports of Linux applications. You’re probably better off just using MacOS, BSD or Linux because they are much more popular and have many more programs available for them.
In your browser, open the page source information to examine the HTML to see an example. Go to Web Developer > Page Source in Firefox and spend time looking at the code. You can write HTML in a basic word processing program like Notepad or Simple text and save your files as “yourCoolFileName. HTML” so you can upload them to a browser and see your work translated.
Python is a good “language” to start off with because it’s cleanly designed, well documented, and relatively kind to beginners. Despite being a good first language, it is not just a toy; it is compelling, flexible, and well-suited for large projects. [5] X Research source If you get into serious programming, you will have to learn Java is an alternative, but its value as a first programming language has been currently questioned in its particular state. Unlike Java, Javascript is very similar to Python as they are both a C-based language and extremely new user-friendly. Javascript is “the programming language of the web,” so If you’d like to continue your learning in web development/hacking, Javascript is better to learn than Python. An alternative to JavaScript would be PHP C, the core language of Unix. C++ is very closely related to C; if you know one, learning the other will not be difficult. C is very efficient with your machine’s resources but will soak up huge amounts of your time on debugging and is often avoided for that reason, unless the efficiency of your computer is especially important. It is probably a good idea to use a good starting platform such as Backtrack 5 R3, Kali or Ubuntu 12. 04LTS.
Hackers have a diversity of interests culturally and intellectually, outside of hacking. Work as intensely as you play, and play as intensely as you work. For true hackers, the boundaries between “play,” “work,” “science,” and “art” all tend to disappear or to merge into a high-level creative playfulness. Read science fiction. Go to science fiction conventions, which is a great way to meet hackers and proto-hackers. Consider training in a martial art. The kind of mental discipline required for martial arts seems to be similar in important ways to what hackers do. The most hacker-ly martial arts are those which emphasize mental discipline, relaxed awareness, and control, rather than raw strength, athleticism, or physical toughness. Tai Chi is a good martial art for hackers.
You don’t have to believe that you’re obligated to give all your creative product away, though the hackers that do are the ones that get the most respect from other hackers. It’s consistent with hacker values to sell enough of it to keep you in food and rent and computers. Read older pieces, such as the “Jargon File” or “Hacker Manifesto” by The Mentor. They may be out of date regarding technical issues, but the attitude and spirit are just as timely.
Embracing hacking as a way of life is to reject so-called “normal” concepts of work and property, choosing instead to fight for equality and common knowledge.
Try to find a program under development that you’re interested in and be a good beta-tester. There’s a natural progression from helping test programs to helping debug them to helping modify them. You’ll learn a lot this way, and generate goodwill with people who will help you later on.
Hackers distrust blatant ego in their tribal elders, so visibly reaching for this kind of fame is dangerous. Rather than striving for it, you have to position yourself, so it drops in your lap, and then be modest and gracious about your status.
