The next time you meet someone who calls himself or herself a hacker, don't be so quick to judge the person negatively. A hacker is technically a programmer who is particularly adept at a computer language or system. However, some people use their computer adeptness to break into private computer systems and wreak havoc. It is these people that give hackers the bad name.
Most hackers are, in fact, law-abiding individuals who are proud of their proficiency in computers.