They point out that the term originated at MIT around the year 1969 when computers were first making it into educational institutions. There were few, if any, computer manuals around, so the students had to figure things out for themselves. In doing so, they ended up writing bits and pieces of code to make the programs do what they wanted them to. Hacking is viewed as a noble activity to satisfy one's curiosity and educate oneself on a complex piece of hardware or software. It's all about learning, not destruction.
Hackers feel very strongly about being put in the same boat as crackers.
Crackers are the ones who write virii, deface web pages, steal proprietary information, or commit credit card fraud. It is the crackers who, hackers say, are partially responsible for giving hackers a bad name. They see no real difference between hackers and crackers since they believe that they all commit acts that are against the law. A common myth that has become widespread is the technical level of hackers and crackers. Many people believe that all hackers and crackers are computer geniuses capable of taking control of any system, anytime, anywhere.