What is on Your Mind?

If you were a beginner again, where would you start, what would you do differently, and what would you start learning first, etc?

...If your goal was to become a great programmer / hacker?

I am a 17 year old male who has a lot of time on his hands, plus, an eagerness to learn. However, there is just this small issue of not knowing where to start and what to start with - hence the above question.

open a terminal... start reading man pages of differen commands..
then try to do something creative using those commands..
It will help you a lot...

That does not seem very entertaining. My problem is this: I'd like to know how to program and be an awesome hacker, but I don't have the motivation to go through all the tedious steps in getting there.

Can I get by this?

I found an online ebook that looks good:

"Programming from the Ground Up" By Johnathan Bartlett

Should I read it? It teaches one about Linux and Assembly. Is this a good book for someone who's starting out?

So... Here's what I need: more info and something that'll inspire me. Is that too much to ask for?

Thanks for all your help.

There's 2 kinds of "hackers" one is a true hacker who starts out with an passion or hobby writing code and spends all his/her time doing it or constantly trying news ways of overloading or testing to uncover bugs or weakness for certain software. These people are the quiet group never boastful or revealing too much about themselves, this group the authorities take seriously.

The other is what they call a "script kiddie" ie someone who is lazy, doesn't like to write any code but like to looks for tools available on internet like sniffers or join forums try to use somebody's idea, like to brag a lot how good they are - script kiddies mostly loners or nobody trying to be somebody.

The only final outcome for a "Awesome Hacker" is prison. Do something that will affect a lot of people in the world and the FBI will send someone to pick you up .... bring lots of of KY, you gonna need it for your prison pals.

Almost right, really there are 2 kinds of "hackers":Then there are "The Others"
Are you speaking from personal experience, or are you just repeating a common misconception?


Hacking and Coding aren't easy, and most people take the entertainment from the things they learn, and yes, this includes books, man pages, and source code of others.

My ideas:

This means, simply you can't get there. It's by sheer hardwork, enthusiasm many have reached that level.

Code:

Get a book.
Get a terminal.
Practice, practice, practice with interest ...

Aren't there ways of covering ones tracks, being undetectable, etc...? I like movies like Sneakers. Life is different from the movies, but some of it is the same. Watching these kinds of movies gets me motivated, but then when I go to study and realise how much there is to learn, I start to lose that motivation.

I wish I started learning this stuff when I was much younger.
Is there anything out there that will give me the motivation that I need to start learning about these things, and most importantly, sticking to it and not giving up? Unfortunately, as history proves, I tend to be one of those people who starts things, gets bored, and then quits. I need to change.
Great, thanks! I already have a C++ book. I started learning C++ last year, read about 50 pages... Anyway, I'm going to try again. Any more tips? By the way, I've never been too interested in learning... Is there anything that will help me with this?
Well, I have to believe that it's possible. Are there strategies for developing the enthusiasm to learn this?

Anyway, I'm starting on Friday (C++). Until then, I plan to read things that will motivate me. I need to change and that's why I choose to learn to program / hack.

Thanks for all your help, everyone. If there's anything else, let me know. Thanks!