The Happy Hacker: A Guide to (Mostly) Harmless Computer Hacking [Paperback]

Carolyn Meinel (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Amer Eagle Pubns Inc; 2nd Rev edition (October 1998)
• ISBN-10: 092940825X
• ISBN-13: 978-0929408255
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,745,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Harmless rubbish., November 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Happy Hacker: A Guide to (Mostly) Harmless Computer Hacking (Paperback)

This book sucks, it is really, really bad. As a computer security expert, I can assure you that only the most blatantly incompetent idiots would leave their systems in a situation whereby some of the lame ploys outlined in the book could work. Even telnet "hack my box" banners pale by comparison.

Furthermore, the "knowledge" the author presents is superficical at best and outright flawed sometimes; clearly she (or whoever her equally incompetent shadow writer may be) has no understanding whatsoever of the underlying workings of UNIX System V and even the windows "hacks" presented are little more than trivial. This woman is a DOS user, and you can smell the stink of a dos untermenschen a mile off.

I bought this book in a state of panic, thinking that some irresponsible idiot had opened pandora's box and was encouraging innocent kids to run riot with potentially dangerous info. I was wrong, and now I sleep nights knowing that there are morons out there that bought this trash. If that is the average intellect of hackers out there these days, then there is no reason to be worried.

The author says she was at the centre of a hacking war, I think she was probably the victim of self-delusion.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dumb, Dumber ..., June 6, 2003

By 

David M. Schnute - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Happy Hacker: A Guide to (Mostly) Harmless Computer Hacking (Paperback)

It's hard to be rational or objective when you realize you've been ...; best to keep this short and sour.

The author plays to a juvenile and no-brain crowd; reminds me of an Ed Wood movie. Entertaining on its own level, but I expected some technical insight. Save your money.

Too bad there is not zero or minus stars. This book deserves it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A complete and utter waste.., October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Happy Hacker: A Guide to (Mostly) Harmless Computer Hacking (Paperback)

..of time, money, trees and ink. If you believe that a very basic Windows 95/98 knowledge coupled with an even more limited knowledge of a few Unix shell commands equates to hacking, then by all means buy spend the thirty bucks and join the author in her fantasy world. You deserve each other.

On the positive side, someone has finally managed to write a book more ridiculous than "Secrets of a Super Hacker". Way to go.

For those interested in "hacking", try books from O'Reily & Associates, and pick up a copy of _The New Hacker's Dictionary_ by Eric S. Raymond, and remember: Friends Don't Let Friends Read The Happy Hacker!