Hacker News Reader

Comment by jontas | Hacker News Reader

I don't know anything about the particular website he was advertising on, but I could easily see someone in the HN community developing some security software, advertising it via a "Show HN" post, and then being judged for posting it on "Hacker News".

View on HN

the site described is very much a blackhat hacker forum.

I read the article but it isn't so clear about that. It says the forum contains many non-hacking related subjects. To a total outsider with little understanding of the world of computer security, Hacker News might look and sound like a blackhat site too. There are frequent posts about vulnerabilities, hacking news, and security tools.

Yeah but anyone who actually opens a discussion on hackforums will realize it's a forum made for skids.

as a previous user of the forum in question, I can confirm it's not for the "curious programmer" type of hacker. I realise that the term is ambiguous, but I think that's more due to the "hacker news" type hacker clinging onto an old term after the public understanding of the term has moved onto "hacker = computer criminal". The public at large, and journalists, know what a hacker is - and it's not a VC-driven startup entrepreneur.

Would you argue that phrack magazine is also not for the "curious programmer" - or would you say that the dividing lines are different now than they used to be?

I wonder because I read a lot of stuff in phrack as a "curious programmer"...

Hackforums and phrack are not even close to being in the same category.

Phrack contains a lot of technically interesting articles, which can be of use to anyone interested in IT security.

Hackforums is full of kids giving tips about hacking FB accounts and selling stolen steam accounts...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com