# What the Hack? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872 "2004-12-14T22:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/1 "2004-12-14T22:55:46Z")
Did anyone ever notice computer hackers in movies, they never, and I mean NEVER use a mouse. Its all done by typing, clickity clickity click, typing away. See Hugh Jackman in Swordfish or DJ Qualls in The Core- they never touch the mouse. Now, i may know very little (if anything) about computer hacking, but isnt this odd? Can anyone verify? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/2 "2004-12-14T22:57:25Z")
Back in my day, we didn’t **have** any fancy-schmancy mice. We had to accomplish everything by typing in commands at the prompt. And weeeeeee liked it! ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/3 "2004-12-14T22:59:21Z")
Not so odd as the fact that all hacking programs in movies involve 3D graphical interfaces. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/4 "2004-12-14T23:00:31Z")
Real hackers always use the command line. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/5 "2004-12-14T23:00:56Z")
Being a leftie I’ve learned a helluva lot of keyboard shortcuts. So on some of the work computer I look like a hacker when I’m doing stuff 😛 It always bugs me how much computers in films make pointless beeps and wadiwadis and wuuuuurbs and diddlediddlediddles I mean like when text is appearing it’s like diddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddle. That DOESN’T HAPPEN ON COMPUTERS! ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/6 "2004-12-14T23:04:32Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > Not so odd as the fact that all hacking programs in movies involve 3D graphical interfaces. Ah, The Matrix: Reloaded featured Trinity running nmap against 10.2.2.2, then executes sshnuke to exploit [SSH CRC-32](http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/2347). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/7 "2004-12-14T23:13:24Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > It always bugs me how much computers in films make pointless beeps and wadiwadis and wuuuuurbs and diddlediddlediddles I mean like when text is appearing it’s like diddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddle. That DOESN’T HAPPEN ON COMPUTERS! It does if you leave the default Windows sound scheme running, I believe… ---
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/8 "2004-12-14T23:17:48Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > Not so odd as the fact that all hacking programs in movies involve 3D graphical interfaces. Damn skippy. Reminds me of an old Seaquest DSV episode (cringe) where the young lad, dunno his name, went to some computer camp, where the eveeeeel head teacher wanted him to hack into the worlds bank account. It all took place on a screen showing a mutating 3D ball, much like the windows screen saver. Our man just sat there, sweating and typing random nonsense while being cheered on by his buddys as the ball rotated and changed in tune with him mashing the keyboard like an epileptic chimp. Man, that show sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/9 "2004-12-14T23:18:55Z")
[Note to OP:](http://www.derkarl.org/photos/fack.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/10 "2004-12-14T23:30:25Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > It always bugs me how much computers in films make pointless beeps and wadiwadis and wuuuuurbs and diddlediddlediddles I mean like when text is appearing it’s like diddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddle. That DOESN’T HAPPEN ON COMPUTERS! What you are often hearing are the noises of obsolete mainframe computer systems, with 9-track tape drives seeking back and forth, card readers sorting, teletypewriters and line printers clattering away. To some sound effects people these sounds connote “high tech”, even though the current technology is relatively silent. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/11 "2004-12-14T23:44:13Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > To some sound effects people these sounds connote “high tech”, even though the current technology is relatively silent. Except for printers, where they’re apparently so quiet that nobody notices them running until they beep to tell you they’re finished :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/12 "2004-12-14T23:51:18Z")
If the directories are short enoughly named, it’s easier to traverse a directory structure tree by typing than through Explorer, especially if at the end of it you will have to execute a command-line command anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/13 "2004-12-15T00:04:57Z")
Only script kiddies and goobs hack with Windows anyways. A REAL hacker has only a vague idea what a mouse is, having been almost wholly assimilated into \*IX. (UNIX, AIX,HP-UX, Linux…) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/14 "2004-12-15T00:17:08Z")
> [@bubastis](#): > > Damn skippy. Reminds me of an old Seaquest DSV episode (cringe) where the young lad, dunno his name, went to some computer camp, where the eveeeeel head teacher wanted him to hack into the worlds bank account. It all took place on a screen showing a mutating 3D ball, much like the windows screen saver. Our man just sat there, sweating and typing random nonsense while being cheered on by his buddys as the ball rotated and changed in tune with him mashing the keyboard like an epileptic chimp. Man, that show sucked. That episode was hysterical. A colony of teen hackers (including Seth “Scott Evil” Green) live in an underwater structure, and their leader and apparantly only adult supervisor is Tim “Tuvok” Russ, who goes nuts and ends up in a hack-fight with Lucas (the young lad) with the latter trying to block all the hacks of the former, while the hacker community (including some improbably hot babes) looks on and awe. Geez, Luc, he’s only sitting five feet away. Why’nt’cha just walk over and _hit_ him? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/15 "2004-12-15T00:28:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If the directories are short enoughly named, it’s easier to traverse a directory structure tree by typing than through Explorer, especially if at the end of it you will have to execute a command-line command anyway. Who cares about short directory names? Tab-completion is a wonderful thing. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/16 "2004-12-15T00:36:54Z")
heh. > [@Jurassic Park](#): > > Lex: I’m a hacker! > Tim: That’s what I said: you’re a nerd. > Lex: I am not a computer nerd. I prefer to be called a hacker! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hack/279872/17 "2004-12-15T01:50:17Z")
> [@bubastis](#): > > Did anyone ever notice computer hackers in movies, they never, and I mean NEVER use a mouse. Its all done by typing, clickity clickity click, typing away. See Hugh Jackman in Swordfish or DJ Qualls in The Core- they never touch the mouse. Now, i may know very little (if anything) about computer hacking, but isnt this odd? Can anyone verify? It’s not odd at all. It’s an efficiency thing. If you learn to type well, and you learn all of the keyboard shortcuts, it’s _much_ faster than taking your hands off the keyboard all the time to grab the mouse. Don’t believe me? Try this: As you’re typing in a Windows application, you decide to change the word you just typed. Try deleting that word by taking a hand off the keyboard, grabbing the mouse, selecting the word, pressing delete, putting your hand back in home position, and continuing to type. Now try just pressing control-backspace and continuing. Which is faster? Have you ever watched a good programmer write code with a heavily-tweaked editor? They virtually _never_ touch the mouse, and they’re incredibly fast. Most of the hackers I know type quite well (60wpm at least–I type over 90wpm), and can work far faster than the mouse types. As an aside, I’m talking about the real, old-school hackers. Folks that create things. _Not_ crackers, social engineers, and script kiddies, who tend to have little real computer skill.