Difinition confirmation (please read)...

I need the following word defined/confirmed.... Hacker According to my dictionary, 'hack' means "to chop with exceptional force", "a violent cough", or "a horse let out out for common hire"... Same dictionary... 'hacker' "one who hacks" (no - really?....), or 'a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity' example is "A Polo hacker". I wonder which antique store I bought that dictionary from... :) Here's my definition: "One who adapts an existing piece of computer (or other type) of hardware to suit one's needs or to improve it without instruction from the original manufacturer." I also thought that the people who screwed with viruses and software and such were "crackers" (which my dictionary describes as a 'dry, thin bread substance"). Am I right? or am I just blowing smoke?

ThAnX, ///--->>> -Jason Willgruber (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#: 1730318 <http://members.tripod.com/general_1> PS>> The reason I wanted to know was because I was going to make a web page on a couple of old serial cards that I'm making into direct-connect modems to use on a few computer that don't have HD's, and I'm just not sure what it would be classified as!