Instant Hacking: The Basics

Abstract

It’s time to start hacking.¹ In this chapter, you learn how to take control of your computer by speaking a language it understands: Python. Nothing here is particularly difficult, so if you know the basic principles of how your computer works, you should be able to follow the examples and try them out yourself. I’ll go through the basics, startiwng with the excruciatingly simple, but because Python is such a powerful language, you’ll soon be able to do pretty advanced things.

Hacking is not the same as cracking, which is a term describing computer crime. The two are often confused. Hacking basically means “having fun while programming.” For more information, see Eric Raymond’s article “How to Become a Hacker” at http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html.