How come so many people use linux for hacking? and or cracking, I realise the development enviroment suites crackers but what advantages do the hacking guys get out of it, i mean its far easier just to setup win98 in 40 mins than it is to mess around installing linux for days on end.

Whats so good about it?

I can install linux in 20 minutes, then configure it in 2 hours in details to fit me. Linux is stable, it works (in my [of course] opinion) better than windows. It is free. "Why do everybody spend a lot of money on windows and then on programs to run on it when they can use linux and great bunch of free software?"; Of course they just steal it... Linux gots perfect programming enviroment which lacks nothing and can easily (cygwin) be ported to windows and other systems... about cracking... while You use Linux You forgots what cracking is. Why should I steal something when I can use adeaquate program which is free?; And then Linux provides You with sources, tousands of examples. You know how it clicks...

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It's not so much the OS that determines the "hacker" as experience. Windows is geared towards the uneducated (no offense). All the system operations behind the scenes is locked down by GUI's and the code is unaccessable to see what or how something works. The natural progression is for a person to start their computer life on Windows then when they want more they migrate to open source. Why you asked?

Because they want to learn. Sure you can write programs that interact with the Windows OS but MS does not let you tweak. I learned more about kerberos and lower kernel interactions on linux whereas with MS I could have only learned the theory from published docs.

Plus to go one step further, anyone who does "hack" wants an OS that they can configure to defend themselves. They know what or who is out there and Windows ain't gonna cut it.

So to answer your question, it's really not about the OS, it's about the person behind the keyboard and what they want to be able to do and the flexability of an OS. Linux is the choice because it is open source, you can take already developed code and tweak it and tailor to your need. You can't do that in Windows the same way.

Good answer. i guess. I am sick of BGB (Bill Gates Bullshit) so I wanted to see what linux was like. And jees did I have a hard start. I had a debian distribution on cd, there were 3 cds out of a possible 8. I decided to install slackware 8.1 from a cd my bro had made but half the bl..y files were missing. Eventually when I got all I needed, i had floppy trouble. The 3 1/2 kind. So Eventually when I got my setup running I wasnt to bad except I didnt realise that you have to install some of the packages seperate so Ive been messing about with them. An then Eventually I got to use my desktop but my modem wouldnt work, so after finding some drivers I got it working but it wouldnt dial up, so eventually i realised by reading here that i needed to uncomment some lines in one of the files, (i cant remember which one) which enabled PPP support. Phew. After all that i still dunno if I like linux but im gonna keep going and play around to see whats what.
But hey, I like a challenge thats why I looked at linux in the first place. Second time round I might look at debian. Have u seen or used debian?

Thanks for the responses.

Yeah most people have the same experience as you for their first time. Think of it this way, when you had sex for the first time, you fumbled around, clueless, not sure if what you were doing was right. Now years later with some experience it's much better. (I hope) I know goofy analogy but I bet you get my point.

I always advise the new converts to try SuSE or RedHat first as they have come close to ease of install and use as Windows. But because they wanted to play like windows, they have become bloated like windows. Installing packages you will never see or use.

Now Debian, yes I have and use Debian regularly and like it. I like it for it's clean stable upgrade process. Apt-get kicks butt. That said, a noobie would go crazy trying to install Debian as their first *nix distro. Hell FreeBSD is 1000 times easier.

As your experience grows you will find the pluses and minuses in all OS distros. I wanna a quick webserver for testing, I go RedHat. Need an enterprise level webserver, FreeBSD. Each has it's strengths so it depends on what your goals will be.

Dont be discouraged, keep plugging away and learning as you go. What doesnt kill you makes you stronger......

Linux is flexible. I can do thing with my nux I can't even dream of in M$ windoze. Try to spoof your MAC adress or play in network packet using windoze... if you can, your name is Bill G.

Linux is faaaar above windoze about (any and all) networking questions. Windoze firewall just SUCKS. Windoze network doesn't respect any standard or RFC (TOS isn't used in Windoze, their DNS server is a crap, DHCP server isn't so good).

And about hackers... you can't tweak windoze to much. Under Linux, you can get the open source code and to build up your own system, doN't ask why hackers only use Linux.

Enough said.