Hackers and programmers are software specialists. The concept "hacker" is most often used in the classical value as a synonym to the word "hacker", however sometimes hackers call also other specialists who are engaged in development and editing the software.
Hacker
Most often the concept "hacker" is associated with the specialist who is engaged in software cracking, search of vulnerabilities in programs, operating systems and computers. In this case the hacker shall be the programmer of rather high qualification who should know well at least 1 programming language and know structure and creation of computer applications.
Hackers are well familiar with the theory of a computer security and networks, know data transmission technologies and widespread errors of programmers to carry out cracking of the software product or the whole computer (server).
Activity of hackers is not always directed to destruction of any information or taking by access to any given Internet resource. There are specialists having wide experience of programming and applications writing. Such hackers work in the large companies as researchers of vulnerabilities of IT-systems which is constructed at the enterprise and can store data bulks. Work of specialists consists in improvement of security systems for the purpose of maintaining operability of software and providing the maximum degree of safety of data.
Unlike hackers, programmers are engaged in design, writing and debugging of computer programs. Specialists write the computer code which is used for the solution of different tasks, since computers of regular users and finishing with operating systems or programs of management of databases.
Other values
Also the word "hacker" is often used by people for designation of the highly skilled person who is perfectly familiar with the basic principles of functioning of computer systems and the installed software. In that case hackers it is possible to call most of professional programmers as the true programmer corresponds to these criteria.
The term "hacker" is sometimes used in relation to people who on the kind of activity are not connected with IT, however are the true specialists in the activity.
The word "hacker" was used earlier in relation to people who corrected errors in a programs runtime. The necessary corrections were made in the emergency order quickly to solve any problem in safety or to correct the errors arising in the course of use of the application.