So you also wanna be a hacker...
Welcome to the club! But beware: if you do not master the basics, it's going to be a long way. Let me stress the fact that no-one should be ashamed of being a beginner. The greatest hackers have walked this path as well. Avoid bragging and boasting in chatrooms and do not expect to get everything easily in seconds. More than anything, hacking is an attitude. Any nobody can teach you an attitude or acquire knowledge for you. The best hackers I was given to meet were also the humblest.

Ok, what do I need to become a hacker?

• Common sense and a technical mind: understanding is more important than knowing, after all. Hackers are no gods, it's just that they work hard at finding flaws and breaking into systems.
• Discretion: if your activities lead you to the edge of the law (real laws or organisation policies) you will have to be careful and avoid boasting around. Many newbies get caugth because of that.
• Time: I could not insist too much on the time it will require to gather sufficient knowledge, especially if you are starting from nowhere. Compared to many other hackers, I had a late vocation; I first got interested in security when it happened to stand in my way, at college. I think I had the right attitude and faculties, but certainly not the knowledge. Well, it took me three years to get a deep understanding of IT security, learning how to programme correctly and find/exploit security holes. It all depends on your current level and what you want to achieve, of course. In any instance, check your coffee machine and get prepared for sleepless nights: it's a fascinating experience!

• A computer... It is of course not handy to only use a computer at school or college (most hackers are young, in case you don't know) or even at your company. This is a major risk, especially at the beginning, and some people will really have no sense of humour when the catch you.
• Software: If you do not have a Unix system, get one. Linux and BSD are free and can be downloaded from the Net (provided you have a fast connection, of course). You can also buy them on CD for very little money. Why Unix ? Just because it is sort of a synonym for hacking. If you have only used Windows or MacOS so far, the start will be difficult. But that is the price of freedom: Unix means you get an almost total command of your system: you are the master, not the software. Much of what I've said relates to the first category of hacking (see intro), but this step is really necessay and can take some time. No serious hacker may ignore Unix. Next, you will realise that hacking often involves networks. A packet sniffing utility will be needed. In Macintosh Classic (up to version 9.2), there is no FTP or telnet tool by default. You will have to get these if your computer is a Mac. Last thing: a hexadecimal editor. This is what will let you inspect the contents of any file, byte per byte, something you will often do as a hacker. You can find a lot of free tools on www.tucows.com.
• A compiler: ok, I should put this in the previous section because a compiler is software but my idea was that a hacker should eventually be able to programme. You do not have to start straight away if you do not yet feel at ease with the depths of your system. But eventually, it will become necessary if you want to perform seriously. Existing tools are not always adapted to what you want to do, and that is the reason why knowing how to programme is a definite asset. Ideally, a hacker should know a language such as C. Virtually all Unix systems have a C compiler, which is a great advantage. Use GCC on Windows and MPW on the older Mac systems. The GCC that runs on Windows is a port from the much famous GNU CC that runs on lots of Unix machines and MPW is an excellent compiler by Apple but its development was unfortunately stopped. MacOS X has a GCC derivative. Again, do not expect learning C in two days' time. Programming requires logical skills (much) and mathematical skills (a bit generally speaking, much in specific areas) and of course practice.
• Music: no kidding, Kurt Cobain worked wonders during my long hacking and debugging nights. What an indescriptible joy to crack a root passwords while listening to "Come on over and shoot the shit" ;-)

That's about all I had to say about this. Don't forget, hacking will make you free. You will therefore have to find your way; if you want a guru, it won't be me...

Good luck!