[CamperBob2]

The world is rendered in shades of grey, and not all ethical issues carry equal weight. Some are worth sweating, some aren't. This one isn't, according to a representative of the victimized party itself.

(since you apparently missed it the first time)

[nupark2]

The victimized party can choose to spin this any way they want, but it had no bearing on whether it actually did them harm or how they actually feel about it. That's not your decision to make, and 'shades of gray' is a lousy justification for theft of service.

[CamperBob2]

Sigh. I'm sorry, I thought I was on a forum for hackers, not commercial property managers.

I see this fellow as no worse than, say, a telemarketer. In fact, that's probably a good analogy to draw... except that I typically get more annoyed at telemarketers who hijack my time and attention, than AOL management seems to be at the person who overstayed his welcome in their building.

It's possible that I'm only as sympathetic to him as I am because he committed his offense in the course of trying to create something. Telemarketers don't offend me because they're annoying and presumptuous, but because they're lazy and unnecessary. If every telemarketer dropped off the face of the earth tomorrow, life would go on for the rest of us. If every kid with a bit of hustle and debatable judgment dropped off the face of the earth, things would go downhill in a hurry.

[nupark2]

Being a hacker has nothing to do with poor ethics. In fact, I'd say many of the best hackers I've had the privilege to work with have a strong sense of morals and ethics.