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I assumed you were asking the same old question for which Penquin posted a sticky at the top of this forum. Instead you are asking for a definition of "hacking".

A reasonable definition of hacking is making modifications to software (OS or other program) to enact changes the user desires. These can be customizations that are allowable and appropriate (changing defaults or configurations), or unintended and "disallowed" by the original programmers or system administrators (circumventing security, etc.). So you can hack in Windows as well as any OS. However, Linux is open and you are free to make any changes you want to your own system and pass them on to others (should they desire/accept them), whereas for Win or Mac legal restrictions apply. Those who like to "hack" their software may thus gravitate to Linux for freedom and accessibility.

Gaining access to a WEP-encrypted network as you describe is unethical and illegal. You'd be stealing service from someone else who is paying for it. Tools to crack such networks are likely available for Win as well as Linux.

You can program in many different languages for many OSs. What type of task do you need to perform? What systems are you dependent upon? Perl, PHP, Python, C++, Ruby, ... MFC, Fortran - all have strengths for different purposes / systems. Take your pick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programming_languages_by_category

It _IS_ wrong to crack someone's encryption simply to gain free access to an online connection. You have no idea why that system is encrypted, whether it is simply to control access, or to protect transmitted data. I encrypt all my systems, all my wireless routers, and all my transmissions. My services, my data and my work are not for your unpermitted use.

Take the red pill www.calacademy.org/blogs

God I hate the word "hack(er)". When I was young and stupid it was cool, about the time I hit puberty I stopped using it in that sense. The only time I utter that word is when I do a crappy job at something: "I hacked in a patch to support blah blah", "I hacked together an install script for xxxxx"

The sad part is there are people who still think its cool to be a "hacker" in the media sense of the term. Truthfully, everyone I've ever known that has called themselves a 'hacker' has truly been a moron. The get some precompiled binary that does xxx from somewhere and all of the sudden get an inflated sense of self worth.

Back on topic now.
@Jaden
If you want to learn linux, learn it because you want to try something new. If you like it stick with it because you like it more then windows. If you come at it because you want to learn to 'hack' you're going to get off on the wrong foot. There are plenty of ways to learn the same skillset and to still distance yourself from the 'hacker' culture.

Take your time, get a grasp on the basics of the os. Use it day in and out, then pick what you want to specialize one. If you still want to learn those skillsets start reading up on security practices and do a bit of programing. Maybe you'll just enjoy keeping the system running or tweaking it, then start reading up on sysadmin topics. Or whatever else floats your boat.

If you want to go down that road however, neither me or anybody else can tell you otherwise. Do whatever you want, you're your own person. Just keep in mind the people who contribute back to the linux community are always more respected then those who exploit it.

As for what distro, depends on you. All have strengths and weaknesses. Some are easier to learn, some are harder. Ubuntu has become know for being a good starter distro. Gentoo, is known for being one of the hardest ones. Slackware is probably a good middle ground between the two.
If you want something that 'just works' go with Ubuntu.
If you want to really learn how everything works go with something like Gentoo. Its a *much* steeper learning curve however.

Good luck.