Hacker is a holy word for me so I will be using CAPITAL letters
for a Hacker throughout.
There are innumerable people for who see a Hacker as a criminal.
The reason behind this is that the Hacker Ethics had never been
much publicised & a Hacker is never much described due to which people fail to
distinguish a Hacker from a cracker or someone else.
This page tries to describe who really is a Hacker.
A Hacker never breaks a system for amusement, revenge or as a challenge.
If He/She ever does so They do so for Freedom & liberty of
information.
A Hacker believes in Freedom. According to Him all information regarding
anything should be in the public domain & thus easily & freely
accessible.
A Hacker works for the upliftment & betterment of the society. He tries to make
things more easier & more functional.
Hacker's favour & promote decentralization. Decentralisation promotes
production & brings multiple paths of fresh ideas into the main work
stream.
A Hacker respects others & expects the same respect to him & his work.
For a Hacker his computer is like a Temple or Church & he owes a great respect
to this machinery even if the system fails to respond. A Hacker has
emotional bondings with his/her computer & that's obvious because both of
them had worked for hours together. They get synchronised & thus produce great
pieces of code.
A Hacker takes every unsolved problem as a challenge & works on it until he
arrives on a solution that He Himself praises.
A Hacker loves reasons, proofs, figures, precision.
Hacker intelligence
The Hacker mind is intelligent but strange.
College intelligence Most Hackers past Their teens have a college degree or are
self-taught to a similar level. Before becoming a full-fledged Hacker, the
typical Hacker majored in computer science or electrical engineering or math or
physics or linguistics (since studying human languages is a good stepping stone
to studying computer languages) or philosophy (since philosophy analyzes the
meaning of language and "life forms").
Read a lot
Hackers read a lot, and read a wide variety, though with extra
emphasis on science facts and science fiction. A Hacker's home includes a big
library, with many shelves full of books that the Hacker has read. A Hacker
spends more spare time reading books & magazines than watching TV. A Hacker
spends as much spare time reading as the average non-Hacker spends watching TV.
Bad handwriting
Hackers have bad handwriting - Their script is hard to read - so
They usually write in simple capital block letters (LIKE THIS), as if They were
junior draftsmen writing on a blueprint. The capital block letters make sense,
especially when writing math equations or programming instructions that contain
lots of symbols; script would be no faster.
Inhuman communication
Since programming requires good organization and precise
use of language, Hackers are good at composing sentences, paragraphs, and
compositions. But though Hackers are good writers, They're bad talkers, since
They don't get much practice chatting with humans. They're not skilled at
arguing with humans, confronting them, and negotiating with them; They're
better
at communicating with computers, which don't argue.
Good at memorizing
Hackers are good at memorizing details, such as computer
codes.
Neat just in output
Hackers produce programs, writings, and thinking that are
very neat and well-organized; but a Hacker is too busy to make the Hacker's
environment equally neat, so a Hacker's desk and office floor are typically
piled high with a disorganized mess of resources.
Hacker bodies
Here's what a Hacker looks like, and where to find one.
Near universities, in libraries, in cyber cafes & wherever there are computers.
Most Hackers are male, but females are more common in Hackerdom than
in other technical professions.
Relatively unbigoted
Hackers are less bigoted than other people, since
Hackers care more about what a person wrote than the person's appearance.
Hackers believe computers can act like humans and therefore believe in the
humane treatment of all computers and all people.
Casual dresser
Hackers dislike "business attire". The typical Hacker would quit
a job if it required wearing a suit. Hackers like to wear clothes that are
casual, easy to take care of, post-hippie: T-shirts (with slogans on them),
jeans, running shoes (or barefoot), and backpacks. Hackers think it a wastage
of
time & resources to iron clothes & to spray aritificial odours on them.
Scruffy appearance
Hackers look scruffy. Many Hackers have long hair. Men Hackers often have
beards and moustaches. Women Hackers try to look "natural" by
wearing little or no makeup.
Since Hackers love computers, which are mostly indoors, Hackers don't get tans.
Night owls
Hackers often stay up all night, to finish work on excitingly
frustrating programming challenges. Then They sleep late in the morning.
Extreme food For dinner
Hackers prefer spicy ethnic food.
For midnight snacks while in the middle of marathon programming sessions,
Hackers prefer pizza and microwave burritos. Back in the 1970's, Hackers used
to
eat a lot of junk food, but modern Hackers are more into "health food".
Hackers tend to be extreme: either too skinny or too fat. More Hackers are too
skinny than too fat.
Nearly drug-free
Hackers need to protect Their heads from drugs, so They don't
do drugs. They don't smoke. Most Hackers don't drink alcohol, though a few
Hackers experiment with fancy wines and exotic beers.
Since Hackers favor experimentation, They tolerate folks who use non-addictive
drugs such as pot and LSD. But Hackers criticize people who take "downers" and
opiates, since those drugs make you act stupid.
To help stay up late at night programming, Hackers often take mild "uppers"
such
as caffeine (in coffee and Jolt cola) and sugar (in soft drinks and junk food).
Experimental sex
Hackers are more likely than "normal" folks to experiment sexually. Many
Hackers openly have multiple boyfriends or girlfriends, or live
in communes or group houses, or practice open marriage (where both partners
agree that extra-marital relationships are okay), or are gay or lesbian.
Hacker beliefs
Here's how to make a Hacker happy.
Toys better than money
Hackers don't care about earning lots of money or social
approval. Instead, Hackers just want the intellectual pleasure of inventing
beautiful programs and products - and exploring the beautiful products invented
by others.
So to bribe a Hacker, don't offer money or a fancy title; instead, offer a lab
full of computer hardware and software for the Hacker to play with, and
permission for the Hacker to spend time playing with and inventing fantastic
technology.
Non-religious
Since Hackers don't like to be told what to do, They don't like
organized religion. Since Hackers are into facts, not beliefs, They tend not to
believe in God. But They do believe in Supernatural Powers & in Astrology,
Numerology, etc. & treat these subjects as Science.
When asked "What religion are you?", many Hackers reply by calling themselves
"atheist" or "agnostic".
Libertarian politics
Hackers like freedom to explore computers. They don't like
restrictions. They don't like being told what to do.
They dislike authoritarians, managers, MBA's, and big government. They tend to
be Libertarian. They dislike the dogmatic insistence of the far left and far
right. If asked to choose between Democrats and Republicans, They tend to
choose
Democrats because Democrats permit more social freedoms, so Hackers are
classified as "left of center".
Cat lovers
Hackers are more likely to have cats than dogs, because cats are
like Hackers: clever rather than belligerent.
No team sports
Hackers don't like to watch sports. Hackers don't watch sports on
TV and don't go to sports stadiums.
Hackers would rather participate than watch. Though half of all Hackers don't
make time to participate, the other half do participate, but mainly in
individual sports rather than team sports. The only team sport They like is
volleyball, because it's non-contact and friendly.
They prefer individual sports that involve dexterity, concentration, and
stamina, rather than brute force. Their favorite sports are bicycling, hiking,
rock climbing, caving, kite-flying, juggling, martial arts, roller skating, ice
skating, skiing, target shooting, and auto racing, and aviation.
Strange vehicles Hackers don't wash Their cars. Hackers drive extreme
cars: either beat-up heaps (unwashed because They're junk) or (if the Hackers
are rich) luxury sports cars (unwashed anyway). They like to be distinct in
every act They do & maintains this nature in choosing vehicles also.
Brainy hobbies
Hackers like to play music, play board games (such as
chess and Go), dabble in ham radio, learn about linguistics & foreign
languages,
and do "theater teching" (give technical support to theater productions).
Hate stupidity
Hackers like active intelligent freedom, so They dislike
dishonesty, boredom, business suits, stupid incompetent people (especially
stupid incompetent managers who wear business suits), stupid music (such as
"easy listening music"), and stupid culture (such as TV, except for TV's
cleverly cynical cartoons & movies & the old Star Trek).
Some more facts
Hackers always want to be distinct. They don't want to be called like someone
else.
They are generally homely people but They prefer friends then relatives.
They are very soft & kind hearted & don't cheat or betray people or friends.
They dislike roaming without any purpose or doing window shopping.
They are good in making estimates & finding the exact price of goods.
They generally walk straight & fast & prefer to go straight to Their
destination & come back home without moving anywhere in between. Hackers take
it
as a wastage of time if They are walking slow.
The Hacker Attitude
Hackers solve problems and build things, and they believe in freedom and
voluntary mutual help. To be accepted as a Hacker, you have to behave as though
you have this kind of attitude yourself. And to behave as though you have the
attitude, you have to really believe the attitude.
But if you think of cultivating Hacker attitudes as just a way to gain
acceptance in the culture, you'll miss the point. Becoming the kind of person
who believes these things is important for you -- for helping you learn and
keeping you motivated. As with all creative arts, the most effective way to
become a master is to imitate the mind-set of masters -- not just
intellectually
but emotionally as well.
So, if you want to be a Hacker, repeat the following things until you believe
them:
1. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.
Being a Hacker is lots of fun, but it's a kind of fun that takes lots of
effort. The effort takes motivation. Successful athletes get their motivation
from a kind of physical delight in making their bodies perform, in pushing
themselves past their own physical limits. Similarly, to be a Hacker you
have
to get a basic thrill from solving problems, sharpening your skills, and
exercising your intelligence.
If you aren't the kind of person that feels this way naturally, you'll need to
become one in order to make it as a Hacker.
You also have to develop a kind of faith in your own learning capacity -- a
belief that even though you may not know all of what you need to solve a
problem, if you tackle just a piece of it and learn from that, you'll learn
enough to solve the next piece -- and so on, until you're done.
2. Nobody should ever have to solve a problem twice.
Creative brains are a valuable, limited resource. They shouldn't be wasted on
re-inventing the wheel when there are so many fascinating new problems waiting
out there.
To behave like a Hacker, you have to believe that the thinking time of other
Hackers is precious -- so much so that it's almost a moral duty for you to
share
information, solve problems and then give the solutions away just so other
Hackers can solve new problems instead of having to perpetually re-address old
ones.
(You don't have to believe that you're obligated to give all your creative
product away, though the Hackers that do are the ones that get most respect
from
other Hackers. It's consistent with Hacker values to sell enough of it to keep
you in food and rent and computers. It's consistent to use your hacking skills
to support a family or even get rich, as long as you don't forget you're a
Hacker while you're doing it.)
3. Boredom and drudgery are evil.
Hackers (and creative people in general) should never be bored or have to
drudge at stupid repetitive work, because when this happens it means they
aren't
doing what only they can do -- solve new problems. This wastefulness hurts
everybody. Therefore boredom and drudgery are not just unpleasant but actually
evil.
To behave like a Hacker, you have to believe this enough to want to automate
away the boring bits as much as possible, not just for yourself but for
everybody else (especially other Hackers).
(There is one apparent exception to this. Hackers will sometimes do things that
may seem repetitive or boring to an observer as a mind-clearing exercise, or in
order to acquire a skill or have some particular kind of experience you can't
have otherwise. But this is by choice -- nobody who can think should ever be
forced into boredom.)
4. Freedom is good.
Hackers are naturally anti-authoritarian. Anyone who can give you orders can
stop you from solving whatever problem you're being fascinated by -- and, given
the way authoritarian minds work, will generally find some appallingly stupid
reason to do so. So the authoritarian attitude has to be fought wherever you
find it, lest it smother you and other Hackers.
(This isn't the same as fighting all authority. Children need to be guided and
criminals restrained. A Hacker may agree to accept some kinds of authority in
order to get something He wants more than the time he spends following orders.
But that's a limited, conscious bargain; the kind of personal surrender
authoritarians want is not on offer.)
Authoritarians thrive on censorship and secrecy. And they distrust voluntary
cooperation and information-sharing -- they only like `cooperation' that they
control. So to behave like a Hacker, you have to develop an instinctive
hostility to censorship, secrecy, and the use of force or deception to compel
responsible adults. And you have to be willing to act on that belief.
5. Attitude is no substitute for competence.
To be a Hacker, you have to develop some of these attitudes. But copping an
attitude alone won't make you a Hacker, any more than it will make you a
champion athlete or a rock star. Becoming a Hacker will take intelligence,
practice, dedication, and hard work.
Therefore, you have to learn to distrust attitude and respect competence of
every kind. Hackers won't let posers waste their time, but they worship
competence -- especially competence at hacking, but competence at anything is
good. Competence at demanding skills that few can master is especially good,
and
competence at demanding skills that involve mental acuteness, craft, and
concentration is best.
If you revere competence, you'll enjoy developing it in yourself -- the hard
work and dedication will become a kind of intense play rather than drudgery.
And
that's vital to becoming a Hacker.
So the moral of the story is that just go on solving unsolved problems for the
society & give away your solutions for Free & without expecting any gratitude
in
return. So just look around you for a problem & keep on working it unless
you find a solution for it that you yourself think worthwhile to be called a
solution.
