Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gitpyr.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!gatech!gitpyr!robert From: robert@gitpyr.UUCP (Robert Viduya) Newsgroups: net.followup Subject: Re: hackers Message-ID: <416@gitpyr.UUCP> Date: Thu, 13-Dec-84 01:22:29 EST Article-I.D.: gitpyr.416 Posted: Thu Dec 13 01:22:29 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 14-Dec-84 07:11:12 EST References: <361@wxlvax.UUCP> <17762@lanl.ARPA> Organization: Georgia Tech, Atlanta Lines: 34 >< > > I still can't figure out why any legitimate computer user would use the > term 'hacker' to describe himself (herself). 'Hacker' has ALWAYS been > a derogatory term in the computer industry; refering, as it does, to > a computer trickster who is not interested in learning the discipline > or techniques required to program professionally. > I disagree. The word 'Hacker' has not always been a derogatory term. When I first learned the word, it meant someone who spent most of his time on a computer just for the hell of it. It was not a derogatory term. That was the definition I learned and it's the definition I'll stick by. I consider myself to be a hacker, and I assure you that I have been, and currently am, a legitimate computer user. As for learning the discipline and techniques required to program prof- essionally, I can honestly say that I've learned more of both of them from my own work than from any class I've attended. I've been coding now for about 4 years (a babe in the woods compared to some people out there) and I can look back at the programs I've written over those 4 years and see how my programming style has changed. I've learned the necessity of clean, well-structured and well-commented code from de- buging both my own and other people's code. robert -- Robert Viduya Office of Computing Services Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332 Phone: (404) 894-4669 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,masscomp,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!robert ...!{rlgvax,sb1,uf-cgrl,unmvax,ut-sally}!gatech!gitpyr!robert