Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 8/28/84; site lll-crg.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!lll-crg!neveu From: neveu@lll-crg.ARPA (Charles Neveu) Newsgroups: net.college Subject: Re: Re: Programming vs. marks vs. initiative Message-ID: <342@lll-crg.ARPA> Date: Thu, 20-Dec-84 16:22:07 EST Article-I.D.: lll-crg.342 Posted: Thu Dec 20 16:22:07 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 02:16:13 EST References: <224@looking.UUCP> <14700004@uiucdcsb.UUCP> <797@watcgl.UUCP> Organization: Lawrence Livermore Labs, CRG group Lines: 23 I originally posted a request for a definition of "hack[er,ing]" because I felt that we were arguing about several different things. The number and variety of definitions seem to corroborate my guess. Personally, I like the following: > How do you define "hacking"? To me, it just refers to spending much time > on computing for one's own pleasure, rather than because you are paid or > required to. Certainly, some people may waste this time. However, others > may learn. I think the term "hacker" is neither complementary or depreciatory; it is a colloquial term for "recreational programmer." Like "golfer" or "tennis player", it gives no indication of the skill level of the participant. As far as the other interpretations of "hacker", I think that someone who breaks into computer data-bases and steals data or corrupts their system is correctly called a "criminal", and one who writes needlessly complex, undocumented or bug-ridden code should correctly be referred to as a "jerk-off." Charles Neveu (not Neveau! or Robinson!) neveu@lll-crg