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Because until very recently that is what hacker meant to regular people: "someone who bypasses computer security, usually to commit a crime"
by chickenfries 9y ago
Because until very recently that is what hacker meant to regular people: "someone who bypasses computer security, usually to commit a crime"
- vim_wannabe 9y agoThere was also an attempt some years ago to rename them "crackers" but white people took over that one.
- jwilk 9y ago"Until very recently"? So what does it mean now to regular people?
- kbvk 9y agoSomeone who is good with computers.
- yks 9y agoIt is used as a synonym of "doer" or "builder" but in the software/internet related industries, e.g. this website. Which is a bit strange since "to hack" doesn't carry good connotations, neither a "hacker" in the original sense.
- chickenfries 9y agoSimilarly there is now this term "maker" which I find... ridiculous, to be honest. Are carpenters "makers?" What about electricians? Plumbers? Why does "maker" seem to imply a nerd with an Arduino or a 3d printer?
- chickenfries 9y agoStill mostly the original definition, but as tech culture spills into the mainstream more people are coming around to something approaching "someone who codes."
- Balgair 9y agoHacker has switched around a few times. In the Comp-Sci/academic/programmer world the semi-original use of 'hacker' was in reference to the pranksters at MIT's Tech Model Railroad Club and the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, then for those that hacked into computer systems not just at MIT, leading to the thief-like image down the road. HN's name is out of the MIT prankster heritage of those people that can 'hack' something together or find novel pathways in systems (not just computers). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacks_at_the_Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacks_at_the_Massachusetts_Ins... http://hacks.mit.edu/ http://hacks.mit.edu/