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I guess the confusion comes from the system being named "Hacker News" when the content is rarely hacker-related. This struck me as somewhat as a misnomer as we

I guess the confusion comes from the system being named "Hacker News" when the content is rarely hacker-related. This struck me as somewhat as a misnomer as well, but I've since gotten over that. . .

kiba 16y ago
What is your definition of a hacker? What others consider hacker stuff may simply boiled down to who they think fit the definition of a hacker.
peteforde 16y ago
How do you figure? I rarely see anything on the homepage that isn't of interest to hackers.
- _delirium 16y ago
  You'd have to have a very broad definition; imo, about half the front-page content on a typical day is hackerly. Much of the rest is just general-interest news/politics/economics/business/motivation/self-help/etc. Not that there aren't many hackers also interested in those things, but it's hardly required, and many aren't. Not surprising, either, but I think it's a particular slice of hackerdom. Since it was formerly called Startup News, it's got more of the variety of hackers interested in the biz/economics angle, as opposed to, say, the classic Bell Labs type of hacker.
TheSOB88 16y ago
As others have alluded to, it's hacker in the sense of someone skilled at programming, not someone who hacks into systems to screw things up. It's a definition of the word that the public isn't really familiar with.
nocipher 16y ago
The term "hacker" is usually associated with technology and, sometimes, more specifically, with programming, but I don't think that captures the essence of what a hacker is. A hacker is just someone who likes to tinker with things. The term "things" is intentionally ambiguous because it varies greatly from person to person and includes much more than just technology. Indeed, while hackers usually enjoy playing around with code or electronics, it isn't uncommon for hackers to be well read in completely unrelated subjects such as poetry or martial arts. Such behavior makes sense in light of an inherent playfulness. It also explains, to a degree at least, the connection to startups. While I'm admittedly ignorant of much of the business world, it seems that startups would be the most "playful" (in sense that startups provide the most room for trial and error). Larger or more established ventures are sort of "on rails." They already have momentum and don't want to jeopardize it so they'll naturally be more hesitant to try new business strategies, especially ones without a proven track record. Essentially, what defines a hacker is the desire to manipulate ideas and concepts, i.e., an innate intellectual curiosity. Most things on HN fall under that umbrella.
atentaten 16y ago
The term "hacker" has been transformed by those outside of the original hacker subculture to mean what others have stated above. As someone who programmed computers for almost 20 years, I never regarded myself as a hacker. Since the definition of the word has been broadened, I would definitely be considered a hacker, yet I still don't have a strong connection to the word.

I guess the confusion comes from the system being named "Hacker News" when the content is rarely hacker-related. This struck me as somewhat as a misnomer as well, but I've since gotten over that. . .

kiba 16y ago

What is your definition of a hacker? What others consider hacker stuff may simply boiled down to who they think fit the definition of a hacker.

peteforde 16y ago

How do you figure? I rarely see anything on the homepage that isn't of interest to hackers.

_delirium 16y ago
You'd have to have a very broad definition; imo, about half the front-page content on a typical day is hackerly. Much of the rest is just general-interest news/politics/economics/business/motivation/self-help/etc. Not that there aren't many hackers also interested in those things, but it's hardly required, and many aren't. Not surprising, either, but I think it's a particular slice of hackerdom. Since it was formerly called Startup News, it's got more of the variety of hackers interested in the biz/economics angle, as opposed to, say, the classic Bell Labs type of hacker.

TheSOB88 16y ago

As others have alluded to, it's hacker in the sense of someone skilled at programming, not someone who hacks into systems to screw things up. It's a definition of the word that the public isn't really familiar with.

nocipher 16y ago

The term "hacker" is usually associated with technology and, sometimes, more specifically, with programming, but I don't think that captures the essence of what a hacker is. A hacker is just someone who likes to tinker with things. The term "things" is intentionally ambiguous because it varies greatly from person to person and includes much more than just technology. Indeed, while hackers usually enjoy playing around with code or electronics, it isn't uncommon for hackers to be well read in completely unrelated subjects such as poetry or martial arts. Such behavior makes sense in light of an inherent playfulness. It also explains, to a degree at least, the connection to startups. While I'm admittedly ignorant of much of the business world, it seems that startups would be the most "playful" (in sense that startups provide the most room for trial and error). Larger or more established ventures are sort of "on rails." They already have momentum and don't want to jeopardize it so they'll naturally be more hesitant to try new business strategies, especially ones without a proven track record. Essentially, what defines a hacker is the desire to manipulate ideas and concepts, i.e., an innate intellectual curiosity. Most things on HN fall under that umbrella.

atentaten 16y ago

The term "hacker" has been transformed by those outside of the original hacker subculture to mean what others have stated above. As someone who programmed computers for almost 20 years, I never regarded myself as a hacker. Since the definition of the word has been broadened, I would definitely be considered a hacker, yet I still don't have a strong connection to the word.