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Has the word "hacker" really become so devalued around here that it's now considered something you can "become" from a standing start, by following a six-to-nin

by hugh 18y ago

Has the word "hacker" really become so devalued around here that it's now considered something you can "become" from a standing start, by following a six-to-nine-month course of study?

thomas 18y ago
"hacker" was just used for a catchy title. It's a helpful post. Not sure I agree with all the choices, but I know a few people who are looking to take the next step and can't find any guidelines like these.
kyro 18y ago
That seems like a pretty trivial issue to be concerned about. It's like saying, 'after this class, I'm going to be a pro at Photoshop!' Everyone knows you won't, but it's used for motivational purposes to get one started on the track to learning. Anyways, it's a helpful list, iamelgringo. Thanks.
jpeterson 18y ago
I don't really understand the meaning of this word anymore. Seems like in the past it meant someone with super-top-notch-elite skills who could crack into the world bank or pentagon or something. Nowadays it seems to be closer to "programmer".
- jsrn 18y ago
  Nowadays it seems to be closer to "programmer" Actually, that's the original meaning: http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html
  - jpeterson 18y ago
    That still looks more like "really good programmer".
- jacobbijani 18y ago
  That's a cracker, not a hacker. You even used the word crack in your description.
calpaterson 18y ago
As nice as it would be to hang on to the word "hacker", it's devalued by everyone; from the 14 year old who can point-and-click through sub7 to the 25 year old hipster who wants to give his web startup (and, invariably, his blog) an air of in-crowd chic.
rokhayakebe 18y ago
I think what he meant by hacker was "coder" or "programmer": someone witht the ability to turn a concept/idea into a working web/desktop/mobile application. Therefore in this case "hacking" is a skill that can be learned just as martial arts or cooking. Edit:Hacking does not start or even end with coding skills. Hacking is so much more than software that the YC app asks you what have you hacked that is not related to software. Chefs are hackers, so are youngsters who pimp they ride. Hacking is what happens to us when we start asking ourselves too many times "what if?". It just happens that here we answer those questions using ruby/lamp/.net/ajax......
iamelgringo 18y ago
I wanted to at least point someone in the right direction. I figured it was a better course of action than pointing them to PHP. You're certainly correct. 6-9 months of learning how to build a web app does not a hacker make. A more accurate title would have been: Baby steps to hackerdom by learning the very basics of web programming. The journey to Rome begins with the first step.
menloparkbum 18y ago
If you aren't a hacker after 9 months, you'll never be a hacker.
- blogimus 18y ago
  I think you are still a larva at nine months. FWIW see: http://www.hacker-dictionary.com/terms/larval-stage http://www.hacker-dictionary.com/terms/larval-stage
jamongkad 18y ago
Word....I've been programming for 3 years and I still don't feel like a hacker :-(
axod 18y ago
I'd say 6-9 years would make you a reasonable junior hacker. Problem with the word is it's come to mean "quick and dirty solution". eg someone does a search on google, finds some code and copy and pastes it. This is not hacking.

by hugh 18y ago

Has the word "hacker" really become so devalued around here that it's now considered something you can "become" from a standing start, by following a six-to-nine-month course of study?

thomas 18y ago

"hacker" was just used for a catchy title. It's a helpful post. Not sure I agree with all the choices, but I know a few people who are looking to take the next step and can't find any guidelines like these.

kyro 18y ago

That seems like a pretty trivial issue to be concerned about. It's like saying, 'after this class, I'm going to be a pro at Photoshop!' Everyone knows you won't, but it's used for motivational purposes to get one started on the track to learning. Anyways, it's a helpful list, iamelgringo. Thanks.

jpeterson 18y ago

I don't really understand the meaning of this word anymore. Seems like in the past it meant someone with super-top-notch-elite skills who could crack into the world bank or pentagon or something. Nowadays it seems to be closer to "programmer".

jsrn 18y ago
Nowadays it seems to be closer to "programmer" Actually, that's the original meaning: http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hacker.html
- jpeterson 18y ago
  That still looks more like "really good programmer".
jacobbijani 18y ago
That's a cracker, not a hacker. You even used the word crack in your description.

calpaterson 18y ago

As nice as it would be to hang on to the word "hacker", it's devalued by everyone; from the 14 year old who can point-and-click through sub7 to the 25 year old hipster who wants to give his web startup (and, invariably, his blog) an air of in-crowd chic.

rokhayakebe 18y ago

I think what he meant by hacker was "coder" or "programmer": someone witht the ability to turn a concept/idea into a working web/desktop/mobile application. Therefore in this case "hacking" is a skill that can be learned just as martial arts or cooking. Edit:Hacking does not start or even end with coding skills. Hacking is so much more than software that the YC app asks you what have you hacked that is not related to software. Chefs are hackers, so are youngsters who pimp they ride. Hacking is what happens to us when we start asking ourselves too many times "what if?". It just happens that here we answer those questions using ruby/lamp/.net/ajax......

iamelgringo 18y ago

I wanted to at least point someone in the right direction. I figured it was a better course of action than pointing them to PHP. You're certainly correct. 6-9 months of learning how to build a web app does not a hacker make. A more accurate title would have been: Baby steps to hackerdom by learning the very basics of web programming. The journey to Rome begins with the first step.

menloparkbum 18y ago

If you aren't a hacker after 9 months, you'll never be a hacker.

blogimus 18y ago
I think you are still a larva at nine months. FWIW see: http://www.hacker-dictionary.com/terms/larval-stage http://www.hacker-dictionary.com/terms/larval-stage

jamongkad 18y ago

Word....I've been programming for 3 years and I still don't feel like a hacker :-(

axod 18y ago

I'd say 6-9 years would make you a reasonable junior hacker. Problem with the word is it's come to mean "quick and dirty solution". eg someone does a search on google, finds some code and copy and pastes it. This is not hacking.