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I'm struggling to see the connection between this definition and the modern day non-black hat one. If anything, it's completely the opposite. "1)" above sounds

by scoot 5y ago

I'm struggling to see the connection between this definition and the modern day non-black hat one. If anything, it's completely the opposite. "1)" above sounds more related to yak shaving. A hack on the other hand, far from being "without constructive end", based on "bad self-advice", or causing chaos ("entropy"), has a definite constructive end-goal, and is achieved through the clever application of knowledge, tools or technology to achieve an end result for which these where not originally intended. Sure, it could be considered a shortcut, or a temporary solution, but still one with a definite goal in mind. I note the commentary in [1] which seems to reframe the term to fit a more recent definition that that in the original TMRC definition.

dang 5y ago
Good point. The original definition doesn't stand on its own; it's obviously humorous and understanding the wider meaning requires putting it in the context of the subculture it came out of. What's clear though is that it wasn't solely, or primarily, about breaking into insecure systems for malicious purposes. Steven Levy gave a lot of the context in Hackers: The core members hung out at the club for hours; constantly improving The System, arguing about what could be done next, developing a jargon of their own that seemed incomprehensible to outsiders who might chance on these teen-aged fanatics, with their checked short-sleeve shirts, pencils in their pockets, chino pants, and, always, a bottle of Coca-Cola by their side. (TMRC purchased its own Coke machine for the then forbidding sum of $165; at a tariff of five cents a bottle, the outlay was replaced in three months; to facilitate sales, Saunders built a change machine for Coke buyers that was still in use a decade later.) When a piece of equipment wasn't working, it was "losing"; when a piece of equipment was ruined, it was "munged" (Mash Until No Good); the two desks in the comer of the room were not called the office, but the "orifice"; one who insisted on studying for courses was a "tool"; garbage was called "cruft"; and a project undertaken or a product built not solely to fulfill some constructive goal, but with some wild pleasure taken in mere involvement, was called a "hack." This latter term may have been suggested by ancient MIT lingo the word "hack" had long been used to describe the elaborate college pranks that MIT students would regularly devise, such as covering the dome that overlooked the campus with reflecting foil. But as the TMRC people used the word, there was serious respect implied. While someone might call a clever connection between relays a "mere hack," it would be understood that, to qualify as a hack, the feat must be imbued with innovation, style, and technical virtuosity. Even though one might self- deprecatingly say he was "hacking away at The System" (much as an axe-wielder hacks at logs), the artistry with which one hacked was recognized to be considerable. That wasn't an academic book though, so he didn't give citations for things like "the word 'hack' had long been used [etc.]"
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by scoot 5y ago

dang 5y ago

Good point. The original definition doesn't stand on its own; it's obviously humorous and understanding the wider meaning requires putting it in the context of the subculture it came out of. What's clear though is that it wasn't solely, or primarily, about breaking into insecure systems for malicious purposes. Steven Levy gave a lot of the context in Hackers: The core members hung out at the club for hours; constantly improving The System, arguing about what could be done next, developing a jargon of their own that seemed incomprehensible to outsiders who might chance on these teen-aged fanatics, with their checked short-sleeve shirts, pencils in their pockets, chino pants, and, always, a bottle of Coca-Cola by their side. (TMRC purchased its own Coke machine for the then forbidding sum of $165; at a tariff of five cents a bottle, the outlay was replaced in three months; to facilitate sales, Saunders built a change machine for Coke buyers that was still in use a decade later.) When a piece of equipment wasn't working, it was "losing"; when a piece of equipment was ruined, it was "munged" (Mash Until No Good); the two desks in the comer of the room were not called the office, but the "orifice"; one who insisted on studying for courses was a "tool"; garbage was called "cruft"; and a project undertaken or a product built not solely to fulfill some constructive goal, but with some wild pleasure taken in mere involvement, was called a "hack." This latter term may have been suggested by ancient MIT lingo the word "hack" had long been used to describe the elaborate college pranks that MIT students would regularly devise, such as covering the dome that overlooked the campus with reflecting foil. But as the TMRC people used the word, there was serious respect implied. While someone might call a clever connection between relays a "mere hack," it would be understood that, to qualify as a hack, the feat must be imbued with innovation, style, and technical virtuosity. Even though one might self- deprecatingly say he was "hacking away at The System" (much as an axe-wielder hacks at logs), the artistry with which one hacked was recognized to be considerable. That wasn't an academic book though, so he didn't give citations for things like "the word 'hack' had long been used [etc.]"

deleted 5y ago
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