It's not a case of "relevant for hackers" vs "relevant for everyone else" but how you source jobs. If you're getting jobs via your network then a resume will l

It's not a case of "relevant for hackers" vs "relevant for everyone else" but how you source jobs. If you're getting jobs via your network then a resume will largely be unimportant, if you're applying through formal channels then you'll likely need a resume. Portfolio based resumes are mostly popular for more creative roles such as designers than for hackers at the moment. Even if you're supplying a link to your github it's still likely that a potential employer will check your Linkedin. It's unlikely that an employer will spend a lot of time routing around in your github account to evaluate you so you still need to show up front that you're worth spending the time to evaluate and the best way to do that is still a cover letter or a resume.