Reading 1

 

            Steven Levy doesn’t directly come out and define what it means to be a “true hacker”. Rather, the first section of the book is littered with bits and pieces that, when put together, have allowed me to arrive at my own definition. All “true hackers” have an “exploratory impulse” (page 29) with an ultimate goal of creating “The Right Thing” (page 69). Aside from that, I think “true hackers” are devout to the Hacker Ethic. They are people who prefer the Hands-On Imperative, promote the free exchange of information, mistrust authority, welcome others based only on skill, and appreciate the beauty and life-changing qualities a computer can bring (pages 28-34). These hackers live and breathe this ethic above all else, to the point where some would not care for class, jobs, or even hygiene.

            On a side note, Levy mentions an extension of the hacker ethic: “If we all acted on our drive to discover, we’d discover more, produce more, be in control more” (page 86). As soon as I read this quote, I thought of Slug’s work on Spacewar. What might have happened if Slug had developed Spacewar sooner? Could you imagine where computing might be today with that extra sixth months or so of progress? I obviously don’t know the answer to these questions, but I think its something interesting to think about.

If you had asked me if I wanted to be a true hacker in the 60’s, my answer would be no. I can’t stand hypocrites, and it seems like the “true hackers” of that time were just that. I, for one, wholeheartedly agree that technical skill and passion should be the primary criteria for hiring Software Engineers. “How can a hacker tolerate such an imperfect being? (page 75)”, asked one PDP-6 worker. I admit this is slightly out of context: this was originally a reference to a hacker’s desire for order in all things, but I think this can be applied here as well. And Gosper’s suggestion that these differences were genetic doesn’t sit right with me either. Granted, the book never mentions any female programmers that tried to join TMRC. But based on those statements, can’t one conclude that a woman wouldn’t necessarily be welcomed with open arms? This goes against the fourth tenet of the Hacker Ethic. I can’t commit to something that is inherently flawed.

            However, if you had asked me the same question today, my answer would be different. Women are now encouraged to join STEM, so that inherit flaw doesn’t impact the field as much. Even though I joked about switching my major because Physics 1 was hard, I didn’t have to choose Computer Science. My reasoning was two-fold: First, I really enjoyed the MATLAB assignments we completed in Intro to Engineering. Second, I have always had an interest in technology. My generation especially has witnessed the explosion of technology’s importance in our society, and I want to be a part of that revolution. Before college, I didn’t have any exposure to coding. I view my degree as a (rather expensive) jumpstart into the world of computing. My classes will teach me the basics, but the rest is up to me. So yes, I do aspire to be a “true hacker” today. Am I there yet? Far from it. But this year especially, I’m finally seeing the value of personal projects. I love to code, why not make things I actually want to in my free time? This would not only further my knowledge, but it would also convey my passion for my major to the world. This is why I chose to not take advantage of a free winter class: I wanted to use that time to learn PHP and make a bug-tracking web application that I can use for this upcoming semester. In true Hands-On Imperative fashion, I learned the language simply by doing.

            Of course, this comes with a caveat. While I would appreciate the Hacker Ethic, I would also appreciate the other important parts of life (especially hygiene). At the end of the day, I resonate with Professor Bui’s thoughts on passion over everything else. I don’t have an internship at FAANG. I don’t know all of the theory behind code. But given the chance, I know I can make valuable contributions to my employer. I want my passion to precede me.