in reply to The new 'hacker' word?

Hmmm... Hacker...
Someone who is willing to and does frequently think outside the box.
Someone who is inquisitive by nature or external influences
Someone who is knowledgable enough about a given topic or theory to implement something completely different given the same set of tools
Someone who will try something simply for the sake of trying , and to see what happens
Someone who is willing to get down and dirty, as well as pull a rain-dance out of the toolkit just for good measure

All of that to me denotes a hacker, but none of those are in and of themselves directly related to computing. Each of those terms on their own does not denote a hacker. It's the culmination of all those in one individual which begets a hacker. I know the root of hacker came from the computers, but for a lot of people its a mindset. Hacking the garage door and hacking the compiler are the same, though the toolset and methodology are different. Both can lead to kludges or elegant innovative solutions.

Guru is a good term, but feels slightly off. Its a little too passive. I see hackers as slightly more energetic than meditative, though that isn't set in stone. Guru also give a lofty connotation, and most hackers I know, once they get over the initital introversion, are anything but lofty. The more tech oriented labels on the other hand, (I.e coder, code slinger, munger) leave out the other aspects which when combined together produce a hacker.

Update: Geek is also good, but again doesn't in mind give quite the right feel. Geek == inquisitiveness/knowledge acculmulation. It's not quite as "active" a word as hacker. Feels passive. They are a geek (label). They are a hacker (past time/job/activity).

The word hacker has a very broad connotation, and to attempt to find a new term without respecting the broad nature of what it encompasses is tough to say the least. Maybe we need 2 terms. 1 for the technical individual, and 1 for the more generic individual. But what those terms maybe I know not.

++$thread_starter; great thought, hopefully we can figure something out

/* And the Creator, against his better judgement, wrote man.c */

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Re: Re: The new 'hacker' word?
by Deanimal (Acolyte) on Nov 08, 2002 at 00:46 UTC
    "I know the root of hacker came from the computers,"
    Actually, the term hacker first was used to refer to those who built furniture with an axe (in the Middle Ages, I think). In carpentry it's a derogative term for people who don't know what they're doing. In computing it really shouldn't be a title to be proud of. Programmer, although boring, is probably the most accurate term.
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      A lot of words don't have very nice orgins, but we use them regularly with high regard. "Geek" used to meen "Someone who bites the heads off chickens". Later it was used as an insult to high-acheivers on school grounds. Later still, those same high-acheivers took the word as a badge of pride.

      As was stated in one of the parent nodes, "Hacker" is a broad term that isn't neccessarily specific to computers. "Programmer" is specific to computers, and it can be applied to anyone who spews out code for a living (including the VB monkey who just learned how to right-click). "Hacker" always refers to people who strive to learn. "Hacker" might include that VB coder (if that coder has the right mind set), but usually wouldn't.

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