Hacking4Life :P

     This is way above my pay grade, so please take everything I say lightly. I was surprised to hear how big an impact LISP made on what many would consider today’s ‘need to know’ languages like Python and Java. After reading these essays, the first thing that came to mind was power vs popularity. LISP was created in the late 50s, yet according to the reading, LISP shares many of the main features of Python and Java with additional exclusive features. LISP had the power, yet Python and Java are more popular at least to the average person. Why don’t we just go back and use LISP, if everything is a child of LISP? Python and Java are also fairly new, so why are they used? In the last group of essays, something that I never realized was how impactful American culture has been on computing. Because programming is an American-bred and raised thing, I think it is natural for people to look at the newest thing, but how long will that last? It seems like every language is just a new trend.    

In my opinion, Graham defines a hacker as a rule breaker who creates and designs beautiful software. He related painters and architects to hackers by saying they were all makers. Oddly enough, I initially believed computer science to be a very creative field, which deterred me because I felt that I was not creative enough. However, my perception changed into something very technical and “sciencey” which is wrong too, but like everything, there is a mix. Graham's comparison to painters was a reminder that there can be aspects of both. There are technical aspects that you need to understand, but they are used to creatively design solutions. Graham portrayed hackers as the people I aspire to be. Those who lead with curiosity, think outside of the box unapologetically act on it, empathize, and make many mistakes. Many would call me a quiet person. I tend to pay attention to the small things because sometimes I find that the small things can have a huge impact on the bigger things. It i

The nature of hackers has changed throughout the years. Initially, the True “Obsessed” Hackers from MIT, were focussed on the exploration of the computer. They were driven by their need to learn and understand the ins and outs of the computer. The Hardware “Educational” Hackers from the West, centered their mission around expanding the computing world. They wanted any and everybody to share their passion and deep understanding of computers.  Finally, these Game “Greedy” Hackers, whose sole purpose was to get more, created the commercialized software and gaming industry for the general public. I almost feel as though this group was more disgusting than the Junkies of MIT. Each group did have passion, love, and curiosity for computing but the way it was utilized was different.  As the industry shifted to software and game development they also were introduced to the business world. Business + any new/interesting development = commercialization, and this is when in my opinion things got b

To remind myself, the hacker ethic is: Access to computers—and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works—should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative, all information should be free, Mistrust authority—promote decentralization hackers should be judged by their hacking, not criteria such as degrees, age, race, sex, or position,You can create art and beauty on a computer, and Computers can change your life for the better. (from Prof. Bui's slides, thank you!) While reading I was thinking about the idea of intention vs reality. On paper, ideas and solutions sound great, but do they transfer over when put into practice? There was a distinct difference between the hardware hackers from California and the True hackers from MIT: a willingness to share information with everyone, not just those within their circle. I agree with the group and their mission to help the community and dissipate the aura of elitism. I feel as though people s

     When I think of a hacker, I think of someone, of course with their hood up in a dark room breaking into something, but I also think of someone extremely intelligent and innovative in their work. For example, Henry Ford said, “If I would have asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. If it were me, initially I would have been trying to get the poor horses on steroids in hopes that they would become faster, but Henry Ford created a car.  A hacker to me is someone who can positively and or negatively innovate to impact someone else.       After reading, my perception changed of what a hacker was it became more negative. Initially, I felt as though the MIT hackers were selfish. The book depicted their sole purpose to find out information for themselves and satisfy their curiosity’s hunger. There was no mention of helping people outside of their group. It gave the impression that even if you were in the group you were in there because someone else found you us