Ask HN: A new word for hacker?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766979

by olliesaunders • 17 years ago

5 10 17 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Seems to me as though the media has succeeded in propagating the work hacker to mean a cracker. Should we really continue the up-hill battle of correcting people on what hacker means? Why not invent a new word and free ourselves from this problem.

What could that word be?

brk• 17 years ago

Haquer.

jgoosdh• 17 years ago

oh, yes please!

sharpn• 17 years ago

Not new, but: entrepreneur n. A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.

[French, from Old French, from entreprendre, to undertake; see enterprise.]

tsally• 17 years ago

Invent a word to what end? Do you think it would change the daily behavior of actual hackers? I doubt the mainstream media and the average population will ever understand the hacker mindset, even if a different term is used.

procrastitron• 17 years ago

I like this idea, but perhaps in addition to being overloaded, the term "hacker" is also too broad. The constructive sense of hacker can apply to any domain; hardware, software, social engineering, etc. I would suggest any new terms be more specific.

Personally, I would appreciate a term that can be used to specifically refer to software hackers; something that conveys the concept of programming as an artistic medium.

whimsy• 17 years ago

Try "software hacker." Why go to the effort of making up a new word when there are two already established that will do just fine?

prodigal_erik• 17 years ago

It'll never fly, but the one I'd like to see is: http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Spark

DanielStraight• 17 years ago

Inventing new words works so rarely it's a wonder people keep suggesting it. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_pronoun#Invented...

I think hacker is a great term. I don't particularly care how people perceive it. If someone wants to know what I do, I explain it in terms that will make sense to them. Sometimes that will include the word hacker, sometimes it won't.

indrax• 17 years ago

I've never really liked the notion that true scots... hackers aren't the ones breaking into systems, or whatever you attribute to 'crackers'.

Hackers can be black hat. Hackers can be nasty people. They can also be completely benign.

Also, sometimes the law isn't in the right. I would definitely call Jon Johansen a Hacker in the highest and best sense. But he illegally broke encryption and enabled piracy.

Ask HN: A new word for hacker?

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