hacker
4 definitions found
hacker - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
hacker \hack"er\ (h[a^]k"[~e]r), n.
One who, or that which, hacks. Specifically: A cutting
instrument for making notches; esp., one used for notching
pine trees in collecting turpentine; a hack.
[1913 Webster]
hacker - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :
hacker
n 1: someone who plays golf poorly
2: a programmer who breaks into computer systems in order to
steal or change or destroy information as a form of cyber-
terrorism [syn: hacker, cyber-terrorist, cyberpunk]
3: a programmer for whom computing is its own reward; may enjoy
the challenge of breaking into other computers but does no
harm; "true hackers subscribe to a code of ethics and look
down upon crackers"
4: one who works hard at boring tasks [syn: hack, drudge,
hacker]
hacker - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :
hacker
<person, jargon> (Originally, someone who makes furniture with
an axe) 1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of
programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as
opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum
necessary.
2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who
enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about
programming.
3. A person capable of appreciating hack value.
4. A person who is good at programming quickly.
5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently
does work using it or on it; as in "a Unix hacker".
(Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit
them congregate.)
6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an
astronomy hacker, for example.
7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively
overcoming or circumventing limitations.
8. (Deprecated) A malicious meddler who tries to discover
sensitive information by poking around. Hence "password
hacker", "network hacker". The correct term is cracker.
The term "hacker" also tends to connote membership in the
global community defined by the net (see The Network and
Internet address). It also implies that the person
described is seen to subscribe to some version of the hacker ethic
.
It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to
describe oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves
something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability), though
one to which new members are gladly welcome. Thus while it is
gratifying to be called a hacker, false claimants to the title
are quickly labelled as "bogus" or a "wannabee".
9. (University of Maryland, rare) A programmer who does not
understand proper programming techniques and principles and
doesn't have a Computer Science degree. Someone who just
bangs on the keyboard until something happens. For example,
"This program is nothing but spaghetti code. It must have
been written by a hacker".
[Jargon File]
(1996-08-26)
hacker - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :
hacker
n.
[originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe]
1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems
and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who
prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. RFC1392, the Internet
Users' Glossary, usefully amplifies this as: A person who delights in
having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a
system,
computers and computer networks in particular.
2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys
programming rather than just theorizing about programming.
3. A person capable of appreciating hack value.
4. A person who is good at programming quickly.
5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work
using it or on it; as in `a Unix hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5
are
correlated, and people who fit them congregate.)
6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy
hacker, for example.
7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming
or circumventing limitations.
8. [deprecated] A malicious meddler who tries to discover sensitive
information by poking around. Hence password hacker, network hacker.
The correct term for this sense is cracker.
The term `hacker' also tends to connote membership in the global
community defined by the net (see the network. For discussion of
some of the basics of this culture, see the How To Become A Hacker
FAQ. It also implies that the person described is seen to subscribe
to
some version of the hacker ethic (see hacker ethic).
It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe
oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite
(a
meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are
gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in
identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are
not, you'll quickly be labeled bogus). See also geek, wannabee.
This term seems to have been first adopted as a badge in the 1960s by
the hacker culture surrounding TMRC and the MIT AI Lab. We have a
report that it was used in a sense close to this entry's by teenage
radio hams and electronics tinkerers in the mid-1950s.
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