On Hacking - Hackdot

Re:On Hacking by gfodor on Sunday October 20, 2013 @10:02PM (#6582752)

Well sure, the strategy of "tell people what words should mean" will work for some people like yourself, but clearly has not been enough to have the common use of the words switch over. I don't really know what the solution is, but there seems to be a very hard line in RMS's mind as to what the domain of "hacking" can be. He's extremely clever, a hacker, and a genius in certain areas (the GPL is such an amazing hack) but at the same time keeps banging his head against the wall using failed strategies instead of trying to hack his way to a solution. When was the last time you heard about something RMS did in the way he presented his ideas to be more receptive to others and thought "hey, that is pretty clever and a nice hack." I certainly can't think of anything, but he's clearly capable of doing it.

I think he probably has some personal moral code that prohibits him from trying to hack systems above a certain level of abstraction. Computers and security policies are below it, people's minds, emotions, and opinions are out of reach. In other words, the art of marketing is completely outside it.

YC on the other hand has a much higher bar for what is hackable, including things like getting user growth through clever marketing and viral loops, and keeping your startup solvent by selling breakfast cereal. RMS wouldn't go near these types of things, but they are in line with the hacking ethos.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:On Hacking by netcan on Monday October 21, 2013 @03:43AM (#6583976)

I heard a lobbyist give a seminar once. He told a story about a campaign to influence for environmental laws. 75% of the fight was capturing a few key wors, get them associated with his side. Custodianship. Responsible. Etc.

Feels kind of evil and orwellian. rms (without the premeditated scheming) does something similar but blunt and people resist. We intuitively feel that if you make us use your words, you get power over us.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:On Hacking by serf on Monday October 21, 2013 @12:36AM (#6583353)

In all honesty, it's probably not a moral thing.

The truth is 'hack' as a phrase is becoming overly used, and taking value away from the actual terminology he is trying to advocate, a terminology that is associated to cleverness.

Not everything can be clever. At some point the usage of the phrase turns into marketing hype as a way for someone to gain the attention of a particuliar group.

"A xxx for hackers' "how I hacked xxx"

It's really just a way to grab people who self identify with that word, they don't really mean those pitch lines. It's not FOR hackers, it's TARGETTED at "hackers".

Not every single accomplishment of rms' is a hack. That ambiguity is exactly what is killing the value of that word. Not every action of a hacker is a hack, nor are all the solutions they seek 'hacks.'.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:On Hacking by Mikeb85 on Monday October 21, 2013 @12:32AM (#6583346)

> He's extremely clever, a hacker, and a genius in certain areas (the GPL is such an amazing hack) but at the same time keeps banging his head against the wall using failed strategies instead of trying to hack his way to a solution. When was the last time you heard about something RMS did in the way he presented his ideas to be more receptive to others and thought "hey, that is pretty clever and a nice hack." I certainly can't think of anything, but he's clearly capable of doing it.

I think he chooses not to change his way of presenting it because he's presenting a philosophy, rather than simply trying to convince people to agree with him. I used to think he was a nut, the more time that passes, the more I realize just how perceptive and correct RMS has been about a great many things...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:On Hacking by aptwebapps on Monday October 21, 2013 @01:50AM (#6583600)

> When was the last time you heard about something RMS did in the way he presented his ideas to be more receptive to others and thought "hey, that is pretty clever and a nice hack."

I guess this doesn't quite qualify and he may not even be the originator of the idea, but I thought it was pretty clever:

http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/richard-stallman-softwa...

[ Parent | on HN ]