THE HACKER ETHIC:-

What is a hacker:-

A hacker refers to a member of a certain sub-culture/movement/counterculture, originally from MIT, that explores the world of technology and ICT. They aim to override the structural paradigm of the information panopticon that exists in networks today so as to access all the information within the network, just for the thrill of the hunt.

All internet users feel the need for privacy and anonymity, so as to express themselves more freely; but hackers possess the ability to take over the panopticon and expose these users. Thus, hackers are often referred to as being a part of a counter-cultural movement and is often feared.

The Hacker ethic:-

The Hacker Ethic describes the values and philosophy that are standard in the hacking community. The general principles of hacker ethic include sharing, openness, Decentralization, free access to computers and world improvement. Hackers feel the need to explore and understand the way the world works. They often compare the thrill of the hack on similar lines as of the old text-based game of 'Adventure'. Hackers also believe that all information should be free for them to fix, improve and reinvent systems. A free exchange of information allows for greater overall creativity. In the hacker viewpoint, any system could benefit from an easy flow of information.

A Hacker is also an advocate of decentralization, and believe that the best way to promote the free exchange of information is to have an open system that presents no boundaries between a hacker and a piece of information. They also believe that Hackers must be judged by their hacking, not criteria such as age, race etc. They also have a very different outlook on beauty, and appreciate art for their intellectuality, and not their sensuality. They believe that art can be created on a computer.

A classic example of a hacker would be Richard Stallaman. The co-founder of the GNU project, this man was a huge advocate of freeing software to the masses. GNU (expanded being GNU is Not Unix) is a unix-emulator and is still used widely across the world and is a free software. Stallman also inspires Linus Torwalds (another hacker) to introduce the open OS of Linux. In fact, Stallman was such strong anti-copyright views that he coined the term 'Copyleft', which declares an item/software open for people to modify for their own satisfaction. Though there is no open record that confirms that Stallman adhered to the other rules of the hacker ethic, one can safely say that unlike most other hackers, he was not a loner; considering the fact that he was one of the founders of the hacking culture in MIT and created the society that is now shrouded in mystery.

-Amit M Warrier

EE09B004

References:-

1) Wikipedia

2) Sherry Turkle