[Noisebridge-discuss] What is the true hacker ethic?

[Geoff Schmidt]

Hacker culture has spread far and wide. Today I was thinking about the  
hacker ethic: the idea or value that unifies hacker culture. It  
occurred to me that different people see the hacker ethic in different  
ways.

** "Outsider" version of the hacker ethic **

We will do whatever is necessary to do to (metaphorically) break into  
the citadel where the information is kept. We will grab whatever we  
can and flee back to the tribe. There we will celebrate a successful  
heist from the Man. Sometimes we get plans for a self-reproducing  
plasma cutter.. sometimes we get obsolete Bell System technical  
manuals of no objective value whatsoever. Either way the raid was  
important and we celebrate it and add another story to our growing  
historical tradition.

We are like a Matrix-style resistance movement struggling to survive  
on the fringe of society against the growing power of the Machine. For  
the future of mankind, we have to defend the tribe and our traditions.

** "Contributor" version of the hacker ethic **

It is really great to completely figure something out. And if we are  
curious and focused, we should be able to completely figure anything  
out, on our own initiative and under our own power. Based on the  
things we figure out, we can make real contributions to the human  
race: things that move the world forward. And because our allegiance  
is to understanding and truth, we will be ruthlessly self-critical of  
our abilities and contributions. To stay objective and avoid jealousy,  
we'll have to base our self-esteem on our shared commitment to truth  
rather than on our personal accomplishments.

Instead of seeing ourselves as Prometheus, we see ourselves as the gods.

--

Now, here's what I think: the Outsider hacking ethic is a fun game  
when you're 16, but it's total bullshit when you're 21. We should  
strive to be Contributors, and where we find Outsiders, we should  
change their minds. And we will change their minds by helping them  
have faith in their abilities, and by holding them to higher  
expectations.

If you agree with me, what do you think we can do to encourage the  
Contributor ethic in the broader DIY/underground community?

geoff