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Ask HN: A new word for hacker?

5 points by olliesaunders ↗ HN
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?

11 comments

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sharpn
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
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
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
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?
DanielStraight
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
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.

see also: the hacker manifesto

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jacquesm
Just like any other word hacker reflects the concepts that YOU assign to it.

So, if you just simply use it consistently with its true meaning as perceived by you then you are part of reclaiming that word from abuses.

On another note, it is not a problem for a word to have multiple meanings, most people are more than smart enough to figure out which is the one that you intend to use.

Context is everything.

To continue your analogy inventing a new word for hacker is retreating!