Ask HN: Best resources for non-technical founders to understand hacker mindset?

I would add that most folks who go into business are motivated primarily by seeing the dollars appear, while most "hackers" I know are primarily motivated by the rush they get when they've understood the new problem/solution.

That's painting with broad strokes obviously and a person can be motivated by both. But that's the axis I would draw the distinction on.

> I've thought perhaps Mythical Man Month and How To Become A Hacker (Eric Raymond essay) but not sure they're quite right.

Please don't recommend Eric Raymond's work to people.

> technical founder wondering what reading to recommend to a business focused founder for them to grok the hacker mindset

What does "the hacker mindset" mean to you?

If you ask me: The most important thing about a hacker mindset is that it must exist outside of technology. A hacker mindset is not a "techy" mindset, it's something far more sublime, and is portable across different fields.

Hacking is about creativity and problem solving, but not in a formalized way. That doesn't always involve computers and related technology. Hacking should be fun, regardless of what industry or specialization it manifests in (which doesn't always translate well in business settings).

That isn't something that you're going to inject into someone by recommending them read a book. They have to seek it out for themselves. Without curiosity, hackers do not exist.

If they're going to be able to understand the mindset without having experienced it themselves, you might as well just share my comment here with them. If it sinks in, great! If not, I don't believe a few hundred pages of prose will have a different outcome.

Well there are patterns in behavior, but I don't think it's enough to qualify as a singular mindset (with mindset defined as "the established set of attitudes held by someone.") Plus, the piece you quoted could just as easily be used to describe artists.

If I had to define hacker attitudes, I wouldn't use information collection and application as the standard. Some people carefully select subjects study them in depth, and others just passively pick up information through exposure to experts, and others collect knowledge as a by-product of trying random stuff and failing at it. Hackers (and non-hackers) don't necessarily need to prefer one method to the other. And everyone, even non-hackers collect information - so that's not in itself a special attitude of hackers. The application part is more unique, but how is that different from what artists do?

If I had to choose particular attitudes that would enable someone to practice as a hacker, it would be:

- high tolerance for failure and unexepected behaviors, or even joy in failure under certain circumstances.

- Gains pleasure from novelty (learning new things, having new experiences, finding new applications of things). As a result, most hacker types place more value on things that are obviously flawed, but novel and unique vs things which are perfectly executed but familiar.

I think that second point differentiates hackers from at least some artists (ie, Chefs usually prefer to stick to establish culinary pattersn, musicians playing in a symphony find beauty in the same piece that has been played for hundreds of years). Other experimental artists who do seek novelty (noise music, etc) are basically hackers IMO.

Edit: but to my original point, if you have neither of the attitudes I identified, but do hacker stuff anyhow - you're still a hacker. Those attitude patterns don't take precedence over the actual reality of hacking. There just common in people who continue to do it over their lifetime.

ER is blacklisted in tech community. Finishing GEB is no easy task.

I recommend hackers and painters by pg.