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The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

phrack.org

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Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#31

Post by atoav »

thanatropism wrote: post #8

There was a time when "hacker" meant "a wizard's wizard"; and a time where it meant a digital vandal over POTS lines; and a time where reclaiming the word "hacker" became fashionable; and important computer hackers began quietly wearing the word; and then there was the time where marketers became growth hackers and musicians became harmony hackers. But the digital vandals never fully wrested away the word from AI lab…

and the old hackers used that changing environment to explain why they didn’t want to teach and learn with young hackers, and missed the chance to sow the seeds for a new spring, whose fertility they pessimistically misinterpreted.

(on a more serious note: this is not the case everywhere, in Germany e.g. the CCC does a wonderful job with the youngsters)

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#32

Post by waisbrot »

krapp wrote: post #12

And then decades later, those hackers built the infrastructure for systems of surveillance and control that would have just been a wet dream for those "1950's technobrains," and modern hackers embrace racism and extremism rather than transcending them, and complain that the internet liberating humanity from the shackles of corporate information and communication control has just caused the normies to ruin its quirky…

I'd agree that the hacker counter-culture that saw technology as a door to Freedom has largely fizzled out and been replaced by hackers who see technology as a path to money. But I cant think of any of the people who were pushing it and are still around today who sold out. Stallman is still a firebrand. I've been reading 2600 again and Emanuel Goldstein hasn't sold out.

Who are you thinking of?

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#33

Post by waisbrot »

About 20 years ago there was a hacker-comedy group Neato Elito and they had a parody of this "Konshis 0f a Korrier" or something. I remember thinking it was amazingly funny at the time. I don't suppose anyone's got a pointer? The thing was full of misspellings, so I haven't been able to find it with web searches.

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#34

Post by krapp »

mindcrime wrote: post #17
krapp wrote: post #12

And then decades later, those hackers built the infrastructure for systems of surveillance and control that would have just been a wet dream for those "1950's technobrains," and modern hackers embrace racism and extremism rather than transcending them, and complain that the internet liberating humanity from the shackles of corporate information and communication control has just caused the normies to ruin its quirky…

And then decades later, those hackers built the infrastructure for systems of surveillance and control that would have just been a wet dream for those "1950's technobrains," Yeah. I'd like to think that at least some of that was just over-optimism and not realizing the negative ends that all of this technology could/would be put to. But I'm sure some of the old-skool hackers "sold out" and figured "hey, just give me…

> one might argue that those "modern hackers" you refer to aren't actually hackers as a result of their embracing those things.

That's one way to look at it, and judging from the downvotes my comment has been getting, the way a lot of people here see it.

But to me, hackers aren't as immune to political or cultural influence as perhaps they'd like to believe, and it's inevitable that the web and its culture (and the general rightward shift that culture seems to be undergoing) will have transformed hackers as it has everything else.

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#37

Post by mindcrime »

peterwwillis wrote: post #27
trianglem wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would disagree that modern hackers embrace racism and bigotry. I feel like that's more of the "unwashed masses" on the Internet.

I take it you're not familiar with GNAA... hackers are just people like everybody else, nothing about them is inherently anti-racist.

I'm not sure the GNAA trolls on /. really qualify as "hackers", although this - again - takes us back into "no true scotsman" territory. The thing is, since most of those posts were Anonymous Cowards, it's hard to know how much actual racist intent was associated with any of it, and how much of it was just trolling / memes and "for the lulz".

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#38

Post by q3k »

pbalau wrote: post #25

There was a time when being a hacker meant one understood a system and bent the rules to get that system to do something else. These days, being a hacker seems to mean producing crap and not taking any responsability for it.

Hackerspaces are a huge relief. Many of them are the last bastion of computing not being spoiled by capitalism.

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#39

Post by Jldevictoria »

dpeck wrote: post #35

so much angst, but for folks around here of a certain age this brings back a lot of fond memories of a time when the internet still felt wild and limitless.

This was my impression too. Most of it sounds like the kind of stuff that kids who who think too much of their intelligence spout off in grade school. It's kinda cringey to everyone else.

Re: The Hacker’s Manifesto (1986)

#40

Post by walrus01 »

oldandcold wrote: post #10

Hackers...the movie. "their only crime was curiosity". I suspect that line was lifted from this. As for the Manifesto itself, for the most part, looking back, this rings true. I was there... in the 80's...with colourful boxes, acoustic couplers, and pages and pages of phone numbers. I never had the sense of community this document describes...it seemed like a much more solitary pursuit, but you picked up things if yo…

Man, I feel old now, the manifesto and similar documents to it pre-date the cheesy-as-hell movie by many years.
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