I'm embarrassed to see such nonsense coming from a company we funded. A hacker is not intrinsically someone who throws things together to see if they'll work. The phrase "kernel hacker," for example, doesn't mean someone who writes OSes in that way. It means someone who is deeply familiar with OS internals.
ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
21–30 of 58 posts
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#22It seems they are confusing hackers with hacks. I've often found that hackers deliver better quality code than process hacks. It's probably going to be a hacker that finds out for you that you have an Xss problem that is exposing your clients information
Except hacks were born much before hackers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacks_at_the_Massachusetts_Ins...
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#23This is such a welcome change. There's nothing wrong with "hacking" and being a "hacker", but it truly does connote the idea of fiddling with something until it works and then saying "tadaa!" As a developer (and sometimes developer lead), I strongly prefer a process wherein "hacking" is only the first step. As the old adage goes: 1. Make it work 2. Make it right 3. Make it fast "Hacking" is only step 1. We've all see…
I don't know if I agree with that adage. I think "Make it right" should come first. It's very easy to assemble perfectly constructed, but not fully functional, pieces of software into a coherent piece. It's comparatively very difficult to "fix" something that already works, both psychologically and practically.
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#24I'm tired of the term "hacker" being thrown around this way. Authors just attach whatever meaning they want to it. http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#what_is
I also prefer the original definition, but I think you're fighting a losing battle. I think in common use, there's now three definitions:
1) The original definition. Someone with curiosity who digs into the internals of systems, more or less
2) Crackers who 'hack into' protected systems
3) Someone who works for a startup that's "going to change the world"
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#25I'm embarrassed to see such nonsense coming from a company we funded. A hacker is not intrinsically someone who throws things together to see if they'll work. The phrase "kernel hacker," for example, doesn't mean someone who writes OSes in that way. It means someone who is deeply familiar with OS internals.
While I agree with the notion of the word as you're using it here being material, it's disingenuous to ignore that "hacker"—in common usage—is constantly fighting with going the way of "ninja rockstar". (Is this better than going the way of "cracker"? Who knows.)
It seems that as soon as a term becomes an HR draw a flood of overinflated resumes comes quickly to erase its meaning.
Hacker the way you're using it is, I believe, a term bestowed upon someone by another, more universally recognized hacker. In that way, I don't think it's possible for a company to broadcast that they're "hiring hackers". By definition, you have to know who's a hacker before you can approach them.
It's use in marketing for hires is thus pretty much dead on arrival.
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#26This is such a welcome change. There's nothing wrong with "hacking" and being a "hacker", but it truly does connote the idea of fiddling with something until it works and then saying "tadaa!" As a developer (and sometimes developer lead), I strongly prefer a process wherein "hacking" is only the first step. As the old adage goes: 1. Make it work 2. Make it right 3. Make it fast "Hacking" is only step 1. We've all see…
I don't know if I agree with that adage. I think "Make it right" should come first. It's very easy to assemble perfectly constructed, but not fully functional, pieces of software into a coherent piece. It's comparatively very difficult to "fix" something that already works, both psychologically and practically.
I think as long as you go with modular design choices, you have the best of both worlds. You apply those three steps to each component in turn, and on the system as a whole.
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#27Lex: I'm a hacker!
Tim: That's what I said: you're a nerd.
Lex: I am not a computer nerd. I prefer to be called a hacker!
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hackers solve problems. Hacks defer them. That said, I really like their sentiment; our company is filled with shirts and signs that say "Build" as a contrast to "Hack," because some things are actually important to do right, not just fast.
our company is filled with shirts and signs that say "Build" Do you need special sunglasses to see them?
I sure hope that is a They Live [0] reference.
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#29I'm embarrassed to see such nonsense coming from a company we funded. A hacker is not intrinsically someone who throws things together to see if they'll work. The phrase "kernel hacker," for example, doesn't mean someone who writes OSes in that way. It means someone who is deeply familiar with OS internals.
I have never been more pleasantly surprised with a click to the comments section, came here to post this exact same thing.
Re: ZenPayroll Is Not Hiring Hackers
#30I'm embarrassed to see such nonsense coming from a company we funded. A hacker is not intrinsically someone who throws things together to see if they'll work. The phrase "kernel hacker," for example, doesn't mean someone who writes OSes in that way. It means someone who is deeply familiar with OS internals.
I think this is an issue of a semantic mismatch surrounding a buzzword. A kernel "hacker" and web "hacker" have different flavours. I can see where they're coming from against certain interpretations of the word, but they should have been more specific.