Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ub!uhura.cc.rochester.edu!ee.rochester.edu!seah
From: seah@ee.rochester.edu (David Seah)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Rastan GS
Message-ID: <1990Oct8.181959.27648@ee.rochester.edu>
Date: 8 Oct 90 18:19:59 GMT
References: <13958@smoke.BRL.MIL> <1990Oct7.050620.19014@isis.cs.du.edu> <9096@ucrmath.ucr.edu> <7586@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Reply-To: seah@ee.rochester.edu (David Seah)
Organization: University of Rochester Department of Electrical Engineering
Lines: 36

In article <7586@darkstar.ucsc.edu> unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) writes:
>In article <9096@ucrmath.ucr.edu> rhyde@ucrmath.ucr.edu (randy hyde) writes:
>>
>>I do *NOT* equate "hacker" with "good programmer".
>
>	Well then I presume you've not been in the computer hobbyist
>"field" long enough.  Hacker has been used for a long time, and was 
>originally a COMPLIMENT. Now it has unfortunately been degraded to mean 
>someone who breaks into systems... At least that's the popular definition.

..And we owe it all to WarGames :(

There has traditionally been a tension between "professional programmers"
and hackers.  As the computer science field matured and entered a
"paradigm" stage, the exploratory nature of hackers began to be
resented by the new order of professionals.  "They waste time
mucking around the system!", "They have no discipline!", "They have
no former training!" were common cries.  The hackers, on the other hand,
considered the professionals to be "dull", "stiff programmers", and
"uninspired".  The professionals continued to see the hackers as
a threat because, quite frankly, they knew what they were doing and
understood the system on an almost intuitive level.  Nothing pricks more
than to have one of the "unwashed" saunter in and fix bugs in the "pros"
code like he was picking his teeth.  The hackers saw the professionals
as a threat to the "fun" of computer programming.  The death of innovation!
The restiction of information!  No good.

Of interest is the hint that there are different personality types
between hackers and professionals.  If you apply tests like the Myers-
Brigg Type Indicator, a differentiation test, and something called
the Remote Associates test, you can just about pick out who is the
Hacker and who is the Professional. 
-- 
Dave Seah |       Omnidyne Systems-M         | INET: seah@ee.rochester.edu  |
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