Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hplabsz!sartin From: sartin@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM (Rob Sartin) Newsgroups: alt.hackers Subject: Re: The packet drivers Message-ID: <4622@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> Date: 10 Jan 90 22:13:04 GMT References: Reply-To: sartin@hplabsz.UUCP (Rob Sartin) Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Software Technology Lab Lines: 20 Approved: sartin@hplcip.hpl.hp.com In article nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu writes an awful lot about "magic" considering he's writing about computer programming. What's the obsession with "magic"? I see it among many hackers. It is as if we want to hide the (hopefully logical) way things work in order to maintain the priesthood. Why not explain to users and other programmers how things work and not foist it off on "magic". If you're good, you don't need the false job security created through obscurity. I've created many a program that I've never had to look at again because I explained how and why it worked. I consider one of the stronger measures of my success at hacking to be the amount of time I *don't* spend dealing with old "magic" that no other "wizard" could figure out. Sorry about that, just a pet peeve (down, boy! Sit!). Rob Sartin internet: sartin@hplabs.hp.com Software Technology Lab uucp : hplabs!sartin Hewlett-Packard voice : (415) 857-7592