In my seemingly never-ending quest to discover just what makes a hacker, a hacker, I've explored tropes, stereotypes, various archetypes, and hacker history. But there exist people who are less patient than I and they want to know what a hacker is, right here and now. Those people are often referred to various hacker manifestos. And there are plenty to choose from. These manifestos are often as varied and eccentric as the authors who wrote them. But there are a few common threads that unite the manifestos. One thread is purpose. All hacker manifestos attempt to define the hacker, his motivations, goals, interests, and ideas. Naturally, a manifesto may say more about the hacker who wrote it than it does about other hackers. But hackers are more similar than they are different, so any single manifesto gets pretty damn close to the truth about hackers.
As a starting point, let's look at one of the most renowned hacker manifestos, The Hacker's Manifesto. This manifesto was written by Loyd Blankenship who went by the moniker The Mentor. It was written and published in the ezine Phrack in 1986. A good year for hackers. In my personal opinion, The Hacker's Manifesto perfectly captures all of the energy, creativity, intensity, and reckless foolishness of a young hacker. The hacker, a true digital native. And he proves it with every keystroke and mouse click.
But Loyd wrote The Hacker's Manifesto in 1986, which is a good twenty years from the origin of the word "hacker". It's unclear when the word "hacker" was first coined, but early usage can be found in MIT's student newspaper The Tech, printed in 1963. At that time, the word "hacker" was often used to indicate a person who had a high degree of technical knowledge about any subject, not necessarily computing. A few years later, it came to mean a person who was skilled with using and manipulating computers or a phone system (many of the original hackers were programmers). Indeed, the 1963 newspaper used the term "hacker" as a slur against the phone phreakers of the time. In the late 60's and early 70's, during the time when MIT rationed-out interface time with its mainframe computer, hackers would find exploits in the system in order to grant themselves additional interface time. This type of hacking is the most defining event and it greatly contributed to the continued shaping of the word "hacker". Suddenly, the word was gaining new meanings and new connotations. Hackers came to be associated with computer criminals who found exploits in systems and broke into them. This association was pounded into the common man's head during the early to late 1980's. Movies, television shows, and media of all kinds reinforced this new image of the hacker. And, thus, the word hacker has become inseparable from that of a computer criminal. Still, there is more to the story.
Before The Hacker's Manifesto came into existence, the loudly boasted goal of every hacker was the free transfer and distribution of information. These hackers scoffed at the idea of copyrights and patents. These hackers insisted that their curiosity was the primary motivating force behind their hacking. They wanted to learn, explore, dissect, analyze, and share information. Whether this was generally true or false is a hotly contested topic. Regardless, the desire to spread information does seem to be a running theme among hackers. Additionally, many hackers wish to reclaim the word. They want the word to return to its original meaning (Hacker: a person who uses a computer creatively or a programmer who writes code or both), even going so far as to draw distinction between computer criminals and hackers by calling the criminal element "crackers". Unfortunately, once Pandora's Box has been opened, it is impossible to close it. No matter how valiantly these hackers try, the word may forever be associated with criminal activity.
While the stigma may forever remain with the word "hacker", there is a significant cultural and technological shift happening right now that seeks to vindicate the hacker. Cyber-crime is more prevalent than ever before, which only entrenches the stigma associated with the word "hacker", but, due to this increasing cyber-crime, people have come to appreciate the abilities of friendly hackers. White-hat hackers, regardless of whether they are called hackers or not, are rising to the challenge and routinely combat cyber-criminals, wherever they strike. And other white-hat hackers endeavor to strengthen computing systems and infrastructure against future attacks.
Still, while most people are more than happy to accept the aid of hackers, they still view hackers with suspicion at best and hatred at worst. Perhaps it is just the nature of the beast. Anyone who has the kind of "superpowers" hackers are said to possess will always be held in suspicion, no matter the side they're on. Looks like white-hat hackers will just have to live with it. At least they can seek comfort and confidence in their fellow hackers. The hacker community is strong. Each member knows the struggles experienced by another and can seek comfort in each other.
Today, as you probably know, the word "hacker" is thrown around with reckless abandon. Likely because of its descriptive, fear-inducing, and impactful nature. It's a heavy word and it commands attention. The media won't stop abusing it, politicians won't stop abusing it, the common man won't stop misusing it. It's here to stay. Looks like we just have to come to terms with it. But just what is a hacker?
You'll likely receive 100 different answers to such a deceivingly simple question. As you know, the word has many meanings and will mean one, or many things, from one person to the next. I've already listed a few definitions. A hacker is a programmer or a tinkerer or a mischief maker or a criminal. There is no longer just one definition for that word. In my post, The Hacker Mythos, I defined a hacker as a person who is "adept at technological manipulation". I believe this definition gets the closest to the essential character of the hacker. Everything else, the youthful recklessness, disrespect toward authority, the energy, the intensity, the creativity, etc. are just extraneous, yet fascinating, features.
The hacker will forever be an interesting character. His exploits, both real, exaggerated, or mythological, will continue to fascinate people and drive the culture. As for hacker manifestos, you can bet your ass there will be plenty more. The original hackers may be well into their 70s by now, but we've only caught a glimpse of the hacker's potential. I can't quite say what the future holds, but I'd bet every dollar in my bank account that the hackers of the future will be among the movers and shakers of the world.
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