where did the hacker ethic go a great many computer programmers read dr dobb s journal in a recent issue there was a paragraph in an article that pained me greatly to read it said there s nothing wrong if microsoft setting the standards for the computer industry the industry needs an ibm for the s where has the hacker ethic gone not the cracker ethic which is something entirely different and bad but the hacker ethic which tells us to value the free distribution of information and yield to the hands on imperative why is it that people and corporations like bill gates ibm and intel are able to have a virtual dead lock on the computer industry why is it that if a person like myself posts messages to usenet on how to get into the little nooks crannies and idiosyncrasies of a computer system they are not given any useful information by those who know just a badmouthing or are completely ignored why is it that people like steve jobs have to abandon their efforts to make truly innovative products i ask those of you who call yourselves hackers why is this and further how can you let it go on it is a fact that the computer industry has changed the world and shall continue to do so for a long time to come it has allowed the propagation of information in a volume unheard of even twenty years ago and has made this world even smaller than it was before i shudder to think what that world will be like if the corporations are allowed to have their way perpetuating more drivel like the windows and the ibm product line on the computer using public that is not to say i am against business per se people who profit off of innovative intelligent creative designs do not bother me in fact i applaud it that is the american way but those who manage to sell kludgy uncreative systems to the public and profit off of them are the ones who are the problem and unfortunately because they have enough money to make up for blunt stupidity they can keep doing it for a very long time i put it to you thus where has the hacker ethic gone if it still exists where and if it does exist why are those who call themselves hackers allowing this to perpetuate itself why are they not creating new innovative interesting ideas to stop the sos from maintaining its choke hold on the computer industry i await with interest what will probably be a resounding silence pstlb acad alaska edu revenge is a dish best served cold szechuan death khan singh star trek ii the wrath of khan
