Programming Is Forgetting: Toward a New Hacker Ethic
I really enjoyed this essay, even though I think I disagree (at least partially) with its primary conclusion. I especially liked the discussion of the map&#x2F;territory problem and its application to programming.<p>I think I even agree partially that the most literal version of the hacker ethic is a bit flawed. But I think there is still a lot of value there, even if Levy&#x27;s book didn&#x27;t necessarily show it in the best light, or deal equitably with all of his characters.<p>Here i&#x27;d say: the map is not the territory. Levy&#x27;s book is not the hacker ethic, even though he may have made an attempt to map it. The examples he cites may or may not meet the criteria that he himself specified in all cases, but that says more about his choice of example than it does about the ideas themselves.<p>I think there&#x27;s a way of understanding these principles that comports well with a, shall we say, more mature view of the world than perhaps some of us had growing up on them:<p>&gt; Access to computers should be unlimited and total.<p>I think this one stands on its own. Access should be unlimited and total. For everyone. As the author rightly pointed out, the &#x27;hackers&#x27; denied access to Margaret Hamilton. That makes this event a bad example of the hacker ethic, not a good one. But I think the principle fits rather well with the philosophy of the author, provided the definition of &#x27;access&#x27; is probably expanded and contextualized.<p>&gt; All information should be free.<p>To me, this is more ideal than implementation. All information ought to be free. In an ideal world. Where possible that information should be free, and we should be working towards a world where it is moreso. However, information should never be <i>more free</i> than the maturity and tolerance of the society its embedded within permits at any given time. As free as possible, but no freer, to put it on a bumper sticker.<p>&gt; Mistrust authority—promote decentralization.<p>I think this is an unequivocal good not limited to the hacker ethic. Authority should be mistrusted. Decentralization should be promoted where we can avoid compromising the other ideals (e.g. access).