Possibly thanks to YC, the term "Hacker" has yet again been redefined. I've been reading HN a few years now, commenting under various pseudonyms, and find it perfectly acceptable that YC and PG call people hackers, even though these "new hackers" aren't hackers in the original sense of the unix neckbeards, the definition of Hacker by Eric Raymond, nor are they Kevin Mitnick or characters played by Matthew Broderick or Keanu Reeves. They aren't anything currently defined in Wikipedia:
1. Hacker (computer security) or cracker, who accesses a computer system by circumventing its security system
2. Hacker (hobbyist), who makes innovative customizations or combinations of retail electronic and computer equipment
3. Hacker (programmer subculture), who shares an anti-authoritarian approach to software development now associated with the free software movement
However, I now see Javascript programmers calling themselves "hackers". And at first I think, "No, you're not!" However, by the YC definition, maybe they are. Basically, if you are a freelancer or entrepreneur and can code, you may be a hacker.
This reminds me of how I grew up thinking Go-go was a table dancer, and then I realized it was a great 80's band, and then realized that the band wasn't that great when I saw them play on SNL. It turns out that there are also a lot of definitions of Go-go also:
1. Hacker (computer security) or cracker, who accesses a computer system by circumventing its security system
2. Hacker (hobbyist), who makes innovative customizations or combinations of retail electronic and computer equipment
3. Hacker (programmer subculture), who shares an anti-authoritarian approach to software development now associated with the free software movement
However, I now see Javascript programmers calling themselves "hackers". And at first I think, "No, you're not!" However, by the YC definition, maybe they are. Basically, if you are a freelancer or entrepreneur and can code, you may be a hacker.
This reminds me of how I grew up thinking Go-go was a table dancer, and then I realized it was a great 80's band, and then realized that the band wasn't that great when I saw them play on SNL. It turns out that there are also a lot of definitions of Go-go also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_go_%28disambiguation%29