Hacker Ethic in the Modern World (week 12)

   To be able to elucidate the Hacker Ethic in the Modern World, we first need to explain what Hacker Ethic itself means. The standard philosophy and moral values existing in the hacker community are the Hacker Ethics. Its roots back in the MIT laboratories, in the 1950s. Now it is time to take a look at Hacker Ethics these days.

   Today, Hacker ethics have some values like information freedom, better livelihood thanks to computers, promotion of decentralization, and worth of code. To begin with, the concept of accessing information freely is one of the core stones in Hacker Ethics. It means this is compulsory for a hacker to make their own work accessible to the other hackers. It can also be understood as sharing a hacker's knowledge and experience with others. Personally, I do accept and support this notion. For instance, as IT students we sometimes need to use StackOverflow, which is one most helpful tools for a programmer. I have seen some statements from prominent programmers that they all use StackOverflow on writing codes. So that the aforementioned website in which hackers share their own knowledge is a prime example of why I also think information should be publicly accessible.

   Secondly, since the early ages of computers, it has been believed that they must serve humanity and contribute to making life much easier. Automating unnecessary tasks is a good example of this concept. A piece of code becomes a great power in automation. I think such a handy process is unarguably acceptable by everyone and I also do agree. 

   Another value to consider is the promotion of decentralization. What exactly is meant is creating new tools by hackers. Bitcoin which was built by Satoshi Nakamoto can be considered a foremost example of a contribution to decentralization by hackers. By creating Bitcoin, they reached the authority of banks' recession. It enabled the individuals to manage their own money in a decentralized way. Due to the management of finance in an easier way for the individuals, I believe such a tool is so paramount in the contemporary world. So that this is another case of how hackers helped the world. 

   Finally, the worth of code! I personally consider this value as the most important one. There is said that the hackers must be judged by their code, hacking not any other characteristics like position, age, or sex. It means if your code is better than someone else's, that is all. The quality of the code is the only criteria to evaluate, judge the hackers. Now, some real-life examples. Sometimes, some people are fancied by others. It is common in such cases that the fans do not analyze or consider what the ones they fancy say. They accept them as unarguably true. But, I think it is a mistake. I believe that opinions, the notions should be the only things to be evaluated, not the people saying them. 

   Consequently, I do accept and agree with the values of the Hacker Ethics of today. They are very necessary ideas and mean a lot. 

REFERENCE:

1. What does hacker ethic mean?. (2022). Retrieved 20 April 2022, from https://www.definitions.net/definition/hacker+ethic

  2. The Hacker Ethic: Understanding Programmer Culture - Learn to code in 30 Days. (2022). Retrieved 20 April 2022, from https://learn.onemonth.com/the-hacker-ethic/

3 . Who are the hackers who cracked the iPhone?. (2022). Retrieved 20 April 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37192670 [source of image]