Hacker News Reader

Comment by jsolson | Hacker News Reader

That may well be, but you can't dismiss someone as "not a hacker" simply because they make a different OS choice than you might. Even hackers have priorities.

I'm definitely not a businessman. I'm a rank-and-file engineer for Amazon, and part of the reason I stick with that is that it gives me spare time to hack on random shit or learn some random math.

I still use (and develop for) iOS for two reasons. First, when I'm not hacking I think it's a nicer OS than the competition. Second, when I am hacking on things, I think it's a nicer OS to develop for. As a hacker I can call all the private APIs I like, run in the background, fork of child processes, and really just generally make a mess of things. Oh, and I don't have to do any of it in Java (which after a day of work is a welcome relief).

View on HN

> Even hackers have priorities.

I would say that this is incorrectly worded. People have priorities, and those priorities show whether they truly have the hacker spirit or not.

> First, when I'm not hacking I think it's a nicer OS than the competition.

This already exposes that you are not a hacker. If you were, you would value the increased hackability and customizability that Android gives you, rather than the my-way-or-the-highway approach taken by iOS. The fact that you think iOS is nicer than the competition means that you aren't a hacker (in the original sense of the word).

> when I am hacking on things, I think it's a nicer OS to develop for. As a hacker I can call all the private APIs I like, run in the background, fork of child processes, and really just generally make a mess of things.

Again, this shows you are not truly a hacker. Part of the hacker ethos is sharing, and iOS restricts how you can share by not allowing those "private" APIs to be used in apps published on the App Store.

> I don't have to do any of it in Java (which after a day of work is a welcome relief).

This is an issue, but I would consider it a minor one compared to the other, more important problems.

Luckily we have people here who can spot "real" hackers and make such pronouncements, smh.

You must really be drinking the Apple Kool-aid if you think that one who prefers iOS to Android has the hacker spirit. This isn't a complicated concept which requires people to "spot" real hackers.

You're being an ass and for some reason basing all your comments on a non-rooted version of iOS, when one of the first things a hacker will do is get root.

Why in the world has anyone upvoted your baseless attempt at discrediting. Stop being such an insufferable fanboy.

> This already exposes that you are not a hacker.

The irony of discussing the importance of openness in the things you own with such a closed-minded worldview about the people you interact with is palpable.

I am merely applying the long-accepted definition of a well-known term to a new situation that is relatively straightforward. The only thing that is palpable here is the cognitive dissonance you are attempting to ignore as you reconcile your love of Apple products with your desire to be considered a hacker.

Note that I am not saying there is anything inherently wrong with liking or using Apple products. They clearly appeal to a significant number of people. Just don't delude yourself into believing that that makes you a hacker, because it's not fooling most of the rest of us.

Just don't delude yourself into believing that that makes you a hacker, because it's not fooling most of the rest of us.

From The New Hacker's Dictionary:

1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating hack value. 4. A person who is good at programming quickly. 5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in `a Unix hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example. 7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.

Source: http://www.outpost9.com/reference/jargon/jargon_23.html#SEC3...

So, where is the "you shall use Android or Linux" requirement? Oh, I see, The New Hacker's Dictionary is wrong and not true to the law either.

Really, why do people even care?

Or, someone just prefers the iPhone. One can "hack" without all the "requirements" posted by you. Do you drive a car you didn't build yourself? Then you're no hacker! Read books you didn't bind in the cover your prefer? Not a hacker! Write software in languages other than Brainf*ck? Sorry, turn in your hacker badge.

Any time you feel the temptation to claim that someone is "not an X" based on your own private criteria, I'd suggest rethinking it. Some labels have well defined requirements (a Baseball player is someone who plays baseball). However, many labels are entirely in the eye of the beholder, and pronouncing to someone "Hah! You're not an X" generally makes one look bitter and insecure.

> Do you drive a car you didn't build yourself? Then you're no hacker! Read books you didn't bind in the cover your prefer? Not a hacker!

I didn't know we were discussing car building or book binding. I thought this was a site primarily targeted at the technology community.

> Write software in languages other than Brainfuck? Sorry, turn in your hacker badge.

Now you're just being facetious. Please stop, it only helps to invalidate your own argument.

> Any time you feel the temptation to claim that someone is "not an X" based on your own private criteria, I'd suggest rethinking it.

I will, the next time I am basing it on private criteria. Since I have not done that in this case (as my criteria are well-accepted and long-existing), I'm not sure why you made this statement.

> pronouncing to someone "Hah! You're not an X" generally makes one look bitter and insecure.

Once again, resorting to ad hominem attacks only makes you look desperate and helps to invalidate your other statements. I would advise that you not use them if you want to be taken seriously.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com