Hacking

Revision History

Revision 1.34 07 Mar 2006 esr

Remove C# from the list of languages to be avoided now that Mono is out of beta.

Revision 1.33 29 Nov 2005 esr

Add a pointer to Peter Norvig's excellent essay.

Revision 1.32 29 Jun 2005 esr

Substantial new material on not solving problems twice. Answer a FAQ on hacking and open-source programming. The three questions that reveal if you are already a hacker.

Revision 1.31 22 Mar 2005 esr

Added a link to another Paul Graham essay, and advice on how to pick a first project. More translation-link updates.

Revision 1.30 2 Mar 2005 esr

Added and updated many translation links.

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Table of Contents

Why This Document?

What Is a Hacker?

The Hacker Attitude

1. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

2. No problem should ever have to be solved twice.

3. Boredom and drudgery are evil.

4. Freedom is good.

5. Attitude is no substitute for competence.

Basic Hacking Skills

1. Learn how to program.

2. Get one of the open-source Unixes and learn to use and run it.

3. Learn how to use the World Wide Web and write HTML.

4. If you don't have functional English, learn it.

Status in the Hacker Culture

1.