I have been reading the recently released 25th Anniversary Edition Hackers —
Heroes
of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy.
The first version traced the exploits of the computer
revolution's original hacker. These were the nerds who got their revenge by
being successful and playing a major role in the computer industry from the
late 1950s through the early '80s. They took risks, bent the rules, and pushed the world in a
radical new direction.
The 25th anniversary edition includes updated
material from noteworthy “hackers” such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard
Stallman, and Steve Wozniak. I did not get involved in the computer world until
the end point of the first edition.
In the early 80s I made the transition from
academia to the business world by joining a firm that did training primarily
for computer firms. As a consultant I led the development of Apple’s first
national account sales training in the pre-Mac era, developed sales training
for NCR’s first personal computer, and wrote about the creation of one Raytheon’s
mid-range computers, among other projects.
The book closes with a chapter on Cambridge 1983 as the
place for the last of the true hackers.
Being a Boston resident at the time, and still one, I enjoyed this
homage. It closes with a quote from Lee Felsenstein, a Berkeley hacker, “…to able to defy a culture which states, ‘thou shall not touch this,’
and to defy that with one’s own creative power is…the essence.” In those days
it seemed that most of this hacker power addressed positive outcomes. Now while
some hackers have gone to the dark side, this need to push boundaries still
does more good than harm.
It was an exciting time and this book brought
back those years and set the stage for them by going even further back in time.
I wish I had read it then but it is no less relevant now. Not being technical I have always had
great admiration for those who are and I share some of the other traits such an
obsession for doing things more than interacting with people, I have always
felt connected with hackers even though I do not possess their computer skills.
I think it is a similar obsession that drives my involvement with the painting
I post here on weekends. Artists and hackers are pushing envelopes from very
different perspectives but I feel there is a common core.
I highly recommend this O’Reilly book which PC Magazine named the best Sci-Tech
book written in the last twenty years.
I'd just like to point out that I was never "...one of those Cambridge hackers", as the book makes clear. I was a Berkeley hacker with an aversion to the Cambridge hacker style. Please, read the book.
Posted by: Lee Felsenstein | July 15, 2010 at 11:51 PM
Lee - Thanks for your correction as I misread that reference. I made the adjustment. Bill
Posted by: bill Ives | July 16, 2010 at 11:05 AM
In a way, hackers are indeed heroes. They are the ones who revolutionized the internet and provided vital information on security improvements. Have you guys read Clifford Stoll's The Cuckoo's Egg? If you're into computer espionage and hacking, it's a highly recommended book. Although the technology used there is outdated, the strategy in tracking an enemy hacker is still useful.
Posted by: Vincent Mesecher | September 28, 2011 at 04:06 PM
I agree that not following the rules sometimes could lead to a better result. It's true that Mark Zuckerberg was a hacker. But I guess, even he didn't expect that Facebook would be the world's number 1 social networking site today.
Posted by: Mac Pherson | October 19, 2011 at 04:42 PM
So true!
Posted by: John | November 25, 2017 at 12:14 PM