Re: Misconception about Ada?

[Ted Dennison <dennison@telepath.com>]

In article <slrn98eeli.2cd.randhol+abuse@kiuk0156.chembio.ntnu.no>,
  randhol+abuse@pvv.org (Preben Randhol) wrote:
> On 11 Feb 2001 18:30:30 -0500, Robert Deininger wrote:
> >Speak up, Ada hackers!
>
> Which is another point. The hacker definition is hopeless in the sense
> that all media use it for cracker, so people who do not know more than
> what the media writes thinks linux and the like are done buy a bunch
> of criminals :-( Anyway one can argue, from the definition of a
> hacker, that a cracker is a hacker that is good at breaking into
> systems.

I learned that term as more like someone who subscribes to the "just
make it work" philosophy. As such, it is not a kind term, or a term that
would describe most Ada enthusiasts.

I think this is the sense from the ninth definition in FOLDOC:
----
9. (University of Maryland, rare) A programmer who does not understand
proper programming techniques and principles and doesn't have a Computer
Science degree. Someone who just bangs on the keyboard until something
happens. For example, "This program is nothing but spaghetti code. It
must have been written by a hacker".
---

I did not attend Maryland, but I think I did pick it up at school
(Tulane). Is this common usage at other universities?

I also use the term "hack" in a similar perjorative sense. The fact that
a lot of C programmers use it in a non-perjorative sense always seemed
to me to be proof that C is emphasising the wrong things. :-)

--
T.E.D.

http://www.telepath.com/~dennison/Ted/TED.html


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