Besides the general "free culture movement" nonsense, I've been seeing a lot of "hackathon" claims regarding Wiki events. They go so far as to actually say people are hacking stuff. The term is loaded, even if they mean it in an innocent way. Why is Wikimedia trying to connect to these people? Are they trying to flee from any mainstream and seek out the fringe? How would such a thing even be beneficial? Wouldn't "hackers" represent that Wikimedia should oppose, especially in the taking of things, activity trying to destroy things, etc.?

This does not rise to your usual level of trolling, which isn't saying very much. Please try harder.

I'll take that as you admitting that you don't have a clue why they are doing "hackathons" either.

That strategy has not served you well in the past.

This reminds me of when I was falsely accused of hacking.

Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_%28programmer_subculture%29 (T-H-L-K-D). I don't hear anything remotely malicious in the term "hackathon" and it's other peoples' fault for not realizing that the word "hacking" isn't always referring to the crime. Just another common misconception, I suppose. Just like most people also think that "Immaculate Conception" refers to the birth of Jesus when it really concerns the birth of Mary.

But my point is that Wiki is using the term out in the public. Isn't that a little odd? It would be like renaming Commons "Child Friendly Porn" and saying that in the German Subculture porn really means "comic books without nudity" or whatever. Common usage of the term matters when you are sending things out to common people.

Ottava, I think a better approach would be to accuse them of either being axe murderers or hackysack players. Although 'hack' is also slang for a taxi and a poor golfer, often extended to poor performance in any skilled activity.

I've attended a local hackathon set up by the founder of Duck Duck Go. No crimes were committed, nor even attempted. Once again, Ottava fails to grasp the actual definition of a word. Ottava, how do you feel about the word "niggardly"?

If you read my ArbCom ban decision, you would see that one of the reasons was "BLP Violation" for calling John Beer a hack for writing for Britannica. I know other uses of the word. I don't think the Wiki attracts taxi drivers or golfers though.



Thekohser



"Niggard" and "nigger" have two different roots, with the latter being derived from the Romance Language version of the word black. Negro and "nigger" are more similar in origins.

There are multiple uses of the term "hacker": "developers, programmers and hackers". Did you forget that many of the free culture pioneers broke into things like the MIT servers to steal material? I think the context and casual use of it would make you, of all people, think twice that they are trying to pander to some of the worst types of people.

Did you stop to consider the context of the word "hackathon", and how it is almost always intended to be used casually?

Ottava, we here on Wikipedia Review are some of the worst types of people - to each other.

I criticize Wikipedia for using 'hacker' in an cutesy, hipster sort of way. Real hackers despise their sort of hypocrisy. Despite paying lip service to some of hackerdom's values, Wikipedia is a kleptocracy.

You've apparently decided that 'hackers' are people who break into systems and steal things - those are 'crackers' - not to be confused with 'rednecks' - or 'cracker-ass crackers.'

Or do you just have some nebulous and vague idea that 'hackers are bad?'

A hacker is a problem-solver, infinitely curious and willing to keep an open mind about something until he or she sees what's at the bottom of the box. They come up with new solutions to technical issues. Other disciplines have borrowed these methods, just as hackers borrowed them from the philosophers and scientists of ancient times.

I suspect you probably lost him at "consider" or "context", if not at "stop".

'Nother one for the annex and/or pit. Mods may need a raise at this point.

I would say that the people here are no different in terms of treating each other from the people on Wikipedia.



Well, there were many Wikipedians that cracked items and were in the news about it. They are all connected to the "free culture" movement and are also the ones holding these hackathons. If I misidentify them as hackers I would suggest that it is because they want me to.

Once again, Jeffrey Peters opines about that which is a complete and utter mystery to him.

Surprise, surprise, the little angry man boy (lamb), with no background in 'hacking', comes out in a huff of outrage against the use of a term he doesn't understand by an organization that can't abide his presence.