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25th Anniversary of Hackers

theodp writes "Sharks gotta swim; bats gotta fly; hackers gotta hack. On the 25th anniversary of Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, author Steven Levy has penned an interesting where-are-they-now follow up on the original digital revolutionaries for Wired. 'Some of my original subjects,' writes Levy, 'are now rich, famous, and powerful. They thrived in the movement's transition from insular subculture to multibillion-dollar industry, even if it meant rejecting some of the core hacker tenets. Others, unwilling or unable to adapt to a world that had discovered and exploited their passion — or else just unlucky — toiled in obscurity and fought to stave off bitterness. I also found a third group: the present-day heirs to the hacker legacy, who grew up in a world where commerce and hacking were never seen as opposing values. They are bringing their worldview into fertile new territories and, in doing so, are molding the future of the movement.' Here's hoping Google reads this and gets inspired to let Andy Hertzfeld ship whatever the hell he wants!" Glyn Moody pulls out one poignant detail from Levy's account: rms's thoughts of suicide.

10 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. 25 years? by AnonymousClown · · Score: 5, Funny
    How old was Angelina Jolie when she made that movie?

    The Amazon link is showing a different cover than what I usually see.

    Why is everyone looking at me that way?

    --
    RIP America

    July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001

    1. Re:25 years? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      How old was Angelina Jolie when she made that movie?

      The Amazon link is showing a different cover than what I usually see.

      Why is everyone looking at me that way?

      19/20. The movie was released in 1995 while Angelina Jolie was released in 1975.

    2. Re:25 years? by MikeDirnt69 · · Score: 5, Funny

      19/20. The movie was released in 1995 while Angelina Jolie was released in 1975.

      Woman 2.0

      --
      Am I eval()? - http://www.monst3r.com.br
  2. Re:Tom Lehrer +1 by edittard · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder what the holy bastard fuck "its'" is supposed to be. Is it perhaps the possessive of the plural of an it?

    --
    At the bottom of the /. main page it says 'Yesterday's News'. Well they got that right.
  3. Re:If you haven't read the book... by Labcoat+Samurai · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hmmm..... you do make a compelling case.

  4. Re:Commerce and Hacking... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I used to stay up late programming for fun as well.

    Now I stay up late spending time with a girl who in response to my timid "I like role-playing games." did not respond with "You D&D dorks are pathetic." but instead she responded with "Would you like me dress up as a school girl and spank me with a ruler?"

    Oh well, we all make sacrifices.

  5. Re:The RMS quote is very sad! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Hey, RMS, if you're reading this, then just know that I'm glad you're here!!! Stick around, buddy! You've touched many lives in a good way.

    And if you redistribute that sentiment, you must also include the source code

  6. Re:The RMS quote is very sad! by jimbobborg · · Score: 4, Funny

    Genius (and as much as I disagree with a lot of what he has to say, he is a genius) is often tortured. And arrogant.

    Yes, we are.

  7. Re:The RMS quote is very sad! by Em+Emalb · · Score: 2, Funny

    The above post is not a troll post, stupid moderator.

    Heres a troll post:

    The reason RMS can't go back in time after building a time machine to kill lil' baby Stallman is because A) he'd then be forced to release the code to the masses for free and he'd also be removing the very thing he created, his massively enlarged EGO.

    See, moderator, that's a troll. Or Flamebait. Either way, you suck and I hope your software never amounts to anything.

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
  8. Re:The RMS quote is very sad! by mindbrane · · Score: 2, Funny

    Genius (and as much as I disagree with a lot of what he has to say, he is a genius) is often tortured. And arrogant.

    Yes, we are.

    Hi! Well, that truly was most arrogant. My name's Bob and I'll be your torturer today.

    --
    ideopath @ play