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'The Word Hack is Meaningless and Should Be Retired' (thenextweb.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the word-of-the-day dept.

An anonymous reader quotes The Next Web: The word 'hack' used to mean something, and hackers were known for their technical brilliance and creativity. Now, literally anything is a hack -- anything -- to the point where the term is meaningless, and should be retired. The most egregious abuse of the term "hack" comes from the BBC's Dougal Shaw. In a recent video of his, called "My lunch hack," Shaw demonstrates that it's cheaper to make your own sandwich each day than it is to buy a pre-packaged sandwich from the supermarket. Shaw calls that a hack. I call it common sense.

And that's not nearly the worst example. I haven't touched on "life hacks" yet. This term is nebulous. It means nothing and anything. It's used to describe arts and crafts... That said, the worst dilution of the term "hack" comes from growth hackers... Anyway, I regret to inform you that the word "hack" is now bad, and should be avoided.
A request for alternative words first went up on Slashdot back in 1999 -- but nothing's been settled. Back in 2014 a Gizmodo reporter wrote an impassioned plea titled "Please stop calling everything a hack" -- while others have argued the opposite.

in 2015 the editorial director of Make magazine cited hack's definition in The New Hacker's Dictionary as "an appropriate application of ingenuity," arguing that "my and other Make contributors' use of the term for clever shop techniques, ingeniously simple projects, and epic 'kluges' (i.e. Rube Goldberg-level hacks and fixes) is entirely appropriate."

4 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Or not by Notabadguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You have to go down 14 definitions of "hack" to get to to this:
    ---------
    Computers.
    to modify a computer program or electronic device in a skillful or clever way: to hack around with HTML.
    to break into a network, computer, file, etc., usually with malicious intent.
    http://www.dictionary.com/brow...
    ----------

    Hacking may have been popularized to describe computer hacking, but it means MANY OTHER THINGS TOO.

    1. Re:Or not by geekmux · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Hacking may have been popularized to describe computer hacking, but it means MANY OTHER THINGS TOO.

      Your point is completely lost on the fact that most words hold multiple definitions. This is why it often comes down to everyday vernacular. If you hear the word "spam" at work, you can safely assume someone is talking about unwanted email and not shitty canned meat. Every email in the world is not spam, just like making your own lunch instead of buying it is not a hack. And changing a car tire doesn't mean you start calling yourself a mechanic. I drove to work instead of walking; does that mean I "hacked" my commute? Am I a "hacker" now? Give me a fucking break.

      We created the term script kiddie to differentiate the idiots from those who actually have computer skills. Perhaps we should come up with a term to describe the life kiddie who thinks every efficiency in life is a hack. Since we're all about generalizing, I say we use "Millennial"...after all, moron probably has too many definitions.

  2. Linguistics hack: use a dictionary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As it so happens, one of the definitions of "hack" is "a writer or journalist producing dull, unoriginal work".

    Is that relevant? It sounds relevant.

  3. Here's a valuable life hack by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's a little-known language hack that can help you feel less stressed out by things like this. It's called a homonym.

    That's when different words with different meanings have both the same spelling and pronunciation. Strange, but true.

    How can you tell them apart? Well, you have to use context:

    If somebody is talking a about a "hack" that uses apple cider vinegar, then you know that it's some silly folk remedy.

    If somebody is talking about a hack that involves breaking into a computer system, then you know that they're talking about cybercrime.

    If somebody is talking about a hack that involves a clever and unorthodox programming method, then you know that some geek figured out a labor-saving way to solve a problem.

    If somebody is talking about a hack and it involves felling a tree, then you know that they're wielding an ax.

    The list goes on, but you get the idea. This is how human language works. If you accept that, then you will live a less stressful life.