Open to grok. How do hackers' practices produce hackers?

Vincenzo D'Andrea*, Stefano De Paoli, Maurizio Teli

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to book/anthology/report/conference proceedingArticle in proceedingResearchpeer-review

Abstract

How do hackers’ practices produce hackers’ identities? In this paper we argue that the association between science fiction and software programs is rooted in hackers’ practices, defining how hackers’ knowledge’ emerge. The mediation is the one of the Heinlein verb “to grok”, part of the Jargon file and of the name of a code browser, OpenGrok, the technology mediating the relationship between OpenSolaris developers and the code base. Starting with a description of the peculiarity of the verb “to grok”, and its connection with a non-Cartesian view of knowledge, we discuss how the history of OpenGrok and its use by developers make this knowledge part of hackers’ practices and identities, as someone involved in a true, deep understanding of software.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOpen Source Development, Communities and Quality : IFIP 20th World Computer Congress, Working Group 2.3 on Open Source Software
EditorsBarbara Russo, Giancarlo Succi, Ernesto Damiani, Scott Hissam, Björn Lundell
Number of pages9
Volume275
Publication date2008
Pages121-129
ISBN (Print)9780387096834
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes
SeriesIFIP International Federation for Information Processing
Volume275
ISSN1571-5736

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