I've been fascinated by the 'hacking culture' ever since I first started BBS years ago. Hack* is a term used and abused by one and all, most notably those whom lack any real knowledge as to what it entails (i.e.: media). I'd like to give my perspective on the definition of the 'hacking culture' and perhaps get some replies with your thoughts and your own definition.
The obsessive-compulsive acquiring of knowledge most definitely seems to lie at the very core of this subculture. Whether it's sifting through core dumps for fun and profit or memorizing obscure technical manuals, hackers seem to crave such endeavors. Can one be a hacker without a large body of technical knowledge? Maybe, but I think you'll find that that's often not the case.
Individualism seems to be quite pervasive as well. While groups and 'organizations' of hackers have, do and will continue to exist, one can only really be a true part of these when one has accumulated a ridiculous wealth of knowledge. These rights of passage limit the aforementioned organizations to inherently exclusive (often extremely exclusive) memberships. I don't contend that all of these organizations are open to membership, as a slew of them are tight knit groups of friends, but I digress. My point is that to even fit the minimum requirements of joining such organizations, you must spend a large amount of lonesome time on acquiring the knowledge/skill necessary. My contention is that this breeds an individualistic sense of self, and this is carried on even when one makes contact with other like-minded folk.
I believe these are the only two characteristics that can be said to generally propagate throughout the ENTIRE spectrum of the culture. Things like operating system preferences, programming languages of choice or specific knowledge in any one area seem, at best, trivial and unimportant.
I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts on this matter!
