Recognizing that this mission is quixotic in the extreme, I ultimately settle for a more modest attempt to set the record straight for those who are perhaps baffled by the ambient noise surrounding the term hacker. The somewhat plaintive note that I sound in several places in this text comes from my knowledge of the larger battle for human dignity that lurks in the shadows of this debate. I think, for instance, of the fate suffered by many writers over the last few hundred years. Writing is a grand profession, but there is an attempt by many editors and others to make writers into interchangeable pieces in a big machine. Nothing is more terrifying to the owner of a newspaper than the thought that a writer might rise up and gain some significant stature in the world.
Programmers face a similar challenge.
Just as writers drive the press and the book industries, so do programmers drive the software industry. A lot of very rich men would be in extremely bad shape if they ran out of programmers who were willing to create their wares. Furthermore, there is an interesting parallel between programmers and writers, since they are both often intelligent individuals with a high degree of cultural sophistication. Of course the same can be said of editors and of corporate vice-presidents. The difference between these professions, can, perhaps be found in the goals of the individuals who practice them.