honton (11/05/82)
Wherever computer centers have become established, that is to say, in countless places in the United States, as well as in virtually all other industrial regions of the world, bright young men of disheveled appearance, often with sunken glowing eyes, can be seen sitting at compu- ter consoles, their arms tensed and waiting to fire their fingers, already poised to strike, at the buttons and keys on which their attention seems to be as riveted as a gambler's on the rolling dice. When not so trnas- fixed, they often sit at tables strewn with computer printouts over which the pore like possessed students of a cablistic text. They work until they nearly drop, twenty, thirty hours at a time. Their food, if they arrange it, is brought to them: coffee, Cokes, sandwiches. If possible, they sleep on cots near the computer. But only for a few hours--then back to the console or the printouts. Their rumpled clothes, their un- washed and unshaven faces, and their uncombed hair all testify that they are oblivious to their bodies and to the world in which they move. They exist, at least when so engaged, only though and for the computers. These are computer bums, compulsive programmers. They are an international phenomenon. -Computer Power and Human Reason From Judgement to Calculation Joeseph Weizenbaum
trb (11/08/82)
I'm TIRED of reading quotes from Wiezenbaum about scruffy hackers. He isn't talking about hackers in general, he's talking about the class of pasty skinned boring people. Why doesn't he get off hackers' backs and make generalizations about Blacks or Jews or someone else? Unhealthy. Eaters of garbage food, etc. Joseph Weizenbaum, I know you're out there. I hereby invite you to bring your liberal artist drones to join me some evening at ballet class and we'll see who drops first. Or perhaps they'd prefer running triathlons or rock climbing or cooking or discussing the classics or good old arguing. Weizenbaum, you name the endeavor, I'll provide the hackers to prove you wrong. I'm tired of being ridiculed. Andy Tannenbaum Bell Labs Whippany, NJ (201) 386-6491
rick (11/08/82)
Right On! Andy Rick Thomas houxi!u1100s!rick