What Is the Purpose of Hacking?

prosaic-hacker · on April 14, 2021

Note my screen name. I have been doing, learning, and teaching system admin and programming for a very long time. It has always been by Hacking. It does have another description in my mind : Learning by trying things out. This has nothing to do with malicious actions. It has to do with the tactile feel of doing something to consolidate learning.

I have a hobby of playing with breadboard electronics. Hacking at it has given me much more practical understand than any EE equation. Math is not the Limiting issue. Doing it made it real.

A blogger suggested picking a skill that has nothing to do with your core interests. I learned crocheting in a week by hacking and getting expert advise from my 86 year old Mom. Yes I created 4 of the most ugly swatches imaginable but the last one looked almost acceptable for newbie.

Hacking can be applied to any learning process.

Spoiled_toast · on April 14, 2021

The purpose of hacking is to gain an understanding of a thing to otherwise manipulate it into doing something it was not designed to do.

Say you have a toaster. This toaster only cooks breads one way. One day you decide you want that toaster to toast bread another way. The rest is up to you.