24 lines
3.5 KiB
HTML
24 lines
3.5 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" standalone="no"?>
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>hack mode</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../H.html" title="H"/><link rel="previous" href="hack-attack.html" title="hack attack"/><link rel="next" href="hack-on.html" title="hack on"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">hack mode</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="hack-attack.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">H</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="hack-on.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="hack-mode"/><dt xmlns="" id="hack-mode"><b>hack mode</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> 1. What one is in when hacking, of course.</p></dd><dd><p> 2. More specifically, a Zen-like state of total focus on The Problem
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that may be achieved when one is hacking (this is why every good hacker is
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part mystic). Ability to enter such concentration at will correlates
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strongly with wizardliness; it is one of the most important skills learned
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during <a href="../L/larval-stage.html"><i class="glossterm">larval stage</i></a>. Sometimes amplified as
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<span class="firstterm">deep hack mode</span>.</p><p>Being yanked out of hack mode (see
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<a href="../P/priority-interrupt.html"><i class="glossterm">priority interrupt</i></a>) may be experienced as a physical shock, and the
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sensation of being in hack mode is more than a little habituating. The
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intensity of this experience is probably by itself sufficient explanation
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for the existence of hackers, and explains why many resist being promoted
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out of positions where they can code. See also
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<a href="../C/cyberspace.html"><i class="glossterm">cyberspace</i></a> (sense 3).</p><p>Some aspects of hacker etiquette will appear quite odd to an observer
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unaware of the high value placed on hack mode. For example, if someone
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appears at your door, it is perfectly okay to hold up a hand (without
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turning one's eyes away from the screen) to avoid being interrupted. One
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may read, type, and interact with the computer for quite some time before
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further acknowledging the other's presence (of course, he or she is
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reciprocally free to leave without a word). The understanding is that you
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might be in <a href="hack-mode.html"><i class="glossterm">hack mode</i></a> with a lot of delicate
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<a href="../S/state.html"><i class="glossterm">state</i></a> (sense 2) in your head, and you dare not
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<a href="../S/swap.html"><i class="glossterm">swap</i></a> that context out until you have reached a good
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point to pause. See also <a href="../J/juggling-eggs.html"><i class="glossterm">juggling eggs</i></a>.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="hack-attack.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../H.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="hack-on.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">hack attack </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> hack on</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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