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Summary: The Hacker Work Ethic...Or A New Play Ethic?
Review: I've never read a clearer, more erudite, more persuasive demolition of the old Protestant Work Ethic than Pekka Himanen's essay in this book. And that clarity comes from being part of a new constituency - the hacker community - who are redefining what it is to be a passionate, active, creative, tool-wielding human being (ie, it's much more than just being a "worker"). And rather than the Hacker Ethic being the usual pizza-stained celebration of digital anarchism you find in hacker commentary, Himanen begins to construct a real and tangible politics out of the self-organising energies of hackerdom. What might the hacker ethic mean for how we build educational institutions, as communities of inquiry rather than job factories? For how we generate technological innovation, in ways that don't always depend on the furies of the market? For how we might provide social services amongst ourselves, rather than waiting for politicians and bureaucrats to deliver? I suppose the only problem I have - and it's one I'm trying to answer with my own project, The Play Ethic (on the web) is this: why do we need to keep describing unalienated human productivity and creativity (which is what hackerdom, and other forms of modern behaviour, are) as "work"? Isn't this the last legacy of Calvin and Knox, still shaping our minds through controlling our vocabulary? Why not call it "play", and be done with it - that's play as defined by Sartre, "that action we do when we apprehend that we are truly free": or Schiller's, meaning that activity we do when we are (as adults) "fully human"? Play also extends beyond the hacker community (still, as Pekka admits, predominantly male), and touches upon all the other "arts of living" that evade the patriarchal work ethic - in emotions, parent-child relationships, New Age spirituality, gender androgyny, ecological sensibilities. There is also a whole world of non-Christian theologies and traditions out there which place human creativity at their core, which could have been mentioned. (And what about Harold Bloom's cry for an American gnosticism in Omens of Millenium? That's just waiting for Richard Stallman and his cultic robes!) But hell, that's the book *I'm* writing... In the meantime, The Hacker Ethic is the worst news that the New Economy's work ethic could ever have - which means, the best for all us. Put a copy on your pal's desk: the one with the nervous twitch and the grey pallor. And watch the passion come back into his/her face.
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Summary: Insightful for those unfamiliar to the world.
Review: I've recently had the chance to read this book, and though I feel it is a fine read as far as the style and lanaguage go, it's somewhat of a rehash of other writings on the subject. I am a hacker in the sense that I have the knowledge of mathematics and programming, the understanding of computer organization, and I subscribe to the "hacker ethic". Now on to the book. This book appears largely to be based on a gathering of the old writings of The Mentor but rewritten for a specific audience (for those of you not familiar with the handle, The Mentor was one of the first hackers, and one of the most prolific. He laid down the fundamentals by which hackers live, and wrote the famous Hacker's Manifesto). Yes, many new ideas were added to this book, but there is quite a bit that sounds like a tweaked, and less offensive, rehash of The Mentor's writing as well as the essays of various other hackers. That's not to say the writing isn't original in some sense, but mostly it's been done before. I wouldn't suggest it unless you are new and unfamiliar with the hacking field, and are looking for some insight into it, without being flamed or being confused by "buzz words". Also, this book should not be expected to be a tech manual, it's more of a look into the hacker's psyche, and it essentially praises hackers and supports them, so it might make a good picker-upper if you're a hacker down on your luck ;).
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Summary: It sucks!
Review: It is not worth buying it at all!!! What kind comments were those above mine??????????????????????
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Summary: A non-time ethic
Review: Pekka Himanen argues for a new approach toward work (and life) that takes the information revolution into account. As we evolve into a networked existance and create new methods of performing work, Himanen turns a sociologist'e eye to the dominant Protestant work ethic. By arguing that hackers behave in a manner that combines work and creativity, he shows that we don't have to live our jobs, and we don't have to ever rest from the vocations we choose. If we destroy the clock that controls our present and bring ourselves into a more natural rhythm, then we can break out of the beliefs that constrain us.
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Summary: What is Hacker's Ethic?
Review: Pekka Himanen has written an extended essay on theme he thinks is the changing force and imperative within the creators of the information society. He calls it the Hacker Ethic to contrast the Protestant Ethic made famous in Max Weber's classic text. I think the theme the book is about is extremely important and most people in our society do not understand its effects and functions at all. To some degree Himanen is on the ball and makes the picture clearer to a layman. The first part of the book is about the work ethic where Himanen defines what Hacker's Ethic is about. This is the best part of the book. Himanen starts defining Hacker's Ethic as a general attitude towards work in the information society. For example a car mechanic can be a "hacker" in his field of expertise. Described by Himanen, in the center of hacker ethic is information sharing. It is held as a duty to share interesting information with like-minded people. In some sense the hacker ethic is a counterforce to the market culture. Hackers enter into information creation and exchange motivated by enthusiasm, joy and passion, not just money. Working times of a hacker are individual and optimized. In overall, hierarchies and rules from above are not driving creative individuals in the information centric fields of our society. Great stuff. But in some directions Himanen's essay is unfortunately not very profound and lacks touch of reality. This comes in part two which is about "money ethic". To me there is no insight or originality in his thoughts. I believe the worst writings about money I've ever encountered originate from philosophers, idealists, elitists and other guys who are somehow closer to higher superstition than the raw reality of street-level business world. - Brainstorming in the third and last part named "the nethic" is somewhere between the first and the second part. Personally, I don't find it very convincing. How great hacker Himanen may be, his book is sold as one interesting product of commercial culture, which hopefully entertains and attracts the short attention-window of its target consumers. If you were an average american consumer interested in current societal issues would you buy a book from Pekka Himanen. - From who? No problem, on the cover of the book are printed the names Linus Torvalds and Manuel Castells. Torvalds has actually written a short intro to the book - that has no connection to Himanen's essay. Castells for his part has made a short summary of the main points from his three volume The Information Age (1996-1998) in the end.
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Summary: True, partly new
Review: The book is succinct. It is very good, too. Two remarks: "Protestant ethics" is a misunderstanding made by Max Weber. Several historians, above all the towering Férnand Braudel, argue that "protestant ethics" was born before Protestantism. It has more to do with Capitalism of 13th Century Italy than Luther & Co. Second: "hacker" seems to be an exact equivalent of "mathematician" and several other kinds of people, who have "worked" as a network for the fun and glory of achieving something very difficult. I am not impartial - I know my countrymen. Finn again wakes... (Joyce)
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Summary: Helped Me Clarify My Role as a Computer Programmer
Review: The book talks about how hackers, a particular breed of IT worker, are task oriented rather than time oriented. Leisure, hobby and professional accomplishment merge. Hackers are not like medieval monks copying manuscripts. At their best they are more like guitarists for rock bands but hopefully without the drugs. What the book says to me is that okay, perhaps I can continue to arrive at work 10 am instead of 9. Perhaps I can continue to sometimes read the internet when I am paid to work. After all, that is what the hackers of this book would do, based upon their redefinitions or work and play. BUT if I want to act like a hacker with respect to my relationship to my time at work, then I had better make sure that I really am a hacker, and not just some shmoe goofing off. That means I had better refine my programming craft as a hobby on my own time, using my "hobby" tools for office projects. And I had better read up on how to solve office-related programming problems and think about them regularly, not just at work Being a hacker as described in this book is a double-edged sword. You will not necessarily have more free time. But it seems to me that if you really are a hacker as described in this book, and people sense your passion, then they will understand that you are working in a different way but producing more. Just make sure you are in the right environment to be a hacker. Pekka Himanan suggests that working for Microsoft is not a good place to exhibit the hacker work ethic.
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Summary: Provocative, Maybe Ground Breaking, Expecting More
Review: The Hacker Ethic is a late 1990s Information Age treatise. The author, a gifted and young sociologist, posits that the Protestant Ethic is gradually giving away to a new paradigm, and that the new paradigm will be much more effective and functional than the old paradigm. Seems simplistic, but much of Himanen's treatise is excellent and hard to ignore. If I can fault the work, it would be along the lines that it can misinterpreted by slackers as a way of mindlessly rebelling against employers and western culture altogether. Too many Generation X advocates will take this like Charles Manson took the White Album. This is a solid, introductory work not to be read by nihilists. Overall, I think Himanen is a very promising figure in the Information Age and will probably make a great long-term contribution to global society. I expect bigger and better things from him in the future.
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Summary: Thought Provoking, Maybe Groundbreaking, Expecting More
Review: The Hacker Ethic is a late 1990s Information Age treatise. The author, a young, gifted sociologist, posits that the Protestant Ethic is gradually giving away to a new paradigm, and that the new paradigm will be much more effective and functional than the old paradigm. Seems simplistic, but much of Himanen's treatise is excellent and hard to ignore. If I can fault the work, it would be along the lines that it can misinterpreted by slackers as a way of mindlessly rebelling against employers and western culture altogether. Too many Generation X advocates will take this like Charles Manson took the White Album. Overall, I think Himanen is a very promising figure in the Information Age and will probably make a great long-term contribution to our society. I expect bigger and better things from him in the future.
Rating:
Summary: This is an eye opener
Review: There are many who may disagree with this book, but the viewpoints and in-depth analysis by the authors is inspiring. They will make you reexamine life, the workplace, and even your free time. Looking at the world through hacker glasses is really interesting. Not something you'll see on any Nova or Discovery show. You'll need to read.
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