From OE 'haccian' (to chop) — traveled through MIT 1950s culture to mean both clever workaround and unauthorized access.
To gain unauthorized access to a computer system; an ingenious technical solution or workaround; a person who produces rough or mediocre work.
From Old English 'haccian' (to cut into pieces, to chop), cognate with Dutch 'hakken' (to chop) and German 'hacken' (to hack, to chop). The technological sense originated at MIT in the 1950s, where students used 'hack' for a creative, technically clever prank or project — something done with ingenuity and irreverence. The MIT Tech Model Railroad Club is often credited as the incubator. From this grew the broader computing sense: a 'hack' was an elegant or inventive solution, and a 'hacker' was someone who
At MIT in the 1950s and 1960s, a 'hack' was a badge of honor — it meant an ingenious, creative, often playful technical achievement. Putting a police car on top of the MIT dome was a 'hack.' Writing elegant code was a 'hack.' The word had nothing to do with crime. When the media in the 1980s began using 'hacker' to mean