The Impact of Hacker Culture on Contemporary Open Source Communities

Mátyus, Imre (2018) The Impact of Hacker Culture on Contemporary Open Source Communities. Masters, Szegedi Tudományegyetem.

PDF 2018_Mátyus_Imre_XUQMO0_SZ.pdf Hozzáférés joga: SZTE designated computers only Download (628kB)

Abstract

There is a range of interpretations of the term ‘hacker’ in contemporary use. Depending on intentions or context it can refer to computer underground or free and open source software development. This thesis focuses on the latter and tries to demonstrate how the ‘early hacker culture’ of the 1960s determined the ways of operation and the interpretations of freedom, community and responsibility among contemporary Linux communities. The treatise survey key points of the history of hacker culture and aims to identify its most important features. Endeavours striving to maintain and propagate hacker values had to face both inner tensions and outer threats. There has been a constant struggle to reach dominance in defining the meaning of ‘hacker’ and ‘hacker culture’ throughout the last forty years and it resulted a polysemic term incorporating diverse interpretations. The thesis focuses on a restricted meaning of hacker culture as open source software development and especially as the sum of Linux communities. It introduces the causes that lead to the creation of the free software movement and the detachment of open source development as means to convert the prestige of hacker culture into economic value. The strongly ideological rhetoric of free software movement set back the commercial adoption of this endeavour so the open source initiative was created with an emphasis not on user freedoms, but on the quality of software products. A pivotal element of hacker culture is the set of values, norms and moral guidelines referred to as ‘hacker ethic’. This influences the framework of development and the interpretation of the social, economic and political role of software among the members of hacker culture even today. This thesis presents the most important norms and values influencing contemporary Linux communities by reviewing different descriptions of hacker ethic. The most expressive examples of community-based open source software development are Linux operating systems. We can trace the impact of hacker ethic in its development structure and community discussions. The freedom of exploration, the joy of creativity, the gift economy and the prestige gained from contribution to the aims of the community are still present in among the motivational factors of development and use. This thesis is primarily a compilation, a synthesis of published ideas and experiences between the mid-1980s and 2017. It aims to provide a critical outline of self-identification, attitude and inner sources of motivation of hacker culture.

Institution

Szegedi Tudományegyetem

Faculty

Faculty of Arts

Department

Angol Tanszék

Discipline

Humanities

Institute

Angol-Amerikai Intézet

Specialization

angol

Supervisor(s)

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	hacker, hacker cuture, hacker ethic, FOSS, free software, open source, technology, social construction, network society, online community
Subjects:	06. Humanities
Depositing User:	szerkesztő BTK
Date Deposited:	2019. Apr. 30. 13:41
Last Modified:	2019. May. 02. 07:13
URI:	https://diploma.bibl.u-szeged.hu/id/eprint/74049

Actions (login required)

View Item