The Hackers Conference

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy
Andy Hertzfeld wearing a Hackers Conference t-shirt

The Hackers Conference is an annual invitation-only gathering of designers, engineers and programmers to discuss the latest developments and innovations in the computer industry. Many hackers only interact virtually, and rarely have face to face contact. The conference is a time for hackers to come together to share ideas via face to face contact.[1]

History

The first Hackers Conference was organized in 1984 in Marin County, California, by Stewart Brand and his associates at Whole Earth and The Point Foundation.[2] It was conceived in response to Steven Levy's book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, which inspired Brand to arrange a meeting between the individuals, or "hackers", the book named.[2][3] The first conference's roughly 150 attendees included Steve Wozniak, Ted Nelson, Richard Stallman, John Draper, Richard Greenblatt, Robert Woodhead, and Bob Wallace.[4] The gathering has been identified as instrumental in establishing the libertarian ethos attributed to cyberculture,[5] and was the subject of a PBS documentary, produced by KQED: Hackers - Wizards of the Electronic Age.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Gabriella Coleman (2010). "The Hacker Conference: A Ritual Condensation and Celebration of a Lifeworld". Anthropological Quarterly. 83 (1): 47–72. doi:10.1353/anq.0.0112. ISSN 1534-1518.
  2. 1 2 Turner, Fred (2006). From counterculture to cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the rise of digital utopianism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 132.
  3. ↑ Turner, Fred (2006). From counterculture to cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the rise of digital utopianism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 135.
  4. ↑ Turner, Fred (2006). From counterculture to cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the rise of digital utopianism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 147.
  5. 1 2 Turner, Fred (2006). "How Digital Technology Found Utopian Ideology: Lessons from the First Hackers' Conference". In David Silver; Adrienne Massanari. Critical Cyberculture Studies. New York: NYU Press. pp. 257–269. ISBN 9780814740248.
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