🚀 go-pugleaf

In writing this mediumly long article, I'm asking for your help.  What
I ask from you is simple---a vote.  A vote against establishing a new
newsgroup called hk.comp.hacker.  Unlike voting for the Urban Council,
you don't need to register before you vote.  All you need to do is to
send a E-mail before 2nd Sept.  The discussion about the matter is
undergoing in the newsgroup hk.newsgroup.discuss.  In case that you
don't have access to the newsgroup, you can look at the web-page I
made for this campaign, at
http://ppc22.cs.hku.hk:8088/~kkto/h-campaign/.  There, you can also
find a HTML version of this article, updated as needed.

Thanks in advance.

		  The anti-"hk.comp.hacker" campaign
		  ==================================

Contents
--------

In the middle August, the voting center (for newsgroup creation of hk.*
hierarchy) accepted an RFV (request for votes) from Gary at Baptist
University, in proposing a new newsgroup in the hk.* hierarchy called
"hk.comp.hacker".  In the charter, the proponent explain that the group is
for discussing cracking and anti-cracking software and systems in the
computer industry.

However, there are more than one meaning in the word "hacker".  One of them
is associated with cracking, while the other is associated with a much more
general idea of playing with the computer.  It would be very confusing to
name the new newsgroup "hk.comp.hacker".  Furthermore, this will make it
impossible for a group to discuss hacking in the more general sense.

Unluckily, none of the netters voice out the problem associating with the
name of the new group as the CFD (call for discussion) goes out, and the
discussion period silently ends.  Now the only way to remedy the misnomer is
to reject the Newsgroup in the course of voting.  I ask everybody seeing
this message to vote against the establishment of the proposed newsgroup, by
sending a E-mail to vote@comp.hkbu.edu.hk, using "hk.comp.hacker no" as the
subject line.

Story behind
------------

To allow individuals to propose newsgroup for our local community, a voting
center is set up last year.  Since then, quite a few newsgroups are already
created in the "hk.*" hierarchy.  Each of them go through a discussion period
and a voting period.  The voting center act as a moderator of the newsgroup
creation process.

At the beginning of this August, a CFD (call for discussion) article is
issued by the voting admin, announcing the start of the discussion period
for a proposed newsgroup called "hk.comp.hacker".  There is not any
discussion within the period, and the discussion period silently end at
mid-August.

Since there is no major objection to the formation of the group, the
proponent (Gary, at Baptist University) decide to make it into a CFV (call
for vote).  The voting period start at 17 August and would end at 2
September.

As soon as the article from the voting center appear, I notice that there is
a big problem associated with the name of the newsgroup, and begin
discussion in the newsgroup hk.newsgroup.discuss trying to persuade the
proponent to try again using the name hk.comp.cracking or hk.comp.cracker.
However, the proponent seems to be highly reluctant to this change.

Why we must disagree?
---------------------

I believe that we must not let this newsgroup to get through the voting
process, because the name of the proposed newsgroup do not match the
intention of the newsgroup.  While the newsgroup is intended to provide a
forum for discussion of computer systems and software cracking, it is named
hk.comp.hacker.  The proponent argue that using such a name is the hope of
most crackers in Hong Kong, and most people in Hong Kong who do cracking
love to call themselves "hackers".  Furthermore, he claim that those who
want to search for cracked software will look for the word "hack" rather
than "crack".

The word "hack" have a very broad meaning in the computer industry.
Originally, the meaning is a quick job that produces what is needed, but not
well.  It also refer to the result of that job.  Soon the meaning diversify
to any extreme subtle and profound job.  The word "hacker" refer to people
who make a hack.  In fact, the meaning of "crack" in the word "hacker" is
explicitly deprecated in TNHD (The New Hacker's Dictionary).  To name the
newsgroup as hk.comp.hacker would have the following problem:

1. It mislead the reader.

   The name of the newsgroup is misleading the reader to believe that the
   intention of the newsgroup is for discussion of neat ideas in computers.
   The problem is amplified by the fact that the (global) Internet newsgroup
   use alt.hackers for talking about neat ideas, alt.hackers.malicious to
   talk about security attacks, and alt.crackers to talk about software
   cracks.  In what sense is Hong Kong that special that we have to use a
   different naming scheme than the Internet?

2. It confuse the public.

   The media has already made a lot of wrong interpretation to the public to
   lead them believe "hackers" are "crackers".  This create lots of
   undeserved fear towards brilliant programmers in the public.  To name the
   new newsgroup hk.comp.hacker make the situation worse.

3. It insult those good programmers

   To refer to those who crack systems and software by "hackers" is actually
   a kind of insult to those brilliant programmers who (correctly) call
   themselves "hackers".  In fact, many people in the industry call others
   "hackers" for the reason that they admire their work.  To refer the word
   to "crackers" is an insult to them as well.  Although there are people
   who call themselves "hackers" because they crack, we must not neglect
   those people who call themselves or are called by others hackers because
   of their profound job.

4. It prohibit a group for hackers to exchange neat ideas

   Hackers (in the more general sense) is actually the kind of computer
   users who enjoy helping others most, and who enjoy creating interesting
   idea most.  It is therefore a good idea to have a newsgroup
   hk.comp.hackers or hk.comp.hacking like "alt.hackers" of USENET. However,
   once the word "hacker" is used to describe those who crack, they will be
   very hesitate to propose such a new group.

In fact, it would be difficult to benefit from a discussion about computer
software cracking, short of violating the law.  In that sense, we should not
support such a group unless the part about "software" is deleted from the
charter.

How to make your contribution
-----------------------------

Making your contribution is very easy.  Simply send a E-mail to the voting
center (vote@comp.hkbu.edu.hk), using "hk.comp.hacker no" as the title.  You
don't need to type a message content, although you can type one if you want.
After some minutes (or hours), you should receive the reply from the voting
center, like the following, which will notify that the vote you've made is
registered in the ballot machine.  Be reminded that only the first vote
count, and only those sending from a local machine count.

--- receipt follows ---
Dear  Isaac To :

Your no vote has been registered on votehost.  At the time
of your vote (Sat Aug 24 16:07:53 HKT 1996).

Thank you,


Sent By: The Vote Program
--- receipt ends

If you have problem to vote, you can contact the voting administrator at
"vote-admin@comp.hkbu.edu.hk".

Furthermore, you can help me distributing this message.  There are users who
never lious reasons.  You
can help by re-posting this article in a local newsgroup where you reside
on.

Q & A
-----

Q: How much can we do?  Can we really outnumber those who want the group to be
   created?

A: Maybe.  Every one "no" vote cancel out two "yes" votes.  Furthermore, in
   case that the number of "yes" votes is not really large, we need only 49
   less votes than they have to make them unsuccessful.  For more
   information, you can look at the guideline for HK newsgroup creation, at
   ftp://ftp.cuhk.hk/pub/netinfo/hk-newsgroups.rfc.  In any case, you won't
   waste your chance to voice out your belief, will you?

Q: Are we doing something evil to destroy their efforts to create a new
   newsgroup?

A: Definitely not.  In fact, you are helping them, to correct their wrong
   belief that they should call themselves hackers, as well as helping the
   general public to have a better understanding to the word "hack".

Q: What will happen to them if the newsgroup cannot be created?

A: They will have the opportunity to retry the entry once they learn that
   the general public do not accept their way of interpreting the word
   "hacker".  If they are quick, within a single month the new newsgroup,
   hopefully under a new name, can be created.


-- 
Isaac To, kar-keung, MPhil, Computer Science
Mail: mailto:kkto@cs.hku.hk, mailto:kkto@hkusub.hku.hk,
      mailto:h9206479@hkuxa.hku.hk
URL: http://www.cs.hku.hk/~kkto