J. Random Hacker

In computer slang, J. Random Hacker is an arbitrary programmer (hacker).

A mythical figure like the Unknown Soldier; the archetypal hacker nerd. This term is one of the oldest in the hacker's jargon, apparently going back to MIT in the 1960s. may originally have been inspired by β€˜J. Fred Muggs’, a show-biz chimpanzee whose name was a household word back in the early days of TMRC, and was probably influenced by β€˜J. Presper Eckert’ (one of the co-inventors of the electronic computer)".

— "A Portrait of J. Random Hacker", the Jargon File[1]

"J. Random Hacker" is a popular placeholder name in a number of books and articles in programming.[2][3] J. Random Hacker even authored a book about ease of malicious hacking, Adventures of a Wi-Fi Pirate.[4] Also, J. Random Hacker was a main developer of I2P software.

Over time, J. Random X has become a popular clichΓ©, a snowclone, in computer lore, with more types of "random" (meaning "arbitrary") categories of people, such as "J. Random Newbie",[5] J. Random User,[6] or J. Random Luser.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Appendix B. A Portrait of J. Random Hacker, from the Jargon File
  2. ↑ The Art of Unix Programming by Eric S. Raymond, p. 457
  3. ↑ Beginning Python, by Peter Norton et al., p. 322
  4. ↑ J. Random Hacker, Adventures of a Wi-Fi Pirate (2005) ISBN 1-930919-62-X
  5. ↑ The Art of Unix Programming by Eric S. Raymond, Section "The tale of J. Random Newbie"
  6. ↑ TCP/IP Clearly Explained, by Peter Loshin, p. 116
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