This is why we have regulatory agencies like the FDA and development standards like ISO 13485 and IEC 62304. As someone who has worked for most of their career in medical device development, I can tell you that anyone who is a "hacker" rather than a software developer/engineer would not last a day in such a regulated workplace.
As somebody who is in that field for a little while now myself...it seems like they care more that you document how you intend to fuck up than that, you know, you don't actually fuck up.
Agreed. I've been working in the medical device field for about ten years now. When we hire people from other areas they are dumbfounded at the amount of verification and validation required to release a piece of software.
throwing together a website doesn't make you a hacker. allow me to rephrase.
using some tools a person built for you to throw together a website, and you using them together in exactly the manner that they were meant to be used makes you a user/consumer not a hacker.
quite a few of actual hackers i saw withered in university because they did what grad students did in their high school days at home.
i can tell you a lot of things that you use in production today even in your field is the result of a lot of these hackers you so disparage.
I'm not sure why you are being so defensive. I never condemned (the word you're looking for, rather than "condoned") hackers. People who like to learn on-the-fly, tinker, make things, have an important place in this world, including software. I would never deny that.
Also note that the roles of "hacker" and "software developer/engineer" need not be mutually exclusive.
I was pointing out to the parent comment that someone who is not reasonably versed in proper software design, process, and documentation cannot just hack away at products such as Therac-25 anymore. At least, it would be much more difficult for them to do so and bring it to market successfully, due to all the regulatory red-tape.
nope, not condemn, but maybe reproach or disparage are better words for your attitude.
why don't you rephrase your original text? had you said "these new programming hipsters" i wouldn't have argued with you. the truth is that everyone nowadays can program, which is why people get so defensive about that "discipline"
but you guys completely misunderstand the meaning behind the word hacking. so i had to correct it.
