Kludge

The execution of activities of a hacker (not necessarily programming ) in a playful and exploratory manner is called hacking; a kind of imaginative experimentation ( " playful cleverness" ) with a special sense of creativity and originality ( "hack value" ). The result is a Hack (English bat ).

In its original use, the word hacker refers to tinker in the context of a playful self-referential dedication in dealing with technology. Wau Holland coined the phrase: " A hacker is someone who is trying to find a way on how to prepare a coffee toast ". In contrast to the improvisation, which is the solution to problems which arise that is: in the Experimental, the attempt to explore the limits of feasibility (based on the example of the attempt so also performed when a conventional toaster is available).

Rota therefore can a hack access to a device or a new functionality that is not provided by the manufacturer. The bypass a hardware or software-related limitation excluded.

At the Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT hacker is someone who uses his ingenuity to achieve a clever result, a hack. The essence of hacks is that it is performed quickly, is effective and can be inelegant is. He reached the desired destination without having to completely reshape the system architecture, in which it is embedded, even if it is at odds with her. It can be an amazingly simple and clever solution to a non-trivial problem, but also a true effective but inefficient, ugly and unpolished solution include ( quick-and -dirty hack ), which is more like a temporary problem solution ( kludge ).

Rota therefore can be called to make for example a computer program under changing conditions quickly run as root a kind of workaround. The English equivalent of this is but rather " klu ( d) ge".

In the source code of a computer program indicates the word that the programmers were aware that the solution to a problem is not yet ripe, or unsatisfactory from the viewpoint of software engineering ago. This can be forced by external circumstances, such as by missing or defective interfaces.

As extensions to more complex programs usually hacks are made by a hack usually larger community, usually a few programmers in the notice of special knowledge.

Examples of hacks are called browser switches, which are also known as " CSS hacks ". In the source code of the Linux kernel 2.4 we find the phrase 269 times.