hack

[Mullins, Bill]

>
> There is no doubt in my mind that the computing senses of
> "hack" and "hacker" derive from the MIT slang above.  I have
> previously posted a 1963 citation for "hacker" from the MIT
> student newspaper.
>
> Fred Shapiro
> MIT Class of 1974

This 1958 page from _The Tech_
http://www-tech.mit.edu/archives/VOL_078/TECH_V078_S0067_P006.pdf

has a basketball player with the nickname "Hacker".  While it may refer
to a hacking in the sense of a slashing or striking at other players,
I'd bet it has the meaning Fred and I have cited, pushing it back five
more years.

Fred mentions his discovery of the first computer context of "hack"
(specifically, "hacker") in 1971 here:
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0306B&L=ads-l&P=R5831&
m=24290

We can antedate that somewhat:

http://www-tech.mit.edu/archives/VOL_088/TECH_V088_S0208_P004.pdf
"Humanities and the science major at MIT" Jim Smith, _The Tech_, Apr 16,
1968, p. 4 col 5.
"The institute should rid itself of the notion that the humanities must
always "relate" to the science majors:  for example, that 17.01 must
"spice itself up" with some mathematics and computer hacking."
(OED has 1976 for computer "hacking")