So my friend thinks that only hackers can participate in Hackathons.

Poor fellow ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

I want to go to a HackCon. Maybe Defcon? ;3

Been there done that

Hack actually also means just putting something together in a quick (and maybe not very ideal) way. Like I can have a Facebook like site in a weekend but it won't be that good.
So technically saying only hackers participate in hackathons isn't wrong.

@YousifMansour
Oh I thought hackers were those guys who made furniture out of wood with an axe.

Or those MIT guys from the railroad club who optimized tracks so it would be more efficient.

Or those MIT guys who improved eachothers code on those timeshared computers.

Or someone who likes to break and tinker with stuff to improve it. You know the opposite of a cracker who does it for personal gain.

/endsarcasm

Honestly though. I love how media has butchered the term hacking (probably ironacly borrowed from a hacker with an axe)

Then again I've spent hours if not days looking into hacking history and culture because I was interested in it.

Well it's sort of true...

https://merriam-webster.com/diction...

3: an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer

@rootshell wow your reply is long.
I got scared. I thought you were making fun of me.
Anyway, hacking is an interesting word..

@YousifMansour actually. It's about 25 years or so of history about the word hacker and hacking.
Those definitions aren't applicable anymore though.

I stand behind the idea that hacking is a mindset instead of a skill.