[hackerspaces] Hackerspace and hackerspace

[Nate B]

This is a can of worms, but sure, I'll jump in:

I use both "hackerspace" and "makerspace", but I think they're almost 
orthogonal.

I think "hackerspace" refers to philosophy and management style. If a 
place is run by the people who use it rather than a top-down authority, 
and generally endorses the hacker ethic as described by the CCC, it's a 
hackerspace. This has nothing to do with the presence or absence of 
specific tools, though many hackerspaces accumulate significant tools in 
pursuit of that hands-on imperative.

Whereas "makerspace" is about tools and capabilities. It generally 
implies some combination of 3d printers, laser cutters, and a great many 
more. Calling something a makerspace tells you nothing about its 
management style, and there are tons of makerspaces operating under 
different models.

(The term "makerspace" is also more readily co-opted by corporate types 
who want to sound trendy, and schools that regret eviscerating their 
shop-class decades ago. It's only a matter of time before someone slaps 
it on the door of a coffee shop with a 3d printer in the corner. Ref. 
https://lists.hackerspaces.org/pipermail/discuss/2015-September/010760.html 
)

Not all hackerspaces are makerspaces, and not all makerspaces are 
hackerspaces, but there are plenty which are both. In i3Detroit's case, 
we started grass-roots and continue to be run by the community we serve, 
and along the way we've built a substantial shop, so I believe both 
terms apply.

So, specifically to your question Sébastien, I think the words 
"community driven" are the salient part. There are lots of other places 
where people can come to build stuff, but if such a place is community 
driven, then it's probably a hackerspace. That's how I use the terms, 
anyway.

-Nate Bezanson-


On 2018-02-26 11:38 AM, Sébastien Gendre wrote:
> Hello from the moon.
>
> When someone describe what a hackerspace is, she/he commonly say: "It's
> a community driven place where people can come to build stuff". But, is
> it all? I mean, why calling it a hackerspace if the goal is only to make
> stuff? Why not call it a makerspace or a DIY club?
>
> I'm interested in the hacker movement since more than ten years and for
> me a hacker is not only someone that build stuff in community. Building
> stuff is an activity, not the finality. From what I understand, the
> hacker is someone that want to liberate from the technics by study it,
> experiment with it, share his knowledges and experiences, build with it
> and divert it. And doing this empowerment with ethics, those listed by
> the CCC [1]:
>
>    - Access to computers - and anything which might teach you something
>      about the way the world really works - should be unlimited and
>      total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative!
>    - All information should be free.
>    - Mistrust authority - promote decentralization.
>    - Hackers should be judged by their acting, not bogus criteria such
>      as degrees, age, race, or position.
>    - You can create art and beauty on a computer.
>    - Computers can change your life for the better.
>    - Don't litter other people's data.
>    - Make public data available, protect private data.
>
> How I always seen it, a hackerspace is a place for a community that fit
> into the hacker movement. A hacker space. But based on what I read or
> ear from some peoples around me or in Internet, it's not.
>
> So, what is exactly a hackerspace? What define it? What differentiates
> it from a DIY club?
>
> [1] https://www.ccc.de/en/hackerethik
>
>
> Regards
> ————
> Sébastien G.
>
>
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