2. More specifically, a Zen-like state of total focus on The Problem
that may be achieved when one is hacking (this is why every good hacker is
part mystic). Ability to enter such concentration at will correlates
strongly with wizardliness; it is one of the most important skills learned
during larval stage. Sometimes amplified as
deep hack mode.
Being yanked out of hack mode (see
priority interrupt) may be experienced as a physical shock, and the
sensation of being in hack mode is more than a little habituating. The
intensity of this experience is probably by itself sufficient explanation
for the existence of hackers, and explains why many resist being promoted
out of positions where they can code. See also
cyberspace (sense 3).
Some aspects of hacker etiquette will appear quite odd to an observer
unaware of the high value placed on hack mode. For example, if someone
appears at your door, it is perfectly okay to hold up a hand (without
turning one's eyes away from the screen) to avoid being interrupted. One
may read, type, and interact with the computer for quite some time before
further acknowledging the other's presence (of course, he or she is
reciprocally free to leave without a word). The understanding is that you
might be in hack mode with a lot of delicate
state (sense 2) in your head, and you dare not
swap that context out until you have reached a good
point to pause. See also juggling eggs.
