Apologies for cross-postings. Please forward this announcement to anyone who might be interested. We will be holding a preconference workshop, entitled "Cultures of Programming: Hackers, Crackers, and Openness" at the upcoming Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) conference, "Internet Research 5.0: Ubiquity", 19-22nd September 2004. For more information on the conference, see (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/cce/aoir/index.html). This workshop will provide space for its participants to examine different aspects of hacker and cracker cultures, with an eye towards understanding how the history of computing, the identity and narratives of the hacker/cracker, and the material practices associated with them help to constitute current developments. It will be held on Saturday, September 18, from 1-6pm. The day will include both presentations and round-table discussions. Please contact either of the workshop organizers if you are interested in participating (for email addresses see below). Participants will be asked to provide a 2-5 page position paper which will be circulated before the workshop. For more information, see below or go to http://www.sussex.ac.uk/cce/aoir/conference.html. Internet Research 5.0 Pre-conference workshop Cultures of Programming: Hackers, crackers and openness Organizers: Daniel Pargman, Ph.D., Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden <pargman@kth.se> Matt Ratto, Ph.D., Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands <matt.ratto@niwi.knaw.nl> The concept of "ubiquity" - the theme of this year's AoIR conference - is connected in many ways to the ideal of "open computing". Both open and ubiquitous computing are predicated on the development and commodification of standards and the construction of large-scale computing infrastructures. Equally, both dreams of computing carry similar connotations of users as technologically savvy individuals able to repurpose their built environments in novel ways. A key aspect of both dreams, then, is the culture and identity of the hacker, seen as the ultimate user. In addition, ubiquitous and open computing is also confronted with the nightmare of the cracker, the unscrupulous individual able to manipulate and use computing infrastructures for their own benefit. With the emergence of free and open source software (FOSS) - most notably the Linux operating system - hackers and hacker culture has during the last decade gained a renewed prominence in the eyes of the business world and of the larger public. But the notion of the hacker stretches back to the early days of general-purpose computing and it has in the subsequent decades morphed and changed in different directions. There have been both positive and negative evaluations of hackers and of hacking; some have understood hacking as a productive blend of the roles of technology producer and user, while others have focused on how hacking skills are used to break the copy protection of software, to invade computer systems and to commit crimes. This activity, known as cracking, is often differentiated from the more mainstream notion of hacking although it shares many of the same practices. A better understanding of the various identities and practices associated with the idea of "the hacker" can help us address how cultures of computing are formulated and maintained. Understanding hacker cultures - their history, motivation, and material practices - can help us gain insights not only to the history of computing, but also a better understanding of what is happening right now and what will happen on the Internet and in computing in the near future. Dr Matt Ratto Networked research and digital information KNAW-Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science Joan Muyskenweg 25 Postbus 95110 1090 HC Amsterdam The Netherlands tel: (31)(20)462-8719 fax: (31(20)665-8013 http://www.niwi.knaw.nl/en/nerdi2/toon