A hacker with years of experience, a world-wide reputation, and a
major role in the development of at least one design, tool, or game
used by or known to more than half of the hacker community. To
qualify as a genuine demigod, the person must recognizably identify
with the hacker community and have helped shape it. Major demigods
include Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie (co-inventors of {Unix} and
{C}), Richard M. Stallman (inventor of {EMACS}), Larry Wall (inventor
of {Perl}), Linus Torvalds (inventor of {Linux}), and most recently
James Gosling (inventor of Java, {NeWS}, and {GOSMACS}) and Guido van
Rossum (inventor of {Python}). In their hearts of hearts, most
hackers dream of someday becoming demigods themselves, and more than
one major software project has been driven to completion by the
author's veiled hopes of apotheosis. See also {net.god},
{true-hacker}, {ubergeek}. Since 1995 or so this term has been
gradually displaced by {ubergeek}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {GOSMACS}{ken}{net.god}{true-hacker}{ubergeek}]