Hacker (disambiguation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The terms hack and hacker originated at the Tech Model Railroad Club at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1950s, with the original meaning being:

... someone who applies ingenuity to create a clever result, called a 'hack'. The essence of a 'hack' is that it is done quickly, and is usually inelegant. It accomplishes the desired goal without changing the design of the system it is embedded in.[1]"