from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
hack value
n.
Often adduced as the reason or motivation for expending effort toward
a seemingly useless goal, the point being that the accomplished goal
is a hack. For example, MacLISP had features for reading and printing
Roman numerals, which were installed purely for hack value. See
{display hack} for one method of computing hack value, but this cannot
really be explained, only experienced. As Louis Armstrong once said
when asked to explain jazz: "Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know."
(Feminists please note Fats Waller's explanation of rhythm: "Lady, if
you got to ask, you ain't got it.")
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
hack value
Often adduced as the reason or motivation for expending effort
toward a seemingly useless goal, the point being that the
accomplished goal is a hack. For example, MacLISP had
features for reading and printing Roman numerals, which were
installed purely for hack value. See {display hack} for one
method of computing hack value, but this cannot really be
explained, only experienced. As Louis Armstrong once said
when asked to explain jazz: "Man, if you gotta ask you'll
never know." (Feminists please note Fats Waller's explanation
of rhythm: "Lady, if you got to ask you ain't got it.")