OK, so say I’m sitting here in the IT Command Center (really my haphazardly-constructed cubicle), and I decide to access some files on a server or another PC. I open up an explorer window, go to the address bar and type \machine_name\c$ or some such. Or perhaps I do a Start…Run and type the same thing (I kind of prefer the explorer route, but that’s not important right now).
I call this “browsing” to the machine. For example, “Just browse to the folder and edit the .ini file.” However, most of my coworkers use the term “back-hack”, as in “I back-hacked to the machine and edited the .ini file.” I’ll admit that I’ve usually worked in smaller places before this gig, so I haven’t come into contact with large numbers of other IT people on a daily basis, but I have never heard anyone call this “back-hacking” before. It strikes me as kind of unprofessional somehow. I can’t really put my finger on it.
So, my completely inconsequential poll of fellow IT people: what do you call this? What’s your impression of “browse”, “back-hack”, or other terms you’ve heard used for this action?
“Browse to the folder,” like you or “browse to the UNC.” I’ve never heard of “back-hack” – sounds like something made up my non-IT people, to be honest.
Ahh. You have all made me feel better. I’ve got about 8 years in IT, and like DudleyGarrett, I thought “back hack” sounded like something made up by non-IT people. But then, a super-sharp coworker I respect a lot used it today, and I was left thinking that maybe I was the idiot.
What sciguy (and everyone else) said. I probably say “go to” more than anything, “Go to 192.168.0.1 and browse the d drive”
“Back-hack” sounds like something from a bad early 1990’s movie about a small group of socially outcast kids and their wise mentor who used to work for evil Big Business.
I’ve never heard the term “back-hacking” to describe directly accessing a directory on a networked Windows machine using the \<hostname> or \<ip-address> prefix in the file path.
I seem to be in the minority here in finding it moderately funny and clever. It’s quicker and more direct way of getting to the file than opening the file explorer, then clicking down through “My Network Places” and browsing the tree of host names. However, you need to know a somewhat arcane syntax and provide a “magic value” of the machine name or IP address, without having the more descriptive “comment” for the remote directory. So it’s a kind of “hack”, and one involving backslashes, hence “back-hack”.
It is different from simply “browsing to the remote directory” because it accentuates the fact that you were wonky enough to use just a keyboard and no mouse to do it (Windows-key, R, flying-fingers-at-100-WPM, ENTER, bang!).
I’ve never heard the term “back-hacking” to describe directly accessing a directory on a networked Windows machine using the \<hostname> or \<ip-address> prefix in the file path.
I seem to be in the minority here in finding it moderately funny and clever. It’s quicker and more direct way of getting to the file than opening the file explorer, then clicking down through “My Network Places” and browsing the tree of host names. However, you need to know a somewhat arcane syntax and provide a “magic value” of the machine name or IP address, without having the more descriptive “comment” for the remote directory. So it’s a kind of “hack”, and one involving backslashes, hence “back-hack”.
It is different from simply “browsing to the remote directory” because it accentuates the fact that you were wonky enough to use just a keyboard and no mouse to do it (Windows-key, R, flying-fingers-at-100-WPM, ENTER, bang!). To me, “browse” means “I moused around with a GUI”, and anybody knows that REAL computer geeks can use TELNET and FTP, think browsers are just eye candy, and can always get by with just a keyboard.
My own personal preference would be to “navigate” or “go to” there. It wouldn’t bug me too much if someone said “browse” there, but to my way of thinking “browsing” on the computer or Internet is different and is analogous to browsing in a library or store - you’re not just going to one particular place with the specific intent of getting something in particular; you’re going there to see what you can find that is of interest.
Never heard the term, and googling it only seems to come up with a couple references of it meaning to find out who is hacking a system.
At least that uses the term “hack” with a more widely-accepted meaning of the word. Why don’t you ask them why they think it means what they think it means? In fact, I’m curious myself now. I really can’t imagine that opening a network share by using the UNC path can be considered a hack by any standard. That’s just an insult to hackers everywhere
Never heard “back-hack.” I’d say “go to” or “navigate to” or sometimes I’ll say “path to” the whatever folder and do whatever to it. I don’t recall using the word “browse” but it seems normal to me; I just don’t use that term.
My guess is that some guy made up this term in this particular corner of the world, and it is simply a bit of corporate culture local to the IT department. If you ask around I bet your colleagues all only started using the term after they got to your company. If you’re (un)lucky, someone will tell you the origin story to go with the term.
