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.")
Nearby terms:
hack on « hack together « hack up « hack value » ha
ha only serious » hair » hairy
