The term hacker seems to be enjoying great popularity, with websites like HackerNews, HackerNoon, HackerRank, recruiting events like HackerX or the...
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I do not understand why you do not like this term because, in fact, the person who does hacking is a kind of hacker. This is a skill that people learn for months, and some for years. Hacker is not always about malice. This kind of work is important for cases where there is a threat to a person, and the only way to save him is to hack his phone and find out more about him. But it often happens that the phone owner has forgotten the password to it or its networks, and it is impossible to restore it. That's when they resort to hacking services. If you are interested in this topic, perhaps you can help guidedhacking.com . Have you always been so unconditional, or do you put a deeper meaning in this concept?
Possible "hackathon" synonyms..
Codeathon I think it's a fine term. Actually, the only "hackathon" I go to is called a codeathon and is organized by the Norwegian Red Cross.
Seeing as the term had been used for something like forty-odd years (with some slight changes in meaning), it's probably not going to go away any time soon.