Finally something I'm qualified to comment on! Like you, I'm not a coder but I read Hacker News frequently. I have started 2 web-based businesses, so I like talking to coders and finding out what they're working on. It's a great source of inspiration for the next idea. I also have to admit that there's a part of me that wishes I would have learned to write code so that I could do more prototyping on my own. I have a lot of respect for a software programmer that designs an elegant solution to a problem that we've identified.

Try not calling us coders, I don't know any programmer/developer who likes being called a coder.

I'm fine with being called a coder, but probably only because I'm not given much opportunity to do it these days.

Yes, I prefer "code ninja".

when I see those "code ninja needed", posts, it just makes me laugh. Juvenile at best, idiotic at worse. It is hard to take those companies that do that seriously.

Tell me, what does a code ninja do? Write fast and crappy code, and disapear, so some other poor soul have to maintain it? Crash the whole server with two lines of recurisve calls? Check-in code so stealthy that Subversion doesn't even detect it?

Ps. I noticed the "code ninja" trend, with the raise of Ruby on Rail. It is everytime I have seen, it has been a posting for either Ruby, or Php job.

Well...I'm a code pirate. So there.

And I'm fine being called a coder, it doesn't really matter what we're called right? Its more about what we do ;)

It's an attempt by companies to have their job postings stand out. Similar to looking for a "rockstar programmer".

As far as I can tell, they assassinate bugs before users even realize they're there.

FWIW I'm one that doesn't care either way.

I don't mind being called a coder, but then I don't mind being called an information plumber either.

Thanks for the correction, I'll remember that.

How do you start a web based business without knowing how to code yourself? Did you take on partners who knew how to code or did you hire someone to implement your business ideas?

Quite a few people do this. They find cofounders or raise money to recruit programmers or outsource programming all the way or till they can raise money

I get references to lots of great blog posts, online tools, and news items that allow me to stay informed about important issues in the tech and programming worlds. This has saved me countless amounts of time, since I'm able to act as if I know what I'm talking about without ever having to put in any effort/thought of my own. Thanks Hacker News! :)

I work in public television and like the thoughtful articles and threads on trends in media and meta-cognition (like the "how do you learn" thread). I don't code, but have have mad respect for the hackers.

Well...I'm a programmer, not a hacker. So do I count?

YC is how I get my tech news. Just YC, Slashdot and Engadget for me.

i think everyone here assumes hackers means programmers..and also sometime those who build stuff often creatively..the word hacker i guess is much abused by the media to refer to whom most hackers call crackers

I don't read any other tech news. This source is generally the stuff that matters.

It also lets me see what are the new trends to spot in the web industry.

Lastly, it teaches me how to think like a hacker, which gets me closer and closer to being useful at our early stage.

if you're not a hacker, you have to at least understand technology and be able to hold your own in tech conversations. hacker news is the best resource to do that.