Hacker News Reader

It was not a communism, it was a flavour of socialism. Just like China, Sweden and USA.

They called it communism, everyone else called it communism. That it didn't really fit the textbook definition matters little.

And in my opinion this is how communism looks in the real world: crooks take over and you get a totalitarian regime. Anything else is an utopia.

By the same logic hacker is someone who breaks into systems and causes mischief. That ship has sailed as well and clinging to the original definition is a lost cause.

Well, different circles, different definitions. On HackerNews I expect everyone to translate hacker = programmer. On CNN I expect hacker = Kevin Mitnick.

No, it is a bit more complex.

Within the Warsaw Pact, there were essentially two levels of utopia: "socialist" and "communist". "Socialist" countries (Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia) allowed limited private ownership of land and businesses (private businesses could not employ more than 50 people). IN "communist" countries (East Germany, USSR), no private ownership was allowed at all.

Yes, crooks ruled in both systems. But everyday life was much easier in "socialism"

I should know - I grew up there.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com