Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Hackers and Painters

The computer world and motivations of those who occupy it

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Hackers and Painters launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Hackers▲75

   Heroes of the computer revolution

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age ▲79

   Essays by Paul Graham

   2015 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   The Misfit Economy▲68

   Lessons in creativity from pirates & hackers

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Social Engineering▲62

   The Art of Human Hacking

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Design for Hackers▲78

   Visual design, deconstructed

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Hardware Hacker▲63

   Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware

   2016 · nostarch.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   The Boy and the Computer▲63

   Graphic novel inspired by real world programming hacks

   2016 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming▲70

   Interviews with the 15 most interesting computer programmers

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   The Second Machine Age▲66

   Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant techno

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    The Dark Net▲62

    A revelatory examination of the internet

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    The Sketchbook Project▲87

    A crowd-sourced library of Sketchbooks

    2014 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    What the Dormouse Said▲55

    How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    BetaPage 2.0▲224

    Community of Hackers and Makers

    2017 · pitchwall.co · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Hacking Growth [Kindle Edition]▲79

    Untraditional marketing using the hacker mindset.

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Ghost In The Wires▲65

    Adventures as the world's most wanted hacker

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    HACKING: Hacking for Beginners▲71

    Learn all the hacking basics

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Future Crimes▲64

    Inside the Digital Underground

    2017 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects▲60

    Conceptual products & alternate narratives of gadget culture

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Code▲76

    The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

    2016 · namecheap.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Public Parts▲83

    How sharing in the digital age improves the way we work

    2015 · audible.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Race Against The Machine▲66

    How the digital revolution is accelerating innovation!

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy▲61

    The many faces of anonymous

    2015 · namecheap.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    The Real World of Technology ▲62

    The complex relationship between technology and society

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Who Owns the Future?▲66

    The concentration of money and power in our digital networks

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →