a hacker is a person who utilizes hacks in order to solve problems... usually when used without a qualifying modifier, the term hacker is used to indicate a computer hacker (someone who utilizes hacks to solve computer related problems)...
this is probably one of the first terms i saw the media twist into something new... over the past decade and a half (at least) the term hacker has taken on a more sinister connotation involving the breaking of security systems and intruding onto machines where they don't belong... i suspect at least one reason is that the actual term for this (cracker) happens to also be a racial slur and the media needed to pick an alternative word to describe the people who engaged in these sorts of activities and hacker (as a generic umbrella-like term) easily fit that bill...
the old timers still remember that hackers were really just computer enthusiasts who knew how to solve problems in clever ways, but unfortunately the public at large has been brainwashed by the media to adopt the new meaning...
the old meaning of hacker is making a comeback (at least outside of the computer hacker domain) with terms like life hacker - perhaps the proper usage of computer hacker will be restored one day...
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