I recently tried to explain that “hacker” does not necessarily mean someone looking to break in, steal or do damage. This article commentating on a Facebook-shareholder-letter from Mark Zuckberberg, despite my dislike for Facebook, has a great explanation of the creative side of hacker mentality … and is a nice read:
The word “hacker” has an unfairly negative connotation from being portrayed in the media as people who break into computers. In reality, hacking just means building something quickly or testing the boundaries of what can be done.
Like most things, it can be used for good or bad, but the vast majority of hackers I’ve met tend to be idealistic people who want to have a positive impact on the world.
The Hacker Way is an approach to building that involves continuous improvement and iteration. Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete. They just have to go fix it — often in the face of people who say it’s impossible or are content with the status quo.