hacker

A person (usually possessing thorough knowledge in no single field), who is talented at devising superficial "fixes," which are nothing more than auxiliary work-arounds for problems which eventually have to be solved "correctly" by a "trained professional." Hackers are self-motivated, and learn through experimentation and persistence, as opposed to through "traditional" means. Computer hackers do not completely fit this definition. Due to the high artificiality of computer technology itself, computer hackers must be highly knowledgable before they can implement their first successful "hack." For them, "hacks" are the product of brilliant insight and thorough investigation, rather than the talent and natural law that go with hacking in more humanity-driven fields, such as entertainment or sports. Chess masters have a similar level of mental discpline, although many hackers tend to lack the attention span necessary to be good at chess :') Many people would tend to disagree, but then again many people are not skillful enough to be called a "hacker."