Appendix B. Hacking Glass

Glass was built with the intention that it would be taken apart and extended. This appendix is admittedly (and boastfully) esoteric—delving into what is viewed as a very much dark but highly respected art. Hackers are commonly misunderstood by the mainstream as being nefarious types who on principle exist to create chaos and unseat everything that organized groups have put together. That’s actually a half-true statement.

Hackers are talented technologists who enjoy tinkering endlessly with hardware, components, and software modules to find new and innovative ways to get more utility from out-of-box products, or by inventing from scratch—but for good. They’re a unique breed of people whose love of exploration and willingness to take things apart to see how they work is intensely vigilant. They use their considerable skills to investigate aspects of platforms that most people don’t care about, and then share information with others in their community as a coordinated effort to make products better.

Hackers tirelessly make technology more valuable by constantly working to expand its capabilities and functionality, as well as to uncover shortcomings and oversights to make a system more stable, more secure, and more performant. They sometimes expose security flaws, performance hindrances, and operational inefficiencies in order to improve the quality of a technology, and typically only ask for acknowledgment for having found the glitch. It’s a badge of honor. ...

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