"I did not know any way to do that, so I realized that if I could come up with a way, it would be a hack. I started thinking. After a few seconds I had an idea.

"I did not know any way to do that, so I realized that if I could come up with a way, it would be a hack. I started thinking. After a few seconds I had an idea." I'm referring to this part, at the very beginning. "I realized that if I could do this, it'd be a hack". I don't know, it just seemed like he was trying to do something because it would therefore be called a hack. That's how I perceived what he said. This is all personal, and that sort of thing rubbed me the wrong way, as though he was trying to do something just to prove he was a hacker, not wanting to do something to see if he could and that happening to be a hack. It's a subtle distinction, but seems to result in very different things. And yes, I know this is Richard Stallman we're talking about. There is no question of his hacker-ness.