The best way to define hacking in the positive engineering sense I have ever heard is: "To make furniture with an ax" To take tools at hand, oft not ideal for

The best way to define hacking in the positive engineering sense I have ever heard is: "To make furniture with an ax" To take tools at hand, oft not ideal for the goal, use them to make the more ideal tools if time allows, then to make something beautiful entirely due to the skill, talent, and/or creativity of the wielder.