Very perceptive. I have not thought of this angle!<p>I think it is important, however, to note that a hacker, the way the word is usually understood, is necessarily part engineer, part craftsman, not just an artist (and, frankly, not necessarily that much of an artist at all). In his book <i>Coders at work</i>, in which Peter Seibel interviewed a number of prominent coders (really, hackers of software), and one of the question he asked all of them was if they thought of themselves as artists, scientists, engineers, craftsmen, etc. Answers varied, but in general they suggested a mix.<p>Thanks again for an interesting approach.