A less informed definition would imply that a person who creates viruses, tampers with one's files, or illegally gains access to one's personal information and passwords is a hacker. Hackers are viewed as devious computer whizzes who spend all of their goddamn time accessing other's personal information, attaining passwords, destroying one's files, sending chain letters to the CIA, undermining the government, and starting revolutions in Chile. While people who fit these definitions are probably a hackers, it does not necessarily mean that all hackers fit these definitions. I mentioned the the definitions above were part of Pop Jargon and misinformity, both infamous for their distortion of truth and besmirchment of people's image. The negative implications of the word hackers make it seem as if it was created to give a name to those who worked in the dark underbelly of some God forsaken profession.
Criminals are hackers.
You should be one to talk. The slang term is hacker. The hacker is a dedicated and enthusiastic programmer, one who revels in marathon programming sessions that exploit every feature of a commputer system, including features not intended or even known by the designers. It's not that uncommon. Even if you haven't tried to push the limits, you've stepped into an area most fear to tread - programming.