iHydra: Hey Xerotic, thank you for your time today. Let's get started! First off, is there anything you can tease us with?
Xerotic: Feature wise, yes. There is a lot planned and a also lot of ideas that we aren't sure if we will end up bringing to HF. Lot's of projects. The biggest near-future addition will be "Contracts". Some members might remember a concept called "Vouch" from years back. This will essentially be that system. It'll be a Marketplace Deal tracker that will help members track deals, easily create/find disputes, and it will also have it's own rating system (B-Rating or Business Rating). After that the forum reputation system will 100% NOT be used for the Marketplace. Probably DWC reps will be disallowed too. Besides that... we have plans for group features, a new messaging system for HF (instant!), and some other fun projects still in the planning phase. But Contracts is the big one right now. Most of the code is complete so it will be on HF any day.
iHydra: That sounds exciting! The marketplace on Hack Forums is huge so can't wait to see how the contracts system will play out. So based on your account records, I see you joined Hack Forums back in 2010, what was the reason behind it?
Xerotic: I joined HF the same reason that a lot of people did... I wanted to learn how to hack! There was a flash game called "Tank Mania" that I use to play that was susceptible to hacking. Basic aimbot/aimline type of stuff. I wanted to learn how to do it and HF seemed like the place to go. Apart from that I also first started dabbling with programming so the fact that HF has sections for hacking and coding was huge for me. Oh it is also probably fair to note that I never did end up learning how to hack that game. Once I joined HF and started learning I quickly realized there was much more than aimbots.
iHydra: Did the coding sections influence you further in your programming career?
Xerotic: Absolutely. I credit my time spent on HF for me being a programmer today. Back when I joined in 2010, the Python section was quite small and I basically lived in it. You would see me all over, learning and helping. While I rarely use Python anymore today, it will always be my first language and HF was the best resource for my learning. There are a LOT of helpful posts/people in those subforums that are still helping people out today.
iHydra: Ah, and I was just working on a Python project - expect a PM shortly after this. Alright, so moving on, how was your username "Xerotic" chosen?
Xerotic: Well there is not really any special meaning attached to it for me, besides for the first letter. In September 2010 I decided to change my username to something that I would carry with me on HF moving forward from that point. All I knew is that I wanted it to start with the letter 'X'. I literally google'd "list of words that start with 'X'" and 'xerotic' stuck out to me. Right now I have a capital 'X', but for 3-4 years my username was all lowercase. I know HF shows 7 username changes for me, but I have only carried two usernames, the other changes being silly temporary changes or April Fools jokes.
iHydra: As long as you don't have Xerotic dermatitis, a severe whole-body itch, then that's cool!
Xerotic: I found out that meaning after the fact. 😵
iHydra: Besides programming, did Hack Forums have a significant influence on other topics of your life over the years?
Xerotic: Yes. In my early days I was interested in security and pentesting so I browsed the Hack tab fairly often learning about web exploits and RAT's. The thing about programming is that it can be all-encompassing. It can tie in to every other category on HF. For the most part I visited every section of HF and learned a bit, with programming being what stuck with me. I can do some simple graphics work, but I would rather be the person who codes new graphics tools. By learning from all HF tabs I was able to extend my overall coding/computer knowledge. HF was the first place to show me how to dual-boot. I learned computer building, web design, etc. I also was very active in the Science, Religion, Philosophy, and Politics section. And probably most important.... HF gave me a better sense of the world at large outside of my own personal bubble. HF has given me knowledge and companionship over the years.
iHydra: And now you're repaying us back by making awesome features for Hack Forums. 😝 At any point in the past 8 years on Hack Forums, were there moments you were a "bad" character. Any repfucks, bans, or suspensions?
Xerotic: Day one. Remember that flash game I mentioned? Well when you are a new member, HF is very imposing due to it's size and many forum categories. I wanted help with hacking that game but I was so confused on where to post it. Requests for Hacking? Website and Forum Hacking? (as a flash game online I wasn't sure if it counted as a website). Game section? Well I wasn't sure so I figured the easiest solution would be to post a thread in each of those categories. So I made 3 threads asking for help to hack that flash game and I received a 3 day ban for it. During those 3 days I was so excited to have found HF that I read the entire
Help Docs so that it wouldn't happen again. So when I came back I was armed with policy knowledge that kept me from getting in any trouble after that.
iHydra: Good thing you didn't look like this:
![[Image: giphy.gif]](https://media.giphy.com/media/825PVJzyHP03K/giphy.gif)
Xerotic: Yes I played it safe after that ban!
iHydra: You became an administrator not too long ago but before that, did you ever aim to become Staff or Admin on Hack Forums?
Xerotic: Well I guess it has been so long that most active remember wouldn't remember it... but I actually was Staff in 2011. I've been a Mentor ever since then and now I am an Administrator.
iHydra: That's why we have the Hack Forums Wiki 😊
Xerotic: Well when they added the Admin part about me in Wiki, somehow I was removed from any log of ever being a Staff/Mentor there. So you wouldn't even know it by reading the Wiki right now. 😝 Well it is in my personal bio, but not on the list of former Staff anymore.
iHydra: I'll make sure that gets fixed then, thanks for letting me know. You've come a long way from being banned for 3 days to Staff, Mentor and now Admin. What are a few tips you could give to new members?
Xerotic: Do what you love on HF, mostly, and be nice. I'm not saying not to troll (because a well timed joke/troll is sometimes perfect for a situation), but just do what you love. If you have aspirations of being a Mentor/Staff then it starts with being a good member. And it is easier being a good member while doing something you enjoy rather than just doing something for the rank.
iHydra: I agree with those tips, it's not fun doing something for rank. You won't last long doing so. Always be driven to do something, best experience anyways. We're almost done. Just a few more questions to go 🙂 Let's talk reality... You live with Steve, which one of you introduced the other to Hack Forums?
Xerotic: I introduced Steve to HF. We are roommates and have been for years. I talked about HF often so when he joined the site he actually had a lot of back-knowledge that you wouldn't expect from someone of his join date. Even now, he knows more about HF's past and inner-workings than a lot of members due to my knowledge of the site. He enjoys the forum and has built up a very respectable account. BTW, Steve isn't the only person I have introduced to HF. I've shown the site to a few friends/roommates over the years. I think only two others besides Steve still have non-closed accounts (they are Ub3r).
iHydra: That's pretty damn cool. Do you two have similar interests, like coding, or the opposite?
Xerotic: Definitely similar. Steve can code too but we do it in different capacities. We have some plans on working on projects together (possibly a game with our graphics/game specialist roommate). Apart from just being a roommate he is also my best friend so we spend a lot of time together on and off HF. I think the first big HF project him and I had together was being the first to ever crack the Prestige formula.
iHydra: My two friends who are brothers will talk online together while they're in the same room. Do you and Steve do the same?
Xerotic: Sometimes. If we are in the same room we are likely talking to each other anyway, but we might send some stuff back in forth over a couple of apps (funny stuff or HF related stuff, etc). If the option of talking is there though, it is quicker and easier.
iHydra: Outside of Hack Forums, any interest in guns, games, cars or anything else?
Xerotic: Well I play games fairly often. I've been pretty hooked on PubG lately. As far as guns/cars? Well I grew up on a rural farm doing a lot of manual labor and guns/cars (or trucks) were a part of the culture. It gave me the knowledge to where I am a decent handyman around the house/garage and an appreciation for that lifestyle. However now I live in a city and I prefer the city life over the rural life. I no longer have any guns and my car is pretty basic, but I take pride in it like I would anything else that represents me. For the most part I am just interested in everything tech. I do a lot of research on new technologies, both software and hardware. I can't ever get enough knowledge so I enjoy reading about science and trying to understand the universe that we live in.
iHydra: And now finally, what would your biggest accomplishment and regret be on Hack Forums?
Xerotic: Well it is hard to pick out of 8 years what my biggest accomplishment is... I started the userscript trend on HF, I write plugins now for HF, I've led groups... Hm I guess my biggest accomplishment is writing code as I am now as an Administrator. I am able to add to HF in a way that improves the site for ALL members. I just can't wait until some of our amazing planned features are finished. But on the same note I am incredibly proud of my Python tutorial sticky in the Python section. I suppose anything coding related to HF that imparts knowledge/features to others is my biggest accomplishment. My biggest regret? It's hard to say. Everything I've done on HF has lead to where I am now. If anything changed... maybe I wouldn't be here today writing code for the site. So it is hard to regret something that could possibly put me on a different path. If I HAD to choose... I would say I would regret how strict I was as a Staff member in 2011. My mindset now is different than it was 7 years ago so I sometimes think back to my moderation technique at the time in wonder. Other than that I am very happy with how I have progressed as an HF member and look forward to the future and what it holds.
iHydra: Well, that's all I have for you today. Thank you for your time and your interest in the HF News Interview for Edition 394. If you have any last words you'd like to include, feel free.
Xerotic: Viva Hack Forums!
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