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Another way to look at it is this... If you hear of a player who is really skilled at fighting his way into the base, would you call that person a good "hacker" or a good "soldier/infiltrator"?
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I say Infiltrator to denote the use of an Infiltration Suit. If the player isn't wearing an IS, then he's not an Infiltrator. So the answer to the above would depend on several factors. 1) Whether the player was using an IS. 2) Whether he actually hacked the control panel and captured the base. 3) Whether he considers himself a "covert operations" type or not. If he's just a grunt that managed to blast his way in and happened to have a hacking kit, then no, he'd be recognized for some high-quality soldiering, not for being a remarkably stealthy intruder.
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I would argue that all of the things you are saying defines a good hacker really is more definitive of a good player in general. Thus what you are describing is not why a hacker is fun, or how a hacker can build a good reputation, but how a player in general can be well respected.
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I might not have explained it clearly enough. Sorry if my vague descriptions don't paint a detailed picture. Suffice to say that being an Infiltrator-Hacker (someone who uses an Infiltration Suit and relies on stealth and surprise to achieve his goal) will require a certain set of skills to be successful, whether or not he has to play a game of Bingo with the control panel to capture the base. The actual process of getting inside the base and up to the control panel will have little to do with Hacking, and it's at those critical times that an Infiltrator will gain his fame. The man who gets the job done at the end of the day is the one who gets respect. And you're going to need a hell of a lot more skills than simply being able to beat a door at Othello to earn respect as an Infiltrator. Which is why I'm telling you and everyone else that there's no reason to have Hacking more than it is. A player will
not subsist entirely on Hacking things, and it's the other stuff that you do which will earn you fame. Nobody really gives a damn about the guy who can solve puzzles well but can't sneak into the control room.
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By contrast, your example of a medic describes a player whose skills are specific to that of a medic. Being able to quickly assess who needs help and having the bravery to go into a middle of a fight to deliver that assistance is something that is unique to someone fulfilling a medic role.
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Yes. Different roles require different kinds of thinking.
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I've heard hacker listed as one of the specialty type classes that a person can pursue.
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I wouldn't put too much faith in anything you read in interviews.
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From a command POV it seems like the way it is now, when putting together a team a commander would say, "Ok we got 10 guys, make sure one of us can hack." What I would rather see is it being where a commander putting together a team has to make special effort to find a qualified hacker.
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As I believe they mentioned elsewhere, you can advertise your certs, and if some grunt who bothered with Hacking and really likes Hacking wants to advertise his ability to Hack, great, because not everyone is going to be able to Hack. So there you go, there's your searching for a qualified Hacker. Not everyone is going to have Advanced Hacking, after all, and if you're one with it and you're also decent in combat/able to keep your ass in one piece, you'll likely gain renown as the guy to have with you if you want to take a base. Not because you're good at beating a the control panel in Hearts, but because you're a good addition to any Squad due to your combat prowess (or if it were an Infiltrator Squad, your stealthiness), and are capable to Hack things. Making Hacking any more complex than it is is not needed.