Surely firstly its not a hack if there are no file edits... and surely if its a seperate program its also not a hack too?
It's not a seperate program first of all because it uses permissions and runs off of vbulletin's files. Second of all it SHOULD have file edits but I made it so that it does not!
Pretty big differences between the 3 article systems mentioned - hence the reason there are 3
Each has pros and cons - it all depends on the type of system you are after.
I also do not agree with the concept that if there are no file edits, it isnt a hack. Technically it may not be a hack - it would be more of an add-on however it doesnt make any less worthy of HotM.
In fact, when an add on requires little hacking - its a sign of pretty decent coding! (he says with the amount of file edits in GAS3! [at least they are done automatically!])