Quirky bit of running footwear / THU 5-23-24 / Fashionable look, in lingo / What a king might sit on? / Rugby equivalent of a touchdown / Initialism before an online summary / Platform whose exploitation is called "jailbreaking," for short

• DEGREES / FORBIDS (2D: Academic achievements / 3D: Doesn't allow) (unbraided = DOG BEDS + FERRIES)
• FOR RENT / TEEMING (9D: Available, as an apartment / 10D: Brimming (with)) (unbraided = FERMENT + TOE RING)
• FORGONE / TIN CANS (35D: Chosen to do without / 36D: Ends of a homemade walkie-talkie) (unbraided = FIR CONE + TONGANS)
• FLEECES / BRUSH ON (38D: Swindles / 39D: Add evenly, as a marinade) (unbraided = FRESCOES + BLUE HEN)

An exploit (from the English verb to exploit, meaning "to use something to one’s own advantage") is a piece of software, a chunk of data, or a sequence of commands that takes advantage of a bug or vulnerability to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior to occur on computer software, hardware, or something electronic (usually computerized). Such behavior frequently includes gaining control of a computer system, allowing privilege escalation, or a denial-of-service (DoS or related DDoS) attack. In lay terms, some exploit is akin to a 'hack'. (wikipedia) // iOS jailbreaking is the use of a privilege escalation exploit to remove software restrictions imposed by Apple on devices running iOS and iOS-based operating systems. It is typically done through a series of kernel patches. A jailbroken device typically permits root access within the operating system and provides the right to install software unavailable through the App Store. Different devices and versions are exploited with a variety of tools. Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the end-user license agreement and strongly cautions device owners not to try to achieve root access through the exploitation of vulnerabilities. // While sometimes compared to rooting an Android device, jailbreaking bypasses several types of Apple prohibitions for the end-user. Since it includes modifying the operating system (enforced by a "locked bootloader"), installing non-officially approved (not available on the App Store) applications via sideloading, and granting the user elevated administration-level privileges (rooting), the concepts of iOS jailbreaking are therefore technically different from Android device rooting.

... and hardly even noticed the theme after that. Had to remind myself that the theme was operative when I got a little stuck in the SW, but then literally didn't look at either themer in the SE, as that section just filled itself in, easily, from all the crosses and shorter stuff (wildly uneven difficulty in this grid). I *did* have to look at the theme clues in the NW, but I was actually trying not to at that point (since I'd had such luck in the SE). But I misspelled FEIG and so had to check the Downs there to see what was going on. The fact that I made a game of not looking at the theme answers tells you that the theme itself wasn't that interesting beyond the physical layout aspect—that part is cool, but there's no real thematic content here. Just a themeless puzzle with an unusual layout (plus the revealer, obviously). As often happens with "architectural feat" puzzles, I'm simultaneously impressed and underwhelmed. Like, nice architecture, but I guess architecture alone isn't that interesting to me. At least this architecture didn't make things weird or awkward or overly fussy. It is legitimately impressive that the unclued Down answers that cut through the braids are also viable crosswords answers. It's a very neat trick. But once I got the trick, shrug, that's it. I would've liked there to be more things to discover, more layers, something. But there's just the revealer—which is, admittedly, lovely, and, like good braids, tight (the boxes are indeed braided). But it turns out that simply braiding answers isn't inherently interesting. Once you see that that's what's happening, it's just one more thing you gotta do to get to the end.