Optical materials are especially challenging to process with conventional lasers simply because of their high transparency. We are exploiting two extremes in laser technology - ultrafast lasers and very short wavelength Fz lasers - to microsculpt surfaces and to control refractive index in transparent glasses. These lasers drive fundamentally different interactions, many-photon and 'big' photon, respectively, that offer distinct advantages and limitations for shaping photonic devices in fused silica. Comparisons of surface morphology, shock-induced microcracking, resolution, and photosensitivity responses are presented.