Ode to Geeks
The term "geek" is often used to describe a set of superficial characteristics, more often than not, in a derogatory manner. This common usage of the term, however, fails to recognize or acknowledge the presence of an entire culture, with it's own language , value-system, and community. Another frequently overlooked fact is that "geeks" include a wide range of specialists and consist of several sub-groups. This paper will primarily concentrate on the programmer (a.k.a "Coder") subgroup within the geek community.
Stereotypically, a person labeled a "geek" would wear glasses, be either thin and lanky or obese, have a bad sense of fashion, be obsessed with anything technical, be antisocial or introverted and completely lack a social life. In other words, people may be labeled a "geek" based on their physical appearances, behavior, or interests in a collective yet individual basis, not based on associations with any socially acknowledged group or culture. This, however, doesn¹t mean geeks are regarded as being inherently inferior to "normal" people. Geeks may be respected or even revered for their technical abilities, intelligence, or more commonly, income. In this day and age, there are plenty of stories considered to be "geek success stories"; the high school dropout that works for the government, the guy who got a degree in computer sciences and started at $75,000, the over night millionaires, the multi-billion dollar corporations that started in garages.... However, along with such legends come the most damaging misconception of all; that the success of a geek could be measured by his (or her) income. This, however, could not be further from the truth.

"Hacker"
One term often used to describe hardcore geeks is "hacker." Hackers are a subgroup of the geek community (arguably the most respected among geeks), whose origins could be traced back to the 70's when computer networks (precursor to the "Internet") sprang up across the US, yet when the few computers in existence (mostly in universities) were controlled by a few dictators (administrators). Original hackers were those who, often for legitimate reasons, attempted to breech security measures on these computers, either to gain precious computing time, or simply to find weaknesses in the systems. Such "hackers" were not malicious in intent or practice, and, in many cases, helped administrators prevent malicious attacks by pointing out vulnerabilities. By the early 90's, the term "hacker" became widely used among the geek community to describe anyone with admirable skills with regards to computing; whether it be breaching security systems or writing excellent software. The phrase "hack", in fact, is used to describe a wide range of solutions that use unconventional methods. The media, on the other hand, continue to use the term to describe the original "hackers", yet automatically assume malicious intent. Geeks call such malicious attackers "Crackers".

There are other "titles" among the geek community, like "Coder" for programmers (who write "code"), or "SysAdmin" for System Administrators. These two subgroups form the core of the geek community, however, with frequently conflicting interests. Hard core "Coders" often look down on SysAdmins for their lack of programming skills, yet SysAdmins who often end up using the actual software often feel animosity towards Coders for writing poor code, or writing software that¹s difficult to use. Coders, however, need SysAdmins , as the only way for a software to gain status is through real world deployment, carried out invariably by SysAdmins. Of course, SysAdmins need Coders to write the tools crucial to their job. The friction between Coders and SysAdmins actually represents the kind of complex and competitive environment geeks often find themselves in. Geeks engage in fierce online (verbal) battles over anything as trivial as the choice of text editors to their choice of Operating System. Another title, one with less prestige, is "Script Kiddies" for teenage "crackers" who do not possess the knowledge or skills to crack (attack) computers themselves, and thus employ automated tools (called "scripts"), although whether they are worthy members of the geek community is questionable.

On the other hand, the term often used by geeks to describe non-geeks is "users". Regrettably, many programmers and system administrators see "users" as nothing more than a nuisance, and a group that should be avoided at all costs, or, at best, tolerated with great disdain. Among geeks, "users" are considered to be technically inept (thus, by geek definition, inferior in intelligence), and incapable of solving problems on their own, thus lacking one of the most important qualities the make a good geek. Needless to say, "users" are, in general, considered sub-geek in the great taxonomy of geeks.

"I anal?"
The preferred method of communication among geeks is through writing, mostly because they communicate over digital networks (via e-mail, forums, mailing lists, chat, etc). Most of the younger geeks are extremely fast typists (many of whom can type faster than they can speak), although some of the older geeks may be seen typing with two fingers (albeit, at relatively high speeds).

Considering the volume of typing geeks perform in any given day, it is no surprise that some phrases are abbreviated. Some examples include, "IMHO" for "in my humble opinion", or "AFAIK" for "As far as I know." When discussing legal issues, it is common practice to include the five letters "IANAL" as a disclaimer: "I am not a lawyer."

Another remarkable short hand is the "RTF" series, often used to answer technical questions. The most severe form is "RTFM" for "Read the fucking manual", which is used to accuse a person of not having read the manual; a mistake mostly associated with "users" (and thus a crime unbecoming a geek). Another variation is "RTFS" for "Read the fucking source", which puts at least part of the blame on the developer of the software for not writing adequate documentation, but also accuses the person posing the question of not reading the source code (the blue prints of a software product) even though it is publicly available. The last, and least commonly used, variation is "RTFB" for "Read the fucking binary" which puts almost all the blame on the developer for failing to write adequate documentation and, either not making the source code available, or writing such poor code that it is deemed useless.

Another aspect to the geek version of the written language is the "smilies" (often used by non-geeks as well). Since written messages tend to be terse, sarcastic, or simply void of emotion, smilies are used to convey some sense of emotion. Examples include the standard smiley :-) the winking smiley ;-) smiley with tongue :-P or big smiley :-D Interestingly, different regions have slight variations. In Asia, smilies are upright (rather than on horizontal) as such: ^_^ or ^^;

A more unique technique, and one seen less among non-geeks, is the mixing of programming languages (and/or "markup languages") with natural languages. For an example, a block of text might be enclosed by "tags" as such: <sarcasm>Sarcastic comment</sarcasm>. Again, such techniques are used to clarify and enhance the meaning of plain messages. Another slightly more cryptic example is the use of the wildcard symbol: "*" For an example, "RTF*" would be a short hand to collectively refer to all variations of "RTF" (the "*" is used as a "wildcard" replacement for the various endings).

Cathedral and Bazaar
One of the most prominent pieces of literature among the geek culture is "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" by Eric Raymond. While it is worshipped by a certain subgroup within the geek community as the bible, it certainly illustrates the geek mentality and value system. Essentially, "Cathedral and Bazaar" is a paper discussing two methods of software development; it¹s extremes represented by the "Open Source" and "Closed Source" models.

Closed Source software products (virtually all commercial software) are usually expensive, and grant the end users practically no rights (beyond normal use). Although this is not a problem for ordinary users, it forces corporate-level customers of high-end products to be at the mercy of software companies. Because only the original developer can fix bugs and add features, users must rely on (and be at the mercy of) the original developers to implement features and fix security holes (and often pay more to receive such upgrades). This mode of software development and licensing is compared to the Cathedral, where the Church has all the power over the people, who can merely kneel on the ground.

Open Source software projects are free (as in "free speech", and in most cases, like "free beer") in that anyone may do whatever they wish with it, provided that the same level of freedom is passed on to it's users. A corporation using Open Source software would be able to fix any bugs as soon as they are found or implement new features, and more importantly, share the improvements with the rest of the world so that other people using the same software can benefit from their work. Thus, Open Source software usually are of higher quality, and also economical, since, in most cases, they can be obtained for free. This mode of software development is comparable to the Bazaar, where vendors are free to join and share their goods.

From a purely technical perspective, majority of geeks agree that the Open Source model is superior. And the true geek is only interested in the technical aspect. Therefore, it is no surprise that the most respected geeks are virtually unheard of outside the community. They are not insanely rich, and are rarely, if ever, seen in the media. Their software can not be found on the store shelves (for they are freely distributed over the internet), yet the software they write power the web, deliver e-mail, and help developing governments modernize without paying huge sums to private corporations. Their works give the individual power over the corporation the same way the printing press (and wide availability of the Bible) gave the individual power to challenge the Church.



To the true geek, satisfaction comes not through monetary success, but the quality of their work. Similarly, geeks are judged not by their income, but from the quality of their ideas and work. It is a world with little glory or glamour; a world where happiness is sought, and found, internally. It is a culture of giving and sharing, not one of exploitation and abuse. Yet it is also a world of tough competition, where hard earned reputation is a result of raw skill, intelligence, and sometimes luck.
In this age of turmoil, one may only hope that this small culture will not be exterminated by the capitalist authoritarians as so many others have been in the past.

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Haha, that was a very interesting article! I would be a geek if I was clever enough

Geeks are becoming more recognised and respected nowdays in the technological age, thankfully. Its like the age of video games; Once, such hobbies were frown upon as sports for the nerds, but now everyone is a nerd! And when everyone is a nerd, no one is! Or something like that anyway o_O

Funnily enough, my wife cut out an article in the paper a few weeks ago about 'geek-chic' and last weekend I noticed the same phrase on the cover of a digital gadgets magazine at the petrol station.

Geeks rule

What a wonderful article!
I like the light this spreads on the people who have more often than not been shunned and teased by the populace for being "geeks".
I think a new badge is in order, hey everyone, be proud to wear your geek badges, this is what it all stands for! lol.

Thanks for posting the article.

I like this article and it's probably one I'll print out and keep. I'm proud to a geek and I'll be wearing my badge with pride! Geeks of the world unite!

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Lol nice discriptions thank god i am no geek