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This is the Conversation Forum for Hackers and Crackers << You need to cite the Hacker Jargon file 3000 >> Subject: hmmmm Posted Sep 4, 2001 by Bina-baby: Thingite grand-high publicist & Prof of purpology (h2g2 uni of mice)   Posting 1 so where do the words 'nerd' and 'geek' fit into this? Read the First Reply to this Posting Subject: hmmmm Posted Sep 19, 2001 by Pete, never to have a time-specific nick again (Keeper of Disambiguating Semicolons) - Born in the Year of the Lab Rat This is a reply to this Posting   Posting 2 A nerd is someone with little or no social skill. Not all nerds are *computer* nerds - the original nerds, and still a significant proportion, are scientists. ('Nerds' is also a brand nome for a type of sweet, but that has nothing to do with the other meaning.) A geek was originally a circus performer who bit off the heads of living animals. How this got mutated into a term meaning someone who, in the words of ESR, "has chosen concentration rather than conformity", I'm not sure. I suppose the difference is that nerds aren't sociable because they find it hard, whereas geeks aren't sociable because they don't want to be. Read the First Reply to this Posting Subject: hmmmm Posted Sep 19, 2001 by Bina-baby: Thingite grand-high publicist & Prof of purpology (h2g2 uni of mice) This is a reply to this Posting   Posting 3 Thanx for clearing that up Pete (which college?). Where d'you get all this info from? (or are you secrectly a geek...?) b-b Read the First Reply to this Posting Subject: hmmmm Posted Sep 21, 2001 by Pete, never to have a time-specific nick again (Keeper of Disambiguating Semicolons) - Born in the Year of the Lab Rat This is a reply to this Posting   Posting 4 Hey, look at my Personal Space! I'm not *secretly* a geek! Though by this definition, I'm not. I don't *want* to be a social misfit... Oh, and I didn't answer the question fully: Hackers can be nerds or geeks, or both, or neither. See the section entitled "The Hacker-Nerd Connection" in ESR's article "How To Become A Hacker". (PS: ESR is Eric Steven Raymond, author of "The Cathedral and the Bazaar", maintainer of the Jargon File, and author of many, many HOWTOs. See link 1, part 2 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A523766) Conversation list Most of the content on h2g2 is created by h2g2's Researchers, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click on the relevant button to alert our Moderation Team. Conversation list

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