Geek Code: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Letters and symbols used by geeks to describe themselves}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}

[[File:Código geek, AA 2012.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Geek code example, which opens by stating that the user is a Geek of Technical Writing (GTW) who usually wears jeans and a t-shirt (d-@), is of average height and above-average weight (s:+), and is aged between 25 and 29 (a-).]]

[[File:Bloque de código geek (1330560000).svg|thumb|Geek code example]]

The '''Geek Code''', developed in 1993, is a series of letters and symbols used by self-described "[[geek]]s" to inform fellow geeks about their [[personality psychology|personality]], appearance, interests, skills, and opinions. The idea is that everything that makes a geek [[individual]] can be [[Code|encode]]d in a compact format which only other geeks can read. This is deemed to be [[Algorithmic efficiency|efficient]] in some sufficiently geeky manner.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/culturesofcomput00susa |url-access=registration |pages=[https://archive.org/details/culturesofcomput00susa/page/10 10]–2010–20 |title=The cultures of computing |publisher=Wiley |author=Susan Leigh Star |author-link=Susan Leigh Star |year=1995|isbn=9780631192824 }}</ref>

It was once common practice to use a geek code as one's email or Usenet signature, but the last official version of the code was produced in 1996, and it has now largely fallen out of use.<ref name="wapo">{{cite news |last1=Romenesko |first1=James |title=The Code of the Geeks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/05/17/the-code-of-the-geeks/764cb760-d6f4-4ba2-860c-e1d1bcc69919/?noredirect=on |access-date=14 November 2018 |worknewspaper=Washington Post |date=17 May 1996}}</ref><ref name="geekcode"/>

A number of similar codes were developed for other subcultures, such as a Goth Code for the [[Goth subculture]], and the [[Natural Bears Classification System]] for gay men.

==History==

The Geek Code was invented by Robert A. Hayden in 1993 and was defined at geekcode.com.<ref name="geekcode">[{{Cite web |url=http://www.geekcode.com/ |title=ArchivedThe Geek copyCode |access-date=April 9, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228200740/http://www.geekcode.com/ |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |url-status=bot: unknowndead }}</ref> It was inspired by [[The Natural Bears Classification System|a similar code]] for the [[Bear (gay culture)|bear]] subculture - which in turn was inspired by the [[Yerkes spectral classification scheme|Yerkes spectral classification]] system for describing stars.<ref name="jargon"/><ref>{{cite webjournal |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2014/08/online_gay_culture_and_soc_motss_how_a_usenet_group_anticipated_how_we_use.2.html|title=The First Gay Space on the Internet|journal=Slate |date=August 20, 2014 |publisher=[[Slate.com]] |last1=Auerbach |first1=David }}</ref><ref>Unlike the Geek Code, the Yerkes system uses classes, subclasses and peculiarities for categorization. These systems differ in their [[orthogonality]]: the Geek Code is very [[Orthogonal (computing)|orthogonal in the computer science sense]] (where variables may be [[Projection (linear algebra)|projected]] onto [[basis vectors]]), where the Yerkes system is very [[Orthogonality#Taxonomy|orthogonal in the taxonomic sense]] (representing mutually exclusive [[class (computer science)|classes]]).</ref>

After a number of updates, the last revision of the code was v3.12, in 1996.<ref>

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==Format==

Geek codes can be written in two formats;<ref name="geekcode"/> either as a simple string:<br>

<nowiki>{{sxhl|GED/J d-- s:++>: a-- C++(++++) ULU++ P+ L++ E---- W+(-) N+++ o+ K+++ w--- O- M+ V-- PS++>$ PE++>$ Y++ PGP++ t- 5+++ X++ R+++>$ tv+ b+ DI+++ D+++ G+++++ e++ h r-- y++**</nowiki> |zeek}}

...or as a "Geek Code Block", a parody of the output produced by the encryption program [[Pretty Good Privacy|PGP]]:<br>

<nowiki>{{sxhl|-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----

Version: 3.1

GED/J d-- s:++>: a-- C++(++++) ULU++ P+ L++ E---- W+(-) N+++ o+ K+++ w---

O- M+ V-- PS++>$ PE++>$ Y++ PGP++ t- 5+++ X++ R+++>$ tv+ b+ DI+++ D+++

G+++++ e++ h r-- y++**

------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------</nowiki>|pem}}

Note that this latter format has a line specifying the version of Geek Code being used.

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There have been several '"decoders" produced to transform a specific geek code into English, including:

* [[Bradley M. Kuhn]], in late 1998, made Williams' program available as a web service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebb.org/ungeek |title=The Geek Code Decoder Page |publisher=Ebb.org |access-date=March 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301204113/http://www.ebb.org/ungeek/ |archive-date=March 1, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>The site first appears in the Internet Archive on December 7, 1998 ({{cite web

|author-link=http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

|title=Geek Code Decoder history at the WayBack machine

|publisher=The Internet Archive

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}}).</ref>

* Joe Reiss [http://www.joereiss.net/geek/ungeek.html made a similar page available] in October 1999.<ref>Reference to the site first appears in the Internet Archive on October 7, 1999({{cite web

|author-link = http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

|title = Geek Code Decoder history at the WayBack machine

|publisher = The Internet Archive

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==See also==

*[[Leet Speak]]

*[[New SpeakNewspeak]]

*[[The Natural Bears Classification System]]

*[[Signature block]]

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==External links==

*Robert Hayden's [https://web.archive.org/web/20090228200740/http://www.geekcode.com/ official Geek Code web site] (presenting v3.12)

[[Category:Internet self-classification codes]]

[[Category:Internet culture]]

[[Category:Lifestyle websites]]

[[Category:Nerd culture]]

[[Category:1993 introductions]]