The Code of the Geeks v1.0.1

July 17, 1993

So you think you are a geek, eh? The first step is to admit to yourself your geekiness. No matter what anyone says, geeks are people too; geeks have rights. So take a deep breath and announce to the world that you are a geek. Your courage will give you strength that will last you forever.

How to tell the world you are a geek, you ask? Use the universal Geek code. By joining the geek organization, you have license to use this special code that will allow you to let other un-closeted geeks know who you are in a simple, codified statement.

The single best way to announce your geekhood is to add your geek code to signature file and announce it far and wide. But be careful, you may give other geeks the courage to come out of the closet. You might want to hang on to your copy of the code in order to help them along.

Instructions

The geek code consists of several categories. Each category is labeled with a letter and some qualifiers. Go through each category and determine which set of qualifiers best describes you in that category. By stringing all of these 'codes' together, you are able to construct your overall geek code. It is this single line of code that will inform other geeks the world over of what a great geek you actually are.

Some of the qualifiers will very probably not match with you exactly. Simply choose that qualifier that MOST CLOSELY matches you. Also, some activities described in a specific qualifier you may not engage in, while you do engage in others. Each description of each qualifier describes the wide range of activities that apply, so as long as you match with one, you can probably use that qualifier.

Variables

Geeks can seldom be quantified. To facilitate the fact that within any one category the geek may not be able determine a specific category, variables have been designed to allow this range to be included.

    @   for variable, said trait is not very rigid, may change with
        time or with individual interaction.  For example, Geeks
        who happen to very much enjoy Star Trek: The Next
        Generation, but dislike the old 60's series might list
        themselves as t++@.
    ()  for indicating "cross-overs" or ranges.  Geeks who go from
        c+ to c--- depending on the situation (i.e. mostly "c+")
        could use c+(---). Another example might be an m++(*).
        This would be a person who mostly listens to classical
        music, but also has an extensive collection of other types
        of works.

@ is different from () in that () has finite limits within the category, while @ ranges all over.

Type

Geeks come in many flavors. The flavors relate to the vocation of the particular geek. To start a code, a geek must declare himself or herself to be a geek. To do this, we start the code with a "G" to denote "GEEK", followed by one or two letters to denote the geeks occupation or field of study. Multi-talented geeks with more than one vocation should denote their myriad of talents with a slash between each vocation (example: GCS/MU/T).

    GB  --  Geek of Business
    GCS --  Geek of Computer Science
    GE  --  Geek of Engineering
    GM  --  Geek of Math
    GMU --  Geek of Music
    GS  --  Geek of Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc.)
    GSS --  Geek of Social Science (Psychology, Sociology, etc.)
    GT  --  Geek of Theater
    GO  --  Geek of Other.  Some types of geeks deviate from the
            normal geek activities.  This is encouraged as true geeks
            come from all walks of life.
    GU  --  Geek of 'Undecided'.  This is a popular vocation with
            new freshmen.
    GAT --  Geek of All Trades.  For those geeks that can do
            anything and everything.  GAT usually precludes the use
            of other vocational descriptors.

Dress

Geeks come in many different types of dress.

    d    I dress a lot like those in Walmart ads
    d+   I tend to wear trendy political messages like "Save the
         Whales" or "Free South Africa".
    d++  I tend to wear conservative dress such as a business
         suit.
    d-   I tend to wear trendy political messages like "Nuke the
         Humans", "Question Authority", or "Big Brother's Watching".
    d--  I wear jeans to work just to piss off my boss
    d--- At work, I have holes in my jeans and/or obscenities on
         my shirt.
    d?   I have no idea what I am wearing right now, let alone
         what I wore yesterday.
    !d   No clothing.  Quite a fashion statement, don't you think?
    -d+  I wear the same clothes all the time, no matter the
         occasion, often forgetting to do laundry between wearings.

Politics

Just as the Geek's sense of fashion is varied, so is his/her political convictions.

    p    Politics?  I've heard of that somewhere but in all honesty
         I really don't give a shit.
    p+   Let's get the government off of big-business's back
    p++  All in favor of eliminating free speech, say aye!
    p+++ Fuckin' Minorities!  Adolf Hitler is my hero!
    p-   Bring back the 60's
    p--  I'm still living in the 60's
    p--- No taxes through no government
    -p+  Don't label me you moron!  Both sides are equally fucked up!

Computers

Most geeks identify themselves by their use of computers and computer networks. In order to quantify your geekiness level on computers, consult the following (consider the term 'computers' synonymous with 'computer network'):

    c     Computers are a tool, nothing more.  I use it when it serves
          my purpose.
    c+    Computers are fun and I enjoy using them.  I play a mean
          game of Wing Commander and can use a word processor without
          resorting to the manual too often.  I know that a 3.5" disk
          is not a hard disk.  I also know that when it says 'press any
          key to continue', I don't have to look for a key labeled 'ANY'.
    c++   Computers are a large part of my existence.  When I get up
          in the morning, the first thing I do is log myself in.  I mud
          on weekends, but still manage to stay off of academic
          probation.
    c+++  You mean there is life outside of Internet?  You're shittin'
          me!  I live for muds.  I haven't dragged myself to class in
          weeks.
    c++++ I'll be first in line to get the new cybernetic interface
          installed into my skull.
    c-    Anything more complicated than my calculator and I'm
          screwed.
    c--   Where's the on switch?
    c---  If you even mention computers, I will rip your head off!

Linux

Linux is a hacker-written operating system virtually identical to unix. It runs on your standard 386/486 PC computers and offers multitasking support far superior to DOS. Because it is still a young OS, and because it is continually evolving from hacker changes and support, it is important that the geek list his Linux ability.

    l    I know what Linux is, but that's about all
    l+   I've managed to get Linux installed and even used it a few
         times.  It seems like it is just another OS.
    l++  I use Linux almost exclusively on my system.  I monitor
         comp.os.linux and even answer questions some times.  I've
         aliased Linux FTP sites to make getting new software easier.
    l+++ I am a Linux wizard.  I munch C code for breakfast and have
         enough room left over for a kernel debugging.  I have so