The Geek Code, developed in 1993, is a series of letters and symbols used by self-described "geeks" to inform fellow geeks about their personality, appearance, interests, skills, and opinions.

The geek code attempts a concise description of your being in 'geek space', spanning key dimensions using a small set of categories and quantifying them with qualifiers ( or qualifying them with quantifiers, as you wish).

The idea is that everything that makes a geek individual can be encoded in a compact format that only other geeks can read. This is deemed to be efficient in some sufficiently geeky manner.

Share your geek code with friends and acquaintances! Help them understand that "The geeks of today are the trendsetters of tomorrow."

Version 0.1 was created and written by Robert A. Hayden, a student (and later graduate) of Mankato State University. It consisted of only about five categories.

Version 0.2 was mostly a spelling and bug fix.

Version 0.3 added a couple more categories.

Click here to see Version 0.3 on the web!

Version 1.0 was released about 4 months after 0.3 on July 17, 1993 and added several more categories as well as the rules for cross-overs and variables. 1.0.1 was a bugfix released later that day.

Click here to see Version 1.0.1 here!

Version 2.0 was released one year after version 1.0 on July 17, 1994. Version 2.0 and represents the recommendations of many dozens of people, and at least 75 additions were added in that version.

Version 2.1 was released one day later, and was mostly bugfixes to make Geek Code internally consistent with itself.

Click here to see version 2.1 on the web!

Version 3.x of Geek Code was released on March 5, 1996. It was a huge refinement over version 2.x! One of the main problems with 2.x was that it was too long, and much of its length was attributed to non-geek categories. One of the goals of 3.x is to eliminate many of the non-geeky and unimportant categories to make room for geeky traits. "More geek, less bullshit" was a good motto for this version. It removed some categories from 2.x that were just downright odd (like automobiles, nutrition, and Barney?)

Version 3.1

Version 3.1 Generator

Version 3.1 Decoder

Version 3.12 is the version used for the geekcode Linux package still available on Debian and Ubuntu. The Linux package only contains the basic version 3 Geek Code, and does not support crossovers and variables.

Version 4.x was released on GitHub on October 18, 2019. Some categories have been removed, others added, and some altered. The v3.x undergraduate weltanschauung has been supplanted by a more seasoned outlook.

In version 4, tv/series are given its own category (since geeks may watch something else besides Star Trek)

Click here to see Version 4.0!

Version 4.5 was mostly bugfixes to make the current geek code internally consistent, and correct any older 3.x code that was lurking in the shadows.

The code no longer uses case-sensitive categories. To accomplish this, some categories and letters have been changed. Letter groupings are used so that there was no repetition of single letters among the categories.

Some categories were merged, and couple of new symbols were added. The header of the GEEK CODE BLOCK (which used to mimic the output of a GPG BLOCK) now merges both header and version in a single line.

In version 5.x, each category is designed to help uniquely identify a geek with less parallelism existing among categories. There are no categories that refer backwards to previously defined categories.

And there's never a need to define "sex" in three different ways!

In our own way, this version also adheres to the motto "more geek, less crap". And this has really enhanced the "seasoned outlook" that v4.x adopted in its code.

The code consists of a set of alphanumeric identifiers indicating the various categories (and subcategories), and qualifiers + and – following the identifiers indicating amount/size/level of proficiency/etc. These qualifiers can be stacked, e.g H+++ indicates a person of extremely skilled with hardware (the H indicating Hardware).

The broad categories encoded are: Geek of, Wetware, Computers, Politics, Entertainment, Lifestyle. Most have subcategories and you can answer at any level of detail desired, thus eg. U++ indicates someone highly interested/proficient in Unix, while ULDU++ indicates someone into Unix/Linux/Debian/Ubuntu (each additional step is a derivative of the previous step). Multiple subcategories can be indicated with a forward slash, e.g GCS/GM indicates a Geek of Computer Science and Math.

Some categories will be irrelevant, so ignore them. Some of the qualifiers may not match you exactly, so choose the qualifier that most closely matches you.

Given a set of category/qualifier strings for any of the above (skip anything you don't want to answer/not relevant/classified/unknown/indeterminate/etc).

It's time to assemble your code for displaying to the world. Take the substrings and concatenate them with a space between them. When completed, it will look something like the following:

GCS^/GM^ A++(a?) B_:--:+:-:+ C++(C-) D+:+ CM++(++++) MW11_(++) ULD++++$ MC-- Lbash+++/LC#+/Lj+/Lpy++/Lvb IO+++:---(+) G:exarobibliologist E++ H+ PGP PSG PE TDW+/TEX+++/THRO++++/TMON+++/TOB+++/TSTsnw+++/TSTld+++/TSTdsc-- RPG+++(*)>$ BK+++ KX+++ INTJ-A R-- he/him+++

A GEEK CODE BLOCK parodies the output created by PGP, and attempts to universalize how you will see the Geek Code around the net. Line breaks can be added if needed (but are not necessary).

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK VERSION 5.1-----
GCS^/GM^ A++(a?) B_:--:+:-:+ C++(C-) D+:+ CM++(++++)
MW11_(++) ULD++++$ MC-- Lbash+++/LC#+/Lj+/Lpy++/Lvb
IO+++:---(+) PGP G:exarobibliologist E++ H+ PSG PE
TDW+/TEX+++/THRO++++/TMON+++/TOB+++/TSTsnw+++/TSTld+++/
TSTdsc-- RPG+++(*)>$ BK+++ KX+++ INTJ-A R-- he/him+++
-----END GEEK CODE BLOCK VERSION 5.1-----

A few special characters allow for the (ultimately wrong but practically useful) notion that geeks can seldom be strictly quantified.

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 geek's occupation or field of study. Multi-talented geeks with more than one vocational training should denote their myriad of talents with a slash between each vocation (example: GCS/MU/TW).

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The Geek, of course, doesn't believe any of that crap; on the internet, no one knows you're a dog, according to an ancient meme. In any case, this section allows you to list something about what you look like, conceivably for dating purposes or such nonsense. Also it lets us start off with 'abcd' for age/beard/clothing/dimensions.

The only way to become a true geek is through practice and experience. To this end, your age becomes an important part of your geekiness. Use the qualifiers below to show your age (in Terran years). Base 10, wise guys.

As facial hair plays some sort of role in geek space, serving as an expression of style, countercultural proclivities, etc. and unix beards being a thing we give it a category here despite its irrelevance to some fraction of the population.

The hair code is divided into 5 parts, delimited by a colon. The parts are (Head : Beard : Brows : Mustache : Sideburns)

Thus B_:++:+:++:_ means that geek has an average head of hair, with an impressive beard, thick brows, an equally impressive mustachio, and ordinary sideburns.

Geeks come in many shapes and sizes. Shape code is divided into two parts delimited by a colon, the first indicating vertical, and the second horizontal extent.

Example: D+++:--- indicates extremely tall and thin.

There is a record of geeks that don't use computers. Unfortunately, they are all dead, having lived in an era of no computers.

All modern geeks have some exposure to computers. If you don't know what a computer is, you need to go back into your shell.

Most geeks identify themselves by their use of computers and computer networks. To quantify your geekiness level on computers, consult the following (consider the term 'computers' synonymous with 'computer network'). This category represents "general" computer aptitude. The categories below will get into specifics.

A good many geeks suffer through the use of various versions of Microsoft Windows.

Rate your Windows geekiness, and if desired you can include the versions of Windows you have used or are currently using.

For example: MW11+++ means that you are very proficient with Windows 11.

It seems that a Unix-based operating system is the OS of choice among most geeks. In addition to telling us about your Unix abilities, you can also show which specific Unix OS you are using. To accomplish this, you include a letter showing the brand with your rating. For example: UL++++ would indicate a sysadmin running Linux.

	U = Unix
		UL = Linux
			ULA = Arch
				ULAP = Pacman
			ULD = Debian
				ULDU = ubuntu
					ULDUM = Linux Mint
					ULDU* = 3rd party/discontinued ubuntu
				ULDD = Deepin
			ULF = Fedora
			ULRH = Red Hat Enterprise Linux
				ULRC = Centos
				ULRO = OpenSUSE
			ULG = Gentoo
				ULGC = ChromeOS / ChromiumOS
			ULS = Slackware
			UL* = other
		US = Sun OS/Solaris
		UA = AIX
		UH = HPUX
		UI = IRIX
		UC = SCO Unix
	U* = Some other one not listed

some examples

Many geeks have jumped the PC ship and moved over to using Apple products. Give notification of your Mac rating.

List a series of languages and your facility/opinion thereupon, for example, Lpy++/LR+ would indicate high proficiency in python and above-average knowledge of R.

For example:

How do you take your data? How do you present your data to others? Input/Output is a single entry with two sections delimited by a colon describing how user-friendly or not you are.

For example: IO+++:--- likely means you send and receive data in as raw a form as possible.

Pretty Good Privacy (aka PGP) is a program available on many platforms that will encrypt files so that prying eyes (particularly governmental) can't look at them.

Version Control systems are a priority for most geeks coders. List which version control system you use, and your username so we can find you.

Write your username, after the code, like the following examples:

G:exarobibliologist
Gbn:rutman

The last few years have seen the rise of the political geek. This phenomenon is little understood, but some theorize that it has come about because of the popular media's attempts to demonize the Internet and computer use in general, and the government's willingness to go along with it. Others propose that the aging geek population has simply started taking an interest in the world around them. Some support the "Sun Spot" theory. As of v4 some new subcategories are added to the PS and PE categories.

Where, in general, your political views on different social issues fall. The + and – ratings here roughly indicate left/right on the political spectrum.

Subcategories (give yourself a geek point if your first thought was 'actually, subsubcategories')

	PSG = green politics/sustainability/climate
	PSL = civil liberties
	PSS = gender politics

Note this category has been reversed as of v4 to maintain the loose left+ and right- association from the PS category.

Geeks love to play. No matter their age, all geeks enjoy playing. Of course, the object of this entertainment takes a myriad of different forms. What is it that pushes a geek to play? Is it simply a desire to relive their childhood? Or perhaps there is a piece of geeky genetic code that requires intellectual stimulation. Who knows, maybe it's a Freudian thing…

List what you think of the series you geek out to

Example Star Trek info

Role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons have long been a part of the traditional geek life. Because geeks often become so involved in their role-playing that they lose touch with reality, include one of the following role-playing codes.

In addition (or maybe on the other hand), many geeks have lives that revolve around books.

You may append the code for comics with a modifier from --- to +++ to indicate how much of a fan you are.

Geeks, unlike the lower lifeforms known as nerds, have lives. They have things to do that are in the outside world. Of course, this is usually done with other geeks, but that's not the point. The point is, that geeks are not necessarily the outcasts society often believes they are. The fact is that society isn't cool enough to be included in our activities.

Most geeks have at one time or another taken a Myers & Briggs Type Indicator test. If you want to, include your letters in the code here.

Tell us about your geeky home.

While many geeks are highly successful at having relationships, a good many more are not.

Geeks have traditionally had problems with sex (ie, they never have any). Because geeks are so wrapped up in their sexuality (or lack of sexuality), it is important that the geek be willing to quantify their sexual experiences.

This code also is used to denote the gender of the geek.

Share your pronouns followed by the modifier to show how successful you have been with relationships and sex.

Pronouns should always be lowercase to prevent them from being mistaken for current or future geekcode (which is capitalized in most cases).

For example:

he/him+++

(Deprecated / Optional) Females may use 'X' in this category. Males may use 'Y'. Other genders may use 'Q'. Those who are non-binary or do not wish to disclose their gender can use 'Z'.