h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just saw that we have a smiley. And now I wonder what exactly is the difference between a geek and a nerd.

To me as a non-native speaker it seems as if a geek is someone who is very stiff in his manner, overly correct. Being a nerd is somehow connected to sitting in front of computer 24/7.

Am I right, am I wrong?

Methos

I always thought of it as thus: a is someone who has vast amounts of knowledge on an unimportant subject, I'm a Buffy geek because I can tell you almost anything you'd ever want to know. A nerd is someone who likes something, has a fair amount of knowledge but crucially has no social skills and si it's a lot more general

My understanding is broadly similar to HonestIago's. Although I disagree about the importance of the subject knowledge

A geek is someone, usually not of advanced age, who has a great understanding of a particular subject area. A nerd is someone who has a consuming interest in something and knows lots of useless information about it.

A geek would, in my mind, be on a higher intellectual plane than a nerd. They may even have the same knowledge but a geek would put that to better use. A nerd also conjours up images of someone lacking in social skills. A geek may come across the same, but that would be because they were not interested in such skills.

Of course the ultimate resource for this is the Jargon File:
http://jargon.watson-net.com/jargon.asp?w=geek
and
http://jargon.watson-net.com/jargon.asp?w=nerd

and I didn;t realise that may have come from Dr. Suess either
*looks like my understanding of nerd was a bit off*

Let me try to get this straight...

So, a is someone with deep knowledge about *one* unimportant subject, but has social skills.
A nerd has not so deep knowledge about something, but has no social skills.

Did I get that right? The difference is the ampunt of knowledge and social skills?

Methos

Typical. While I typed my reply, someone was faster.

If I understand you right, Ictoan (great name, btw), a is somewhat , while a nerd isn't.

That's certainly the way I understand it. My encyclopedic knowledge of Buffy does give me a certain amount of cool points

thanks

Erm, yeah. Or at least that is how I see it.

But I strongly suggest you click the two links I provided for the definitive definition from the Jargon File. The Jargon File is one of those little bits of internet heritage and is kept up to date. It is a definition of the jargon and slang by those who invented it, use it and to whom it applies.
A kinda Encylopedia Internetica

Okay, so I read the definitions in the lexicon. And I'm not sure if I am more or less confused now.

Nerd seems to be a subcategory of having a slightly more negative connotation.

Methos

Mainstream use has both geek & nerd having negative connotations really IMO. I'm not sure that site is the best source for a definition seeing as it seems to be written in the bitter reactionary style.

Would anyone like to broaden this to include the unending debate about usage of the word 'otaku'? How about 'anorak'?

Then again, perhaps usage of 'geek'and 'nerd' presents enough problems.

BBiTM - I would counter that it is the best site for the definition since it is contributed to by those who /are/ geeks and nerds as well as those who coined the term. I didn't feel it to be that bitter or reactionary. But then I guess I am on the inside (just!) of the IT clique. I guess it is written by people trying to set the record straight which may come across that way though.

Nerd could definitly be seen as a subspecies of Geek. A geek who lost the plot a bit perhaps

Thing is, it means as many things as people want it to really. To many outside IT both Geek and Nerd are terms of derision. (as mentioned above). It seems that in mainstream the terms have been adopted to mean all the negative aspects of the stereotype but none (or little) of the positive aspects.

So we have multiple definitions, what the clueless mainstream *think* the words mean and what the educated initiates *know* the words to mean.

I've always thought of nerd as a more modern word for anorak to reflect the more indoor nature of the likely activities of a nerd.

more modern? How old is anorak then? (as in the meaning akin to nerd, rather than the Inuit word obv.!)

I'm an anorak rather than a nerd or a geek. I'm too old to be a geek, not knowledgeable enough to be a nerd (and not quite obsessive enough) but have the anorak qualities of whatever subject may take my fancy at any time I will pursue until I feel fulfilled with my quota of information. By the way I work as an information officer too, thus spending most of my life being anorakical (I made that up, another anorak tendancy of mine)

I think I recall anoraks from the 70s - stemming from trainspotters' favoured outer garment, but transferred to anyone with a similar obsessive hobby, particularly involving data.

I'm sure I didn't come across nerds until the 80s, in a computer/techno context.

What the 'clueless mainstream' think those words means is what defines what those words means .

Well, it can take a decade or so for the plebeian masses to catch up with the cutting edge of linguistic fashion Interesting how much of this IT slang originates apparently at MIT. You get the impression most of them satround through the 70's inventing new words.

BBitM - only to the clueless masses, the rest of us can just sit back and quietly laugh at them from our retreat of superior knowledge and back atcha!

I feel like I'm in an episode of Red Dwarf.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing as I recall.

geek = Screech from 'Saved By The Bell'

nerd = Rimmer from 'Red Dwarf'

that's how i compare them