This Document is part of the Geek Code Calculator by Brigitte Jellinek.

The Code of the Geeks v3.0

By: Robert A. Hayden <hayden@krypton.mankato.msus.edu>

Last updated: July 12, 1995

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.

Also, pay particular attention to case-sensitivity, there can be a big difference between a 'w' and a 'W'.

[...]

VARIABLES

Geeks can seldom be quantified. To facilitate the fact that within any one category the geek may not be able determine a specific rating, 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+(---). @ is different from () in that () has finite limits within the category, while @ ranges all over.
>
for `wannabe` ratings. Indicating that while the geek is currently at one rating, they are striving to reach another. For example, C->++
$
Indicates that this particular category is done for a living. For example, UL+++$ indicates that the person utilizes unix and gets paid for it. Quite a lucky geek, for sure.
?
Unless stated otherwise within the specific category, the ? is placed after the category identifier and indicates that the geek has no knowledge about that specific category. For example, a person that has never even heard of Babylon 5, would list their Babylon 5 category as 5?
!
Placed BEFORE the category. Unless stated otherwise, indicates that the person refuses to participate in this category. This is unlike the ? variable as the ? indicates lack of knowledge, while the ! indicates stubborn refusal to participate. For example, !E would be a person that just plain refuses to have anything to do with Emacs, while E? would be a person that doesn't even know what Emacs is.