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Meh. I don't like these questions. What's the difference between geeks and nerds? There really is no consistency because, in my opinion, we didn't come up wit
by kloncks 16y ago
Meh. I don't like these questions.
What's the difference between geeks and nerds?
There really is no consistency because, in my opinion, we didn't come up with these terms ourselves. It almost seems like people outside our industry or people who don't understand technology in our industry (Dilbert's bosses, for example) came up with these terms.
It's like the whole geek/nerd fiasco. People started calling others those two terms and now we're asked what they mean. The truth is that different people will like to be called different things. I for example prefer the word nerd. But, the really really correct truth is that it doesn't matter. That's the bottom line.
Sorry for the long-winded answer. But it's a pet peeve of mine when people focus on their titles more than their actions. I don't care if Zuckerberg is defined as a programmer, developer, or engineer. Because, honestly, they can't even be defined. I care a whole lot more about what he's done.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- mazesoul 16y agoThese questions have a very deep and important meaning. They also are an occasion to make an attempt at defining the qualities of our jobs. On par with naming your variables correctly, defining what are the jobs and what they mean is important. Here in Quebec, to be an engineer, that is to bear the title, you need proper training and you need to pay your due to the corporation that legislate the profession. The reason backing that is that engineer have a legal liability into what they build. They must take responsibility for their decision. I don't believe that programming at large as attain this level yet. Perhaps hacking at Mars Rovers for the NASA approaches or is it, but in web dev I think we are far from that. As for programmer and developers, I'd venture the following: A programmer is someone that implement the big picture created by someone else. That doesn't deprive her of expertise or quality, she just works at a different level than an engineer. A developer is a loose term to qualify "working in the field". It's used in every which way to mean: "Hey, this is the far-west, one of the few knowledge work field where you can learn by yourself and reach heights which are regulated and unattainable in other knowledge fields". I definitely am a developer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd vs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek. I'm not saying this is the only explanation - languages evolve - but it's an accepted definition and has an history. Language exists for a reason, precise language denote precise thinking, what is not defined we should strive to define correctly.
- gaius 16y agoA geek's technical obsession translates directly into commercial relevance. A nerd's does not.
- gaius 16y agoFor those who've gone a bit downvote-happy, this is a reference to Douglas Coupland's Microserfs which you all ought to have read...