3 ms·

Did this originate in "stranger in a strange land"? I assumed it did, but so many references to grokking don't mention the book (which goes into great detail a

by roomey 3y ago

Did this originate in "stranger in a strange land"? I assumed it did, but so many references to grokking don't mention the book (which goes into great detail about what it means)

gostsamo 3y ago
it does.
layer8 3y ago
Where else would it come from? It’s just using the normal meaning of “to grok” [0] (or its present participle), which is a well-known term of hacker jargon [1]. [0] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grok https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grok [1] https://foldoc.org/grok https://foldoc.org/grok
- lloeki 3y ago
  These definitions feel somewhat limited, compared to the jargon file entry[0] grok: /grok/, /grohk/, vt. [common; from the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein, where it is a Martian word meaning literally ‘to drink’ and metaphorically ‘to be one with’] The emphatic form is grok in fullness. 1. To understand. Connotes intimate and exhaustive knowledge. When you claim to ‘grok’ some knowledge or technique, you are asserting that you have not merely learned it in a detached instrumental way but that it has become part of you, part of your identity. For example, to say that you “know” LISP is simply to assert that you can code in it if necessary — but to say you “grok” LISP is to claim that you have deeply entered the world-view and spirit of the language, with the implication that it has transformed your view of programming. Contrast zen, which is similar supernal understanding experienced as a single brief flash. See also glark. 2. Used of programs, may connote merely sufficient understanding. “Almost all C compilers grok the void type these days.” [0]: http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/grok.html http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/grok.html
  - ysavir 3y ago
    Thank you for sharing this! I used to use Grok incorrectly before reading Stranger in a Strange Land and now lament that the intended meaning is so poorly understood. While I can appreciate the irony that people don't grok grok, I guess I have to acknowledge that language evolves and generalizes, and not even Heinlein, providing a fairly original word and concept, is exempt from that effect.
    - carapace 3y ago
      It's worth noting that the root concept of the Martian word "grok" is to eat, to digest (and thereby become one.)
  - layer8 3y ago
    The Foldoc entry is actually from an older version of the Jargon file. Foldoc used to be an expanded version of the Jargon file, maybe that has somewhat become reversed in the meantime.
thedudeabides5 3y ago
Heinlein would be proud

by roomey 3y ago

Did this originate in "stranger in a strange land"? I assumed it did, but so many references to grokking don't mention the book (which goes into great detail about what it means)

gostsamo 3y ago

it does.

layer8 3y ago

Where else would it come from? It’s just using the normal meaning of “to grok” [0] (or its present participle), which is a well-known term of hacker jargon [1]. [0] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grok https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grok [1] https://foldoc.org/grok https://foldoc.org/grok

lloeki 3y ago
These definitions feel somewhat limited, compared to the jargon file entry[0] grok: /grok/, /grohk/, vt. [common; from the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein, where it is a Martian word meaning literally ‘to drink’ and metaphorically ‘to be one with’] The emphatic form is grok in fullness. 1. To understand. Connotes intimate and exhaustive knowledge. When you claim to ‘grok’ some knowledge or technique, you are asserting that you have not merely learned it in a detached instrumental way but that it has become part of you, part of your identity. For example, to say that you “know” LISP is simply to assert that you can code in it if necessary — but to say you “grok” LISP is to claim that you have deeply entered the world-view and spirit of the language, with the implication that it has transformed your view of programming. Contrast zen, which is similar supernal understanding experienced as a single brief flash. See also glark. 2. Used of programs, may connote merely sufficient understanding. “Almost all C compilers grok the void type these days.” [0]: http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/grok.html http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/grok.html
- ysavir 3y ago
  Thank you for sharing this! I used to use Grok incorrectly before reading Stranger in a Strange Land and now lament that the intended meaning is so poorly understood. While I can appreciate the irony that people don't grok grok, I guess I have to acknowledge that language evolves and generalizes, and not even Heinlein, providing a fairly original word and concept, is exempt from that effect.
  - carapace 3y ago
    It's worth noting that the root concept of the Martian word "grok" is to eat, to digest (and thereby become one.)
- layer8 3y ago
  The Foldoc entry is actually from an older version of the Jargon file. Foldoc used to be an expanded version of the Jargon file, maybe that has somewhat become reversed in the meantime.

thedudeabides5 3y ago

Heinlein would be proud