The Geek Code was developed in 1993 as a system of letters and symbols used by self-proclaimed "geeks" to provide information about their personality, appearance, interests, skills, and opinions to other geeks.
This code aims to offer a brief yet comprehensive depiction of one's self within the realm of geek culture. It covers key dimensions using a limited number of categories, which are further specified with qualifiers or quantifiers. The goal is to encode everything that defines a geek's individuality into a compact format that only other geeks can comprehend, which is thought to be an efficient approach within geek culture.
By sharing your geek code with friends and acquaintances, you can help them understand that today's geeks are the trendsetters of tomorrow.
Robert A. Hayden, a student and later a graduate of Mankato State University, created and wrote Version 0.1 of the Geek Code, which only had about five categories. Version 0.2 focused on correcting spelling and bugs, while Version 0.3 added a few more categories.
The web links provided in this text are some of the earliest examples of the Geek Code still surviving on the internet. In the case that these websites disappear or stop loading, a backup of the old code has been created for posterity in this GitHub repository.
Click here to see Version 0.3 on the web!
Version 1.0 was released four months after 0.3, on July 17, 1993, and added several more categories, along with rules for cross-overs and variables.
Version 2.0 was released a year after Version 1.0, and at least 75 additions were included in that version, representing the recommendations of dozens of people. This milestone also signifies the moment when the geek code had expanded to such an extent that it ultimately needed to undergo revision in order to maintain internal coherence.
Click here to see version 2.1 on the web!
Version 3.x, which was released on March 5, 1996, was a significant refinement over Version 2.x, aimed at eliminating many of the non-geeky categories to make room for more geeky traits. Some of the odd categories that were removed in 3.x included automobiles, nutrition, and even Barney.
The geekcode Linux package, which is presently accessible on Debian and Ubuntu, operates on Version 3.12. However, it is imperative to note that this Linux package solely comprises the rudimentary form of the Version 3 Geek Code and is bereft of support for crossovers and variables, which were added in version 3.2.
Version 4.x was released on GitHub on October 18, 2019, with some categories removed, added, and altered.
Version 5.x eliminated case-sensitive categories and modified some letters and categories. The latest versions of the Geek Code are aimed at giving geeks a better platform to express their interests.
Version 6.x was released February 15, 2023, and represented a complete revision, improved with better comprehension, flow, revised vocabulary.
Version 7.x was released December 30, 2024 and greatly expanded on version 6.x by adding new, modern fields that geeks spend time in.
Version 2025.1.0.0 was released Jul 28, 2025 and included a new chronological semantic numbering system to simplify version numbering. Geekcode now follows will be YEAR.MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH It's obvious what YEAR means. MAJOR and MINOR will track major or minor version changes throughout the year.
Since the 2025 Revision, attitudes toward AI have fluctuated wildly everywhere. Geekcode already contains "Geek of Artifical Intelligence" (GAI) and "Geek of Generative AI" (GGEN).
It is understood that some geeks may dislike AI.
To that end, a new measurement has been added to allow for geeks to express how much you like or dislike AI
Download the current geekcode file and design your geekcode.
If you want to view it online: Use the GitHub Markdown Previewer and paste the RAW geekcode file into the code pane. You can read and see all the charts much easier with the markdown interpreted.
If you want to view it using a text editor: We suggest using Notepad++ WITHOUT WORD WRAP. Word wrap makes a mess of the charts!