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Well, I am natively speaking German, not English, so my thoughts may be very well caused by that language difference, but please let me ask you this question:
At least here, where I live, in the last years, especially since Big Bang Theory hit the TV screens, which opens (in the german localized version) with the sentence "Neulich bei den Nerds" ("Recently with the nerds..."), I recognized, that nobody talks about Geeks, we all are "Nerds", be it programmers, people "who do that computer-thing", physicians, chemists, whatever kind of "technical" or "scientific" job profile it may be.
Is it true, that the term "Nerd" has been silently chosen to replace or assimilate the term "Geek" and now we are all "Nerds" - or is this a local, language-dependant phenomenon?
Do you still distinguish between those two factions? Are you as a developer nowadays a "Nerd" or a "Geek"?
Cheers, Mike
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I always thought that the two were fairly similar, but geeks tend to have a wider knowledge base and be slightly more socially adept. Bill Gates is a geek, but many of his employees are nerds.
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I thought the same, geeks are very good at something but don't waste their lives on it,
nerds live and breath their 'hobby' 24/7
Format Success.
Welcome to your new signa&*(gD@@@ ![Beer | [beer]](https://codeproject.freetls.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/beer.gif) @@@@@@*@x@@
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According to this, I am a nerd then...
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As I understood it geeks are people with social-life (whatever it is), and represents THE technological knowledge to their friends, but not necessarily knows about the that technology in depth...
A nerd on other hand does not know how to pronounce social-life, but know the technology inside-out...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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I am neither, I am an engineer.
Seriously, I don't like computers, don't like IT 'technology'. But then as an ex mech-aero engineer in IT for the money, I would much rather be designing ground effect flying boats. Now that DOES float my boat! 
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So you are a geek of aeronautical engineering.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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I live in a developing country. <= This statement has many things to do with the next paragraph.
For us not having active scientific activities, the only thing that makes people "think" is school. That said, the "Nerds" in here are the ones who spend a good period of time studying, good enough to be classified above-average, more like 3 hours a day doing homework.
On the other hand, a "Geek" is a person who meets a monospecific standard, which is: spending more than 2 hours on the computer daily. Doesn't matter if you are programming, playing video games, or chatting on facebook. You will be called a geek if that criteria matches you.
Don't judge me - Unfrontatly, that's how things work in here.
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Alaa Ben Fatma wrote: monospecific
That is possibly one of the best management-speak words I've ever seen. I'm borrowing it; thank you!
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli
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Words are sensuous weapons. 
I am happy that my reply helped you learn how to wield a new weapon.
You've got a lovely profile picture out there!
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Alaa Ben Fatma wrote: Don't judge me - Unfrontatly, that's how things work in here.
It does however have the distinction of being a very precise definition.
Which presumably nerds and perhaps geeks would approve.
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It doesn't matter which one you thi k you are, your friends and family think you fix printers for a living.
This space for rent
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...and attach bluetooth devices to their phone and find files on their MacBook Air desktop!
Cheers,
Mike Fidler
"I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright
"I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright
"I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.
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My wife refers to me as a geek; socially awkward at times, but capable of having a social life, a job and leading a family.
To her, nerds are those that live in their parents houses, fail school/college/university because they won't stop gaming all night - almost zero ambition to better themselves, just live in a fantasy world.
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Tim Carmichael wrote: nerds are those that live in their parents houses, fail school/college/university because they won't stop gaming all night - almost zero ambition to better themselves, just live in a fantasy world.
I thought that was a neckbeard or NEET (not in education, employment, or training)  To me the difference between a geek and nerd is a matter of the scope and depth of your knowledge. Geeks are a wider scope but limited depth. Nerds are a narrower scope but deeper depth. Where you draw the line is personal since it's more of a spectrum.
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When in doubt, turn to jargon.txt.
geek[^]
A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of neophilia. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat hacker as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves — and some who are in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they (quite properly) regard ‘hacker’ as a label that should be bestowed by others rather than self-assumed.
nerd[^]
Pejorative applied to anyone with an above-average IQ and few gifts at small talk and ordinary social rituals.
/ravi
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I agree that Nerd is strongly pejorative, and in some contexts might imply that the person doesn't know their subject matter all that well, though they think they do.
These days, Geek has a much more positive social slant. For example Public libraries recently did a "Geek the Library"/"What Do You geek?" campaign. And someone asked in a Penguicon discussion if they could be considered a geek about sports. 
It seemed like the writing on BBT got very lazy early-on, and I stopped watching. It went from "Haha, they have found an absurdly creative way to make bunnies the most fearsome creature in this game!" to "Hurr-hurr, they are playing a board game!"
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Nerds are studious. Geeks are circus performers.
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Geeks are (like circus geeks) unusual in the way they show their passion. Nerds are unusual in the depth of their passion. A geek will bite the head off a chicken. A nerd will spend days analyzing the bite marks.
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For me, GEEK applied to technology. And more socially capable.
Nerd covered the socially awkward kids playing Dungeons and Dragons, getting too deep into ANY of the Sci-Fi stuff, etc.
I was a Geek, I had friends who were both nerds and geeks.
But in a foreign country... I could see the challenge. The two words could be interchanged. In Big Bang Theory, I consider them mostly nerds!
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Thanks for referring to TBBT!
Yes exactly this is the point - at least regional around Vienna where I live, nobody ever ever uses the term "geek" - in fact, if I tell someone, that I am in theory more a geek than a nerd, I get back "Geek? What's that?"
The thing is, here (again: at least regional), TBBT "created" the word "nerd" for the masses. Now everybody referres to "crazy tech/science people" as nerds - no matter if they play games, develop, repair printers for live for their mother-in-law or are chemists/physicians.
It's been years that I heard the word "geek" the last time. Even some of the very young junior dev's know "nerd" very well but you get a ... confused look from them if you refer to geeks.
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The venn is missing the "wears pocket protector" and "has calculator strapped to their hip in a zippered leather (or simulated plastic leather) holster."
In my day (1970's), nerds, a pejorative term btw, gave themselves by what they wore.
The term geek, also pejorative, existed but in my circle of friends wasn't used as often.
Maybe because that's what we were.
Cheers,
Mike Fidler
"I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright
"I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright
"I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.
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If I had the inclination to really consider it I would say that the two are closely akin to each other however:
Geek - Tends to suggest one who while being brilliant may at times often be disconnected from the world around them.
While...
Nerd - Seems to suggest to me that same individual who has managed to circumvent the disconnected state of a burgeoning geek and succeeded at bridging the gap between the technical and the physical world.
Consequently geeks are more common than nerds and typically much more successful integrating and likely more accomplished based on world standards.
Just my thoughts.
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