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 * Home
 * Cutting Edge


HOW THE WORD "GROK" BECAME A COMPUTER TERM

By Sydney Butler
Published 1 day ago


We will grok you.

Sydney Louw Butler / DALL-E 3
Readers like you help support How-To Geek. When you make a purchase using links
on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

 * "Grok" comes from the sci-fi novel "Stranger in a Strange Land" and means "to
   understand" something deeply and innately.
 * Computer geeks adopted "grok" to describe a profound understanding of
   programming code and techniques. The term has become an integral part of deep
   computer culture.



You may have heard that Elon Musk has released his own take on ChatGPT, in the
form of "Grok." It's a weird word, to be sure, but Elon didn't invent it.
Instead, like the name "Tesla," there's history involved here.


WHERE DOES "GROK" COME FROM?

The term "Grok" comes from the novel Stranger in a Strange Land by sci-fi master
Robert A. Heinlein. The same prolific writer responsible for Starship Troopers
and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, to name a few.

Stranger in a Strange Land was published in 1961, and was a controversial novel
for quite some time thanks to its radically liberal themes and content. The book
tells the story of a man raised by Martians who returns to Earth and provides a
very alien perspective on human nature, culture, and society. I really wouldn't
want to spoil one of my favorite books of all time, so if you're so inclined, I
can't possibly recommend it more.



STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

A true classic Sci-Fi novel that tells the story of a man raised by Martians who
must return to Earth and try to adapt to our strange ways and perhaps teach
humanity something about themselves in the meantime.


$10 at Amazon

But the book as a whole isn't the thing we're most interested in here; it's the
Martian term grok, which does a lot of heavy lifting in the novel as a sort of
mysterious catchall. The translation from Martian is literally "to drink," which
in the context of the nearly waterless Mars is a profound concept. Grok has so
many connotations that it almost becomes meaningless in a Zen way, but the
meaning that matters here is "to understand."

However, to grok isn't just to have a surface understanding of something. It
means you understand something innately, that it's become part of who you are.
Sort of like Bane from Batman, who groks the dark, unlike the rich guy in a bat
suit.




HOW COMPUTER GEEKS ADOPTED "GROK"

It's probably not too surprising that there's a significant overlap between
people who are into computers and those who enjoy science fiction and fantasy.
The word started popping up in computer publications, usually in relation to
understanding programming code and the problems one solves by using it.



The "hacker dictionary" Jargon File (fair warning, the site does not have HTTPS
encryption) describes it like this:

> 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 a similar supernatural understanding
> experienced as a single brief flash.

It's especially in the world of Unix, Linux, and FOSS (Free and Open Source)
computer culture where I encountered "grok" the most over the years. This makes
the most sense when you consider the "radical" ideas and philosophies behind
FOSS and the similarly revolutionary ideas in the novel.



Then you have reference books such as Grokking the GIMP and advanced network
tools such as ngrok. They serve as evidence that "grok" was and continues to be
an integral part of deep computer culture, as much as recursive acronyms, guru
meditation, or daemons.

So, for Elon Musk's new AI to adopt the name is perhaps a much bolder move than
those who don't know the deep magic might realize.




THE BEST TECH NEWSLETTER AROUND








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 * Cutting Edge

About The Author
Sydney Butler (451 Articles Published)


Sydney Butler is a technology writer with over 20 years of experience as a
freelance PC technician and system builder. He's worked for more than a decade
in user education. On How-To Geek, he focuses on creating commerce content with
simple buying advice and carefully chosen product suggestions.

Sydney started working as a freelance computer technician around the age of 13,
before which he was in charge of running the computer center for his school. (He
also ran LAN gaming tournaments when the teachers weren't looking!) His
interests include VR, PC, Mac, gaming, 3D printing, consumer electronics, the
web, and privacy.

He holds a Master of Arts degree in Research Psychology with a minor in media
and technology studies. His masters dissertation examined the potential for
social media to spread misinformation.


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