More relevant for geeks is a newfound social status, which is ironic because geekdom has always been associated with a lack of social status. The old cliche is that the jocks and cheerleaders are the popular people in high school, whereas the science and computer nerds are at the top of the dean's list but at the bottom of the social hierarchy. That's changing.

Geek culture has gone mainstream, with TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and movies featuring comic book superheroes, vampires and sci-fi themes. Geeks have a lot more cred than they once did.

The reason it's important to understand the geek-noob conflict is that it informs a huge number of topics and issues covered in publications like the one you're reading now. Few appreciate that fact, even though it's absolutely necessary in order to truly understand these issues.

For example, the old war between the PC and the Mac is waged primarily across geek-noob lines. The PC's selling point is usually argued from a geek perspective. It's better because it's more powerful and flexible. You can do more with it. You can install or Windows. It's more open. You can control everything, and you can customize it much more easily without being controlled by a bunch of fascist Cupertino hipsters. Those are geek arguments.