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Revision as of 17:19, 11 January 2003 by TakuyaMurata (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The term guru refers, often disparagingly, to the chief or wisdom-source of a sect or a cult, often Eastern in origin (the word "guru" comes from Sanskrit and implies "heaviness").
With the rise of New Age "thought" from about 1960, gurus proliferated, and the term passed into wider and metaphorical use.
In hacker culture, Guru is an exprt. Implies not only wizard but also a history of being a knowledge resource for others. Less often, used (with a qualifer) for other experts on other systems, as in VMS guru. (The definition is from Jargon file)