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guru

Guru

Computer Sciences | 2002 | | Copyright

Guru

Guru

Guru is a Hindi word that refers to a teacher or a religious and spiritual guide. Similarly, modern usage of the word in the West usually refers to a wise person—maybe a teacher—with knowledge and expertise about a particular subject, and its usage was made common first in computer circles. Gurus are typically people who are easy to get in touch with and are interested in sharing their knowledge with others.

One of the early gurus in computer science was Jackson Granholm, who in 1962 coined the term "kludge." This word initially referred to a poorly planned combination of parts put together while designing a computer. Therefore, a kludge is a machine that contains several features that are annoying to users and, in retrospect, are aspects that the designer wishes had been done differently. The term now encompasses programs, documentation, and even computing centers, so that the new definition describes systems that were hastily planned, patched together, and have proven themselves to be unreliable.

Another early computer guru was H. R. J. Grosch, who, while working for the IBM Corporation in the 1950s, introduced Grosch's Law, which states that organizations can reduce the overall cost of their hardware if they strengthen their computing power because this will reduce the cost of performing computing functions. This means that the more powerful a computer system is, the lower its costs will be per unit of performance. So, if one spends twice as much on a new computer, one would anticipate its performance to be four times greater.

A third early guru was Gordon Moore, former chairman of the board of Intel, and the person who formulated Moore's Law in 1965 shortly after patenting the integrated circuit . His hypothesis, which states that transistor densities on a single chip will double every eighteen months, has proven to be very accurate over the years. Moore's Law has had an impact on costs and overall system performance, as well as in increased microprocessor speeds.

Some current computer gurus include:

  • Peter J. Denning. His work on virtual memory systems helped make virtual memory a permanent part of modern operating systems.
  • James Gosling, creator of Java and developer of Sun's NeWS windowing system. He was also the principal investigator on the Andrew project while earning his Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Tim Berners-Lee, originator of the World Wide Web. Together with colleagues, he developed Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) , the language used for web documents; Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) ; and the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) used to find anything on the web.
  • Linus Torvalds. He developed Linux, an operating system originally designed to maximize the capabilities of the Intel 80386 microprocessor. Later, Linux became widely adopted in industry and educational markets around the world because of its power and flexibility.

More recently, the word "guru" has appeared in numerous web sites covering a wide range of topics, from computer-related sites to supermarket shopping. A recent search for the word brought out 190 different web sites, and the numbers are growing daily. Can all these sites be populated with knowledgeable people who are interested in sharing their knowledge? Are they manned by people who claim to be experts but are not? How is one to know for sure? While doing online research, one has to be wise and take the time to validate the sources of information.

see also Hacking; Invasive Programs; Procedural Languages; Programming; Security.

Ida M. Flynn

Bibliography

Lee, J. A. N. Computer Pioneers. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press, 1995.
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Guru

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Guru (Skt., ‘heavy’). A teacher, initially of worldly skills or knowledge, hence a parent or a schoolteacher; but more often a teacher of religious knowledge or conveyor of spiritual insight and liberation (mokṣa) in Indian religions, especially among Hindus and Sikhs. The term is often synonymous with ācārya, though the latter is also used for the teacher of a skill. Guru should also be distinguished from paṇḍita, a scholar or learned man.

In Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism, and Tantrism the guru is the means whereby the tradition is conveyed through the generations and teachings are authenticated through the guru lineage (paramparā). With the development of bhakti, devotion to the guru as a means of liberation became a central practice, especially in the Sant tradition.

Buddhism has perhaps laid less stress on the guru than Hinduism, though the idea of the teacher as the conveyor of spiritual insight is still important. The idea of the guru is now found in modern W. religious movements some of which have developed directly out of Indian traditions such as Transcendental Meditation, the Hare Krishna (International Society …), and Rajneesh movements.

Conceptions of the guru vary from that of one who is identical with God and conveys liberation (mokṣa), the sat guru, to that of the guru as a guide, showing beings the way but not actually bestowing liberation. For example, in monistic Kashmir Śaivism the guru is identical with God (parameśvara), whereas in dualistic Śaiva Siddhānta he is distinct from God (Śiva).

Among Sikhs, the term refers primarily to Gurū Nānak and his nine successors, Aṅgad, Amar Dās, Rām Dās, Arjan Dev, Hargobind, Har Rāi, Har Krishan, Tegh Bahādur, and Gobind Siṅgh. All manifested the one divine light, just as one lamp is lit from another. This belief in the essential oneness of the Gurūs is central to Sikhism. On the death of Gobind Siṅgh, Gurūship was vested in the Ādi Granth ( Gurū Granth Sāhib) and the Khālsā community. Sikhs venerate the Ādi Granth as Gurū.
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guru

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

guru (Skt., heavy). General Indian term for a teacher, particularly a religious preceptor. The term is more commonly found in Hinduism than Buddhism. It is very rare in early Buddhism, which prefers the term ācārya (Pāli, acariya), but more common in the Vajrayāna particularly among those schools of tantra that emphasize personal transmission of mystical knowledge from teacher to disciple, such as the Tibetan Kagyüpa.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "guru." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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guru

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

guru , in Hinduism and Buddhism, spiritual teacher. The guru gives initiation into spiritual practice and instructs disciples, often maintaining a close relationship with them. Among the Sikhs (see Sikhism ) the title guru was given to the 10 leaders of the community from Nanak (c.1469–c.1539), founder of Sikhism, to Govind Singh (1666–1708). Govind appointed no successor, declaring that the Granth (the Sikh scriptures) was the true guru.

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guru

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

gu·ru / ˈgoŏroō; goŏˈroō/ • n. (pl. -rus) (in Hinduism and Buddhism) a spiritual teacher, esp. one who imparts initiation. ∎  each of the ten first leaders of the Sikh religion. ∎  an influential teacher or popular expert: a management guru.

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guru

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

guru Personal teacher and spiritual master. In traditional Hindu education, boys lived in the home of a guru, who guided their studies of the Vedas and saw to their physical health and ethical training. The first ten leaders of Sikhism assumed the title of guru. Guruship terminated in 1708.
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guru

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

guru a Hindu spiritual teacher. Also, each of the ten first leaders of the Sikh religion. The word comes from Sanskrit meaning ‘weighty, grave’, hence ‘elder, teacher’.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "guru." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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guru

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

guru Hindu spiritual teacher. XVII. — Hind. guru, sb. use of Skr. gurú- weighty, grave, dignified.
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T. F. HOAD. "guru." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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guru

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

guru •Andrew •Maseru, Nehru •aircrew • écru • breakthrough •Hebrew • see-through • corkscrew •walk-through •Nakuru, Nauru •froufrou • guru • woodscrew •thumbscrew • run-through • Timaru

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

The baby guru's guide to stating the obvious ...(Editorial; Opinion, Columns)
Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 5/17/2011
MARTYRDOM AND THE EXECUTION OF GURU ARJAN IN EARLY SIKH SOURCES.
Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 1/1/2001
the guru stops by.
Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 8/8/2010

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