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What is a word to describe a person who is really interested in learning new aspects and new things in a specific programming language? (We could call this person a seeker.)

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Enthusiast maybe? – user730 Dec 15 '10 at 11:56
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Have you considered "technophile"? I'm having a hard time deciding whether "Here's something for all you Java technophiles: Oracle recently announced..." sounds natural. – Mitch Schwartz Dec 15 '10 at 20:17
Newly coined by me; a 'blog worm', (like a book worm, but for the web). – dan_waterworth Dec 15 '10 at 21:53
@Mitch - IMHO technophile is too generic - this person specific has an interest in the latest developments of a particular programming language. A technophile just has a general interest in technology... – CJM Dec 16 '10 at 0:27
@CJM Yes the "latest developments" part might render "technophile" an inadequate choice, but I was trying to see if using the programming language as a noun adjunct as in "Java technophiles" sounded natural, and you seem not to have noticed this. – Mitch Schwartz Dec 16 '10 at 1:16

6 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

Neophile: A lover of new things, especially new technology.

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up vote 7 down vote

Geek would be a perfect fit, if you don't mind the negative implication some see in the word:

A person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby, generally at the expense of broader social interaction. Often used with an attributive noun.

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But the thing is geek connotes expert knowledge, for the most part. – Jimi Oke Dec 15 '10 at 12:02
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No negative connotations these day, thanks to Geek Chic. Remember, the bible said that the 'Geeks shall inherit the earth'... or something like that. – CJM Dec 15 '10 at 12:03
@ShreevatsaR, yeah you are right, changed it. @CJM, didn't know about Geek Chic, and I would say, I may not be alone in this case. – Eldroß Dec 15 '10 at 12:05
One would sometimes see "dork" stand in for "geek" for this usage, e.g. "film dork" and "music dork". – user730 Dec 15 '10 at 12:10
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Stay away from geek. Being a geek also involves biting the heads off of chickens at carnivals. – Eric Dec 15 '10 at 15:56
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up vote 7 down vote

'Early Adopter' perhaps? Or an 'Evangelist'?

I once heard someone called a 'State of the Art-ist'!

Edit: not a noun, but might they also be described as 'always on the bleeding edge'?

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@Jimi - not so. Or not necessarily. The bleeding edge is considered either to be either the front of the cutting edge or even in front of the cutting edge, and it perfectly appropriate for this phrase. Cutting edge works too, but the assertion that it 'should be' the cutting edge is wrong. – CJM Dec 15 '10 at 12:39
I stand corrected. I should check my facts next time before boldly making such an erroneous claim. Thanks, again. I've gained a new one. – Jimi Oke Dec 15 '10 at 14:04
Now "cutting edge" looks cliche in comparison. Wish I'd known of "bleeding edge" before turning in a recent essay. – Jimi Oke Dec 15 '10 at 14:09
up vote 2 down vote

I can't think of a noun right away, but there are quite a few adjectives: curious, inquisitive, studious.

And then there's always early adopter, but that has a slightly different meaning.

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up vote 2 down vote

The closest word I can think of to suit your definition would be enthusiast. An enthusiast, though, is not necessarily interested in learning new aspects.

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up vote 1 down vote

"bleeding edge specialist" springs to mind, though it's not exactly elegant or simple.

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