Computer Terminology Invades English
© Linda L.
Richards
originally published in The Computer Paper
Computing, like any popular pursuit, has its own
language -- the jargon that set enthusiasts apart. What's special
about the language of computing is that words and phrases coined in
the infant computer industry over the last 20 to 40 years have been
creeping steadily -- and in some cases stealthily -- into our
centuries-old English.
Many of the following words and phrases are already in popular useage
at some level of non-hackish English. And I'm betting that the
balance will be in a short time.
I leaned heavily on "The Jargon File" as a research resource. The
Jargon File is a public domain document available by FTP at mit.edu.
The file has been published in book form by MIT Press. Called the
New
Hacker's Dictionary, the book is essentially The Jargon File
in book form. Editor of both the book and the file is Eric Raymond.
"I consider myself the keeper of the trust of The Jargon File," says
Raymond. "Really, there were about 400 authors." Excerpts from the
file are produced here with Raymond's permission.
As you read, please keep in mind that -- as with much that originates
with true hackers -- the tongue must never fully leave the cheek. It
is this spirit of playfulness that has lent such animation to the
industry they have grown.
automagically -- Automatically: but in a way that is either
too trivial or complicated to be easily explained.
back door -- A hole in the security of a system deliberately left
in place by designers or maintainers.
Bad Thing -- Something that can't possibly result in an
improvement of the subject. Bad Thing is always capitalized.
bandwidth -- The volume of information per unit time that a
computer, person, or transmission medium can handle. Can also refer
to attention span or, on usenet it is a somewhat hypothetical measure
of network capactiy.
barf -- Ffrom mainstream slang, meaning "vomit." In hackish
circles it's a term of maximum disgust. In hackish, you might hear
someone say, "I loaded the newest version and the system barfed,"
meaning it didn't run properly. Or, a more mainstream useage in the
same vein would be, "The microwave barfed when I input the timing
sequence."
beam -- A transfer of a file by some electronic medium.
Classically, you might, "beam that over to his site," via E-mail.
Increasingly, you can hear "Beam me a copy of that on the fax."
beta -- Officially, the second stage of software testing. But
increasingly, anything new and experimental. "The soup was great, but
I think the salad was still in beta." Since beta software is really
pre-release software, it is notoriously buggy and unpredictable.
Thus, the beta-stage is -- in whatever context -- likely to surprise,
and not always pleasantly.
bletcherous -- Disgusting in design or function; esthetically
unappealing. This word is seldom used of people. "This keyboard is
bletcherous!"
boat anchor -- Implies that the offending hardware is
irreversibly dead or useless. In post-hackish useage, this can be a
car, camera or computer: anything that is essentially obsolete. Also,
a person who just takes up space.
bogon -- The elementary particle of bogosity. For instance, "the
system is emitting bogons again" means that it is broken or acting in
an erratic or bogus fashion. Also used to refer to any bogus thing,
as in "I'd like to go to lunch with you but I've got to go to the
weekly staff bogon". A person who is bogus or who says bogus things.
From the Jargon File: The bogon has become the type case for a
whole bestiary of nonce particle names, including the `clutron' or
`cluon' (indivisible particle of cluefulness, obviously the
antiparticle of the bogon) and the futon (elementary particle of
{randomness}, or sometimes of lameness). These are not so much live
usages in themselves as examples of a live meta-usage: that is, it
has become a standard joke or linguistic maneuver to "explain"
otherwise mysterious circumstances by inventing nonce particle names.
And these imply nonce particle theories, with all their dignity or
lack thereof (we might note parenthetically that this is a
generalization from "(bogus particle) theories" to "bogus (particle
theories)"!). Perhaps such particles are the modern-day equivalents
of trolls and wood-nymphs as standard starting-points around which to
construct explanatory myths. Of course, playing on an existing word
(as in the `futon') yields additional flavor.
bogon filter -- Any device, software or hardware, that limits or
suppresses the flow and/or emission of bogons.
bogon flux -- A measure of a supposed field of bogosity emitted
by a speaker, measured by a bogometer; as a speaker starts to wander
into increasing bogosity a listener might say "Warning, warning,
bogon flux is rising".
bogosity -- The degree to which something is bogus.
bomb -- In hackish, a general synonym for crash.
bug -- From the Jargon File: An unwanted and unintended
property of a program or piece of hardware, esp. one that causes it
to malfunction. Increasingly, a bug can also be found in a person or
thing not related to computers. "I love that car, but the
transmission is a bit buggy." In any of these cases, the word doesn't
relate to insects.
cracker -- Someone who breaks security on a computer system. The
phrase was coined around 1985 to add nuance to the often misused
hacker. Though most crackers like to describe themselves as hackers,
most true hackers consider the cracker to be a lower life
form.
cyberpunk -- William Gibson's 1982 novel Neuromancer launched the
Science Fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Vancouver resident
Gibson is known to be something of a technophobe and the prose
resulting from his lack of knowledge of modern computers and
computing is considered both naive and stimulating. Gibson's work has
inspired imitation in film and literary forms as well as a fashion
movement that calls itself "cyberpunk," and is associated with the
rave and techno subcultures.
cyberspace -- Gibsonian cyberspace is tied closely to virtual
reality. Oddly, Gibson's naive plan has been the model for several
virtual reality experiments. Increasingly, cyberspace is the place
you are when you're online, as opposed to the place you are where you
are actually taking up space. If the Infobahn is a cyberhighway, then
it's definitely located in cyberspace.
defenestration -- From the Jargon file: 1. Proper karmic
retribution for an incorrigible punster. "Oh, ghod, that was
awful!" "Quick! Defenestrate him!" 2. The act of exiting a
window system in order to get better response time from a full-screen
program. This comes from the dictionary meaning of `defenestrate',
which is to throw something out a window. 3. The act of discarding
something under the assumption that it will improve matters. "I don't
have any disk space left." "Well, why don't you defenestrate that 100
megs worth of old core dumps?" 4. [proposed] The requirement
to support a command-line interface. "It has to run on a VT100."
"Curses! I've been defenestrated!"
dongle -- A piece of hardware that must be connected to an I/O
port that serves no purpose besides one of copy protection. The
software to be protected checks for the dongle before running
properly. By extension, and not in hacker parlance, a dongle can be
any piece of essentially useless hardware added with no obvious
intent besides irritating the final user.
down -- Not operating or functional. "The system will be down,"
in hackish. Now in mainstream, "I'm so tired. If I don't go down for
half an hour, I'm gonna crash."
droid -- A low-level bureaucrat or service-business employee with
little or no interest in doing anything above or beyond the call of
duty. "It's not my job, man" attitude.
From the Jargon File: Typical droid positions include supermarket
checkout assistant and bank clerk; the syndrome is also endemic in
low-level government employees. The implication is that the rules and
official procedures constitute software that the droid is executing;
problems arise when the software has not been properly debugged.
emoticon -- An ASCII glyph used to indicate an emotional state in
E-mail or news. There are lists of 100s of emoticons available. Here
are some of the more common ones:
:) or :-) `smiley face' (for humor, laughter, friendliness,
occasionally sarcasm).
:( or :-( `frowney face' (for sadness, anger, or upset).
;-) `half-smiley' ({ha ha only serious}); also known as `semi-smiley'
or `winkey face'.
:-/ `wry face'.
At present, emoticons are popular on local boards, but use them with
caution on Usenet. Some discussion boards frown on them and others
(alt.folklore.urban is one) actively discourage their use. To use one
is to invite flamage.
The best idea is to treat emoticons like spices and use them with
caution and at your own risk.
FAQ -- On usenet, a Frequently Asked Question. These FAQs are
usually compiled into some sort of file and made available through
FTP at various storage sites.
feature shock -- Originally a user or programmer's confusion when
confronted with a package that has too many features and poor
introductory material. Increasingly, what happens when we unpack a
new VCR or toaster oven.
flame -- Classically, posting an E-mail message intended to
insult and provoke. Increasingly, a thought expressed in conversation
in a manner meant to irritate is also called a flame.
flame war -- An acrimonious dispute, especially when conducted on
a public electronic forum such as usenet.
footprint -- The floor or desk area taken up by a piece of
hardware. Increasingly, used to describe this same type of space
taken up by non-electronic devices. "I liked the Honda CRX. It
cornered well and had a small footprint."
frobnicate -- To manipulate or adjust. Thus, you can frob a
program, a mason jar or a light switch.
From the Jargon File: Usage: frob, twiddle, and tweak sometimes
connote points along a continuum. `Frob' connotes aimless
manipulation; `twiddle' connotes gross manipulation, often a coarse
search for a proper setting; `tweak' connotes fine-tuning. If someone
is turning a knob on an oscilloscope, then if he's carefully
adjusting it, he is probably tweaking it; if he is just turning it
but looking at the screen, he is probably twiddling it; but if he's
just doing it because turning a knob is fun, he's frobbing it. The
variant `frobnosticate' has been recently reported.
GIGO -- Garbage In, Garbage Out and more recently, Garbage in,
Gospel Out. The contexts are numerous.
gillion -- Same as an American billion or a British milliard. The
relative soft or hardness of the "g" is a matter of personal
preference.
gonk -- To embellish the truth beyond a big fish story. "Don't
gonk me, I know a billable hour when I see one."
gonzo -- Overwhelming; outrageous; over the top.
Good Thing -- Capitalized, even in speech. A thing that is
wonderful. Oppose Bad Thing. Tax reductions and mocha lattes are Good
Things.
grep -- To look for something electronically and by pattern.
Increasingly, "I grepped through the bookstore for a copy of the OED,
but they were back ordered."
grok -- To understand in a global sense. Indicates intimate and
exhaustive knowledge. (From Robert Heinlein's book A Stranger in a
Strange Land -- Ed.)
guru -- An expert. Implies not only wizard skill but also a
history of being a knowledge resource for others. Also sometimes used
with a qualifier, "She's a Unix guru."
hacker -- A person who enjoys exploring the details of
programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as
opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the necessary
minimum. Increasingly, an expert or enthusiast of any kind. "He's a
mountain biking hacker."
From the Jargon File: It is better to be described as a hacker
by others than to describe oneself that way. Hackers consider
themselves something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability),
though one to which new members are gladly welcome. There is thus a
certain ego satisfaction to be had in identifying yourself as a
hacker (but if you claim to be one and are not, you'll quickly be
labeled bogus.
hackish -- Said of something that is or involves a hack, hackers
or the hacker sub-culture.
hyperspace -- From the science fiction idea of a ship taking a
shortcut through a different dimension in space, often with dire
results. "That piece of code must have gone into hyperspace." Or, "He
looked all right yesterday, but he must have gone into hyperspace
before the party."
manularity -- The manual labour required for a specific task.
"There's a lot less manularity involved in writing a lot of letters
with a computer than there was by hand."
marketroid -- A sales demon. The term is derogatory. Other forms
are marketing slime, marketeer and marketing droid.
mumblage -- Mumblage can be used in place of a perjorative as in,
"That mumble, mumble system is driving me crazy!" Also, when the
topic of discussion is not quite clear.
neophilia -- The trait of being excited and pleased by novelty. A
hacker would be exhibiting neophiliactic traits if he started exuding
happy signs over a new OS at Comdex.
newbie -- A neophyte. Classically, a new poster to usenet or one
of the local online services.
ooblick -- From the Jargon File: A bizarre semi-liquid
sludge made from cornstarch and water. Enjoyed among hackers who make
batches during playtime at parties for its amusing and extremely
non-Newtonian behavior; it pours and splatters, but resists rapid
motion like a solid and will even crack when hit by a hammer. Often
found near lasers. Here is a field-tested ooblick recipe:
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup water
food coloring
This recipe isn't quite as non-Newtonian as a pure cornstarch
ooblick, but has an appropriately slimy feel.
Some, however, insist that the notion of an ooblick recipe is
far too mechanical, and that it is best to add the water in small
increments so that the various mixed states the cornstarch goes
through as it becomes ooblick can be grokked in fullness by
many hands.
parse -- To understand or comprehend. If someone said, "Pass the
glitch on the glokhand," you would likely reply, "I can't parse
that."
pnambic -- An acronym from a scene in the film version of "The
Wizard of Oz." The line when the wizard is first discovered goes:
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." Pnambic refers to a
process or function whose operations are at least partly falsified.
There are some who, when a certain next-generation operating system
was first introduced, yelled pnambic quite loudly.
propeller head -- Non-hackers sometimes use it to describe all
techies. In hackish, the phrase is synonomous with computer geek.
quick-and-dirty -- Something put together under pressure.
Quick-and-dirty can refer to a computer program; a brochure design or
an automobile rushed through R&D.
RTFM -- Always spelled rather than spoken: Are-Tee-Eff-Em.
Acronym for "Read The F***ing Manual." A UK variation -- quite a bit
more polite -- is RTBM, or "Read The Bloody Manual."
samizdat -- A Russian word that means, literally, "self
publishing." In hackish, samizdat takes on the added meaning of
distributing information and documentation through underground
channels.
scanno -- Analogous to a typo or a thinko. The error a scanner
will sometimes make when going about its business.
smiley -- See emoticon.
snail-mail -- Traditional mail sent by peons, as opposed to
electronic mail. "I'll snail you a copy of that article," or "Give me
your snail mail address and I'll send it."
sneakernet -- A term generally used with ironic intent for
transfer of electronic information by physically carrying a disk from
one computer to another.
studly -- Impressive and powerful. "AcmeSoft's new grok
parser is most studly."
unleaded -- Decaffeinated coffee, lite beer, diet cola could all
be said to be unleaded.
virtual -- A common alternative to logical; often used to refer
to the artificial objects. Thus a network might become a virtual
playground in certain hands. Regular moo-ers are sometimes said to
have virtual sex and someone who is perpetually unemployed might be
said to have a virtual vocation.
wave a dead chicken -- To perform a ritual in the direction of an
operation that hasn't worked in the hopes that something -- however
unlikely it may seem -- will happen. "I'll wave a dead chicken over
the Ford, but I don't think anything short of a new motor will really
help."
wonky -- An approximate synonym for broken. A malfunction that
creates a result slightly to the left of center. "The font lists went
wonky. I was asking for Times Roman and got cyrillic glyphs!"
workaround -- A temporary solution to the problem at hand.
YABA -- How about another bloody acronym for Yet Another Bloody
Acronym?
zap -- Essentially, spiciness that can be applied equally to food
and code. "Zap the chili. My nose didn't run." Or, to fry a chip or
processor with electricity. "It's zapped. We'll have to replace
it."
zen -- Enlightenment by means of direct, intuitive insights. "How
did you figure that out?" "I zenned it." Differs from grok in that
there is no actual work involved: more intuition.
Linda Richards is the editor of January Magazine and the author of Mad Money. She nearly defenestrated this whole project while working on it. "A little frobnication and it was gonzo. And it really zenned together in the end," she says, adding that she hopes it parses easily.