#======= THIS IS THE JARGON FILE, VERSION 4.4.7, 29 DEC 2003 =======#

The Jargon File

(version 4.4.7)
     ________________________________________________________________

   Table of Contents

   Welcome to the Jargon File
   I. Introduction

        1. Hacker Slang and Hacker Culture
        2. Of Slang, Jargon, and Techspeak
        3. Revision History
        4. Jargon Construction

              Verb Doubling
              Soundalike Slang
              The -P Convention
              Overgeneralization
              Spoken inarticulations
              Anthropomorphization
              Comparatives

        5. Hacker Writing Style
        6. Email Quotes and Inclusion Conventions
        7. Hacker Speech Style
        8. International Style
        9. Crackers, Phreaks, and Lamers
        10. Pronunciation Guide
        11. Other Lexicon Conventions
        12. Format for New Entries

   II. The Jargon Lexicon

        Glossary

   III. Appendices

        A. Hacker Folklore

              The Meaning of `Hack'
              TV Typewriters: A Tale of Hackish Ingenuity
              A Story About `Magic'
              Some AI Koans

                    Tom Knight and the Lisp Machine
                    Moon instructs a student
                    Sussman attains enlightenment
                    Drescher and the toaster

              OS and JEDGAR
              The Story of Mel

        B. A Portrait of J. Random Hacker

              General Appearance
              Dress
              Reading Habits
              Other Interests
              Physical Activity and Sports
              Education
              Things Hackers Detest and Avoid
              Food
              Politics
              Gender and Ethnicity
              Religion
              Ceremonial Chemicals
              Communication Style
              Geographical Distribution
              Sexual Habits
              Personality Characteristics
              Weaknesses of the Hacker Personality
              Miscellaneous

        C. Helping Hacker Culture Grow
        Bibliography

Welcome to the Jargon File

   This  is  the Jargon File, a comprehensive compendium of hacker slang
   illuminating many aspects of hackish tradition, folklore, and humor.

   This document (the Jargon File) is in the public domain, to be freely
   used,  shared,  and  modified.  There  are  (by  intention)  no legal
   restraints on what you can do with it, but there are traditions about
   its  proper  use  to  which many hackers are quite strongly attached.
   Please  extend  the  courtesy  of  proper citation when you quote the
   File,  ideally with a version number, as it will change and grow over
   time.  (Examples of appropriate citation form: "Jargon File 4.4.7" or
   "The on-line hacker Jargon File, version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003".)

   The  Jargon File is a common heritage of the hacker culture. Over the
   years  a  number of individuals have volunteered considerable time to
   maintaining  the  File  and  been  recognized  by the net at large as
   editors   of  it.  Editorial  responsibilities  include:  to  collate
   contributions  and suggestions from others; to seek out corroborating
   information;  to cross-reference related entries; to keep the file in
   a  consistent format; and to announce and distribute updated versions
   periodically. Current volunteer editors include:

   Eric Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>

   Although  there  is  no  requirement that you do so, it is considered
   good  form  to  check  with  an  editor  before quoting the File in a
   published   work  or  commercial  product.  We  may  have  additional
   information  that  would  be  helpful  to  you  and can assist you in
   framing your quote to reflect not only the letter of the File but its
   spirit as well.

   All contributions and suggestions about this file sent to a volunteer
   editor are gratefully received and will be regarded, unless otherwise
   labelled,  as freely given donations for possible use as part of this
   public-domain file.

   From  time to time a snapshot of this file has been polished, edited,
   and  formatted for commercial publication with the cooperation of the
   volunteer  editors  and the hacker community at large. If you wish to
   have  a  bound paper copy of this file, you may find it convenient to
   purchase  one  of  these.  They often contain additional material not
   found in on-line versions. The three `authorized' editions so far are
   described  in  the Revision History section; there may be more in the
   future.

   The  Jargon File's online rendition uses an unusually large number of
   special  characters.  This test page lists them so you can check what
   your browser does with each one.
   glyph description
   a     greek character alpha
   k     greek character kappa
   l     greek character lambda
   L     greek character Lambda
   n     greek character nu
   o     greek character omicron
   p     greek character pi