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 freelyused, shared, and modified. There are (by intention) no legalrestraints on what you can do with it, but there are traditions aboutits 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 2.9.10" or"The on-line hacker Jargon File, version 2.9.10, 01 JUL 1992".)
The Jargon File is a common heritage of the hacker culture.Over the years a number of individuals have volunteered considerabletime to maintaining the File and been recognized by the net at largeas editors of it. Editorial responsibilities include: to collatecontributions and suggestions from others; to seek out corroboratinginformation; to cross-reference related entries; to keep the file in aconsistent format; and to announce and distribute updated versionsperiodically. Current volunteer editors include:
Eric Raymond eric@snark.thyrsus.com (215)-296-5718
Although there is no requirement that you do so, it is considered goodform to check with an editor before quoting the File in a published workor commercial product. We may have additional information that would behelpful to you and can assist you in framing your quote to reflectnot only the letter of the File but its spirit as well.
All contributions and suggestions about this file sent to a volunteereditor are gratefully received and will be regarded, unless otherwiselabelled, as freely given donations for possible use as part of thispublic-domain file.
From time to time a snapshot of this file has been polished, edited,and formatted for commercial publication with the cooperation of thevolunteer editors and the hacker community at large. If you wish tohave a bound paper copy of this file, you may find it convenient topurchase one of these. They often contain additional material notfound in on-line versions. The two `authorized' editions so far aredescribed in the Revision History section; there may be more in thefuture.
:Introduction:**************
:About This File:=================
This document is a collection of slang terms used by various subculturesof computer hackers. Though some technical material is included forbackground and flavor, it is not a technical dictionary; what wedescribe here is the language hackers use among themselves for fun,social communication, and technical debate.
The `hacker culture' is actually a loosely networked collection ofsubcultures that is nevertheless conscious of some important sharedexperiences, shared roots, and shared values. It has its own myths,heroes, villains, folk epics, in-jokes, taboos, and dreams. Becausehackers as a group are particularly creative people who definethemselves partly by rejection of `normal' values and working habits, ithas unusually rich and conscious traditions for an intentional cultureless than 35 years old.
As usual with slang, the special vocabulary of hackers helps hold theirculture together —- it helps hackers recognize each other's places inthe community and expresses shared values and experiences. Also asusual, *not* knowing the slang (or using it inappropriately) defines oneas an outsider, a mundane, or (worst of all in hackish vocabulary)possibly even a {suit}. All human cultures use slang in this threefoldway —- as a