lamer /n./ [prob. originated in skateboarder slang] Synonym for luser, not used much by hackers but common among warez d00dz, crackers, and phreakers. A lamer is one who scams codes off others rather than doing cracks or really understanding the fundamental concepts.

Ant. elite.

=M=

marketroid /mar'k*-troyd/ /n./ alt. `marketing slime', `marketeer', `marketing droid', `marketdroid'. A member of a company's marketing department, esp. one who promises users that the next version of a product will have features that are not actually scheduled for inclusion, are extremely difficult to implement, and/or are in violation of the laws of physics.

= N =

naive user /n./ A luser. Tends to imply someone who is ignorant mainly owing to inexperience..When this is applied to someone who has experience, there is a definite implication of stupidity.

neat hack /n./

1. A clever technique. 2. A brilliant practical joke, where neatness is

correlated with cleverness, harmlessness, and surprise value.

net.- /net dot/ /pref./ [Usenet] Prefix used to describe people and events related to Usenet.

E.g.: `net.goddesses' (various charismatic net.women with circles of on-line admirers).

net.personality /net per`sn-al'-*-tee/ /n./ Someone who has made a name for him or herself on Usenet, through either longevity or attention-getting posts, but doesn't meet the other requirements of net.godhood.

net.police /net-p*-lees'/ /n./ (var. `net.cops') Those Usenet readers who feel it is their responsibility to pounce on and flame any posting which they regard as offensive or in violation of their understanding of netiquette. Generally used sarcastically or pejoratively. Also spelled `net police'. See also net.-, code police.

network, the /n./ 1. The union of all the major noncommercial, academic, and hacker-oriented networks, such as Internet, the pre-1990 ARPANET, NSFnet, BITNET, and the virtual UUCP and Usenet `networks'. A site is generally considered `on the network' if it can be reached through some combination of Internet-style (@-sign) addresses.

NIL /nil/ No. Used in reply to a question, particularly one asked using the `-P' convention.

NSP /N-S-P/ /n./ Common abbreviation for `Network Service Provider', one of the big national or regional companies that maintains a portion of the Internet backbone and resells connectivity to ISPs. In 1996, major NSPs include ANS, MCI, UUNET, and Sprint.

number-crunching /n./ Computations of a numerical nature, esp. those that make extensive use of floating-point numbers. This term is in widespread informal use outside hackerdom and even in mainstream slang.

= O =

OS /O-S/

1. [Operating System] /n./ An abbreviation heavily used in email, occasionally in speech.

= P =

P-mail /n./ Physical mail, as opposed to email.

Syn. snail-mail, but less common.

Pascal /n./ An Algol-descended language designed by Niklaus Wirth on the CDC 6600 around 1967--68 as an instructional tool for elementary programming.

The hackish point of view on Pascal was probably best summed up by a devastating 1981 paper by Brian Kernighan (of K&R fame) entitled "Why Pascal is Not My Favorite Programming Language", which was turned down by the technical journals but circulated widely through photocopies.

= S =

samurai /n./ A hacker who hires out for legal cracking.

sitename /si:t'naym/ /n./ [Unix/Internet] The unique electronic name of a computer system, used to identify it in UUCP mail, Usenet, or other forms of electronic information interchange. The folklore interest of sitenames stems from the creativity and humor they often display.

sneaker /n./ An individual hired to break into places in order to test their security; analogous to tiger team. Compare samurai

= T =

T /T/ 1. [from LISP terminology for `true'] Yes. Used in reply to a question (particularly one asked using The `-P' convention). In LISP, the constant T means `true'. Some Lisp hackers use `T' and `NIL' instead of `Yes' and `No'.

2.A dialect of LISP developed at Yale.

talk mode /n./ A feature supported by Unix, ITS, and some other OSes that allows two or more logged-in users to set up a real-time on-line conversation. It combines the immediacy of talking with all the precision and verbosity that written language entails.

talker system /n./ British hackerism for software that enables talk mode.

= U =

UN*X /n./ Used to refer to the Unix operating system (a trademark of AT&T) in writing.

Unix /yoo'niks/ /n./ (also `UNIX') An interactive time-sharing system invented in 1969 by Ken Thompson after Bell Labs left the Multics project, originally so he could play games on his PDP-7. Dennis Ritchie, the inventor of C, is considered a co-author of the system. Unix underwent mutations and expansions at the hands of many people, resulting in a uniquely flexible and developer-friendly environment. By 1991, Unix had become the most widely used multiuser general-purpose operating system in the world. Many people consider this the most important victory yet of hackerdom over industry opposition.

Both forms `UNIX' and `Unix' are common, and used interchangeably.

Unix brain damage /n./ Something that has to be done to break a network program (typically a mailer) on a non-Unix system so that it will interoperate with Unix systems. The hack may qualify as `Unix brain damage' if the program conforms to published standards and the Unix program does not. Unix