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Introduction

#======= THIS IS THE JARGON FILE, VERSION 4.2.2, 20 AUG 2000 =======#

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

This document (the Jargon File) is in the public domain, to befreely used, shared, and modified. There are (by intention) nolegal restraints on what you can do with it, but there aretraditions about its proper use to which many hackers are quitestrongly attached. Please extend the courtesy of proper citationwhen you quote the File, ideally with a version number, as itwill change and grow over time. (Examples of appropriate citationform: "Jargon File 4.2.2" or "The on-line hacker Jargon File,version 4.2.2, 20 AUG 2000".)

The Jargon File is a common heritage of the hacker culture.Over the years a number of individuals have volunteeredconsiderable time to maintaining the File and been recognized bythe net at large as editors of it. Editorial responsibilitiesinclude: to collate contributions and suggestions from others; toseek out corroborating information; to cross-reference relatedentries; to keep the file in a consistent format; and to announceand distribute updated versions periodically. Current volunteereditors include:

Eric Raymond

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

All contributions and suggestions about this file sent to avolunteer editor are gratefully received and will be regarded,unless otherwise labelled, as freely given donations for possibleuse 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 thecooperation of the volunteer editors and the hacker community atlarge. If you wish to have a bound paper copy of this file, youmay find it convenient to purchase one of these. They oftencontain additional material not found in on-line versions. Thetwo `authorized' editions so far are described in the RevisionHistory section; there may be more in the future.

• Introduction: The purpose andscope of this File
• A Few Terms: Of Slang, Jargonand Techspeak
• Revision History: How theFile came to be
• Jargon Construction: Howhackers invent jargon
• Hacker Writing Style:How they write
• Email Quotes: And the InclusionProblem
• Hacker Speech Style:How hackers talk
• International Style:Some notes on usage outside the U.S.
• Lamer-speak: Crackers, Phreaks,and Lamers
• Pronunciation Guide: Howto read the pronunciation keys
• Other LexiconConventions: How to read lexicon entries
• Format for NewEntries: How to submit new entries for the File
• ...