diff --git a/entries/holy wars.txt b/entries/holy wars.txt index fba3b1b..81ee71c 100644 --- a/entries/holy wars.txt +++ b/entries/holy wars.txt @@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ n. [from Usenet , but may predate it; common] n. flame wars over religious issues. The paper by Danny Cohen that popularized the terms big-endian and little-endian in connection with the LSB-first/MSB-first controversy was entitled On Holy Wars and a Plea for Peace. Great holy wars of the past have -included ITS vs Unix , Unix vs VMS , BSD Unix vs System V, C vs Rust, -Python vs Perl, init vs systemd, etc. +included ITS vs Unix, Unix vs VMS, BSD Unix vs System V, C vs Rust, +Python vs Perl, init vs systemd, vim vs Emacs, etc. The characteristic that distinguishes holy wars from normal technical disputes is that in a holy war most of the participants spend their time diff --git a/entries/muggle.txt b/entries/muggle.txt index 6573d26..db7821f 100644 --- a/entries/muggle.txt +++ b/entries/muggle.txt @@ -1,11 +1,11 @@ muggle -A non- wizard. Not as disparaging as luser ; implies vague pity rather than -contempt. In the universe of Rowling's popular children's series, muggles -and wizards inhabit the same modern world, but each group is ignorant of -the commonplaces of the others' existence most muggles are unaware that -wizards exist, and wizards (used to magical ways of doing everything) are -perplexed and fascinated by muggle artifacts. In retrospect it seems -completely inevitable that hackers would adopt this metaphor, and in hacker -usage it readily forms compounds such as muggle-friendly. Compare luser, -mundane, chainik, newbie. +A non- wizard. Implies vague pity rather than contempt. In the universe +of Rowling's popular children's series, muggles and wizards inhabit the +same modern world, but each group is ignorant of the commonplaces of +the others' existence most muggles are unaware that wizards exist, +and wizards (used to magical ways of doing everything) are perplexed +and fascinated by muggle artifacts. In retrospect it seems completely +inevitable that hackers would adopt this metaphor, and in hacker +usage it readily forms compounds such as muggle-friendly. Compare +mundane, chainik, newbie, wannabe. diff --git a/entries/naive user.txt b/entries/naive user.txt index 60711d7..7198e20 100644 --- a/entries/naive user.txt +++ b/entries/naive user.txt @@ -1,6 +1,3 @@ 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. - +n. Tends to imply someone who is ignorant mainly owing to inexperience. diff --git a/entries/newbie.txt b/entries/newbie.txt index 8e78edf..bf04e50 100644 --- a/entries/newbie.txt +++ b/entries/newbie.txt @@ -1,12 +1,10 @@ newbie -/n[y]oobee/ , n. [very common; orig. from British public-school and military -slang variant of new boy ] A Usenet neophyte. This term surfaced in the -newsgroup talk.bizarre but is now in wide use (the combination clueless +/n[y]oobee/ , n. A new user of some system. This term surfaced in the +Usenet newsgroup talk.bizarre but is now in wide use (the combination clueless newbie is especially common). Criteria for being considered a newbie vary wildly; a person can be called a newbie in one newsgroup while remaining a respected regular in another. The label newbie is sometimes applied as a serious insult to a person who has been around Usenet for a long time but -who carefully hides all evidence of having a clue. See B1FF ; see also -gnubie. Compare chainik , luser. - +who carefully hides all evidence of having a clue. See B1FF; see also +gnubie. Compare chainik. diff --git a/entries/padded cell.txt b/entries/padded cell.txt index e9a7ae3..2066acf 100644 --- a/entries/padded cell.txt +++ b/entries/padded cell.txt @@ -1,8 +1,6 @@ padded cell -n. Where you put lusers so they can't hurt anything. A program that limits -a luser to a carefully restricted subset of the capabilities of the host -system (for example, the rsh (1) utility on USG Unix). Note that this is -different from an iron box because it is overt and not aimed at enforcing -security so much as protecting others (and the luser) from the consequences -of the luser's boundless naivete (see naive ). Also padded cell environment. +Also known as jailware. Proprietary software is often a padded cell. +A padded cell may be nice in appearance. It may have attractive features +and some convenience factor, but it still robs the user of essential +freedoms. Much Apple software is like this. High on bling, low on freedom. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/entries/read-only user.txt b/entries/read-only user.txt index 88010a7..6d50a40 100644 --- a/entries/read-only user.txt +++ b/entries/read-only user.txt @@ -1,6 +1,4 @@ read-only user -n. Describes a luser who uses computers almost exclusively for reading -Usenet, bulletin boards, and/or email, rather than writing code or purveying -useful information. See twink , terminal junkie , lurker. - +Someone who operates in consumer mode only. They never create anything, +only "consume" content. See twink, terminal junkie, lurker. diff --git a/entries/real user.txt b/entries/real user.txt index 97aab5a..487f09f 100644 --- a/entries/real user.txt +++ b/entries/real user.txt @@ -5,5 +5,4 @@ usage. 2. A non-hacker. Someone using the system for an explicit purpose (a research project, a course, etc.) other than pure exploration. See user. Hackers who are also students may also be real users. I need this fixed so I can do a problem set. I'm not complaining out of randomness, but as a real -user. See also luser. - +user. diff --git a/entries/room-temperature IQ.txt b/entries/room-temperature IQ.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 356572d..0000000 --- a/entries/room-temperature IQ.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8 +0,0 @@ -room-temperature IQ - -quant. [IBM] 80 or below (nominal room temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, -22 degrees Celsius). Used in describing the expected intelligence range of -the luser. Well, but how's this interface going to play with the -room-temperature IQ crowd? See drool-proof paper. This is a much more -insulting phrase in countries that use Celsius thermometers. - diff --git a/entries/spam.txt b/entries/spam.txt index 5803641..c838fcd 100644 --- a/entries/spam.txt +++ b/entries/spam.txt @@ -21,9 +21,5 @@ no, spam. The later definitions have become much more prevalent as the Internet has opened up to non-techies, and to most people senses 3 4 and 5 are now primary. All three behaviors are considered abuse of the net, and are almost universally grounds for termination of the originator's email -account or network connection. In these senses the term spam has gone -mainstream, though without its original sense or folkloric freight there is -apparently a widespread myth among lusers that spamming is what happens -when you dump cans of Spam into a revolving fan. Hormel, the makers of Spam, -have published a surprisingly enlightened position statement on the Internet -usage. +account or network connection. Hormel, the makers of Spam, published a +surprisingly enlightened position statement on the Internet usage. diff --git a/entries/theory.txt b/entries/theory.txt index 97f15ec..8e21816 100644 --- a/entries/theory.txt +++ b/entries/theory.txt @@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ theory n. The consensus, idea, plan, story, or set of rules that is currently being used to inform a behavior. This usage is a generalization and (deliberate) abuse of the technical meaning. What's the theory on fixing this TECO loss? -What's the theory on dinner tonight? ( Chinatown, I guess. ) What's the -current theory on letting lusers on during the day? The theory behind this -change is to fix the following well-known screw.... - +What's the theory on dinner tonight? (Chinatown, I guess.) What's the +current theory on letting users loose on this new feature? The theory behind +this change is to fix the following well-known screw. diff --git a/entries/tourist.txt b/entries/tourist.txt index e14bc5d..5853ffc 100644 --- a/entries/tourist.txt +++ b/entries/tourist.txt @@ -1,11 +1,10 @@ tourist n. 1. [ITS] A guest on the system, especially one who generally logs in over -a network from a remote location for comm mode , email, games, and other -trivial purposes. One step below luser. ITS hackers often used to spell this -turist , perhaps by some sort of tenuous analogy with luser (this usage may -also have expressed the ITS culture's penchant for six-letterisms, and/or -been some sort of tribute to Alan Turing). Compare twink , lurker , -read-only user. 2. [IRC] An IRC user who goes from channel to channel -without saying anything; see channel hopping. - +a network from a remote location for comm mode, email, games, and other +common purposes. ITS hackers often used to spell this turist, perhaps by +some sort of tenuous analogy with user (this usage may also have expressed +the ITS culture's penchant for six-letterisms, and/or been some sort of +tribute to Alan Turing). Compare twink, lurker, read-only user. 2. [IRC] +A chat system user who goes from channel to channel without saying anything; +see channel hopping. diff --git a/entries/turist.txt b/entries/turist.txt index 52531c9..c425476 100644 --- a/entries/turist.txt +++ b/entries/turist.txt @@ -1,5 +1,4 @@ turist /toorist/ , n. Var. sp. of tourist , q.v. Also in adjectival form, turistic. -Poss. influenced by luser and Turing. - +Poss. influenced by user and Turing. diff --git a/entries/user.txt b/entries/user.txt index f033453..2e03f7a 100644 --- a/entries/user.txt +++ b/entries/user.txt @@ -1,23 +1,12 @@ user -n. 1. Someone doing real work with the computer, using it as a means rather -than an end. Someone who pays to use a computer. See real user. 2. A -programmer who will believe anything you tell him. One who asks silly -questions. [GLS observes: This is slightly unfair. It is true that users ask -questions (of necessity). Sometimes they are thoughtful or deep. Very often -they are annoying or downright stupid, apparently because the user failed to -think for two seconds or look in the documentation before bothering the -maintainer.] See luser. 3. Someone who uses a program from the outside, -however skillfully, without getting into the internals of the program. One -who reports bugs instead of just going ahead and fixing them. The general -theory behind this term is that there are two classes of people who work -with a program: there are implementors (hackers) and luser s. The users are -looked down on by hackers to some extent because they don't understand the -full ramifications of the system in all its glory. (The few users who do are -known as real winners. ) The term is a relative one: a skilled hacker may be -a user with respect to some program he himself does not hack. A LISP hacker -might be one who maintains LISP or one who uses LISP (but with the skill of -a hacker). A LISP user is one who uses LISP, whether skillfully or not. Thus -there is some overlap between the two terms; the subtle distinctions must be -resolved by context. +n. Someone who uses a computer system. Within the conventional +client/server paradigm there are two classes of people: those who +administrate the system and those who use it. +The term user is very conventional, going back to the early days +of time-sharing mainframes, but may be controversial in some contexts +due to having other negative associations, such as "drug user" or +someone who exploits other people for cynical and self-serving reasons, +as in "he was just a user". A possible alternative to user is +"member". \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/entries/virus.txt b/entries/virus.txt index 524d020..18f4dd3 100644 --- a/entries/virus.txt +++ b/entries/virus.txt @@ -19,7 +19,5 @@ the operating system (Unix machines, by contrast, are immune to such attacks). The production of special anti-virus software has become an industry, and a number of exaggerated media reports have caused outbreaks of near hysteria among users; many lusers tend to blame everything that -doesn't work as they had expected on virus attacks. Accordingly, this sense -of virus has passed not only into techspeak but into also popular usage -(where it is often incorrectly used to denote a worm or even a Trojan horse -). See phage ; compare back door ; see also Unix conspiracy. +doesn't work as they had expected on virus attacks. +See phage; compare back door; see also Unix conspiracy. diff --git a/entries/womble.txt b/entries/womble.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2cac3fa..0000000 --- a/entries/womble.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7 +0,0 @@ -womble - -n. [Unisys UK: from British puppet-show characters] A user who has great -difficulty in communicating their requirements and/or in using the resulting -software. Extreme case of luser. An especially senior or high-ranking womble -is referred to as Great-Uncle Bulgaria. Compare Aunt Tillie. -