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= S =
systemn.
1. The supervisor program or OS on a computer. 2. The entire computer system, including input/output devices, the supervisor program or OS, and possibly other software. 3. Any large-scale program. 4. Any method or algorithm. 5. `System hacker': one who hacks the system (in senses 1 and 2 only; for sense 3 one mentions the particular program: e.g., `LISP hacker')
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systems jock
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system mangler
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system
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= S =
systems jockn.
Seejock, sense 2.
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system mangler
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SysVile
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systems jock
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system manglern.
Humorous synonym for `system manager', poss. from the fact that one major IBM OS had arootaccount called SYSMANGR. Refers specifically to a systems programmer in charge of administration, software maintenance, and updates at some site. Unlikeadmin, this term emphasizes the technical end of the skills involved.
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SysVile
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T
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system mangler
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SysVile/sis-vi:l'/ n.
SeeMissed'em-five.
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= T =
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= U =
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The Jargon Lexicon
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T
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tail recursion
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SysVile
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T/T/
1. [from LISP terminology for `true'] Yes. Used in reply to a question (particularly one asked usingThe -P convention). In LISP, the constant T means `true', among other things. Some Lisp hackers use `T' and `NIL' instead of `Yes' and `No' almost reflexively. This sometimes causes misunderstandings. When a waiter or flight attendant asks whether a hacker wants coffee, he may absently respond `T', meaning that he wants coffee; but of course he will be brought a cup of tea instead. Fortunately, most hackers (particularly those who frequent Chinese restaurants) like tea at least as well as coffee -- so it is not that big a problem. 2. Seetime T(alsosince time T equals minus infinity). 3. [techspeak] In transaction-processing circles, an abbreviation for the noun `transaction'. 4. [Purdue] Alternate spelling oftee. 5. A dialect ofLISPdeveloped at Yale. (There is an intended allusion to NIL, "New Implementation of Lisp", another dialect of Lisp developed for theVAX)
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tail recursion
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talk mode
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T
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tail recursionn.
If you aren't sick of it already, seetail recursion.
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talk mode
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talker system
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tail recursion
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talk moden.
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. It is difficult to communicate inflection, though conventions have arisen for some of these (see the section on writing style in the Prependices for details).
Talk mode has a special set of jargon words, used to save typing, which are not used orally. Some of these are identical to (and probably derived from) Morse-code jargon used by ham-radio amateurs since the 1920s.
Most of the above sub-jargon is used at both Stanford and MIT. Several of these expressions are also common inemail, esp. FYI, FYA, BTW, BCNU, WTF, and CUL. A few other abbreviations have been reported from commercial networks, such as GEnie and CompuServe, where on-line `live' chat including more than two people is common and usually involves a more `social' context, notably the following:
Most of these are not used at universities or in the Unix world, though ROTF and TTFN have gained some currency there and IMHO is common; conversely, most of the people who know these are unfamiliar with FOO?, BCNU, HELLOP,NIL, andT.
TheMUDcommunity uses a mixture of Usenet/Internet emoticons, a few of the more natural of the old-style talk-mode abbrevs, and some of the `social' list above; specifically, MUD respondents report use of BBL, BRB, LOL, b4, BTW, WTF, TTFN, and WTH. The use of `rehi' is also common; in fact, mudders are fond of re- compounds and will frequently `rehug' or `rebonk' (seebonk/oif) people. The word `re' by itself is taken as `regreet'. In general, though, MUDders express a preference for typing things out in full rather than using abbreviations; this may be due to the relative youth of the MUD cultures, which tend to include many touch typists and to assume high-speed links. The following uses specific to MUDs are reported:
SomeB1FFisms (notably the variant spellingd00d) appear to be passing into wider use among some subgroups of MUDders.
One final note on talk mode style: neophytes, when in talk mode, often seem to think they must produce letter-perfect prose because they are typing rather than speaking. This is not the best approach. It can be very frustrating to wait while your partner pauses to think of a word, or repeatedly makes the same spelling error and backs up to fix it. It is usually best just to leave typographical errors behind and plunge forward, unless severe confusion may result; in that case it is often fastest just to type "xxx" and start over from before the mistake.
See alsohakspek,emoticon.
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talker system
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tall card
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talk mode
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= T =
talker systemn.
British hackerism for software that enables real-time chat ortalk mode.
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tall card
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tanked
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talker system
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tall cardn.
A PC/AT-size expansion card (these can be larger than IBM PC or XT cards because the AT case is bigger). See alsoshort card. When IBM introduced the PS/2 model 30 (its last gasp at supporting the ISA) they made the case lower and many industry-standard tall cards wouldn't fit; this was felt to be a reincarnation of theconnector conspiracy, done with less style.
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tanked
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TANSTAAFL
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tall card
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tankedadj.
Same asdown, used primarily by Unix hackers. See alsohosed. Popularized as a synonym for `drunk' by Steve Dallas in the late lamented "Bloom County" comic strip.
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TANSTAAFL
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tape monkey
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tanked
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TANSTAAFL/tan'stah-fl/
[acronym, from Robert Heinlein's classic "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress".] "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch", often invoked when someone is balking at the prospect of using an unpleasantlyheavyweighttechnique, or at the poor quality of some piece of software, or at thesignal-to-noise ratioof unmoderated Usenet newsgroups. "What? Don't tell me I have to implement a database back end to get my address book program to work!" "Well, TANSTAAFL you know." This phrase owes some of its popularity to the high concentration of science-fiction fans and political libertarians in hackerdom (seeAppendix Bfor discussion).
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tape monkey
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tar and feather
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TANSTAAFL
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tape monkeyn.
A junior system administrator, one who might plausibly be assigned to do physical swapping of tapes and subsequent storage. When a backup needs to be restored, one might holler "Tape monkey!" (Compareone-banana problem) Also used to dismiss jobs not worthy of a highly trained sysadmin's ineffable talents: "Cable up her PC? You must be joking - I'm no tape monkey."
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tar and feather
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tarball
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tape monkey
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tar and feathervi.
[from Unixtar(1)] To create a transportable archive from a group of files by first sticking them together withtar(1)(the Tape ARchiver) and then compressing the result (seecompress). The latter action is dubbed `feathering' partly for euphony and (if only for contrived effect) by analogy to what you do with an airplane propeller to decrease wind resistance, or with an oar to reduce water resistance; smaller files, after all, slip through comm links more easily. Compare the more commontarball.
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tarball
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tardegy
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tar and feather
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