BBS LINGO ADN Any day now AFAIK As Far As I Know AWGTHTGTTA? Are We Going To Have To Go Through This Again? BBS Bulletin Board System BTW By The Way CU See You CUL See You Later DIIK Damned if I know FITB Fill In The Blank.... FWIW For What It's Worth FYBITS FÉ You, Buddy, I'm The Sysop FYI For Your Information GD&R Grinning, ducking & running GROK As in "I GROK", means thorough understanding, from Heinlin GIWIST Gee I Wish I'd Said That IC I See IMHO In My Humble Opinion IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion IOW In Other Words JSNM Just Stark Naked Magic L8R Later LAB&TYD Life's A Bitch & Then You Die. LOL Laughing Out Loud OIC Oh, I See OTOH On The Other Hand PFM Pure FÉing Magic PITA Pain In The Arse POV Point Of View ROTFL Rolling On The Floor Laughing RSN Real Soon Now RTM Read The Manual SYSOP System Operator TANJ There Ain't No Justice TANSTAAFL There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch TPTB The Powers That Be TTBOMK To The Best Of My Knowledge TTFN Ta Ta For Now TTUL Talk To You Later WYSIWYG What you see is what you get. :-) Smiling, happy face; don't take me too seriously B-) Above, but poster wears glasses or sunglasses 8-) Same as previous; also used to denote wide-eyed look #:-) :-) done by someone with sort of matted hair :-( Sad or angry face @= Flame about nuclear war, power or weapons follows ;-) Winking happy face (something said tongue-in-cheek) :-P Tongue stuck out :-b Same as previous :-D Wider happy face (or mouth open too much) :-o "Oh, nooooooo!" (a la Mr. Bill) #:-o Same as previous (:-) Messages dealing with bicycle helmets <:-) Dumb questions oo "Somebody's head-lights are on" messages O>-<|= Messages of interest to women ;-) Wink ( take this message with a grain of salt) |-( Late night messages :^) Messages teasing people about their noses :-{#} Messages teasing people about their braces (:-# Something that shouldn't have been said... (:-$ Message indicating person is ill... (:-& Message indicating person is angry... (:-* Kiss... (:-( Message indicating person is VERY sad... (:^( Message concerning people with broken noses (:<) Message concerning blabber mouths :-(=) Message about people with big teeth. &:-) Message from a person with curly hair @:-) Message from a person with wavy hair ?-( Message about people with a black eye. *:* Message about fuzzy things *:** Message about fuzzy people with a fuzzy mustache %-) Message about people with broken glasses +<:-| Message from a monk/nun... {0-) Message from cyclops... (:-D Message concerning another blabber mouth... (:-|K- Formal message. B-) Message from Batman !!! ...---... S.O.S. @%&$%& You know what that means... ||*( Handshake offered ||*) Handshake accepted <&&> Message concerning rubber chickens >< >< Message about/to someone wearing argyle socks 2B|^2B Message about Shakespeare (-_-) Secret smile <{:-)} Message in a bottle... <:-)<<| Message from a space rocket... (:-... Heart-breaking message... <<<<(:-) Message from a hat sales-man... (O--< A fishy message... (8-) Message from a four-eye... (:>-< Message from a thief: hands up! --->---- A rose. ARQ - Automatic Repeat Request. A general term for error control protocols featuring hardware detection and retransmission of defective data. ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Exchange. A 7-bit binary code representation of letters, numbers and special characters. Asynchronous - Data transmission in which the actual data is preceded by a start bit and followed by a stop bit since the time between transmitted characters varies. Auto Answer - The modem feature which enables detection of a ring and answering without assistance from a program. Baud Rate - The number of discrete signal events per second occurring on a communications channel. It is often referred to as Bits per second (BPS) which is technically inaccurate. BBS - Bulletin Board System. Bit - Binary Digit. A single basic computer signal consisting of a value of 0 or 1, off or on. Buffer - A memory area used for temporary storage during input/output operations. Bulletin Board System - A host system, into which callers may dial with their modems to read and send electronic mail, uploadand download files, and chat online with other callers. Byte - A group of Bits acted upon as a group, which may have a readable ASCII value as a letter or number or some other coded meaning to the computer. It is commonly used to refer to 8-bit groups. 1kilobyte = 1,024 bytes; 64K = 65,536 bytes or characters. Carrier - A continuous frequency capable of being either modulated or impressed with another information-carrying signal. Carriers are generated and maintained by modems via the transmission lines of the telephone companies. Conference - An area of public messages on a Bulletin Board System, usually with a particular topic and, often, a conference host or moderator to guide the discussion. Also called Folder, SIG (for"Special Interest Group") or Echo. CCITT - A French acronym for the International Telephone and Telegraph Consultative Committee. This international organization defines the standards for telephone equipment such as the Bell 212A standard for 1200 baud, CCITT V.22 for 2400 baud and CCITT V.32 for 9600 baud. CPS - Characters Per Second. A transfer rate estimated from the bit rate and length of each character. If each character is 8 bits long and includes a start and stop bit for Asynchronoustransmission, each character needs 10 bits to be sent. At 2400 baud it is transmitted at approximately 240 CPS. CRC - Cyclical Redundancy Check. An error-detection technique consisting of a cyclic algorithm performed on each "block" of data at the sending and receiving end of the transmission. As each block is received, the CRC value is checked against the CRC value sent along with the block. Download - Receiving a file from a Bulletin Board System, using a terminal program (for example QModem) and a transfer protocol. DTE - Data Terminal Equipment. The device that is the originator or destination of the data sent by a modem. DTR - Data Terminal Ready. A signal generated by most modems indicating a connection between the DTE (computer) and the modem. Data Compression Protocols - Compression of data by the modem allows more information to be transferred in a shorter time frame. Protocols for data compression include CCITT V.42bis and MNP 5. Data Transmission Protocols - These are standards for modulation and transmission of data at various speeds. Echomail - Public Message Conferences on a Bulletin Board System which are shared and distributed among other Bulletin Boards as part of an Echomail Network. Expanded Memory - Extra memory (above 640k). Flow Control - A mechanism that compensates for differences in the flow of data to and output from a modem or computer. Either hardware or software can be used for this control to prevent data loss. Error Control Protocols - These are various modem-based techniques which check the reliability of characters or blocks of data at a hardware level. Freeware - Computer software which may be distributed on Bulletin Board Systems, and for which the author requests no license fee or registration fee. Full Duplex - Signal flow in both directions at the same time. It is sometimes used to refer to the suppression of online LOCAL ECHO and allowing the remote system to provide a REMOTE ECHO. Half Duplex - Signal flow in both directions, but only one way at a time. It is sometimes used to refer to activation of LOCAL ECHO which causes a copy of sent data to be displayed on the sending display. Host System - Another name for a Bulletin Board System (BBS) Local Area Network (LAN) - A group of computers joined with cables and software, allowing hard disks and other devices to be shared. Mail Door - A subsection of a Bulletin Board System which creates .QWK mail packets. MNP - Microcom Networking Protocol. A set of hardware error protection protocols (MNP levels 1 - 4) and data compression techniques (MNPlevel 5) developed by Microcom. Netmail - Private electronic mail which is transmitted by a user calling one Bulletin Board System to another user calling a different Bulletin Board System. NRAM - Nonvolatile Random Access memory. A user-programmable memory chip whose data is retained when power to the chip is turned off. NRAM is used in many modems to store default settings. ON/OFF Hook - A descriptive term referring to manually lifting a telephone receiver (taking it OFF Hook) and replacing it (going ON Hook). OFF Hook produces a busy signal on the phone line. Packer - A program to compress multiple files into a single file, such as PKZIP, ARC or LHARC Packet - A mail packet (with a .QWK extension) from a host system Parity -An error detection method used in both communications and computer memory checking to determine character validity. Protocol - A system of rules and procedures governing communications between two devices. File transfer protocols in your communications program refer to a set of rules governing how error checking will be performed on blocks of data. Public Domain - Computer software on which no copyright exists (usually by a specific statement to that effect by the author), and which may be freely used and distributed. Remote Echo - A copy of the data being received is returned to the sending system for display on the screen. Shareware - Computer software which is distributed on the "Honor System", which may be freely copied and distributed, but for which a registration fee or payment is required for continued use beyond an initial evaluation period. SysOp - The SYStem OPerator of a Bulletin Board System. The person responsible for setting up and maintaining the BBS. Thread - A group of BBS messages and replies linked and sorted by topic. Unpacker - A program to uncompress a file from a Packer Upload - To transfer a file from your computer to another computer, using your terminal program (for example Qmodem) and a transfer protocol (for example Zmodem) V.21 - CCITT standard for modem communications at 300bps. V.22 - CCITT standard for modem communications at 1200bps. V.22 bis - CCITT standard for modem communications at 2400bps. V.23 - CCITT standard for modem communications at 1200bps with a 75bps back channel. It is used in the United Kingdom. V.32 - CCITT standard for modem communications at 4800 and 9600bps. It includes automatic fallback to 4800. V.32 bis - CCITT standard for modem communications at 14400bps withautomatic fallback to 12000, 9600, 7200 and 4800bps. As line quality improves communications speed can also be increased to the next higher rate. V.42 - CCITT standard for modem communications that defines negotiation for LAPM error control. V.42 also includes support for MNP error correction protocol levels 1 - 4. V.42 bis - CCITT extension of V.42 that adds data compression to the V.42 correction protocols. Xmodem - The BBS supports two variations of the Xmodem protocol, originally called Xmodem and Xmodem/CRC. 1K-Xmodem - This protocol performs exactly like regular Xmodem/CRC, but increases the block size to 1024 bytes, hence the name 1K. Ymodem - Ymodem is a protocol which adds a number of enhancements to protocol based transfer. Blocksizes are variable at 128/1024. Ymodem/G - This variation of Ymodem is available only to callers making a "reliable" connection using a modem supporting MNP (Microcom Networking Protocol) or the USRobotics ARQ hardware error checking or the most recently introduced correction method, V.42/V.42bis. 1K-Xmodem/G - This version of 1K-Xmodem makes use of MNP hardware error correction to do away with the block-by-block checking. Zmodem - This is another protocol developed by Chuck Forsberg. It is a "streaming protocol", one which sends variable sized blocks of data with CRC-32 error checking for an accuracy of 99.9999%, but does not wait for an acknowledgment from the receiving computer. Kermit - This protocol's main claim is not speed, but rather its ability to interact with many types of computers from mainframes to micros. It can cope with systems limited to seven-bit characters even when the data to be transmitted is in eight-bit form. Agrippa: A Book of the Dead - A collaboration between author [William Artificial Life - man-made systems that exhibit characteristics associated with the concept of "life". Artificial Reality - similar to [virtual reality], but more interactive, with the participant being part of, not just experiencing, the artificial environment. BBSes - electronic Bulletin Board Systems. Begun in the late 70's, a form of [virtual community] existing in [cyberspace] where participants (usually using aliases) may send and receive public and private messages to each other on any topic imaginable, transfer software (copyrighted and/or public domain), play on-line games, etc. Boxing - A variety of electronic devices used to aid in [phreaking]. The original was the blue box, used from the mid 60's to the mid 80's, which allowed long distance phone calls to be made for free. CC fraud - Credit Card or Calling Card fraud. common in the [computer underground] community. Chaos - Chaos is a state which garners a lot of respect in [cyberculture], to the point of being a [techno-pagan] religion. Many people are self-described Chaoticians. Chaos Theory - science revolving around simplistic equations involving a large number of variables. Gave rise to [fractals], a form of [cyberdelic] art. For further info on the subject, James Gleick's "Chaos: Making a New Science" is suggested. C0dez Doodz - Essentialy a [phreaker]'s version of [pirates]. People who seek out telco codes to be used to gain long distance (ld) telephone calls without paying for them. Scurge of the [computer underground]. Communitek - an informational technology that allows for a community to potentially develop in cyberspace. For example, within the [net], [IRC] and e-mail are two communiteks. Computer Underground - "A group organized in secrecy, hidden behind aliases, to promote the free exchange of information regarding anything and everything including, but not limited to: computers, telephones, radios, chemicals, and ideas." (thanx to The Butler for this definition) CP - see [cyberpunk]. Cryonics - The fringe science of freezing a person's head or whole body after death, in the hopes that in the future they may be revived and brought back to life. Cyber- - A prefix taken from [cybernetics] generally used in popular culture to mean anything that is technologically oriented. Cyberculture - Often used by media to denote aspects of "life as a [cyberpunk]". Yet if we are to follow strict meaning, cyberculture is more accurately defined as an information-based culture. Cyberdeck - Term originated by [William Gibson] to refer to a computer used by [deck cowboys] that can connect to the [matrix]. Cyberdelic - "Cyber-art". Examples include [fractals], computer-generated pictures and/or music, [virtual worlds], etc. Cybernetics - The study of communication systems in living organisms and machines, the mathematical analysis of the flow of information. Cyberpunk - Begun as a literary movement in the 80's, an off-shoot of normal science fiction. Unique in that it generally occurs in the present or not so distant future, the characters are often considered "punks" (social deviants) and technology, (the cyber aspect), is prominent. "Neuromancer" by [William Gibson], published in 1984, is considered by most to be the "bible" of cyberpunk. Another prominent author is [Bruce Sterling], editor of another worthy cyberpunk collection, "Mirrorshades". Cyberspace - "The electronic frontier." A completely virtual environment: the sum total of all [BBSes], computer networks, and other [virtual communities]. Deck Cowboys - Futuristic version of a computer [hacker] or a modern-day [cyberpunk]. Electronic Frontier Foundation - (EFF). Organization founded by Mitch Kapor (of Lotus fame) and John Perry Barlow (writer and Grateful Dead songwriter) to establish laws for [cyberspace] and apply the constitution to [virtual communities]. Flame - disagreement occuring in [cyberspace]. Common on [Usenet]. Fractals - Images created using [chaos theory]. A mish-mash of colors presented in a pattern that repeats itself many times over. A popular type of fractal image is one created using the "Mandlebrot set". Fractals are considered [cyberdelic] art. Gibson, William - Considered by most to be the "father" of [cyberpunk], along with [Bruce Sterling]. His works include the infamous "Neuromancer", "Count Zero", "Mona Lisa Overdrive" (these 3 works are known as the [sprawl] series), "The Difference Engine" with which he was co-author with [Bruce Sterling], and "Burning Chrome" a collection of short stories. Global Village - Famous phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan, exemplifiede by the [net]. Gnow - To really know something, word should probably not be used lightly. E.g.: I quickly knew how to use the [net], now I am trying to *gnow* the [net]. Grep - search, or scan. Grok - Word with roots in [Shaman]ism that is akin to [gnow], and implies a thurough and complete holistic understanding. Hacker - 60's (1st) generation (orig. MIT): one who tinkers with software, electronics, computer hardware, etc. 80's (2nd) [WarGames] generation: one who enters computer systems without permission with either malicious or non-malicious intent, to gain, alter, or destroy information (labelled as [crackers] by the 60's generation). 90's (3rd) generation: often called [cyberpunks], mostly non-malicious [crackers] interested in information for the sake of information, and not hacking for the sake of the hack - sometimes calling themselves "information liberators", they have re-adopted more of the original hacker ethic of the 60's which states mainly "all information should be free", "access to computers should be unlimited and total" and "promote decentralization". Industrial - A subculture revolving around industrial music, a collection of mostly electronically created sounds and samples that results in a fierce explosion of sound labelled by many as "the new punk". Infonomics - The idea of an econmoy based on information, which obviously holds many different properties from our current state of the world. Internet - A large and very popular world-wide computer network begun by the Defense Department in the 60's that connects educational institutions, corporations, organizations, and military and government installations around the globe. IRC - [Internet] Relay Chat. Realtime communication forums between [Internet] users all over the world. ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. A [communitek] hopefully coming soon to a house near you, basically it will greatly expand the potential for information comming into your house, such as having 700 cable TV channels, interactive realtime video-phones, and far off in the future possible even realtime networked interactive 3d [virtual reality]. Legion of Doom - (LoD). A legendary group of [hackers] from the [computer underground]. When they disbanded, some members went on to form a computer security firm (ComSec), Loyd Blankenship wrote GURPS Cyberpunk for [Steve Jackson Games] and some ended up in jail from [Operation Sundevil]. Matrix - Term coined by William Gibson which refers to the consensual hallucination of [cyberspace]. Meme - An "agent of communicative resonance", or mroe simply, "an info virus". Memetics is the study and theories behind the root structures of information itself. MindVox - A [virtual community] in [cyberspace], also a [BBS] connected to the [Internet]. A nexus of the [computer underground] and [cyberpunk] and [virtual reality] begun by Phantom Access Technologies, former members of the [Legion of Doom]. See also the [WELL] Mirrorshades - A very important collection of [cyberpunk] fiction by various authors, most of whom are labelled as the [mirrorshades group]. This book is edited by [Bruce Sterling] and should be available in most bookstores. Mirrorshades Group - Original collection of [cp] authors which includes William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Tom Maddox, Lewis Shiner, John Shirley, SF Eye magazine editor Steve Brown, Rudy Rucker, Pat Cadigan, and others. Mondo 2000 - Very popular [cyberpunk] and [new edge] magazine. Subscription information is available elsewhere in this file. MUD - Multi-User Domain, Multi-User Dungeon, or Multi-User Dimension. MUDs are multi-user role-playing-games of sorts that exist on the [Internet] for entertainment purposes. MUDs are essentially text-based [virtual worlds] which players (participants) may explore, change, or add on to. In some cases, the MUD is not actually a "game" with scores, player attributes, levels, etc. Nanotechnology - the science of "micro-machines". Small gears or other machines seen only by a microscope, that can be used in areas such as medicine and health, art, and other technologies. Net - A computer network. Often used to mean the [Internet] when referred to as "the net". Netrip - Many similarities exist in some people's minds between psychedelic drugs and the [net], and a netrip is the state of litterally getting "high" off the net, accompanied by distortions in space and time, a [gnow]ledge of the net itself, an intense desire to communicate your subconcious to the rest of the [net], etc. Netrunner - see [hacker]. New Edge - Fringe culture and fringe science, mostly techno-oriented, and very popular in Southern California. [Mondo 2000] is a magazine devoted to the new edge. Nootropics - A new science revolving around drugs used to increase intelligence, aid in memory, enhance brain activity, etc. Touted as a fad by some, others claim that use of nootropics actually work. See also [SmartDrinks]. Operation Sundevil - Secret Service operation begun in 1990 intended to destroy the [computer underground] by confiscating [BBSes] and detaining [hackers]. Phrack - An important magazine existing only in [cyberspace], of interest to the [computer underground]. It's founder, Craig Neidorf, now works for the [Electronic Frontier Foundation]. Phreaker - [Hacking] the phone system. Usually meaning to get phone calls for free, whether by [boxing] or [cc fraud]. Individual phreakers are called phreaks. Pirate - One who copies software illegally. Commonly associated with the [computer underground]. Although commonplace, pirates are looked down upon as with [codez d00dz]. Post-industrial - The state of the world, including megacorp [zaibatsu]s, an evolving [infonomics], etc. Post-modern - Literary, artistic, cultural, and philosophical movement revolving around the [post-industrial] world in which we live, and the unique aspects of the trends of modern society. Raves - A subculture revolving around all-night dance parties. Typically, the parties are generally illegal and thus a complex process is involved to find out where they are located. Shaman - An overused word that in ancient and modern cultures implies one who is a wise medicine man or healer, with a keen understanding of the ways of things. Slipstream - Term used to denote cyberpunk fiction, particularly pre-1984 fictional works that have been influential to the [mirrorshades group] or that closely resemble cyberpunk, but are sometimes outside of the sf genre. An example would be William S. Burroughs. SmartDrugs - [nootropics]. SmartDrinks - Similar to SmartDrugs, or [nootropics], the intent of these substances, loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other healthy substances, is to aid in brain functioning. Smart Drinks are most often consumed at [raves], thus, the purpose of some smart drinks is to "energize" the drinker, not to make them smarter. Sprawl - Word used by [William Gibson] to mean large mega-cities, and places where different cities collide. Southern California and New York City might be early examples of the sprawl. This word is used often in modern times as "urban sprawl". Steve Jackson Games - RPG manufacturers which have played a key role in the evolution of [cyberpunk] and the [computer underground]. Operators of the Illuminati BBS and makers of GURPS Cyberpunk, an RPG guide written by Loyd Blankenship, a member of the [Legion of Doom]. Sterling, Bruce - considered by most to be the "co-founder" of [cyberpunk] along with [William Gibson]. He is the editor of "Mirrorshades: A cyberpunk anthology", which is considered the quintessential collection of [cp] works by the [mirrorshades group]. Social Engineering - Technique often by which [hackers] or [crackers] acquire information, such as names and passwords. Essential a modern-day con, often conducted via phone conversations, such as portraying onesself as a telco employee. Techno- - prefix similar to cyber-, referring to anything which has its roots in current or futuristic technology. Techno - type of music made almost entirely with the help of computers, revolving around a fast-paced drum beat (as high as 160 BPM), sampling, and synthesizers. Technoculture - The idea of a culture with a strong foundation rooted in technology. Often used loosely in association with [cyberculture] and [new edge]. Techno-paganism - Literally the worshipping of technology. Many people *believe* that, for example, the [net] has some magic or is a sentient entity in itself, or that technology can be an agent of evolution. Teledildonics - Virtual sex in a [virtual environment]. Term often used by the [new edge] community. 2600 - A popular hardcopy magazine devoted to the [computer underground]. Subscription information is obtained elsewhere in this file. Usenet - A collection of "newsgroups" on the [Internet], in which [Internet] users may post or read messages on almost any subject imaginable. Virtual Community - any group or gathering that exists in [cyberspace]. This could be a [BBS], a [hacking] group, a [net], or even a [zaibatsu]. Virtual Culture - the collection of [virtual communities], and the cultural aspects unique to those communities. Virtual Environment - a [virtual world]. Virtual Reality - a consensual hallucination of a world existing only in [cyberspace]. Modern day virtual reality uses helmets, gloves, and body suits to create such a world, which is first created on a computer and connected to the vr devices. Virtual World - a world existing in [cyberspace] created and used with [virtual reality] technologies. VMB - (Voice MailBox). Used (often illegally) by [phreaks] as a means of communication. Wirehead - a hardware [hacker]. Zaibatsu - Japanese term used a lot by [William Gibson] that means a large mega-corporation, such as Sony for example. *** The world has become so complicated that we're all bluffing our way through the business day, hoping we're not unmasked for the boobs we really are. I see the world as a massively absurd endeavor, populated by people who struggle every minute to rationalize the silly things they do. -- Scott Adams, 'The Dilbert Principle' ***