The FAQ of forum terms and abbreviations
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2003 12:29 am
it occurs to me that many disparate people are being brought together on this board, some of them familiar with the typical folkways of the online forum and some not. even among those who are used to eforums, there will be terms from other boards that won't be understood or easy to interpret.
so i thought that a list of terms might be very useful to newcomers. this list will not be exhaustive by any means, so feel free to add to it as necessary.
note: many of the terms that i will define come from the Ars Technica boards.
411 - information on something, derived from 411 being a general information telephone number you can call in the US much like 911 is a general emergency phone number
ad hom - ad hominem attack in a discussion; against the posting guidelines but the mod is the final arbitrator on whether or not a post crosses this threshold
AIM - AOL Instant Messenger
Avatar - the picture that is displayed to the left of your message. the option for changing this is at the bottom of your Profile menu.
BBB - big bad@$$ buick; i drive this 71 electra 225 once in a while. 'ware the bow wave
BBTL - bump before the lock; how brad & i used to tweak the mods noses whilst over at ars technica. ah, good times, good times
BTW - by the way
C/P - cut and paste
CMB - Community Message Board {Forum Index Grouping}
DA - devil's advocate/district attorney;one defends slime the other puts them away
DB - Database; the IBDoF has one
DC - distributed computing; a bio/science/math program which uses the internet and participating PC's to assemble a virtual supercomputer to attack such problems as finding prime numbers, curing SARS, developing an antidote to anthrax, folding proteins or searching for LGM's
DCA - Distributed Computing Arcana; a forum on the Ars Technica boards devoted to Distributed Computing
DOD - dildo of death; used to greet post whores who have crossed the 4-digit posting barrier, much as sea-men are initiated after crossing the equator for the first time
DotD - defender of the database; an ephemeral title once granted to me, since rescinded through no fault of my own (edit: ooooh, it's back, it's back! look quick before it disappears again)
Flame Suit - metaphorically donned by someone who is about to post a subject or opinion which he knows will be controversial
Flame War - heated online catfight, often involving ad hominem arguments and unsuitable language. such a thread is prime IBTL and PC++ territory
FUBAR - f'd up beyond all repair (1 step up from TARFU)
Haxor - computer hacker or, more often, a teenager who plays computer games
HC - hard cover
IBDoF - Acronym for the Internet Book Database of Fiction; why isn't it called the IDBoF? i dunno, try calling 1-800-GET-A-CLU
IBTL - in before the lock; posted in response to a thread which is either clearly off topic, ad hominem or totally without merit and which will be locked as soon as a mod shows up. often seen in conjunction with PC++
IIRC - if i remember correctly; consider yourself warned about my alzheimer's
IM - instant message/ing;real time message system such as YIM, AIM or WM
IME - in my experience
IMHO - in my humble opinion
IMNSHO - in my not so humble opinion
IMO - in my opinion
IP - intellectual property; something that is subject to copyright/trade mark/registration law: also internet protocol; used to configure your computer or talk on a local network/to the internet
IRC - internet relay chat; live chat channels sometimes hosted by a forum (not this one though)
IRC - i remember correctly; how dare you question me you little pipsqueak
leet - haxor speak for 'elite' or 'better than you'; usually used in reference to coding programs or playing computer games
LGM - little green men; extra-terrestrials or martians
Lock - the process of rendering it impossible to reply to a thread
LOL - laugh out loud
LOS - line of sight; lines of supply
L4 or L5 - the most stable lagrange orbit points. see this thread for descriptive picture. see posts below that for in depth discussion
Lurker - someone who peruses the board without ever adding content or participating in a conversation; shown as 'Guest' on the board stats
Mod - formal usage: moderator; forum referee, usually has broad authority to edit, delete or lock threads/posts/members (hint: it's usually a Bad Idea to insult or abuse a mod, especially in his home forum)
MOD - informal usage: Master Of Digression, a forum poster reknowned for his ability to fold, spindle or mutilate a thread so far from it's intended purpose that it's original subject is no longer decipherable.
MMP - mass market paperback; whenever possible, this will be the version linked by the IBDoF
MUE - mindless user error; OE
NDP - nom de plume; alternate or pen name when an author would prefer not to use their real name
NM - never mind
NMO - not my opinion
Noob - slang spelling of newbie; a newcomer or initiate - you if you actually need to read this FAQ
NPC - not politically correct: also non-player character when used in reference to video/computer games
OADF - Official Author Discussio Forum {Forum Index Grouping}
OE - operator error; what the computer help desk is always telling you
OT - off topic; a reply which takes the thread in a direction unrelated to the original post
OTOH - on the other hand
PC - politically correct
PC++ - post count plus; stylized as if in a programming language
PEBCAK - problem exists between chair and keyboard; also known as OE
PICNIC - problem in chair, not in computer; also known as OE (when is somebody gonna make fun of these help desk people?)
PIG - people in general; specific people are okay, i just can't stand PIGs
Post Whore - someone who posts at a profligate rate, often simply to raise their post total. also Brad_H
PM - personal/private mail; messages posted through the board that can only be seen by the individual recipient. both sender and receiver must be registered on the board
RAH - Robert A. Heinlein
RAYOR - read at your own risk; a spoiler warning
RL - real life; you know, that place without a computer or internet access
ROFL - rolling on floor laughing
RTFM - read the f'ing manual
RTM - read the manual
S/N - signal to noise ratio; please take all of your noise to the soapbox
SNAFU - situation normal, all f'd up
Stats Whore - someone who just likes watching numbers go up; you might be a stats whore if you're a baseball fan but if you play Progress Quest, Diablo II or participate in a DC program your soul is lost
SWAG - Scientific (or Stupid) Wild @ssed Guess
TANSTAAFL - there ain't no such thing as a free lunch
TARFU: Things Are Really F'd Up (1 step up from SNAFU)
TCWB - Time Consuming Work Bomb, most often an off-handed suggestion about improvements to the database that needs a HUGE amount of effort to accomplish, but is definately worth it.
TIA - thanks in advance
TP - trade paperback
UADF - Unofficial Author Discussio Forum {Forum Index Grouping}
WAG - wild @ssed guess
WM - windows messenger == the spawn of satan
WTF - what the f
WTH - what the heck / hell
WTK - what the krell; a DC variant of WTH using the name of an infamous cheater in place of the more usual subjects
W/O - without
YACA - yet another car analogy
YIM - Yahoo Instant Messenger
YGM - you've got mail, subject to a pending AOL lawsuit
YMMV - your mileage may vary
edited to add some new terms
[Mod note: edited to add still more terms. -- Brad, 2-Mar-2006]
so i thought that a list of terms might be very useful to newcomers. this list will not be exhaustive by any means, so feel free to add to it as necessary.
note: many of the terms that i will define come from the Ars Technica boards.
411 - information on something, derived from 411 being a general information telephone number you can call in the US much like 911 is a general emergency phone number
ad hom - ad hominem attack in a discussion; against the posting guidelines but the mod is the final arbitrator on whether or not a post crosses this threshold
AIM - AOL Instant Messenger
Avatar - the picture that is displayed to the left of your message. the option for changing this is at the bottom of your Profile menu.
BBB - big bad@$$ buick; i drive this 71 electra 225 once in a while. 'ware the bow wave
BBTL - bump before the lock; how brad & i used to tweak the mods noses whilst over at ars technica. ah, good times, good times
BTW - by the way
C/P - cut and paste
CMB - Community Message Board {Forum Index Grouping}
DA - devil's advocate/district attorney;one defends slime the other puts them away
DB - Database; the IBDoF has one
DC - distributed computing; a bio/science/math program which uses the internet and participating PC's to assemble a virtual supercomputer to attack such problems as finding prime numbers, curing SARS, developing an antidote to anthrax, folding proteins or searching for LGM's
DCA - Distributed Computing Arcana; a forum on the Ars Technica boards devoted to Distributed Computing
DOD - dildo of death; used to greet post whores who have crossed the 4-digit posting barrier, much as sea-men are initiated after crossing the equator for the first time
DotD - defender of the database; an ephemeral title once granted to me, since rescinded through no fault of my own (edit: ooooh, it's back, it's back! look quick before it disappears again)
Flame Suit - metaphorically donned by someone who is about to post a subject or opinion which he knows will be controversial
Flame War - heated online catfight, often involving ad hominem arguments and unsuitable language. such a thread is prime IBTL and PC++ territory
FUBAR - f'd up beyond all repair (1 step up from TARFU)
Haxor - computer hacker or, more often, a teenager who plays computer games
HC - hard cover
IBDoF - Acronym for the Internet Book Database of Fiction; why isn't it called the IDBoF? i dunno, try calling 1-800-GET-A-CLU
IBTL - in before the lock; posted in response to a thread which is either clearly off topic, ad hominem or totally without merit and which will be locked as soon as a mod shows up. often seen in conjunction with PC++
IIRC - if i remember correctly; consider yourself warned about my alzheimer's
IM - instant message/ing;real time message system such as YIM, AIM or WM
IME - in my experience
IMHO - in my humble opinion
IMNSHO - in my not so humble opinion
IMO - in my opinion
IP - intellectual property; something that is subject to copyright/trade mark/registration law: also internet protocol; used to configure your computer or talk on a local network/to the internet
IRC - internet relay chat; live chat channels sometimes hosted by a forum (not this one though)
IRC - i remember correctly; how dare you question me you little pipsqueak
leet - haxor speak for 'elite' or 'better than you'; usually used in reference to coding programs or playing computer games
LGM - little green men; extra-terrestrials or martians
Lock - the process of rendering it impossible to reply to a thread
LOL - laugh out loud
LOS - line of sight; lines of supply
L4 or L5 - the most stable lagrange orbit points. see this thread for descriptive picture. see posts below that for in depth discussion
Lurker - someone who peruses the board without ever adding content or participating in a conversation; shown as 'Guest' on the board stats
Mod - formal usage: moderator; forum referee, usually has broad authority to edit, delete or lock threads/posts/members (hint: it's usually a Bad Idea to insult or abuse a mod, especially in his home forum)
MOD - informal usage: Master Of Digression, a forum poster reknowned for his ability to fold, spindle or mutilate a thread so far from it's intended purpose that it's original subject is no longer decipherable.
MMP - mass market paperback; whenever possible, this will be the version linked by the IBDoF
MUE - mindless user error; OE
NDP - nom de plume; alternate or pen name when an author would prefer not to use their real name
NM - never mind
NMO - not my opinion
Noob - slang spelling of newbie; a newcomer or initiate - you if you actually need to read this FAQ
NPC - not politically correct: also non-player character when used in reference to video/computer games
OADF - Official Author Discussio Forum {Forum Index Grouping}
OE - operator error; what the computer help desk is always telling you
OT - off topic; a reply which takes the thread in a direction unrelated to the original post
OTOH - on the other hand
PC - politically correct
PC++ - post count plus; stylized as if in a programming language
PEBCAK - problem exists between chair and keyboard; also known as OE
PICNIC - problem in chair, not in computer; also known as OE (when is somebody gonna make fun of these help desk people?)
PIG - people in general; specific people are okay, i just can't stand PIGs
Post Whore - someone who posts at a profligate rate, often simply to raise their post total. also Brad_H
PM - personal/private mail; messages posted through the board that can only be seen by the individual recipient. both sender and receiver must be registered on the board
RAH - Robert A. Heinlein
RAYOR - read at your own risk; a spoiler warning
RL - real life; you know, that place without a computer or internet access
ROFL - rolling on floor laughing
RTFM - read the f'ing manual
RTM - read the manual
S/N - signal to noise ratio; please take all of your noise to the soapbox
SNAFU - situation normal, all f'd up
Stats Whore - someone who just likes watching numbers go up; you might be a stats whore if you're a baseball fan but if you play Progress Quest, Diablo II or participate in a DC program your soul is lost
SWAG - Scientific (or Stupid) Wild @ssed Guess
TANSTAAFL - there ain't no such thing as a free lunch
TARFU: Things Are Really F'd Up (1 step up from SNAFU)
TCWB - Time Consuming Work Bomb, most often an off-handed suggestion about improvements to the database that needs a HUGE amount of effort to accomplish, but is definately worth it.
TIA - thanks in advance
TP - trade paperback
UADF - Unofficial Author Discussio Forum {Forum Index Grouping}
WAG - wild @ssed guess
WM - windows messenger == the spawn of satan
WTF - what the f
WTH - what the heck / hell
WTK - what the krell; a DC variant of WTH using the name of an infamous cheater in place of the more usual subjects
W/O - without
YACA - yet another car analogy
YIM - Yahoo Instant Messenger
YGM - you've got mail, subject to a pending AOL lawsuit
YMMV - your mileage may vary
edited to add some new terms
[Mod note: edited to add still more terms. -- Brad, 2-Mar-2006]
and boy do we have a lot of picnics.
