October 21, 1999

Can you speak cyber?

Journal staff

To keep up with the high-tech in-crowd, get hip to cyber-speak. The following terms may help you get by. Some of the terms listed are from Steve Sabram's Web site, "The Ultimate Silicon Valley Slang Page."

• Automagically: adv. When a computer system solves a problem in a way that can't be -- or is too lengthy to be -- explained.
• Bboard: n. A virtual bulletin board, usually posted by amateurs on the Web.
• Beam: v. To transfer a softcopy of a file, i.e. "Beam me a copy of the report."
• Code 18: n. An error made by the computer user. Code 18 refers to the "problem source" located 18 inches away from the computer screen.
• Bloatware: n. Software with excessive features that only a minority of users access.
• Dead tree edition: n. Hardcopy
• DRI: n. Directly Responsible Individual
• Four-o-Four (404): n. When an item isn't where you were looking for it. The term originates from the 404-error code that pops up when a Web site changes locations or is defunct.
• I/O Error: n. Error caused by an Ignorant Operator. A technical support term to label such operator in conversation.
• LOPSOD: An acronym for "long on promises, short on delivery." A product with lots of hype that is not living up to its expectations.
• Loser Error: n. Blaming problems on the computer that are actually the user's fault.
• Mystery House: n. A high-profile start-up company that hasn't released any products.
• Nerd Bird: n. Any weekday direct airline flight between Austin, Texas, and San Jose, Calif., because it's filled with engineers and technical types traveling to hi-tech firms in both cities.
• Nerve Center: n. The room or place inside a company facility where most of the communication and decisions occur to keep the firm in operation.
• Prairie Dogging: v. Peeping up over a cubicle wall to see what everyone else is up to.
• Techno-realism: n. A movement started by quasi-Luddites to bring humanity to the high-tech world.
• 3 a.m. Code: n. Software written in a very original or unorthodox manner. Origin: The time of day a code like that is usually written.
• Tofu Syndrome: n. Software or a product that is so general and portable that it does not take advantage of any special features of the machine it is being run on.
• The Way: n. 1.) Having a very instant, Zen-like understanding of a problem and how to solve it. 2.) Having the ability to write complex software and complete it without any rewriting or major adjustments.
• Worder: n. People who only use their personal computer as a glorified typewriter for writing.

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