The letter S

• S/N ratio // n. (also `s/n ratio', `sn ratio'). Syn.
• sacred adj. Reserved for the exclusive use of something (an
• saga [WPI] n. A cuspy but bogus raving story about N random
• sagan /say'gn/ [from Carl Sagan's TV series "Cosmos";
• SAIL /sayl/, not /S-A-I-L/ n. 1. The Stanford Artificial
• salescritter /sayls'kri`tr/ n. Pejorative hackerism for a computer
• salt n. A tiny bit of near-random data inserted where too much
• salt mines n. Dense quarters housing large numbers of programmers
• salt substrate [MIT] n. Collective noun used to refer to potato
• same-day service n. Ironic term used to describe long response
• samizdat [Russian, literally "self publishing"] n. The process
• samurai n. A hacker who hires out for legal cracking jobs,
• sandbender [IBM] n. A person involved with silicon lithography and
• sandbox n. 1. (also `sandbox, the') Common term for the
• sanity check n. 1. The act of checking a piece of code (or
• Saturday-night special [from police slang for a cheap handgun]
• say vt. 1. To type to a terminal. "To list a directory
• scag vt. To destroy the data on a disk, either by corrupting the
• scanno /skan'oh/ n. An error in a document caused by a scanner
• schroedinbug /shroh'din-buhg/ [MIT from the Schroedinger's Cat
• science-fiction fandom n. Another voluntary subculture having a
• scram switch [from the nuclear power industry] n. An
• scratch 1. [from `scratchpad'] adj. Describes a data
• scratch monkey n. As in "Before testing or reconfiguring, always
• scream and die v. Syn. cough and die, but connotes that an
• screaming tty [UNIX] n. A terminal line which spews an infinite
• screw [MIT] n. A lose, usually in software. Especially used for
• screwage /skroo'*j/ n. Like lossage but connotes that the
• scribble n. To modify a data structure in a random and
• scrog /skrog/ [Bell Labs] vt. To damage, trash, or corrupt a
• scrool /skrool/ [from the pioneering Roundtable chat system in
• scrozzle /skroz'l/ vt. Used when a self-modifying code segment runs
• scruffies n. See neats vs. scruffies.
• SCSI [Small Computer System Interface] n. A bus-independent
• ScumOS /skuhm'os/ or /skuhm'O-S/ n. Unflattering hackerism
• search-and-destroy mode n. Hackerism for a noninteractive
• second-system effect n. (sometimes, more euphoniously,
• secondary damage n. When a fatal error occurs (esp. a
• security through obscurity alt. `security by obscurity' n. A
• SED [TMRC, from `Light-Emitting Diode'] /S-E-D/ n.
• segfault n.,vi. Syn. segment, segmentation fault.
• seggie /seg'ee/ [UNIX] n. Shorthand for segmentation fault
• segment /seg'ment/ vi. To experience a segmentation fault.
• segmentation fault n. [UNIX] 1. An error in which a running program
• segv /seg'vee/ n.,vi. Yet another synonym for {segmentationfault}
• self-reference n. See self-reference.
• selvage /sel'v*j/ [from sewing and weaving] n. See chad
• semi /se'mee/ or /se'mi/ 1. n. Abbreviation for
• semi-infinite n. See infinite.
• senior bit [IBM] n. Syn. meta bit.
• server n. A kind of daemon that performs a service for the
• SEX /seks/ [Sun Users' Group & elsewhere] n. 1. Software
• sex changer n. Syn. gender mender.
• shambolic link /sham-bol'ik link/ n. A UNIX symbolic link,
• sharchive /shar'kiv/ [UNIX and USENET; from /bin/sh archive]
• Share and enjoy! imp. 1. Commonly found at the end of software
• shareware /sheir'weir/ n. {Freeware} (sense 1) for which the
• shelfware /shelfweir/ n. Software purchased on a whim (by an
• shell [orig. Multics techspeak, widely propagated via UNIX] n.
• shell out [UNIX] n. To spawn an interactive subshell from within
• shift left (or right) logical [from any of various machines'
• shim n. A small piece of data inserted in order to achieve a
• shitogram /shit'oh-gram/ n. A *really* nasty piece of email.
• short card n. A half-length IBM PC expansion card or adapter that
• shotgun debugging n. The software equivalent of Easter egging;
• shovelware /shuh'v*l-weir`/ n. Extra software dumped onto a
• showstopper n. A hardware or (especially) software bug that makes
• shriek n. See excl. Occasional CMU usage, also in common use
• Shub-Internet /shuhb in't*r-net/ [MUD from H. P. Lovecraft's
• sidecar n. 1. Syn. slap on the side. Esp. used of add-ons
• SIG /sig/ n. (also common as a prefix in combining forms) A Special
• sig block /sig blok/ [UNIX; often written `.sig' there] n.
• sig quote /sig kwoht/ [USENET] n. A maxim, quote, proverb, joke,
• sig virus n. A parasitic meme embedded in a sig block.
• signal-to-noise ratio [from analog electronics] n. Used by hackers
• silicon n. Hardware, esp. ICs or microprocessor-based computer
• silly walk [from Monty Python's Flying Circus] vi. 1. A ridiculous
• silo n. The FIFO input-character buffer in an RS-232 line card. So
• Silver Book n. Jensen and Wirth's infamous "Pascal User Manual
• since time T equals minus infinity adv. A long time ago; for as
• sitename /sit'naym/ [UNIX/Internet] n. The unique electronic
• skrog v. Syn. scrog.
• skulker n. Syn. prowler.
• slack n. 1. Space allocated to a disk file but not actually used
• slap on the side n. (also called a sidecar, or abbreviated
• slash n. Common name for the slant (`/', ASCII 0101111)
• sleep vi. 1. [techspeak] To relinquish a claim (of a process on a
• slim n. A small, derivative change (e.g., to code).
• slop n. 1. A one-sided fudge factor, that is, an allowance for
• slopsucker /slop'suhk-r/ n. A lowest-priority task that
• slurp vt. To read a large data file entirely into core before
• smart adj. Said of a program that does the Right Thing in a
• smart terminal n. 1. A terminal that has enough computing
• smash case vi. To lose or obliterate the uppercase/lowercase
• smash the stack [C programming] n. To corrupt the execution stack
• smiley n. See emoticon.
• smoke vi. 1. To crash or blow up, usually spectacularly. "The
• smoke and mirrors n. Marketing deceptions. The term is
• smoke test n. 1. A rudimentary form of testing applied to
• smoking clover [ITS] n. A display hack originally due to
• SMOP /S-M-O-P/ [Simple (or Small) Matter of Programming] n.
• smurf /smerf/ [from the soc.motss newsgroup on USENET,
• SNAFU principle /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ [from a WWII Army
• snail vt. To snail-mail something. "Snail me a copy of those
• snail-mail n. Paper mail, as opposed to electronic. Sometimes
• snap v. To replace a pointer to a pointer with a direct pointer;
• snarf /snarf/ vt. 1. To grab, esp. to grab a large document
• snarf & barf /snarf'n-barf`/ n. Under a WIMP environment,
• snarf down v. To snarf, with the connotation of absorbing,
• snark [Lewis Carroll, via the Michigan Terminal System] n. 1. A
• sneakernet /snee'ker-net/ n. Term used (generally with ironic
• sniff v.,n. Synonym for poll.
• snivitz /sniv'itz/ n. A hiccup in hardware or software; a small,
• SO /S-O/ n. 1. (also `S.O.') Abbrev. for Significant
• social engineering n. Term used among crackers and
• social science number [IBM] n. A statistic that is
• soft boot n. See boot.
• softcopy /soft'kop-ee/ n. [by analogy with `hardcopy'] A
• software bloat n. The results of second-system effect or
• software laser n. An optical laser works by bouncing photons back
• software rot n. Term used to describe the tendency of software
• softwarily /soft-weir'i-lee/ adv. In a way pertaining to software.
• softy [IBM] n. Hardware hackers' term for a software expert who
• some random X adj. Used to indicate a member of class X, with the
• sorcerer's apprentice mode [from Friedrich Schiller's "Der
• SOS n.,obs. /S-O-S/ 1. An infamously losing text editor.
• source of all good bits n. A person from whom (or a place from
• space-cadet keyboard n. A now-legendary device used on MIT LISP
• SPACEWAR n. A space-combat simulation game, inspired by
• spaghetti code n. Code with a complex and tangled control
• spaghetti inheritance n. [encountered among users of object-oriented
• spam [from the MUD community] vt. 1. To crash a program by
• special-case vt. To write unique code to handle input to or
• speedometer n. A pattern of lights displayed on a linear set of
• spell n. Syn. incantation.
• spelling flame [USENET] n. A posting ostentatiously correcting a
• spiffy /spi'fee/ adj. 1. Said of programs having a pretty,
• spike v. To defeat a selection mechanism by introducing a
• spin vi. Equivalent to buzz. More common among C and UNIX
• spl /S-P-L/ [abbrev, from Set Priority Level] The way
• splash screen [Mac] n. Syn. banner, sense 3.
• splat n. 1. Name used in many places (DEC, IBM, and others) for
• spod [Great Britain] n. A lower form of life found on {talkersystem}
• spoiler [USENET] n. 1. A remark which reveals important plot
• sponge [UNIX] n. A special case of a filter that reads its
• spoo n. Variant of spooge, sense 1.
• spooge /spooj/ 1. n. Inexplicable or arcane code, or random
• spool [from early IBM `Simultaneous Peripheral Operation
• spool file n. Any file to which data is spooled to await the
• square tape n. Mainframe magnetic tape cartridges for use with
• stack n. The set of things a person has to do in the future. One
• stack puke n. Some processor architectures are said to `puke their
• stale pointer bug n. Synonym for aliasing bug used esp. among
• state n. 1. Condition, situation. "What's the state of your
• steam-powered adj. Old-fashioned or underpowered; archaic. This
• stiffy [University of Lowell, Massachusetts.] n. 3.5-inch
• stir-fried random alt. `stir-fried mumble' n. Term used for the
• stomp on vt. To inadvertently overwrite something important, usually
• Stone Age n., adj. 1. In computer folklore, an ill-defined period
• stone knives and bearskins [from the Star Trek Classic episode
• stoppage /sto'p*j/ n. Extreme lossage that renders
• store [prob. from techspeak `main store'] n. In some
• strided /str'd*d/ [scientific computing] adj. Said of a
• stroke n. Common name for the slant (`/', ASCII 0101111)
• strudel n. Common (spoken) name for the at-sign (`@', ASCII
• stubroutine /stuhb'roo-teen/ [contraction of `stub
• studly adj. Impressive; powerful. Said of code and designs which
• studlycaps /stuhd'lee-kaps/ n. A hackish form of silliness
• stunning adj. Mind-bogglingly stupid. Usually used in sarcasm.
• stupid-sort n. Syn. bogo-sort.
• Stupids n. Term used by samurai for the suits who
• Sturgeon's Law prov. "Ninety percent of everything is crap".
• sucking mud [Applied Data Research] adj. (also `pumping
• sufficiently small adj. Syn. suitably small.
• suit n. 1. Ugly and uncomfortable `business clothing' often
• suitable win n. See win.
• suitably small [perverted from mathematical jargon] adj. An
• sun lounge [Great Britain] n. The room where all the Sun
• sun-stools n. Unflattering hackerism for SunTools, a pre-X
• sunspots n. 1. Notional cause of an odd error. "Why did the
• super source quench n. A special packet designed to shut up an Internet
• superprogrammer n. A prolific programmer; one who can code
• superuser [UNIX] n. Syn. root, avatar. This usage has
• support n. After-sale handholding; something many software
• Suzie COBOL /soo'zee koh'bol/ 1. [IBM prob. from Frank
• swab /swob/ [From the mnemonic for the PDP-11 `SWAp Byte'
• swap vt. 1. [techspeak] To move information from a fast-access
• swap space n. Storage space, especially temporary storage space
• swapped in n. See swap. See also page in.
• swapped out n. See swap. See also page out.
• swizzle v. To convert external names, array indices, or references
• sync /sink/ (var. `synch') n., vi. 1. To synchronize, to
• syntactic salt n. The opposite of syntactic sugar, a feature
• syntactic sugar [coined by Peter Landin] n. Features added to a
• sys-frog /sis'frog/ [the PLATO system] n. Playful variant of
• sysadmin /sis'ad-min/ n. Common contraction of `system
• sysape /sys'ayp/ n. A rather derogatory term for a computer
• sysop /sis'op/ n. [esp. in the BBS world] The operator (and
• system n. 1. The supervisor program or OS on a computer. 2. The
• systems jock n. See jock, sense 2.
• system mangler n. Humorous synonym for `system manager', poss.
• SysVile /sis-vil'/ n. See Missed'em-five.

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The letter T