start page | rating of books | rating of authors | reviews | copyrights

UNIX Power Tools

UNIX Power ToolsSearch this book
Previous: 51.7 When You Get Impatient Chapter 51
Miscellaneous Useful Programs and Curiosities
Next: 51.9 Making a "Login" Shell
 

51.8 Type Bang Splat. Don't Forget the Rabbit Ears

You don't need to be smart and rich and powerful for people to think that you are. Just dress that way. The same goes for UNIX. If you talk like an expert, people will think that you are one. UNIX gurus have their own secret code for the special characters they're always typing. Because knowing how to speak correctly is a real Power Tool :-), here's a brief introduction to "hackerese":
WhatTraditional TermEnlightened Terms
!Exclamation PointBang, Shriek, Ball-Bat
"Quotation MarkDouble Quote, Rabbit Ears
*AsteriskSplat, Star
'ApostropheSingle Quote, Tick
.PeriodDot, Point
If this isn't enough to disgust - errr, satisfy your curiosity, get a copy of The Hacker's Dictionary by Eric S. Raymond. It's based on the Jargon File, an online collection of hackerspeak, which is on the World Wide Web at (as of this printing) http://www.ccil.org/jargon/jargon.html. The Jargon File started as a list of terms used by early Artificial Intelligence hackers at MIT, Stanford University, and CMU. It has since grown to include many terms from the Internet and UNIX communities.

- JP


Previous: 51.7 When You Get Impatient UNIX Power ToolsNext: 51.9 Making a "Login" Shell
51.7 When You Get Impatient Book Index51.9 Making a "Login" Shell

The UNIX CD Bookshelf NavigationThe UNIX CD BookshelfUNIX Power ToolsUNIX in a NutshellLearning the vi Editorsed & awkLearning the Korn ShellLearning the UNIX Operating System