You'll see many unusual words on Internet discussion groups or in emails, but don't let them intimidate you. Cyberspace jargon is simply an ever-changing, colorful mixture of engineering terminology spiced with pop culture references. Often you can figure out what they mean from the context or usage. Here are a few common terms.
bozo
A fool or irritating person. From Bozo the Clown, possibly by way of the Firesign Theatre album, We're All Bozos on
This Bus.
geek
Originally, a man who performed disgusting acts in carnival sideshows, now associated with the computer industry. It
can be either a compliment or an insult. As a compliment, it refers to someone who is above average in intelligence,
aptitude, and technical skill (and possibly is a young millionaire). As an insult, it refers to someone who is socially
inept and living in arrested adolescence. As with other stereotypes, people who fit neatly into one category or another
are more common on TV than in reality.
flame
To insult someone, or an email or post that does so, possibly by way of a Marvel Comics superhero named the Human
Torch who could instantly burst into magical fire by saying the words, "Flame on!". A false sense of Internet
anonymity can seduce certain individuals into producing vile, hate-filled messages for little or no reason. Flames may
be bait used by a troll (see below), the ranting of an unstable personality, or just someone who's had a bad day. If you
find yourself the object of such an attack, and calm reasoning fails to end it, the best solution is to ignore all posts
from the offending individual. There's nothing to be gained by engaging in a flame war (responding in kind). You can
probably get a group's host to intervene on monitored a discussion site.
holy war
Originally, an emotional debate among engineers about which computer hardware is the best. The term is now used to
refer to fighting over any controversial and emotionally charged subject, such as religion or politics. What
distinguishes a holy war from a good, hard-fought debate is the participant's attempt to pass off deeply-held cultural
and personal beliefs as rational, objective choices. It's a subtle distinction, but a real one. Starting a holy war on a
discussion site, especially if the subject is off-topic, is a serious violation of netiquette.
spam
A mass mailing of electronic junk mail. From a Monty Python comedy skit in which every item on a café's menu
contains the processed ham product, Spam. Your email address may have been sold to a spammer by a site you registered
with or it may have been simply harvested by an automated address-search program. Some people claim that as much as 95%
of all spam is either a financial scam or a pornography ad. In any case, it is so tainted now that legitimate businesses
should avoid using it for advertising. The safest thing to do if you receive spam is to delete it unopened.
How do you stop it? You probably can't. Some have a message at the bottom that says you can get off the sender's mailing list by clicking a button. Clicking the button on most just tells the sender that you actually opened and read the message and marks you as a target to receive more. Sending an irate reply to the originating address usually doesn’t work either because many use a spoofed return address (stolen or faked). Service providers will discontinue the account of anyone they catch spamming, but it's easy to start up a new account with a false name and do it again. Congress is currently working on a national anti-spam law, but, even if it weren't full of loopholes, serious enforcement is unlikely.
SpamCop (http://spamcop.net/) can help you track down a spam's true origin and turn the offenders in to their service provider.
spoof
To pretend to be someone else by using their name or email address.
troll
Not a mythical monster living under a bridge, but a person who sends messages solely to make people angry. From
fishing, as in to troll for fish. Trolls enjoy upsetting people, whether by making personal attacks (flames) or making
outrageous statements about an emotional subject. After a person responds heatedly to some bit of flame bait, they might
be sent the letters, YHBT, a taunt standing for You Have Been Trolled. Monitored discussion groups will often ban
recognized trolls by use of a bozo filter or other software that rejects any messages sent from the offending computer.