foobar n.
[very common] Another widely used
metasyntactic variable; see foo for etymology. Prob
originally propagated through DECsystem manuals by Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1960s and early 1970s;
confirmed sightings there go back to 1972. Hackers do not
generally use this to mean FUBAR in either the slang or jargon
sense. See also Fred Foobar. In RFC1639, "FOOBAR" was made
an abbreviation for "FTP Operation Over Big Address Records", but
this was an obvious backronym.
[very common] Another widely used
metasyntactic variable; see foo for etymology. Prob
originally propagated through DECsystem manuals by Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1960s and early 1970s;
confirmed sightings there go back to 1972. Hackers do not
generally use this to mean FUBAR in either the slang or jargon
sense. See also Fred Foobar. In RFC1639, "FOOBAR" was made
an abbreviation for "FTP Operation Over Big Address Records", but
this was an obvious backronym.
Related:
- foobar: n. Another common {metasyntactic variable};
see {foo}. Hackers do *not* generally use this to... - FUBAR: n. The Failed UniBus Address Register in a VAX.
A good example of how jargon can occasionally be... - metasyntactic variable n.
A name used in examples and
understood to stand for whatever thing is under discussion,
or any random member of a class of things under... - foo /foo/
1. interj. Term of disgust. 2. [very
common] Used very generally as a sample name for absolutely
anything,
esp. programs and files (esp. scratch files). 3. First... - J. Random Hacker /J rand'm hak'r/ n.
[very common] A
mythical figure like the Unknown Soldier;
the archetypal hacker nerd. This term is one of... - bar /bar/ n.
1. [very common] The second
metasyntactic variable,
after foo and before ...." 2. Often appended to foo... - FUBAR n.
The Failed UniBus Address Register in a VAX.
A good example of how jargon can occasionally be... - waldo: /wol'doh/ [From Robert A. Heinlein's story "Waldo"]
1.
A mechanical agent, such as a gripper arm, controlled... - bar: /bar/ n. 1. The second {metasyntactic variable},
after {foo} and before {baz}. "Suppose we have...
From the same category:
- science-fiction fandom n.
Another voluntary subculture
having a very heavy overlap with hackerdom;
most hackers read SF and/or fantasy fiction avidly... - cokebottle /kohk'bot-l/ n.
Any very unusual character,
particularly one you can't type because it isn't on... - gray goo n.
A hypothetical substance composed of
sagans of sub-micron-sized self-replicating robots programmed
to make copies of themselves out of whatever is available.
The image that... - jack in v.
To log on to a machine or connect to a network
or BBS,
esp. for purposes of entering a virtual reality ... - patch pumpkin n.
[Perl hackers] A notional token passed
around among the members of a project.
Possession of the patch pumpkin means one has the...
