Glossary

Filter:
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z All
S
S
S&T
SAO
SAP
SAV
Say
SCG
SCI
SCP
SDR
Set
S-F
SFA
SI
SIG
SMM
SMO
SMU
SO
SOH
SON
SOS
SOW
SPK
Spl
SPO
SPS
Spy
SRI
SRP
SRR
SSE
SSO
SSR
STD
STI
STS
STU
STX
SUB
SYN
Sitename
  • /si:t'naym/ n. [UNIX/Internet] The unique electronic name of a computer system, used to identify it in UUCP mail, Usenet, or other forms of electronic information interchange. The folklore interest of sitenames stems from the creativity and humor they often display. Interpreting a sitename is not unlike interpreting a vanity license plate; one has to mentally unpack it, allowing for mono-case and length restrictions and the lack of whitespace. Hacker tradition deprecates dull, institutional-sounding names in favor of punchy, humorous, and clever coinages (except that it is considered appropriate for the official public gateway machine of an organization to bear the organization's name or acronym). Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal names, and allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably the most popular sources for sitenames (in roughly descending order). The obligatory comment when discussing these is Harris's Lament "All the good ones are taken!" See also network address.