| Article |
A Usenet message |
| Binary File |
A message that is
specially encoded to permit a non-text file to be
distributed using Usenet. These are found in
alt.binaries.* |
| Breidbart index |
A calculation that
attempts to identify messages that are cancelable
by Cancelbots and other third party cancelers, due
to (almost) identical messages being posted to too
many groups or too many times. |
| Cabal |
The mythical group
of powerful News Administrators who control Usenet
and its power structure (There is no Cabal) |
| Cancel |
The process of
telling Usenet to "unsend" a message.
Given the way that Usenet works, the effectiveness
of a cancel varies widely. |
| CancelBot |
A CancelBot is a
computer program that watches Usenet in real time,
looking for articles that violate the rules of
Usenet. When the articles are spotted, a
third party cancel is issued. |
| CancelMoose(tm) |
The proponent of NoCeM.
Also one of the pioneers in CancelBots |
| Cross-Posting |
Sending a message to
more than one group at a time. This is
usually done by putting a comma after the first
group name, and adding more groups.
If the additional groups are closely related to
the topic of the message, this might be
appropriate, but generally it is a bad idea. |
| Expire |
The process of
removing messages from a news server when they
have exceeded the retention time. |
| Flame |
An article whose
purpose is to humiliate the target of the flame.
One of the tools used to enforce Netiquette. |
| Followup |
The public reply to
an article. Followups should always have a
subject beginning with Re: and the original topic.
Frequently changing the topic for no reason is one
of the traits of a net.kook |
| Godwin's Law |
"As a
USENET discussion grows longer, the probability of
a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches
one." There is a tradition in many
groups that, once this occurs, that thread is
over, and whoever mentioned the Nazis has
automatically lost whatever argument was in
progress. Godwin's Law thus guarantees the
existence of an upper bound on thread length in
those groups. |
| Headers |
The first portion of
an article (normally hidden by your newsreader)
that identifies important characteristics of the
message. In (Free)Agent, press H to see the
headers. |
| Ignoring a Thread |
A feature of a good
newsreader that allows you to ignore all future
followups to an existing Subject: Once
a thread devolves into a personality conflict or
wanders off-topic, you may want to ignore the rest
of the thread until it goes away. Press I in
(free)Agent |
| Kill Filter |
A feature in many
news readers that discards / ignores messages
based on the name of the sender, the subject, or
other rules. Agent contains Kill Filters,
Free Agent does not |
| Looser |
Gen-X for Loser.
Frequently seen in flames attempted by newbies |
| net.kook |
They come in many
varieties. Some oppose the Cabal. Some
just have to push the limits of Netiquette until
folks are forced to push back. |
| net.lawyer |
A person who posts
legal opinions to Usenet, but has no provable
professional credentials.
They often have very innovative legal theories. |
| Netiquette |
The generally
accepted rules of conduct for the Internet -
mostly applies to posting to Usenet. |
| NewsAdmin |
Your local delegate
in the Cabal (There is no Cabal). Normally
can be reached at news@yourisp.net. If you
want a newsfroup that isn't currently carried,
your NewsAdmin is the person to contact. If
you post a Make Money Fast chain letter to
news.admin net-abuse.usenet, your news admin will
be writing you a letter. |
| Newbie |
Someone who has
newly arrived on the the shores of the Internet,
and is unskilled in its ways. |
| Newsfroup |
An accidental typo
made by someone back in the ancient era. If
you want people to think you're either an
old-timer or a net.kook, deliberately spell
newsgroup with an f. |
| NoCeM |
The second
generation of de-Spammers.
Cancelbots have become less "effective"
over time, because:
- There isn't
complete agreement when or if third party
cancels are ever appropriate
(that pesky Censorship concept)
- The sheer volume
of cancels has become more of a problem than
the messages being canceled
- Cancelbots leave
a clear record of their work.
NoCeM
is based on the "Out of Sight, out of
Mind" principle. NoCeM doesn't cancel
messages, it just hides them so we
don't C eM.
It's an interesting semantic
technical distinction. |
| *Plonk* |
The sound made when
someone's name is added to a kill filter. |
| Post |
Sending a message
into Usenet for distribution around the world. |
| Retention Period |
How long in days
(sometimes hours) a message is kept on a news
server before it is deleted to make room for new
incoming messages. Most servers retain
messages based on the time the message arrived at
the news server - some keep messages based on the
time the message was sent. |
| RFC |
Request For
Comments. The set of technical rules that
define the proper operation of the Internet.
Throw in "The RFCs say you're wrong" to
win an argument.
(Unless the other person may have actually have
read the RFCs). |
| Spam Hippo |
A widely used system
for removing "SPAM" from your Usenet
feed. Hopefully, your definition of 'unwanted'
matches that of the operators of the Spam
Hippo. |
| Third Party Cancel |
An attempt to cancel
a message by some entity other than the original
sender or his Internet Provider's news
administrator. Many News Admins refuse to
honor third party cancels. |
| Thread |
An initial article,
and all of the followups. |
| Troll |
A person who
deliberately posts Troll Posts |
| Troll Post |
A message that has
the intent of starting a never-ending thread of
pointless messages. Religion, sexual
orientation, politics and ethnicity are common
topics. Combining more than one of the above
increases the effectiveness.
Cross-posting to popular newsgroups ensures a
never-ending supply of newbies who will perpetuate
the thread. |
| Warez |
Illegal copies of
unlicensed software.
Frequently contain viruses, Trojan Horses,
backdoors, and other nice surprises. |
