| 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. |
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