The MIT Artificial Intelligence lab circa the early '60s was the wellspring of hacker culture. One of its charms was its unique language, a kinky syntax spiced with colorful jargon. Via physical migration and the Net, hacker-speak spread throughout university and institutional computer labs.
The first guide to this techno-patois was an online "jargon file" originated by Guy Steele, but essentially written by innumerable contributors on the Net. The file evolved into the first print version, The Hacker's Dictionary. It was a wonderful read, as well as a valuable historic document. These virtues were reflected in an expanded revision, The New Hacker's Dictionary.
Now there's another edition, further expanded and revised to reflect the state of hacking in the '90s. It's certainly bigger, with the addition of words from the worlds of Street Tech, Silicon Valley, Net Culture, and Cyberpunk - giving new entries that include "teledildonics," "mailbomb," and "insanely great."
Generally, the entries are lively enough to make this a must for any self- respecting hacker's Throne Room. But the lexicographic value is uneven. Surprisingly, the dictionary disappoints on a standard like "hacker" - not even mentioning the possibility that the word derives in part from MIT's use of "hack" to signify "prank." There is, however, a nifty mini-essay on the provenance of "kluge," and the entry on "flame" harks back to Chaucer, who was, we are told, "a wizard hacker for his time."
All in all, the dictionary is a "suitable win" (common at MIT, usually in reference to a satisfactory solution to a problem).
The New Hacker's Dictionary, Second Edition, edited by Eric S. Raymond, US$14.95. MIT Press: (800) 356 0343, +1 (617) 625 8569.
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