Home Jargon File
The JargonFile

The Jargon File is the famous glossary of hacker and computing slang from the 1960s onwards, encompassing many well known and niche terms. So if you want to grok if "There is No Lumber Cartel" or if "all your base are belong to us" this is the app for your inner geek, or a great gift for a technical friend. 

 Although many technical terms are in the glossary, it is not primarily a technical dictionary. Rather it is a mix of the historical and the fun, and provides a great insight into the origins of many words and phrases that have permeated the hacking and coding culture for the last 40 years.


The file was started at Stanford in the 1970s and is now maintained by Eric Raymond with the support of Guy Steele at www.catb.org/jargon. Eric is also the editor of the print version, The New Hacker's Dictionary (3rd Edition).   

While the Jargon File is freely available online, the app includes the whole glossary and supporting chapters in an easy to use format without having to worry about the network, downloads or web layouts.
 
With JargonFile, you can quickly browse the full list of terms, use the heads-up navigation bar to scroll backwards and forwards through the definitions and supporting chapters or just randomly flick through the entries.  
 
The glossary contains just over 2300 words and 14 chapters of background material. The glossary contains terms from diverse hacker communities covering areas ranging AI, the old PDP-10 culture, PCs, Amigas, Unix and Linux and Macs to the C, LISP and Usenet communities. 
 
Many terms have passed into common parlance, such as Spam and Geek, and may others are common in the modern hacker and programming communities. Some have remained niche or restricted to a specialised subset, such as the LISP coders.
 
For the programmers and techies this is a great reference and provides a link back into the historical source of the jargon we now take for granted.
 
 

 
 


See the App on iTunes:


 
 
 
 
 


iPhone Development

The developers of XifPix and the JargonFile can also provide consulting and development of custom iPhone Development projects either locally in the UK or remotely.
 
We have many years of development experience in
  • Publishing
  • Media
  • Telecomms
  • Banking
 
covering both Mobile and back end integration of User applications. So please get in touch and see what we can do for you.
 
All enquiries should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .