BKINTDCT.RVW 960610 "The Internet Dictionary", Christian Crumlish, 1995, 0-7821-1675-2, U$12.99 %A Christian Crumlish xian@netcom.com %C 2021 Challenger Drive, Alameda, CA 94501 %D 1995 %G 0-7821-1675-2 %I Sybex Computer Books %O U$12.99 510-523-8233 800-227-2346 Fax: 510-523-2373 info@sybex.com %P 226 %T "The Internet Dictionary" As a very basic guide, there is less useful material in "The Internet Dictionary" than in Pfaffenberger's "The Internet in Plain English" (cf. BKINTIPE.RVW). Even Hoffman's "The Instant Internet Reference" (cf. BKININRF.RVW) provides more helpful direction on common Internet applications, although it doesn't have as many references. Crumlish does not succeed in being either as funny or as informative as "The New Hacker's Dictionary" (cf. BKNHACKD.RVW), despite the fact that he must have known it existed: he gave it an entry. (Two entries, in fact, one of which is in error. "The Hacker's Dictionary" was not Eric Raymond's publication, but the earlier book by Guy Steele.) TNHD contains explanations of the history, derivation and full implications of the terminology. The short entries Crumlish provides only barely scratch the surface meaning of certain items, such as B1FF. B1FF is not merely prototypical, but is almost a Platonic ideal of the wannabe Internaut. Netizens used to create spoof posts and mailings from B1FF to encourage the legend that he really did exist. While few entries are positively misleading, the reader really can't trust the material. The entries for "Trojan horse" and "worm" aren't bad, but the one for "virus" is. A "letterbomb" is possible, but it is unlikely the average user will ever see one. The reader can't trust much of the internal information, either. "Hack" points to "crack"--which doesn't exist. "Cracker" points to a non-existent entry for "real world". (Too bad: I was rather looking forward to that one.) Entries may or may not indicate the part of speech or pronunciation. Ordering is odd: symbols get a separate section, but are arranged in alphabetical order by the "name" Crumlish assigns to them. ("!" is listed as exclamation, not "bang". Fair enough, but "!" comes before "/", and after "//". Why? "//" is "double slash".) Numbers, on the other hand, are arranged as if they were spelled out in full. (Does "System V" come before or after "system operator"? Neither: it isn't listed.) (Where would you look up "^H"? Not under symbols, not under C [for "caret H" or "control- H"], but under H.) Crumlish, like C, ignores whitespace: "crack root" comes after "cracking". Another oddity is the inclusion of entries for various Internet service providers and BBSes. As these are listed alphabetically by name, they are unlikely to be of any use. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996 BKINTDCT.RVW 960610 ============== Vancouver ROBERTS@decus.ca | Omne ignotum pro magnifico. Institute for rslade@vanisl.decus.ca | - Anything little known Research into Rob.Slade@f733.n153.z1/ | is assumed to be User .fidonet.org | wonderful. Security Canada V7K 2G6 | - Tacitus