or order by phone at (800)-356-0343 or (617)-625-8481.
The maintainers are committed to updating the on-line version
of the Jargon File through and beyond paper publication, and will
continue to make it available to archives and public-access sites
as a trust of the hacker community.
Here is a chronology of the high points in the recent on-line
revisions:
Version 2.1.1, Jun 12 1990: the Jargon File comes alive again
after a seven-year hiatus. Reorganization and massive additions
were by Eric S. Raymond, approved by Guy Steele. Many items of
UNIX, C, USENET, and microcomputer-based jargon were added at
that time.
Version 2.9.6, Aug 16 1991: corresponds to reproduction copy
for book. This version had 18952 lines, 148629 words, 975551
characters, and 1702 entries.
Version 2.9.7, Oct 28 1991: first markup for hypertext
browser. This version had 19432 lines, 152132 words, 999595
characters, and 1750 entries.
Version 2.9.8, Jan 01 1992: first public release since the
book, including over fifty new entries and numerous
corrections/additions to old ones. Packaged with version 1.1 of
vh(1) hypertext reader. This version had 19509 lines, 153108
words, 1006023 characters, and 1760 entries.
Version 2.9.9, Apr 01 1992: folded in XEROX PARC lexicon. This
version had 20298 lines, 159651 words, 1048909 characters, and
1821 entries.
Version 2.9.10, Jul 01 1992: lots of new historical material.
This version had 21349 lines, 168330 words, 1106991 characters,
and 1891 entries.
Version 2.9.11, Jan 01 1993: lots of new historical material.
This version had 21725 lines, 171169 words, 1125880 characters,
and 1922 entries.
Version 2.9.12, May 10 1993: a few new entries & changes,
marginal MUD/IRC slang and some borderline techspeak removed, all
in preparation for 2nd Edition of TNHD. This version had 22238
lines, 175114 words, 1152467 characters, and 1946 entries.
Version 3.0.0, Jul 27 1993: manuscript freeze for 2nd edition
of TNHD. This version had 22548 lines, 177520 words, 1169372
characters, and 1961 entries.
Version 3.1.0, Oct 15 1994: interim release to test WWW
conversion. This version had 23197 lines, 181001 words, 1193818
characters, and 1990 entries.
Version 3.2.0, Mar 15 1995: Spring 1995 update. This version
had 23822 lines, 185961 words, 1226358 characters, and 2031
entries.
Version 3.3.0, Jan 20 1996: Winter 1996 update. This version
had 24055 lines, 187957 words, 1239604 characters, and 2045
entries.
Version 3.3.1, Jan 25 1996: Copy-corrected improvement on
3.3.0 shipped to MIT Press as a step towards TNHD III. This
version had 24147 lines, 188728 words, 1244554 characters, and
2050 entries.
Version 3.3.2, Mar 20 1996: A number of new entries pursuant
on 3.3.2. This version had 24442 lines, 190867 words, 1262468
characters, and 2061 entries.
Version 3.3.3, Mar 25 1996: Cleanup before TNHD III manuscript
freeze. This version had 24584 lines, 191932 words, 1269996
characters, and 2064 entries.
Version 4.0.0, Jul 25 1996: The actual TNHD III version after
copy-edit. This version had 24801 lines, 193697 words, 1281402
characters, and 2067 entries.
Version 4.1.0, 8 Apr 1999: The Jargon File rides again after
three years. This version had 25777 lines, 206825 words, 1359992
characters, and 2217 entries.
Version 4.1.1, 18 Apr 1999: Corrections for minor errors in
4.1.0, and some new entries. This version had 25921 lines, 208483
words, 1371279 characters, and 2225 entries.
Version 4.1.2, 28 Apr 1999: Moving texi2html out of the
production path. This version had 26006 lines, 209479 words,
1377687 characters, and 2225 entries.
Version 4.1.3, 14 Jun 1999: Minor updates and markup fixes.
This version had 26108 lines, 210480 words, 1384546 characters,
and 2234 entries.
Version 4.1.4, 17 Jun 1999: Markup fixes for framed HTML. This
version had 26117 lines, 210527 words, 1384902 characters, and
2234 entries.
Version 4.2.0, 31 Jan 2000: Fix processing of URLs. This
version had 26598 lines, 214639 words, 1412243 characters, and
2267 entries.
Version 4.2.1, 5 Mar 2000: Point release to test new
production machinery. This version had 26647 lines, 215040 words,
1414942 characters, and 2269 entries.
Version 4.2.2, 12 Aug 2000: This version had 27171 lines,
219630 words, 1444887 characters, and 2302 entries.
Version numbering: Version numbers should be read as
_major_._minor_._revision_. Major version 1 is
reserved for the `old' (ITS) Jargon File, jargon-1. Major version
2 encompasses revisions by ESR (Eric S. Raymond) with assistance
from GLS (Guy L. Steele, Jr.) leading up to and including the
second paper edition. From now on, major version number N.00 will
probably correspond to the Nth paper edition. Usually later
versions will either completely supersede or incorporate earlier
versions, so there is generally no point in keeping old versions
around.
Our thanks to the coauthors of Steele-1983 for oversight and
assistance, and to the hundreds of Usenetters (too many to name here)
who contributed entries and encouragement. More thanks go to several of
the old-timers on the Usenet group _alt.folklore.computers_, who
contributed much useful commentary and many corrections and valuable
historical perspective: Joseph M. Newcomer, Bernie Cosell, Earl
Boebert, and Joe Morris.
We were fortunate enough to have the aid of some accomplished
linguists. David Stampe and Charles Hoequist contributed valuable
criticism; Joe Keane helped us improve the pronunciation guides.
A few bits of this text quote previous works. We are indebted to Brian
A. LaMacchia for obtaining permission for us to use material from the
"TMRC Dictionary"; also, Don Libes contributed some appropriate
material from his excellent book "Life With UNIX". We thank Per
Lindberg, author of the remarkable Swedish-language 'zine
"Hackerbladet", for bringing "FOO!" comics to our attention and
smuggling one of the IBM hacker underground's own baby jargon files out
to us. Thanks also to Maarten Litmaath for generously allowing the
inclusion of the ASCII pronunciation guide he formerly maintained. And
our gratitude to Marc Weiser of XEROX PARC for securing us permission
to quote from PARC's own jargon lexicon and shipping us a copy.
It is a particular pleasure to acknowledge the major contributions of
Mark Brader and Steve Summit to the File and Dictionary; they have read
and reread many drafts, checked facts, caught typos, submitted an
amazing number of thoughtful comments, and done yeoman service in
catching typos and minor usage bobbles. Their rare combination of
enthusiasm, persistence, wide-ranging technical knowledge, and
precisionism in matters of language has been of invaluable help.
Indeed, the sustained volume and quality of Mr. Brader's input over
several years and several different editions has only allowed him to
escape co-editor credit by the slimmest of margins.
Finally, George V. Reilly helped with TeX arcana and painstakingly
proofread some 2.7 and 2.8 versions, and Eric Tiedemann contributed
sage advice throughout on rhetoric, amphigory, and philosophunculism.
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