BOF /B-O-F/ or /bof/ n.
1. [common] Abbreviation for the phrase "Birds Of a Feather"
(flocking together), an informal discussion group and/or bull
session scheduled on a conference program. It is not clear where
or when this term originated, but it is now associated with the
USENIX conferences for Unix techies and was already established
there by 1984. It was used earlier than that at DECUS conferences
and is reported to have been common at SHARE meetings as far back
as the early 1960s. 2. Acronym, `Beginning of File'.