Internet slang
Internet users have developed many slang terms over the years. Many of these terms originated as keystroke-saving acronyms but are often written in lower case:
- AFAIK---as far as I know
- BTW---by the way
- IANAL---I am not a lawyer. Usually used before giving legal advice
- IIRC---if I recall correctly
- IMHO---in my humble opinion. Also IMNSHO---in my no-so-humble opinion.
- LOL---laughing out loud (a reply to amusing)
- OOC---out-of-character. Used on MUDs and other role-playing games. Also IC for in-character.
- RL---real life. Used in MUD settings.
- ROTFL---rolling on the floor laughing (a reply to something extremely amusing)
- RTFM---read the fucking manual (often sanitized to "fine manual" or similar). The frequent reply to a request for basic help from newbies who have not attempted to find the answer for themselves.
Others express concepts peculiar to the Net:
- newbie---a new user. Not a prejurative term (but see RTFM, preceding).
- cluebie---an experienced user.
- guru---an expert in some technical topic, such as as C programming or Unix system administration
- FAQ---frequently asked question, or a list of frequently asked questions with answers. Never seems to be written in small letters.
- troll---a person who deliberately stirs up trouble (see article).
A comprehensive dictionary of Net slang and associated Net lore is Eric S. Raymond's The Jargon File, found at http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/.