Luser
Encyclopedia
In Internet slang
, a luser (sometimes expanded to local user; also luzer or luzzer) is a painfully annoying, stupid, or irritating computer user
.
It is a portmanteau of "loser" and "user".
In hackish, the word luser takes on a broad meaning, referring to any normal user
(in other words not a guru
), with the implication the person is also a loser. The term is interchangeable with the hackish term lamer
.
It can also signify a layman
with only user
account privileges
, as opposed to a power user
or administrator
, who have knowledge of, and access to, superuser
accounts. For example, The Sysadmin doesn't trust the end luser with a root account password. This term is very popular with technical support staff who have to deal with lusers as part of their job, often metaphorically employing a LART (Luser Attitude Readjustment Tool, or "clue-by-four" meaning turning off the user's access to computer resources and the like.
states that the word was coined around 1975 at MIT
. Under ITS
, when a user first walked up to a terminal at MIT and typed control-Z
to get the computer's attention, it printed out some status information, including how many people were already using the computer. A patch to the system was then written to print "14 losers" instead of "14 users", as a joke. There ensued a great controversy, as some of the users didn't want to be called losers every time they used the computer. For a while several hackers
struggled covertly, each changing the message behind the backs of the others; any time a user logged into the computer it was even money
whether it would say "users" or "losers". Finally, someone tried the compromise "lusers", and it stuck.
Later, one of the ITS machines supported "luser" as a request-for-help command. ITS ceased to be used mid-1990. However, use of the term continued to spread, partly because in Unix
-style computer operating systems, "user
" designates all unprivileged accounts, while the superuser
, or root, is the special user account used for system administration. Root is the conventional name of the user who has all rights or permissions (to all files and programs) in all modes (single- or multi-user); the usage lives on, however, and the term "luser" is often seen in program comments.
On IRC
, /lusers (which abbreviates "list users") is a common command to get the number of users connected to a server or network.
Internet slang
Internet slang is a type of slang that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving keystrokes. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites...
, a luser (sometimes expanded to local user; also luzer or luzzer) is a painfully annoying, stupid, or irritating computer user
Computer User
Computer User is a computer magazine originally founded in 1982, and which, after several owners and fundamental changes, is still in business today online as computeruser.com...
.
It is a portmanteau of "loser" and "user".
In hackish, the word luser takes on a broad meaning, referring to any normal user
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
(in other words not a guru
Guru (disambiguation)
A guru is a spiritual teacher, but is also used to refer to anyone knowledgeable in a particular area .Guru may also refer to:* Bṛhaspati, a Vedic deity also known as Brahmanaspati and Deva-guru...
), with the implication the person is also a loser. The term is interchangeable with the hackish term lamer
Lamer
Lamer is a jargon or slang name originally applied in cracker and phreaker culture to someone who did not really understand what he or she was doing. Today it is also loosely applied by IRC, BBS, and online gaming users to anyone perceived to be contemptible. In general, the term has come to...
.
It can also signify a layman
Layman
A layperson or layman is a person who is not an expert in a given field of knowledge. The term originally meant a member of the laity, i.e. a non-clergymen, but over the centuries shifted in definition....
with only user
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
account privileges
Privilege (Computing)
In computing, privilege is defined as the delegation of authority over a computer system. A privilege is a permission to perform an action. Examples of various privileges include the ability to create a file in a directory, or to read or delete a file, access a device, or have read or write...
, as opposed to a power user
Power user
A power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but is not necessarily capable of programming and system administration...
or administrator
Superuser
On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor....
, who have knowledge of, and access to, superuser
Superuser
On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor....
accounts. For example, The Sysadmin doesn't trust the end luser with a root account password. This term is very popular with technical support staff who have to deal with lusers as part of their job, often metaphorically employing a LART (Luser Attitude Readjustment Tool, or "clue-by-four" meaning turning off the user's access to computer resources and the like.
History
The Jargon FileJargon File
The Jargon File is a glossary of computer programmer slang. The original Jargon File was a collection of terms from technical cultures such as the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI Lab and others of the old ARPANET AI/LISP/PDP-10 communities, including Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Carnegie Mellon...
states that the word was coined around 1975 at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. Under ITS
Incompatible Timesharing System
ITS, the Incompatible Timesharing System , was an early, revolutionary, and influential time-sharing operating system from MIT; it was developed principally by the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, with some help from Project MAC.In addition to being technically influential ITS, the...
, when a user first walked up to a terminal at MIT and typed control-Z
Control-Z
In computing, is a control character in ASCII code, also known as the substitute character or a keyboard shortcut. Strictly speaking, is not a printable character at all but a code for control purposes, though it is sometimes rendered by two characters as ^Z. It is generated by pressing the key...
to get the computer's attention, it printed out some status information, including how many people were already using the computer. A patch to the system was then written to print "14 losers" instead of "14 users", as a joke. There ensued a great controversy, as some of the users didn't want to be called losers every time they used the computer. For a while several hackers
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
struggled covertly, each changing the message behind the backs of the others; any time a user logged into the computer it was even money
Even money
Even money describes a wagering proposition with even odds - if the bettor loses a bet, he or she stands to lose the same amount of money that the winner of the bet would win . The term has come to have meaning in the wider English usage beyond actual gambling, however, as a way of describing an...
whether it would say "users" or "losers". Finally, someone tried the compromise "lusers", and it stuck.
Later, one of the ITS machines supported "luser" as a request-for-help command. ITS ceased to be used mid-1990. However, use of the term continued to spread, partly because in Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
-style computer operating systems, "user
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
" designates all unprivileged accounts, while the superuser
Superuser
On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor....
, or root, is the special user account used for system administration. Root is the conventional name of the user who has all rights or permissions (to all files and programs) in all modes (single- or multi-user); the usage lives on, however, and the term "luser" is often seen in program comments.
On IRC
Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
, /lusers (which abbreviates "list users") is a common command to get the number of users connected to a server or network.
See also
- Any keyAny keyComputer programmers historically used "Press any key to continue" as a prompt to the user when it was necessary to pause processing. The system would resume after the user pressed any keyboard button.-History:...
- BOFH
- PEBKAC
- id10t
- Layer 8Layer 8Layer 8 is humorous Internet jargon used to refer to a nonexistent "user" or "political" layer on top of the OSI model of computer networking.The OSI model is a 7-layer abstract model that describes an architecture of data communications for networked computers. The layers build upon each other,...
- NewbieNewbieNewbie or noob is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in any profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet activity, such as online gaming or Linux use...