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Dictionary of Computer/Hacker Jargon

 

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YA- abbrev. [Yet Another] In hackish acronyms this almost invariably expands to {Yet Another}, following the precedent set by Unix yacc(1) (Yet Another Compiler-Compiler). See {YABA}.
YABA /ya´b@/, n. [Cambridge] Yet Another Bloody Acronym. Whenever some program is being named, someone invariably suggests that it be given a name that is acronymic. The response from those with a trace of originality is to remark ironically that the proposed name would then be 'YABA-compatible'. Also used in response to questions like "What is WYSIWYG?" See also {TLA}.
YAFIYGI /yaf´ee·y@·gee/, adj. [coined in response to WYSIWYG] Describes the command-oriented ed/vi/nroff/TeX style of word processing or other user interface, the opposite of {WYSIWYG}. Stands for "You asked for it, you got it", because what you actually asked for is often not apparent until long after it is too late to do anything about it. Used to denote perversity ("Real Programmers use YAFIYGI tools...and like it!") or, less often, a necessary tradeoff ("Only a YAFIYGI tool can have full programmable flexibility in its interface."). This precise sense of "You asked for it, you got it" seems to have first appeared in Ed Post's classic parody Real Programmers don't use Pascal (see {Real Programmer}s); the acronym is a more recent invention.
yak shaving . [MIT AI Lab, after 2000: orig. probably from a Ren & Stimpy episode.] Any seemingly pointless activity which is actually necessary to solve a problem which solves a problem which, several levels of recursion later, solves the real problem you're working on.
YAUN /yawn/, n. [Acronym for 'Yet Another Unix Nerd'] Reported from the San Diego Computer Society (predominantly a microcomputer users' group) as a good-natured punning insult aimed at Unix zealots.
 
Based on The Jargon File maintained by Eric Raymond
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