(n/t) 'No Text' is automatically added to the subject line of any post which doesn't have any text in the body of the post. This is designed so that people needn't waste time opening an empty post. This is especially nice for those with a slow connection. Sometimes, people will add text in the body of an (n/t) post, knowing that many people might not see it. Often these text additions have no bearing on the subject line or the conversation in the thread. Sometimes they are witty non-sequitors. Sometimes they aren't. :) In general though, (n/t) stands for No Text. It is not, we repeat not an endorsement of certain operating systems.

Wait a second. I don't see any bridges, so what's this I hear about trolls? A Troll is one who trolls. There, confused yet? Good. Trolling is a term applied to posts which are designed specifically to provoke a response, usually involving highly controversial topics, and usually with an unpopular position being taken by the Troll. Trolls seldom involve themselves in rational discussion or include any sources to back up their statements. They often rely on personal and/or emotional attacks to provoke responses. The best response to a Troll is no response at all. The entire reason for their post is to generate as much traffic as possible. Thus, most trolls do not respond once they have posted, unless the responses die down, in which case they sometimes come back to 'fan the flames'. Extreme trolls often end up moderated. Repeated trolling can result in a disabled account.

Silly, you don't vote for UFies. Chances are, if you're reading this, you already are a UFie. UFies are defined as anyone who regularly reads the UserFriendly comic strip. On the comment board, newbies (or newfies) are those who haven't been around for very long, lurkers are those who read the comments but seldom post anything themselves, and regulars are those who eat lots of prunes. Regulars have also been around the board for a very long time, and would really like a new name that doesn't imply a proper intake of fiber.

It's is a concept from the early days of BBS and message boards, and more recently at Slashdot, where people would attempt to get the first post of the day as some kind of status symbol. Essentially, this consists of a subject line proclaiming first post, and nothing else of any real value. UFies, as a community, have determined that a first post is a very silly thing, and this is why they are quickly moderated and the first poster soundly admonished and given a stern talking-to, with repeat first posters given a finger-wagging and a disabled account. We can see whether or not you were first, and whether or not your post is a peurile attempt at gaining notoriety or whether you actually had something to say. Besides, there are scripted posts that appear when the strip first appears, and so you will never actually achieve a true 'FP', but this hasn't stopped people from trying.

Spamming in the context of this board means several things. For example, posting links to your own website, or websites in which you have a financial interest, posting get-rich-quick schemes or links to such, posting chain letters, posting nonsense posts which contribute nothing to the members overall enjoyment of the board (this especially applies to non-creative or non-humorous nonsense, whereas humor adds value). The most annoying use of spam (except on sandwiches) is the repeated posting of links to any website. If you want to post it more than once or twice, put it in your diary. Bear in mind that this list is not all-inclusive. Use your common sense.

The Omnicode is an off-shoot of the now defunct Geek Code (and other Codes). It was developed by Kickstart and more details can be found at his website.

That is Cthulhu (pronounced /kthooloo/). Cthulhu is one of the Elder Gods from the stories of HP (Howard Philips) Lovecraft popularizing the "Cthulhu mythos". Quite a few other writers wrote stories in the Cthulh mythos, but Lovecraft is the most widely known. This denizen of the deep makes infrequent foray's into the UF universe.
Lovecraft's books/stories include:

• At the Mountains of Madness
• The Lurking Fear
• The Dunwich Horror

to name just a few (note most of these are the titles of collections of short stories/novellas). Some Websites with more information:

• Reader's Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos
• The Cthulhu Mythos: A Guide

other sites can be found with a simple search in Google or your search-engine of choice.