IdeaWazaWiki - User contributions [en]

Archive:Fanboy

2006-02-20T09:32:42Z

24.18.240.159: /* Internet */

'''Fanboy''' or '''fanboi''' is a term used to describe a male who is utterly devoted to a single subject or [[hobby]], often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who was socially insecure and used comics as a shield from interaction, hence the disparaging connotations. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term itself is often used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. Nevertheless, self-labeling usages of the term have been noted; in the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is usually applied to people in their teens or 20s. Within this group, common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[anime]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, and [[software]] companies.

Typically, fanboys are attributed with a [[sycophant]]ic devotion to the creators and principles behind a work with which they are currently enthralled, but will quickly move their attention elsewhere once something better or just newer comes along. A good example of this is [[Harry Knowles]] and his associates at [[Ain't It Cool News]], whose particular focus is on [[film|movies]] in the [[action movie|action]], [[fantasy]], adventure and [[superhero]] genres. Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack. They may readily engage in debates, but will fall back on emotional responses. For example, a "fanboy" may go out of their way to point out negative and often untrue statements about their obsession's rivals; this is commonly known as [[fear, uncertainty and doubt|FUD]].

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, often overweight, and generally unattractive figure of a young man who appears as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. A popular depiction of this stereotype is the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In the mid [[1990s]], the emergence of [[slacker]] culture changed this image somewhat. Movies such as [[Kevin Smith]]'s Jersey Trilogy (''[[Clerks.]]'', ''[[Mallrats]]'', and ''[[Chasing Amy]]''), altered the image of the fanboy. As electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to video gamers and television addicts. As a result, a subculture emerged which readily labeled itself as fanboys. Within this group, more effort is taken to fit in with a perceived standard, resulting in a more outgoing attitude, even among those with insecurities. This outgoing stance is often felt to be abrasive by those not involved in the culture as deeply.

More recently, especially in the [[video game industry]], fans of a particular [[video game console]] manufacturer have begun exhibiting slavish devotion to their brand of choice. Conversely they hold an unreasonable amount of animosity towards the other brands which they consider to be competition. They are extremely rude to fans of the other companies or even people who don’t hail complete and utter devotion to the object of their fanaticism. These people seek out every opportunity to annoy others whose opinions differ from theirs. This trend has led to the term “fanboy” deriving a more and more negative connotation.

==Types of Fanboys==
===[[Video game]]s===
[[Nintendo]] Fanboy (sometimes called a "Ninty" or "Drone", short for "Nintendrone"), [[Sony]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Tool", short for "PSTool" which is derived from Sony's current entertainment console, [[PS2]]), [[Xbox]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Xbots"), [[Sega]] Fanboy, [[Personal computer|PC]]-[[graphics]] Fanboy, [[Benchmark]] Fanboy, [[Nvidia]] Fanboy, [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] Fanboy, [[Valve]] Fanboy, [[id Software]] Fanboy, [[MMORPG]] Fanboy ([[Tibia]], [[Ragnarok]], [[Final Fantasy XI]], [[World of Warcraft]]).

On the [[GameSpot]] System Wars forum, as well as SystemWars.com, the characteristics of video game fanboys are associated with animal characteristics, and are therefore called that animal. Nintendo fanboys are called "[[sheep]]" because of their willingness to be herded by Nintendo, seen as their [[shepherd]]. Sony fanboys are called "[[Cattle|cows]]" because they are needing to pay extra, or "milked" by Sony for features that should already be provided and not getting the best from it. Microsoft fanboys are called "[[Lemming|lemmings]]" because they follow what Microsoft says, even if it leads to their demise. PC fanboys are called "[[hermits]]" because they are generally loner, no-friends gamers who play by themselves.

===[[Operating systems]]===
[[Linux]] Fanboy, [[Microsoft Windows]] Fanboy, [[Mac]] Fanboy, [[FreeBSD]] Fanboy, [[Open-source]] Fanboy, [[BeOS]] Fanboy, [[Bash]] Fanboy, [[OS/2]] Fanboy.

===[[Music]]===
[[Heavy metal music|Metal]] Fanboy, [[Nu Metal]] Fanboy, [[Death metal]] Fanboy, [[Classic Metal]] Fanboy, [[1970s]] Fanboy, [[Pop music|Pop]] Fanboy, [[Techno]] Fanboy.

===[[Anime]]s===
[[Dragon Ball]] Fanboy (gets hung up on names, especially [[romanji]]), [[Sailor Moon]] Fanboy (very strict about [[manga]] continuity), [[Inuyasha]] Fangirl (generally, they're all [[female]], but display all the traits of fanboys), and the infamous [[Narutard]].

==In Media==
===[[Comic Book]]===
[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''

===[[Television]]===
[[The Simpsons]]'s [[Comic Book Guy]]

===[[Radio]]/[[Podcast]]s===
[[Fanboy Radio]] - [http://fanboyradio.com]
Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]

===[[Webcomic]]s===
[[Fanboy Almanac (webcomic)]] - http://fanboyalmanac.com

[[Fanboys]] - http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys

===[[Internet]]===
[[Firefox]] Fanboys.

[[Internet Explorer]] Fanboys.

Opera Fanboys.

Maxthon Fanboys.

==See also==
* [[addiction]]
* [[otaku]]
* [[anorak (slang)|anorak]]

[[Category:Fandom]]

[[de:Fanboy]]

Archive:Fanboy

2006-02-20T09:31:49Z

24.18.240.159: /* Internet */

'''Fanboy''' or '''fanboi''' is a term used to describe a male who is utterly devoted to a single subject or [[hobby]], often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who was socially insecure and used comics as a shield from interaction, hence the disparaging connotations. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term itself is often used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. Nevertheless, self-labeling usages of the term have been noted; in the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is usually applied to people in their teens or 20s. Within this group, common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[anime]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, and [[software]] companies.

Typically, fanboys are attributed with a [[sycophant]]ic devotion to the creators and principles behind a work with which they are currently enthralled, but will quickly move their attention elsewhere once something better or just newer comes along. A good example of this is [[Harry Knowles]] and his associates at [[Ain't It Cool News]], whose particular focus is on [[film|movies]] in the [[action movie|action]], [[fantasy]], adventure and [[superhero]] genres. Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack. They may readily engage in debates, but will fall back on emotional responses. For example, a "fanboy" may go out of their way to point out negative and often untrue statements about their obsession's rivals; this is commonly known as [[fear, uncertainty and doubt|FUD]].

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, often overweight, and generally unattractive figure of a young man who appears as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. A popular depiction of this stereotype is the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In the mid [[1990s]], the emergence of [[slacker]] culture changed this image somewhat. Movies such as [[Kevin Smith]]'s Jersey Trilogy (''[[Clerks.]]'', ''[[Mallrats]]'', and ''[[Chasing Amy]]''), altered the image of the fanboy. As electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to video gamers and television addicts. As a result, a subculture emerged which readily labeled itself as fanboys. Within this group, more effort is taken to fit in with a perceived standard, resulting in a more outgoing attitude, even among those with insecurities. This outgoing stance is often felt to be abrasive by those not involved in the culture as deeply.

More recently, especially in the [[video game industry]], fans of a particular [[video game console]] manufacturer have begun exhibiting slavish devotion to their brand of choice. Conversely they hold an unreasonable amount of animosity towards the other brands which they consider to be competition. They are extremely rude to fans of the other companies or even people who don’t hail complete and utter devotion to the object of their fanaticism. These people seek out every opportunity to annoy others whose opinions differ from theirs. This trend has led to the term “fanboy” deriving a more and more negative connotation.

==Types of Fanboys==
===[[Video game]]s===
[[Nintendo]] Fanboy (sometimes called a "Ninty" or "Drone", short for "Nintendrone"), [[Sony]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Tool", short for "PSTool" which is derived from Sony's current entertainment console, [[PS2]]), [[Xbox]] Fanboy (sometimes called "Xbots"), [[Sega]] Fanboy, [[Personal computer|PC]]-[[graphics]] Fanboy, [[Benchmark]] Fanboy, [[Nvidia]] Fanboy, [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] Fanboy, [[Valve]] Fanboy, [[id Software]] Fanboy, [[MMORPG]] Fanboy ([[Tibia]], [[Ragnarok]], [[Final Fantasy XI]], [[World of Warcraft]]).

On the [[GameSpot]] System Wars forum, as well as SystemWars.com, the characteristics of video game fanboys are associated with animal characteristics, and are therefore called that animal. Nintendo fanboys are called "[[sheep]]" because of their willingness to be herded by Nintendo, seen as their [[shepherd]]. Sony fanboys are called "[[Cattle|cows]]" because they are needing to pay extra, or "milked" by Sony for features that should already be provided and not getting the best from it. Microsoft fanboys are called "[[Lemming|lemmings]]" because they follow what Microsoft says, even if it leads to their demise. PC fanboys are called "[[hermits]]" because they are generally loner, no-friends gamers who play by themselves.

===[[Operating systems]]===
[[Linux]] Fanboy, [[Microsoft Windows]] Fanboy, [[Mac]] Fanboy, [[FreeBSD]] Fanboy, [[Open-source]] Fanboy, [[BeOS]] Fanboy, [[Bash]] Fanboy, [[OS/2]] Fanboy.

===[[Music]]===
[[Heavy metal music|Metal]] Fanboy, [[Nu Metal]] Fanboy, [[Death metal]] Fanboy, [[Classic Metal]] Fanboy, [[1970s]] Fanboy, [[Pop music|Pop]] Fanboy, [[Techno]] Fanboy.

===[[Anime]]s===
[[Dragon Ball]] Fanboy (gets hung up on names, especially [[romanji]]), [[Sailor Moon]] Fanboy (very strict about [[manga]] continuity), [[Inuyasha]] Fangirl (generally, they're all [[female]], but display all the traits of fanboys), and the infamous [[Narutard]].

==In Media==
===[[Comic Book]]===
[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''

===[[Television]]===
[[The Simpsons]]'s [[Comic Book Guy]]

===[[Radio]]/[[Podcast]]s===
[[Fanboy Radio]] - [http://fanboyradio.com]
Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]

===[[Webcomic]]s===
[[Fanboy Almanac (webcomic)]] - http://fanboyalmanac.com

[[Fanboys]] - http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys

===[[Internet]]===
[[Firefox]] Fanboys.
Internet Explorer Fanboys.
Opera Fanboys.
Maxthon Fanboys.

==See also==
* [[addiction]]
* [[otaku]]
* [[anorak (slang)|anorak]]

[[Category:Fandom]]

[[de:Fanboy]]

Archive:Project fork

2005-07-22T09:34:01Z

24.18.5.138: Changed last sentence to make it more clear.

:''This article is about "forking" a [[software development]] project. For other uses, see [[fork (disambiguation)]].''

In [[software engineering]], a '''project fork''' or '''branch''' happens when a developer (or a group of them) takes code from a project and starts to develop independently of the rest. The term is also used more loosely to represent a similar branching of any work (for example, there are several forks of the English language [[Wikipedia]]).

The term is particularly used in [[free software|free]] or [[open source]] software, when a [[schism]] occurs because of different goals or personality clashes. Some see forks as a weakness in open source, but others believe that they demonstrate the adaptability of the model. The relationship between the different teams can be cordial or very bitter (see [[xMule]] and its fork [[aMule]]).

In a fork of this type, both parties inherit identical [[intellectual rights]] but typically only the larger group, or that containing the original [[software architecture|architect]], will retain the full original name and its associated [[social capital]]. Thus there is a reputation penalty associated with forking.

This can happen in [[closed source]] software as well, if the rights to the common code are shared; but this is rarer, as usually there are strict rules about ownership of the code. More commonly in closed source software, a developer forks its own code to develop two versions, such as a [[Window (computing)|windowed]] version and a [[command line interface|command line]] version.

Another sort of fork is a standard practice in many projects: to fork a ''stable'' or ''release'' version which will be modified only for bug fixes, while a ''development'' tree continues to get new features added. This is common practice in the [[Linux kernel]], for instance, but has been misrepresented occasionally in the trade press as the more problematic sort of fork described above. [http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20041121124609671]

In some cases, a fork can merge back into the original project or replace it. [[EGCS]] (Experimental/Enhanced GNU Compiler System) was a fork from [[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]] which proved more vital than the original project and was eventually "blessed" as the official GCC project.

==Other examples==

*[[Enciclopedia Libre]] is a fork from the [http://es.wikipedia.org Spanish-language Wikipedia] to evade possible advertising.
*[[Pretty Good Privacy]] was forked outside of the United States to free it from the restrictive laws on the exportation of cryptographic software.
*[[XEmacs]] was a fork from [[GNU Emacs]] to support the proprietary Energize environment.
*The split of [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] from AT&T [[Unix|UNIX]].
*The many varieties of [[proprietary]] [[Unix|UNIX]] — all derived from AT&T UNIX and all called "UNIX", but increasingly mutually incompatible. ''See'' [[UNIX wars]].
*The development of the [[NTFS]] filesystem by Microsoft based upon previous work on [[HPFS]] that was left to [[IBM]]
*The game [[Nethack]] has spawned a number of variants using the original code (it is sometimes thought of as a fork of [[Rogue (computer game)|Rogue]], but its code was written independently).
*[[OpenBSD]] was originally a fork from [[NetBSD]], arising from conflicts of personality between NetBSD developers.
*[[OpenSSH]] was a fork from [[SSH]], which happened because the license for SSH 2.x was "[[non-free]]" (even though the source was available), so an older version of SSH 1.x, which was the last to have been licensed as [[free software]], was forked. Within months, virtually all Linux distributions, BSD versions and even some proprietary Unixes had replaced SSH with OpenSSH.
*The [[X.Org Server|X.Org]] [[X Window System|X11]] server was a fork from [[XFree86]] for a very similar reason as that of SSH and OpenSSH. Development on [[X11]] has since sped up and most distributions have switched.
*[[DragonflyBSD]] forked from [[FreeBSD]] in order to pursue different technical approaches to those used in FreeBSD 5.
* [[Inkscape]] forked from [[Sodipodi]].
* [[aMule]] forked from [[xMule]].
* [[Apple]]'s [[WebCore]] is a fork of [[KDE]]'s [[KHTML]] 3.1, this technology is used in two [[webbrowser]]s: [[Safari]] and [[Konqueror]].

==See also==
*[[revision control]]

==External links==
*[http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Licensing_and_Law/forking.html Fear of forking]

{{soft-eng-stub}}

[[Category:Software engineering]]

[[de:Fork]]
[[fr:Fork]]
[[pl:Fork]]

Archive:Project fork

2005-07-22T09:32:59Z

24.18.5.138: Changed last sentence to make it less awkward.

:''This article is about "forking" a [[software development]] project. For other uses, see [[fork (disambiguation)]].''

In [[software engineering]], a '''project fork''' or '''branch''' happens when a developer (or a group of them) takes code from a project and starts to develop independently of the rest. The term is also used more loosely to represent a similar branching of any work (for example, there are several forks of the English language [[Wikipedia]]).

The term is particularly used in [[free software|free]] or [[open source]] software, when a [[schism]] occurs because of different goals or personality clashes. Some see forks as a weakness in open source, but others believe that they demonstrate the adaptability of the model. The relationship between the different teams can be cordial or very bitter (see [[xMule]] and its fork [[aMule]]).

In a fork of this type, both parties inherit identical [[intellectual rights]] but typically only the larger group, or that containing the original [[software architecture|architect]], will retain the full original name and its associated [[social capital]]. Thus there is a reputation penalty associated with forking.

This can happen in [[closed source]] software as well, if the rights to the common code are shared; but this is rarer, as usually there are strict rules about ownership of the code. More commonly in closed source software, a developer forks its own code to develop two versions, such as a [[Window (computing)|windowed]] version and a [[command line interface|command line]] version.

Another sort of fork is a standard practice in many projects: to fork a ''stable'' or ''release'' version which will be modified only for bug fixes, while a ''development'' tree continues to get new features added. This is common practice in the [[Linux kernel]], for instance, but has been misrepresented occasionally in the trade press as the more problematic sort of fork described above. [http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20041121124609671]

In some cases, a fork can merge back into the original project or replace it. [[EGCS]] (Experimental/Enhanced GNU Compiler System) was a fork from [[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]] which proved more vital than the original project and was eventually "blessed" as the official GCC project.

==Other examples==

*[[Enciclopedia Libre]] is a fork from the [http://es.wikipedia.org Spanish-language Wikipedia] to evade possible advertising.
*[[Pretty Good Privacy]] was forked outside of the United States to free it from the restrictive laws on the exportation of cryptographic software.
*[[XEmacs]] was a fork from [[GNU Emacs]] to support the proprietary Energize environment.
*The split of [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] from AT&T [[Unix|UNIX]].
*The many varieties of [[proprietary]] [[Unix|UNIX]] — all derived from AT&T UNIX and all called "UNIX", but increasingly mutually incompatible. ''See'' [[UNIX wars]].
*The development of the [[NTFS]] filesystem by Microsoft based upon previous work on [[HPFS]] that was left to [[IBM]]
*The game [[Nethack]] has spawned a number of variants using the original code (it is sometimes thought of as a fork of [[Rogue (computer game)|Rogue]], but its code was written independently).
*[[OpenBSD]] was originally a fork from [[NetBSD]], arising from conflicts of personality between NetBSD developers.
*[[OpenSSH]] was a fork from [[SSH]], which happened because the license for SSH 2.x was "[[non-free]]" (even though the source was available), so an older version of SSH 1.x, which was the last to have been licensed as [[free software]], was forked. Within months, virtually all Linux distributions, BSD versions and even some proprietary Unixes had replaced SSH with OpenSSH.
*The [[X.Org Server|X.Org]] [[X Window System|X11]] server was a fork from [[XFree86]] for a very similar reason as that of SSH and OpenSSH. Development on [[X11]] has since sped up and most distributions have switched.
*[[DragonflyBSD]] forked from [[FreeBSD]] in order to pursue different technical approaches to those used in FreeBSD 5.
* [[Inkscape]] forked from [[Sodipodi]].
* [[aMule]] forked from [[xMule]].
* [[Apple]]'s [[WebCore]] is a fork of [[KDE]]'s [[KHTML]] 3.1, this technology is used in the [[webbrowser]]s [[Safari]] and [[Konqueror]].

==See also==
*[[revision control]]

==External links==
*[http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Licensing_and_Law/forking.html Fear of forking]

{{soft-eng-stub}}

[[Category:Software engineering]]

[[de:Fork]]
[[fr:Fork]]
[[pl:Fork]]

Project Jedi

2005-06-25T07:31:37Z

24.18.247.210:

{{POV check}}{{cleanup-verify}}
According to Glenn Wheaton, retired sergeant first class, this was a secret project run in the mid-1980s by US Special Forces, primarily out of Fort Bragg. The aim was to develop soldiers to a higher level of operational perception amd combat effectiveness, through an extreme training program.
Extensive use was made of Kung-Fu instruction from internationally recognised Kung-Fu Master [http://www.worldkungfu.com/Master.html Guy Savelli], to improve mental focus, and improve one-on-one combat. Levels of perception targeted for development, included the following

*The ability to walk into a room, and be instantly be aware of every surrounding detail.
*Enhanced intuition, sensing the possible intentions or positions of an enemy.
*Invisibility, or the ability to move around in a stealthy manner without being noticed.
*Influencing other biological forms with the intent of your mind.

Various experiments were purportedly conducted at Goat Lab, a surgical training center for Special Forces troops. Goats are shot in the leg with a bolt gun in a sound proofed room. They are then taken to an operating theatre, anaesthetized, and special forces troops given the chance to dress the wound and nurse the goat back to health. Some people object to this brutal treatment of goats.

Little else is known about Project Jedi at this time, pending further declassification of Special Forces documentation.

== Further Reading ==
* ''The Men Who Stare At Goats'', [[Jon Ronson]], ISBN 0330375482
* [http://worldofwonder.net/productions/networks/channel_4_uk/crazy_rulers_of_the_world.php ''The Crazy Rulers of the World'']