1. <person> Someone doing "real work" with the computer, using
it as a means rather than an end. Someone who pays to use a
computer. A programmer who will believe anything you tell
him. One who asks silly questions without thinking for two
seconds or looking in the documentation. Someone who uses a
program, however skillfully, without getting into the
internals of the program. One who reports bugs instead of
just fixing them. See also luser, real user.
Users are looked down on by hackers to some extent because
they don't understand the full ramifications of the system in
all its glory. The term is relative: a skilled hacker may be
a user with respect to some program he himself does not hack.
A LISP hacker might be one who maintains LISP or one who uses
LISP (but with the skill of a hacker). A LISP user is one who
uses LISP, whether skillfully or not. Thus there is some
overlap between the two terms; the subtle distinctions must be
resolved by context.
2. <jargon> Any person, organisation, process, device,
program, protocol, or system which uses a service provided
by others.
The term "client" (as in "client-server" systems) is
rather more specific, usually implying two processes
communicating via some protocol.
[Jargon File]
(1996-04-28)
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