[W/K] :: hostname

  hostname
       
          1. (Or "sitename").  The unique name by which a computer is
          known on a network, used to identify it in electronic
          mail, Usenet news, or other forms of electronic
          information interchange.
       
          On Internet the hostname is an ASCII string,
          e.g. "foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk" which, consists of a local part
          (foldoc) and a domain name (doc.ic.ac.uk).  The hostname is
          translated into an Internet address either via the
          /etc/hosts file, NIS or by the Domain Name System (DNS) or
          resolver.  It is possible for one computer to have several
          hostnames (aliases) though one is designated as its
          canonical name.
       
          It is often possible to guess a hostname for a particular
          institution.  This is useful if you want to know if they
          operate network services like anonymous FTP, World-Wide
          Web or finger.  First try the institution's name or obvious
          abbreviations thereof, with the appropriate domain appended,
          e.g. "mit.edu".  If this fails, prepend "ftp." or "www." as
          appropriate, e.g. "www.data-io.com".  You can use the ping
          command as a quick way to test whether a hostname is valid.
       
          The folklore interest of hostnames stems from the creativity
          and humour they often display.  Interpreting a sitename is not
          unlike interpreting a vanity licence plate; one has to
          mentally unpack it, allowing for mono-case and length
          restrictions and the lack of whitespace.  Hacker tradition
          deprecates dull, institutional-sounding names in favour of
          punchy, humorous, and clever coinages (except that it is
          considered appropriate for the official public gateway machine
          of an organisation to bear the organisation's name or
          acronym).  Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal
          names, and allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably
          the most popular sources for sitenames (in roughly descending
          order).  The obligatory comment is Harris's Lament: "All the
          good ones are taken!"
       
          See also network address.
       
          2. Berkeley Unix command to set and get the application
          level name used by the host.
       
          Unix manual page: hostname(1).
       
          (1995-02-16)