[W/K] :: luser

  luser /loo'zr/ n. [common] A user; esp. one who is also a loser.
     ({luser and loser are pronounced identically.) This word was coined
     around 1975 at MIT. Under ITS, when you first walked up to a terminal at
     MIT and typed Control-Z to get the computer's attention, it printed out
     some status information, including how many people were already using
     the computer; it might print "14 users", for example. Someone thought it
     would be a great joke to patch the system to print "14 losers" instead.
     There ensued a great controversy, as some of the users didn't
     particularly want to be called losers to their faces every time they
     used the computer. For a while several hackers struggled covertly, each
     changing the message behind the back of the others; any time you logged
     into the computer it was even money whether it would say "users" or
     "losers". Finally, someone tried the compromise "lusers", and it stuck.
     Later one of the ITS machines supported `luser' as a request-for-help
     command. ITS died the death in mid-1990, except as a museum piece; the
     usage lives on, however, and the term `luser' is often seen in program
     comments and on Usenet. Compare mundane, muggle.
  
  = M =
  
  

  luser
       
           /loo'zr/ A user; especially one who is also
          a loser.  ({luser and loser are pronounced identically.)
          This word was coined around 1975 at MIT.
       
          Under ITS, when you first walked up to a terminal at MIT and
          typed Control-Z to get the computer's attention, it printed
          out some status information, including how many people were
          already using the computer; it might print "14 users", for
          example.  Someone thought it would be a great joke to patch
          the system to print "14 losers" instead.  There ensued a great
          controversy, as some of the users didn't particularly want to
          be called losers to their faces every time they used the
          computer.  For a while several hackers struggled covertly,
          each changing the message behind the back of the others; any
          time you logged into the computer it was even money whether it
          would say "users" or "losers".  Finally, someone tried the
          compromise "lusers", and it stuck.
       
          Later one of the ITS machines supported "luser" as a
          request-for-help command.  ITS died the death in mid-1990,
          except as a museum piece; the usage lives on, however, and the
          term "luser" is often seen in program comments.
       
          See: also LART.  Compare: tourist, weenie.
       
          [{Jargon File]
       
          (1998-07-01)