Lamer
Encyclopedia
Lamer is a jargon
or slang
name originally applied in cracker
and phreaker culture to someone who did not really understand what he or she was doing. Today it is also loosely applied by IRC, BBS
, and online
gaming users to anyone perceived to be contemptible. In general, the term has come to describe someone who is willfully ignorant of how things work.
The term is derived from lame. A lamer is widely understood to be the antithesis of a hacker. While a hacker strives to understand the mechanisms behind what he or she uses, even when such extended knowledge would have no practical value, a lamer only cares to learn the bare minimum necessary to operate the device in the way originally intended. Thus, a lamer is usually indistinguishable from someone who is too lame
to understand why something works even if they wanted to. A lamer's attitude is summed up by the phrase, "I don't care how it works, just that it does".
The usual definition of a lamer is someone who acts lame. That could be using tactics that are generally accepted as overpowered, "camping" (another gamer term) which means lying in wait all the time without necessarily accomplishing anything useful, jumping around with no purpose. In fact, almost all negative gaming terms fit under the term lamer; the exceptions are terms that apply to newcomers or players who are bad at playing.
culture, where the ability to wave around cracked commercial software within days of (or before) release to the commercial market is much esteemed, the lamer might try to upload garbage or shareware or something incredibly old.
This term seems to have originated in the Commodore 64
scene in the mid 1980s. It was popularized among Amiga crackers of the mid-1980s by ‘Lamer Exterminator’, the most famous and feared Amiga virus ever, which gradually corrupted non-write-protected floppy disks with bad sectors. The bad sectors, when looked at, were overwritten with repetitions of the string “LAMER!”.
may be partly responsible for bringing the term into common parlance.
Lamer has become a word used in the same way that stupid, idiot, and retarded are used to describe something contemptible. In recent years it has been popularized once again by Polish self-deprecating comedian Matthew Jurkowsky.
Generally, the more specialized and developed the culture, the more lamer is used as it was defined originally. In less exclusive cultures such as online gaming and IRC, the term has lost its original meaning.
Lamer can also be synonymous with, or at least similarly defined to, griefer
in certain gamer circles; whereas a griefer plays the game solely to earn enjoyment from the frustration of other players (including and especially their teammates), a lamer's only reason for playing the game is to earn points (usually by killing an opponent) even if they use dirty tactics to get their way.
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
or slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
name originally applied in cracker
Software cracking
Software cracking is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software, usually related to protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances...
and phreaker culture to someone who did not really understand what he or she was doing. Today it is also loosely applied by IRC, BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
, and online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
gaming users to anyone perceived to be contemptible. In general, the term has come to describe someone who is willfully ignorant of how things work.
The term is derived from lame. A lamer is widely understood to be the antithesis of a hacker. While a hacker strives to understand the mechanisms behind what he or she uses, even when such extended knowledge would have no practical value, a lamer only cares to learn the bare minimum necessary to operate the device in the way originally intended. Thus, a lamer is usually indistinguishable from someone who is too lame
Lame
Lame may refer to:* Lameness , lameness in horses* LAME, MP3 encoder* "Lame" , song by Unwritten Law* Licensed aircraft maintenance engineer...
to understand why something works even if they wanted to. A lamer's attitude is summed up by the phrase, "I don't care how it works, just that it does".
The usual definition of a lamer is someone who acts lame. That could be using tactics that are generally accepted as overpowered, "camping" (another gamer term) which means lying in wait all the time without necessarily accomplishing anything useful, jumping around with no purpose. In fact, almost all negative gaming terms fit under the term lamer; the exceptions are terms that apply to newcomers or players who are bad at playing.
Origin
In phreak culture, a lamer is one who scams codes off others rather than doing cracks or really understanding the fundamental concepts. In warezWarez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
culture, where the ability to wave around cracked commercial software within days of (or before) release to the commercial market is much esteemed, the lamer might try to upload garbage or shareware or something incredibly old.
This term seems to have originated in the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
scene in the mid 1980s. It was popularized among Amiga crackers of the mid-1980s by ‘Lamer Exterminator’, the most famous and feared Amiga virus ever, which gradually corrupted non-write-protected floppy disks with bad sectors. The bad sectors, when looked at, were overwritten with repetitions of the string “LAMER!”.
Common new uses
Lamer is now commonly applied to individuals perceived to be contemptible. The proliferation of computer-mediated communication media such as IRC or BBSesBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
may be partly responsible for bringing the term into common parlance.
Lamer has become a word used in the same way that stupid, idiot, and retarded are used to describe something contemptible. In recent years it has been popularized once again by Polish self-deprecating comedian Matthew Jurkowsky.
Generally, the more specialized and developed the culture, the more lamer is used as it was defined originally. In less exclusive cultures such as online gaming and IRC, the term has lost its original meaning.
Lamer can also be synonymous with, or at least similarly defined to, griefer
Griefer
A griefer is a player in a multiplayer video game that deliberately irritates and harasses other players.-History:The term was applied to online, multiplayer computer games by the year 2000 or earlier, as illustrated by postings to the rec.games.computer.ultima.online USENET group.-Overview:A...
in certain gamer circles; whereas a griefer plays the game solely to earn enjoyment from the frustration of other players (including and especially their teammates), a lamer's only reason for playing the game is to earn points (usually by killing an opponent) even if they use dirty tactics to get their way.
External links
- Definition of lame - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- Lamer - Another description of a lamer.
- Definition of Lamer - Jargon File - Origination of term lamer.