talk

chat, tool, networking, messaging A Unix program and

protocol supporting conversation between two or more users

who may be logged into the same computer or different

computers on a network. Variants include ntalk, ytalk,

and ports or emulators of these programs for other

platforms.

Unix has the talk program and protocol and its variants

xtalk and ytalk for the X Window System; VMS has

phone; Windows for Workgroups has chat. ITS also has

a talk system. These split the screen into separate areas for

each user.

Unix's write command can also be used, though it does not

attempt to separate input and output on the screen.

Users of such systems are said to be in talk mode which has

many conventional abbreviations and idioms. Most of these

survived into chat jargon, but many fell out of common use

with the migration of user prattle from talk-like systems to

chat systems in the early 1990s. These disused

talk-specific forms include:

"BYE?" - are you ready to close the conversation? This is the

standard way to end a talk-mode conversation; the other person

types "BYE" to confirm, or else continues the conversation.

"JAM"/"MIN" - just a minute

"O" - "over" (I have stopped talking). Also "/" as in x/y - x

over y, or two newlines (the latter being the most common).

"OO" - "over and out" - end of conversation.

"" - Greek lambda.

"R U THERE?" - are you there?

"SEC" - wait a second.

"///" - laughter. But on a MUD, this usually means

"earthquake fault".

See also talk bomb.

(1998-01-25)