Lecture

Internet Slang Commonly Used by Developers

LGTM? TL;DR? Noob? As you browse through GitHub, you'll often encounter unfamiliar English abbreviations and terms.

Just like how communities online tend to use abbreviations such as work-life balance, clock out on time, insurmountable in English, there are also various abbreviations and internet terms used in the English community.

Let's explore key internet terms and abbreviations you must know to become an insider in the open source community.

Quiz

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What does 'TL;DR' mean, a common internet English expression often seen in developer work?

TL;DR stands for ' '.

Too Late; Didn't Reply

To Leave; Don't Return

Too Long; Didn't Read

Too Low; Didn't Reach

Internet Terms for Developers

LGTM

An abbreviation for Looks Good To Me, used in code reviews to indicate there are no significant issues.

LGTM. Approved this PR. Looks good to me. Approved the pull request.

TL;DR

An abbreviation for Too Long; Didn't Read, used to provide a summary at the beginning of a long document or explanation.

TL;DR: the new build system will be implemented next week. Summary: The new build system will be implemented next week.

SSIA

An abbreviation for Subject Says It All, used when the email subject contains all the needed information.

SSIA. Let me know what you think. The subject says it all. Let me know what you think.

TBD

An abbreviation for To Be Determined, indicating that a decision has not yet been made.

Set up environment variables (TBD) Set up environment variables (Discussion needed)

RFC

An abbreviation for Request For Comments, used when soliciting feedback on a new proposal.

(RFC) Integrating the new architecture (Request for comments) Integrating the new architecture

IMHO

An abbreviation for In My Honest Opinion or In My Humble Opinion, used to express one's opinion modestly.

IMHO, the lousy UI is the problem. In my honest opinion, the poor UI is the issue.

AFAIK

An abbreviation for As Far As I Know, used to convey information that is believed to be true but not certain.

AFAIK, there were no critical bugs in this build. As far as I know, there are no critical bugs in this build.

FYI

An abbreviation for For Your Information, used to provide reference information.

FYI, this API is deprecated. For your information, this API is deprecated.

IRL

An abbreviation for In Real Life, used to emphasize situations that occur in the real world.

Does it really work IRL? Does it really work in real life?

TIA

An abbreviation for Thanks In Advance, used to express gratitude in advance of a favor or request.

Can someone please share a code example? TIA. Can someone please share a code example? Thanks in advance.

AFK

An abbreviation for Away From Keyboard, indicating that someone is not present or unavailable.

I will be AFK for 1 hour. Please contact others for urgent matters. I will be away from the keyboard for 1 hour. Please contact others for urgent matters.

TBH

An abbreviation for To Be Honest, used to give a frank opinion.

TBH, the performance of this algorithm is not that satisfactory. To be honest, the performance of this algorithm is not very satisfactory.

BTW

An abbreviation for By The Way, used to change the topic in a conversation.

BTW, when will the new version be released? By the way, when will the new version be released?

ACK

An abbreviation for Acknowledgement, indicating approval or agreement.

ACK. Let’s move it forward. Acknowledged. Let's move it forward.

WIP

An abbreviation for Work In Progress, indicating tasks that are not yet completed.

(WIP) Add T&C (Work in Progress) Add Terms and Conditions

noob

A slang term for a newcomer or beginner, often used in communities or open-source projects.

I’m a noob here. Please help troubleshoot this issue. I'm new here. Please help troubleshoot this issue.

well played

A phrase used to compliment someone on a job well done.

You fixed the bug! Well played. You fixed the bug! Well done.