:sneaker: /n./ An individual hired to break into places in order to test their security; analogous to {tiger team}. Compare {samurai}.
:sneakernet: /snee'ker-net/ /n./ Term used (generally with ironic intent) for transfer of electronic information by physically carrying tape, disks, or some other media from one machine to another. "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon filled with magtape, or a 747 filled with CD-ROMs." Also called `Tennis-Net', `Armpit-Net', `Floppy-Net' or `Shoenet'.
:sniff: /v.,n./ Synonym for {poll}.
:snivitz: /sniv'itz/ /n./ A hiccup in hardware or software; a small, transient problem of unknown origin (less serious than a {snark}). Compare {glitch}.
:SO: /S-O/ /n./ 1. (also `S.O.') Abbrev. for Significant Other, almost invariably written abbreviated and pronounced /S-O/ by hackers. Used to refer to one's primary relationship, esp. a live-in to whom one is not married. See {MOTAS}, {MOTOS}, {MOTSS}. 2. [techspeak] The Shift Out control character in ASCII (Control-N, 0001110).
:social engineering: /n./ Term used among {cracker}s and {samurai} for cracking techniques that rely on weaknesses in {wetware} rather than software; the aim is to trick people into revealing passwords or other information that compromises a target system's security. Classic scams include phoning up a mark who has the required information and posing as a field service tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access problem. See also the {tiger team} story in the {patch} entry.
:social science number: /n./ [IBM] A statistic that is {content-free}, or nearly so. A measure derived via methods of questionable validity from data of a dubious and vague nature. Predictively, having a social science number in hand is seldom much better than nothing, and can be considerably worse. As a rule, {management} loves them. See also {numbers}, {math-out}, {pretty pictures}.
:sodium substrate: /n./ Syn {salt substrate}.
:soft boot: /n./ See {boot}.
:softcopy: /soft'kop-ee/ /n./ [by analogy with `hardcopy']
A machine-readable form of corresponding hardcopy. See {bits},
{machinable}.