Borg

1 definition found

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  Borg n. In "Star Trek: The Next Generation" the Borg is a species of
     cyborg that ruthlessly seeks to incorporate all sentient life into
     itself; their slogan is "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."
     In hacker parlance, the Borg is usually {Microsoft}, which is thought to
     be trying just as ruthlessly to assimilate all computers and the entire
     Internet to itself (there is a widely circulated image of Bill Gates as


     a Borg). Being forced to use Windows or NT is often referred to as being
     "Borged". Interestingly, the {Halloween Documents} reveal that this
     jargon is live within Microsoft itself. (Other companies, notably Intel
     and UUNet, have also occasionally been equated to the Borg.) See also
     {Evil Empire}, {Internet Exploiter}.
  
     In IETF circles, where direct pressure from Microsoft is not a daily
     reality, the Borg is sometimes Cisco. This usage commemmorates their
     tendency to pay any price to hire talent away from their competitors. In
     fact, at the Spring 1997 IETF, a large number of ex-Cisco employees, all
     former members of Routing Geeks, showed up with t-shirts printed with
     "Recovering Borg".