“What is a killfile?”

First off, I’m surprised about the amount of people who do not know what a killfile is. A killfile is your “blocked senders list” on Outlook Express, your “Block List” on AOL Instant Messenger, and your “Ignore List” on ICQ. Why is it called a “killfile”, then? Basically, it simply “kills” files I receive from certain people. Thus the term killfile. I usually use mine on people who send me messages that are enough to where I do not want to hear from them anymore. So, into my killfile they go, and any more utterances from them to me is, unbeknownst to them, like talking to a brick wall. I also use my killfile to ignore messages from “trolls” on newsgroups. When announcing that someone is going into your killfile, one often says *PLONK*, meaning to imitate the sound of that person’s screen name or address hitting the bottom of the killfile. A killfile is not a “hit list”, and it is not a device that nukes other people’s computers. Just a simple blocker…


Date posted: January 29, 2000