Where does the term troll come from in ATFS?

[cruthick7]

Anyone know where it came from?

 

[Pciber]

it isn't just on anand forums, it refers to all deals. Trolls try to take thing, get it?

 

[SagaLore]

I'm having trouble understanding your question. Perhaps a typo?

A troll - refered to in discussion forums, bulletin boards, newsgroups, and mailing lists - is a person that writes a response that doesn't actually contribute to the thread, but instead is meant to invoke emotions/anger from the other members for the sole purpose of stealing away attention towards themselves or starting a argument just out of enjoyment.

I believe the term comes from the old fable about trolls who lived under bridges. The troll would not let you pass unless you got the correct answer to a question, but the problem was that it was always a trick question - so then the troll ate/killed the passerby.

I think over time people start refering to anyone that they find unfavorable as troll and many times don't even know why they call other people trolls (a lost translation). Kind of like how Pciber just mentioned it had to do with deals but it actually doesn't.

 

[cruthick7]

i get it thanks

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: SagaLore
I'm having trouble understanding your question. Perhaps a typo?

A troll - refered to in discussion forums, bulletin boards, newsgroups, and mailing lists - is a person that writes a response that doesn't actually contribute to the thread, but instead is meant to invoke emotions/anger from the other members for the sole purpose of stealing away attention towards themselves or starting a argument just out of enjoyment.

I believe the term comes from the old fable about trolls who lived under bridges. The troll would not let you pass unless you got the correct answer to a question, but the problem was that it was always a trick question - so then the troll ate/killed the passerby.

I always thought it came from the fishing term (where you use a baited line to try to lure fish).

 

[cruthick7]

Thats a good point too. Could be either. I like the fishing one better

 

[NoReserve]

I am liking the fishing one as well

 

[SagaLore]

Here's a nice clean definition of troll:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll

and multiple definitions:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/troll

Wow, I think you're right. It makes more sense to relate it to a "lure" and that probably is where it came from. Shame on me, I got it wrong.

 

[ribbon13]

I love trolling. Nothing like kicking it on a boat with a cooler full of beer fishing with your friends.

 

[SludgeFactory]

More troll background, the term goes back a long time.

It's not a leap to see how troll came to be synonymous with a scammer or bad trader at AT. Personally, having known it by the conventional meaning long before I heard it used the AT way, I still find it a little too innocent to be used to refer to POS scumbag thieves.