''Chainik'' ( East Slavic: ''чайник'', "teakettle", "teapot") is a term that implies both ignorance and a certain amount of willingness to learn (as well as a propensity to cause disaster), but does not necessarily imply as little experience or short exposure time as

newbie Newbie, newb, noob, noobie, n00b or nub is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in a profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet a ...

and is not as derogatory as

luser Before the popularization of the Internet in the 1990s, Internet slang defined a luser (sometimes expanded to local user; also luzer or luzzer) as a painfully annoying, stupid, or irritating computer user.p. 214 The word is a blend of "loser" a ...

. Both a novice user and someone using a computer system for a long time without any understanding of the internals can be referred to as chainiks. It is a widespread term in Russian hackish, often used in an English context by Russian-speaking hackers especially in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(e.g. "Our new colleague is a complete chainik"). FidoNet discussion groups often had a "chainik" subsection for newbies and old chainiks (e.g. SU.CHAINIK, RU.LINUX.CHAINIK). Public projects often have a chainik mailing list to keep the chainiks out the developers' and experienced users' discussions. Today, the word is slowly slipping into mainstream

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

due to the Russian translation of the popular ''

For Dummies ''For Dummies'' is an extensive series of instructional reference books which are intended to present non-intimidating guides for readers new to the various topics covered. The series has been a worldwide success with editions in numerous lan ...

'' series which uses "chainik" for "dummy". Term can also apply to novice

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

s, backpackers, drivers, etc., with such usage predating the usage in computing context. Some suggest the term is derived from a Russian folk custom to make a gift of a hollow thing – e.g., a pitted

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus '' Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes u ...

, a

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

, or a

teapot A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea b ...

– to unsuccessful matchmakers of an aspiring groom rejected by a bride. The unlucky groom was mockingly called ''chainik''. Over time the term entered other usages for unlucky, inept, or newbie people.''A Large Dictionary of Russian Nicknames'', by Harry Walter and Valery Mokiyenko (2007)
p. 19
/ref>

References

{{reflist Beginners and newcomers Russian words and phrases Computer jargon