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. See also {Evil
Empire}, {Internet Exploiter}.
Other companies, notably Intel and UUNet, have also occasionally been
equated to the Borg. In IETF circles, where direct pressure from
Microsoft is not a daily reality, the Borg is sometimes Cisco. This
usage commemorates 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".
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {all your base are belong to us}{Evil Empire}]