What was the first use of the word "slipgate," in what context, with
what definition, where, and by whom?

Or, at least, any information placing the word before June 22, 1996,
would be swell.  :)  It came into common usage on that date, with the
release of id Software's PC computer game "Quake," where slipgates
were transporters to other areas or other dimensions.

The occasional Usenet (via Google Groups) reference hints at an old
internet server named slipgate (a SLIP protocol gateway).  But I can't
believe the word was invented for a video game.

Excerpts from (expectedly) science fiction or fantasy books would be
prime, but any literature containing the term would be preferred over
a computer's name that happened to be the same for totally different
reasons.

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 24 Jan 2003 16:03 PST

vito --

According to Martin Marietta (in a 1993 document) a "slip gate" (two
words) is an "energy isolating device:"

"3.3   Energy Isolating Device - A physical device which: 

3.3.1   Prevents the release or transmission of energy by isolation,
support, blocking retention or control,

3.3.2  Cannot be deactivated by malfunction or intentional bypass, and

3.3.3   Visually indicates the position or control of an energy
source.

3.3.4   Examples - Manually operated electrical circuit breaker, line
valve, slip gate, mechanical block or stop.

Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties
http://www.magspecialties.com/safetynet/sh-15.htm

I have also found an undated reference to such a "slip gate" in a U.S.
Navy document.

Because the term I have found is two words rather than one, I am
posting this information as a clarification request, not an answer. If
you would consider information on the phrase "slip gate" to be a
completely satisfactory response to your queation, I would be happy to
amplify it and post it as an answer.


markj-ga

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Clarification of Question by vito-ga on 25 Jan 2003 03:53 PST

Interesting find, and there are other types of "slip gates," like
valves, too.  But the term I'm looking for is very much a sci-fi or
fantasy one, a portal to another world or dimension.  I don't believe
Quake was the first use of the term.  Two words are fine as long as
it's a similar context or genre.

There is a USA Today article dating May 29, 1996 that mentions the
word, but in context of the game Quake :-)

Ciao Vito,

"Slipgate" seems to be a term that has morphed from the "slipstream"
culture.  Haven't found a specific individual who coined the term
though.  Here's this:

"Slipstream - Term used to denote cyberpunk fiction, particularly
pre-1984
fictional works that have been influential to the mirrorshades group
or
that closely resemble cyberpunk, but are sometimes outside of the sf 
genre. An example would be William S. Burroughs." 

http://www.engin.umd.umich.edu/~jwvm/ece274/reference/cyberpoet 


"Robert Hewitt Wolfe: The faster-than-light travel is called
"Slipstream." It's based, somewhat, on String Theory. The idea is that
if you get to a place where gravity is sufficiently weak and you use
an artificial gravity generator, you can rip a hole in space, and you
get into the place where the interconnectivity of all things exists,
which is String Space. Then you can ride the strings from Point A to
Point B, and you're moving based on the connectivity of them, not
based on any physical laws of our universe."

http://www.crescentblues.com/3_5issue/andromeda.shtml 


I'll leave this as a comment in case another researcher can pursue
this further.

Best of luck,
V (who had her own science fiction show) ;-)