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diff --git a/old/3008.txt b/old/3008.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..10d0aa0 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/3008.txt @@ -0,0 +1,57734 @@ +The Project Gutenberg Etext of The New Hacker's Dictionary version +4.2.2 + +Version 4.0.0 of The New Hacker's Dictionary (a.k.a., The Jargon +File) was released as etext #817 in February 1997. This file, +version 4.2.2, was derived from the public domain source at +http://www.tuxedo.org/jargon. This is a plain text version of +jarg422h.htm, produced automatically with the Lynx Web browser. + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check +the laws for your country before redistributing these files!!! + +Please take a look at the important information in this header. +We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an +electronic path open for the next readers. + +Please do not remove this. + +This should be the first thing seen when anyone opens the book. +Do not change or edit it without written permission. 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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.07.00*END* + + + + + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Top, Next:[2]Introduction, Previous:[3](dir), Up:[4](dir) +#======= THIS IS THE JARGON FILE, VERSION 4.2.2, 20 AUG 2000 =======# + + This is the Jargon File, a comprehensive compendium of hacker slang + illuminating many aspects of hackish tradition, folklore, and humor. + + This document (the Jargon File) is in the public domain, to be freely + used, shared, and modified. There are (by intention) no legal + restraints on what you can do with it, but there are traditions about + its proper use to which many hackers are quite strongly attached. + Please extend the courtesy of proper citation when you quote the File, + ideally with a version number, as it will change and grow over time. + (Examples of appropriate citation form: "Jargon File 4.2.2" or "The + on-line hacker Jargon File, version 4.2.2, 20 AUG 2000".) + + The Jargon File is a common heritage of the hacker culture. Over the + years a number of individuals have volunteered considerable time to + maintaining the File and been recognized by the net at large as + editors of it. Editorial responsibilities include: to collate + contributions and suggestions from others; to seek out corroborating + information; to cross-reference related entries; to keep the file in a + consistent format; and to announce and distribute updated versions + periodically. Current volunteer editors include: + + Eric Raymond [5]esr@snark.thyrsus.com + + Although there is no requirement that you do so, it is considered good + form to check with an editor before quoting the File in a published + work or commercial product. We may have additional information that + would be helpful to you and can assist you in framing your quote to + reflect not only the letter of the File but its spirit as well. + + All contributions and suggestions about this file sent to a volunteer + editor are gratefully received and will be regarded, unless otherwise + labelled, as freely given donations for possible use as part of this + public-domain file. + + From time to time a snapshot of this file has been polished, edited, + and formatted for commercial publication with the cooperation of the + volunteer editors and the hacker community at large. If you wish to + have a bound paper copy of this file, you may find it convenient to + purchase one of these. They often contain additional material not + found in on-line versions. The two `authorized' editions so far are + described in the Revision History section; there may be more in the + future. + * [6]Introduction: The purpose and scope of this File + * [7]A Few Terms: Of Slang, Jargon and Techspeak + * [8]Revision History: How the File came to be + * [9]Jargon Construction: How hackers invent jargon + * [10]Hacker Writing Style: How they write + * [11]Email Quotes: And the Inclusion Problem + * [12]Hacker Speech Style: How hackers talk + * [13]International Style: Some notes on usage outside the U.S. + * [14]Lamer-speak: Crackers, Phreaks, and Lamers + * [15]Pronunciation Guide: How to read the pronunciation keys + * [16]Other Lexicon Conventions: How to read lexicon entries + * [17]Format for New Entries: How to submit new entries for the File + * [18]The Jargon Lexicon: The lexicon itself + * [19]Appendix A: Hacker Folklore + * [20]Appendix B: A Portrait of J. Random Hacker + * [21]Appendix C: Helping Hacker Culture Grow + * [22]Bibliography: For your further enjoyment + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Introduction, Next:[23]A Few Terms, Previous:[24]Top, Up:[25]Top + + Introduction + + This document is a collection of slang terms used by various + subcultures of computer hackers. Though some technical material is + included for background and flavor, it is not a technical dictionary; + what we describe here is the language hackers use among themselves for + fun, social communication, and technical debate. + + The `hacker culture' is actually a loosely networked collection of + subcultures that is nevertheless conscious of some important shared + experiences, shared roots, and shared values. It has its own myths, + heroes, villains, folk epics, in-jokes, taboos, and dreams. Because + hackers as a group are particularly creative people who define + themselves partly by rejection of `normal' values and working habits, + it has unusually rich and conscious traditions for an intentional + culture less than 40 years old. + + As usual with slang, the special vocabulary of hackers helps hold + their culture together -- it helps hackers recognize each other's + places in the community and expresses shared values and experiences. + Also as usual, not knowing the slang (or using it inappropriately) + defines one as an outsider, a mundane, or (worst of all in hackish + vocabulary) possibly even a [26]suit. All human cultures use slang in + this threefold way -- as a tool of communication, and of inclusion, + and of exclusion. + + Among hackers, though, slang has a subtler aspect, paralleled perhaps + in the slang of jazz musicians and some kinds of fine artists but hard + to detect in most technical or scientific cultures; parts of it are + code for shared states of consciousness. There is a whole range of + altered states and problem-solving mental stances basic to high-level + hacking which don't fit into conventional linguistic reality any + better than a Coltrane solo or one of Maurits Escher's `trompe l'oeil' + compositions (Escher is a favorite of hackers), and hacker slang + encodes these subtleties in many unobvious ways. As a simple example, + take the distinction between a [27]kluge and an [28]elegant solution, + and the differing connotations attached to each. The distinction is + not only of engineering significance; it reaches right back into the + nature of the generative processes in program design and asserts + something important about two different kinds of relationship between + the hacker and the hack. Hacker slang is unusually rich in + implications of this kind, of overtones and undertones that illuminate + the hackish psyche. + + But there is more. Hackers, as a rule, love wordplay and are very + conscious and inventive in their use of language. These traits seem to + be common in young children, but the conformity-enforcing machine we + are pleased to call an educational system bludgeons them out of most + of us before adolescence. Thus, linguistic invention in most + subcultures of the modern West is a halting and largely unconscious + process. Hackers, by contrast, regard slang formation and use as a + game to be played for conscious pleasure. Their inventions thus + display an almost unique combination of the neotenous enjoyment of + language-play with the discrimination of educated and powerful + intelligence. Further, the electronic media which knit them together + are fluid, `hot' connections, well adapted to both the dissemination + of new slang and the ruthless culling of weak and superannuated + specimens. The results of this process give us perhaps a uniquely + intense and accelerated view of linguistic evolution in action. + + Hacker slang also challenges some common linguistic and + anthropological assumptions. For example, it has recently become + fashionable to speak of `low-context' versus `high-context' + communication, and to classify cultures by the preferred context level + of their languages and art forms. It is usually claimed that + low-context communication (characterized by precision, clarity, and + completeness of self-contained utterances) is typical in cultures + which value logic, objectivity, individualism, and competition; by + contrast, high-context communication (elliptical, emotive, + nuance-filled, multi-modal, heavily coded) is associated with cultures + which value subjectivity, consensus, cooperation, and tradition. What + then are we to make of hackerdom, which is themed around extremely + low-context interaction with computers and exhibits primarily + "low-context" values, but cultivates an almost absurdly high-context + slang style? + + The intensity and consciousness of hackish invention make a + compilation of hacker slang a particularly effective window into the + surrounding culture -- and, in fact, this one is the latest version of + an evolving compilation called the `Jargon File', maintained by + hackers themselves for over 15 years. This one (like its ancestors) is + primarily a lexicon, but also includes topic entries which collect + background or sidelight information on hacker culture that would be + awkward to try to subsume under individual slang definitions. + + Though the format is that of a reference volume, it is intended that + the material be enjoyable to browse. Even a complete outsider should + find at least a chuckle on nearly every page, and much that is + amusingly thought-provoking. But it is also true that hackers use + humorous wordplay to make strong, sometimes combative statements about + what they feel. Some of these entries reflect the views of opposing + sides in disputes that have been genuinely passionate; this is + deliberate. We have not tried to moderate or pretty up these disputes; + rather we have attempted to ensure that everyone's sacred cows get + gored, impartially. Compromise is not particularly a hackish virtue, + but the honest presentation of divergent viewpoints is. + + The reader with minimal computer background who finds some references + incomprehensibly technical can safely ignore them. We have not felt it + either necessary or desirable to eliminate all such; they, too, + contribute flavor, and one of this document's major intended audiences + -- fledgling hackers already partway inside the culture -- will + benefit from them. + + A selection of longer items of hacker folklore and humor is included + in [29]Appendix A. The `outside' reader's attention is particularly + directed to the Portrait of J. Random Hacker in [30]Appendix B. + Appendix C, the [31]Bibliography, lists some non-technical works which + have either influenced or described the hacker culture. + + Because hackerdom is an intentional culture (one each individual must + choose by action to join), one should not be surprised that the line + between description and influence can become more than a little + blurred. Earlier versions of the Jargon File have played a central + role in spreading hacker language and the culture that goes with it to + successively larger populations, and we hope and expect that this one + will do likewise. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:A Few Terms, Next:[32]Revision History, + Previous:[33]Introduction, Up:[34]Top + +Of Slang, Jargon, and Techspeak + + Linguists usually refer to informal language as `slang' and reserve + the term `jargon' for the technical vocabularies of various + occupations. However, the ancestor of this collection was called the + `Jargon File', and hacker slang is traditionally `the jargon'. When + talking about the jargon there is therefore no convenient way to + distinguish it from what a linguist would call hackers' jargon -- the + formal vocabulary they learn from textbooks, technical papers, and + manuals. + + To make a confused situation worse, the line between hacker slang and + the vocabulary of technical programming and computer science is fuzzy, + and shifts over time. Further, this vocabulary is shared with a wider + technical culture of programmers, many of whom are not hackers and do + not speak or recognize hackish slang. + + Accordingly, this lexicon will try to be as precise as the facts of + usage permit about the distinctions among three categories: + * `slang': informal language from mainstream English or + non-technical subcultures (bikers, rock fans, surfers, etc). + * `jargon': without qualifier, denotes informal `slangy' language + peculiar to or predominantly found among hackers -- the subject of + this lexicon. + * `techspeak': the formal technical vocabulary of programming, + computer science, electronics, and other fields connected to + hacking. + + This terminology will be consistently used throughout the remainder of + this lexicon. + + The jargon/techspeak distinction is the delicate one. A lot of + techspeak originated as jargon, and there is a steady continuing + uptake of jargon into techspeak. On the other hand, a lot of jargon + arises from overgeneralization of techspeak terms (there is more about + this in the [35]Jargon Construction section below). + + In general, we have considered techspeak any term that communicates + primarily by a denotation well established in textbooks, technical + dictionaries, or standards documents. + + A few obviously techspeak terms (names of operating systems, + languages, or documents) are listed when they are tied to hacker + folklore that isn't covered in formal sources, or sometimes to convey + critical historical background necessary to understand other entries + to which they are cross-referenced. Some other techspeak senses of + jargon words are listed in order to make the jargon senses clear; + where the text does not specify that a straight technical sense is + under discussion, these are marked with `[techspeak]' as an etymology. + Some entries have a primary sense marked this way, with subsequent + jargon meanings explained in terms of it. + + We have also tried to indicate (where known) the apparent origins of + terms. The results are probably the least reliable information in the + lexicon, for several reasons. For one thing, it is well known that + many hackish usages have been independently reinvented multiple times, + even among the more obscure and intricate neologisms. It often seems + that the generative processes underlying hackish jargon formation have + an internal logic so powerful as to create substantial parallelism + across separate cultures and even in different languages! For another, + the networks tend to propagate innovations so quickly that `first use' + is often impossible to pin down. And, finally, compendia like this one + alter what they observe by implicitly stamping cultural approval on + terms and widening their use. + + Despite these problems, the organized collection of jargon-related + oral history for the new compilations has enabled us to put to rest + quite a number of folk etymologies, place credit where credit is due, + and illuminate the early history of many important hackerisms such as + [36]kluge, [37]cruft, and [38]foo. We believe specialist + lexicographers will find many of the historical notes more than + casually instructive. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Revision History, Next:[39]Jargon Construction, Previous:[40]A + Few Terms, Up:[41]Top + +Revision History + + The original Jargon File was a collection of hacker jargon from + technical cultures including the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI lab + (SAIL), and others of the old ARPANET AI/LISP/PDP-10 communities + including Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), Carnegie-Mellon University + (CMU), and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). + + The Jargon File (hereafter referred to as `jargon-1' or `the File') + was begun by Raphael Finkel at Stanford in 1975. From this time until + the plug was finally pulled on the SAIL computer in 1991, the File was + named AIWORD.RF[UP,DOC] there. Some terms in it date back considerably + earlier ([42]frob and some senses of [43]moby, for instance, go back + to the Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT and are believed to date at + least back to the early 1960s). The revisions of jargon-1 were all + unnumbered and may be collectively considered `Version 1'. + + In 1976, Mark Crispin, having seen an announcement about the File on + the SAIL computer, [44]FTPed a copy of the File to MIT. He noticed + that it was hardly restricted to `AI words' and so stored the file on + his directory as AI:MRC;SAIL JARGON. + + The file was quickly renamed JARGON > (the `>' caused versioning under + ITS) as a flurry of enhancements were made by Mark Crispin and Guy L. + Steele Jr. Unfortunately, amidst all this activity, nobody thought of + correcting the term `jargon' to `slang' until the compendium had + already become widely known as the Jargon File. + + Raphael Finkel dropped out of active participation shortly thereafter + and Don Woods became the SAIL contact for the File (which was + subsequently kept in duplicate at SAIL and MIT, with periodic + resynchronizations). + + The File expanded by fits and starts until about 1983; Richard + Stallman was prominent among the contributors, adding many MIT and + ITS-related coinages. + + In Spring 1981, a hacker named Charles Spurgeon got a large chunk of + the File published in Stewart Brand's "CoEvolution Quarterly" (issue + 29, pages 26-35) with illustrations by Phil Wadler and Guy Steele + (including a couple of the Crunchly cartoons). This appears to have + been the File's first paper publication. + + A late version of jargon-1, expanded with commentary for the mass + market, was edited by Guy Steele into a book published in 1983 as "The + Hacker's Dictionary" (Harper & Row CN 1082, ISBN 0-06-091082-8). The + other jargon-1 editors (Raphael Finkel, Don Woods, and Mark Crispin) + contributed to this revision, as did Richard M. Stallman and Geoff + Goodfellow. This book (now out of print) is hereafter referred to as + `Steele-1983' and those six as the Steele-1983 coauthors. + + Shortly after the publication of Steele-1983, the File effectively + stopped growing and changing. Originally, this was due to a desire to + freeze the file temporarily to facilitate the production of + Steele-1983, but external conditions caused the `temporary' freeze to + become permanent. + + The AI Lab culture had been hit hard in the late 1970s by funding cuts + and the resulting administrative decision to use vendor-supported + hardware and software instead of homebrew whenever possible. At MIT, + most AI work had turned to dedicated LISP Machines. At the same time, + the commercialization of AI technology lured some of the AI Lab's best + and brightest away to startups along the Route 128 strip in + Massachusetts and out West in Silicon Valley. The startups built LISP + machines for MIT; the central MIT-AI computer became a [45]TWENEX + system rather than a host for the AI hackers' beloved [46]ITS. + + The Stanford AI Lab had effectively ceased to exist by 1980, although + the SAIL computer continued as a Computer Science Department resource + until 1991. Stanford became a major [47]TWENEX site, at one point + operating more than a dozen TOPS-20 systems; but by the mid-1980s most + of the interesting software work was being done on the emerging BSD + Unix standard. + + In April 1983, the PDP-10-centered cultures that had nourished the + File were dealt a death-blow by the cancellation of the Jupiter + project at Digital Equipment Corporation. The File's compilers, + already dispersed, moved on to other things. Steele-1983 was partly a + monument to what its authors thought was a dying tradition; no one + involved realized at the time just how wide its influence was to be. + + By the mid-1980s the File's content was dated, but the legend that had + grown up around it never quite died out. The book, and softcopies + obtained off the ARPANET, circulated even in cultures far removed from + MIT and Stanford; the content exerted a strong and continuing + influence on hacker language and humor. Even as the advent of the + microcomputer and other trends fueled a tremendous expansion of + hackerdom, the File (and related materials such as the [48]Some AI + Koans in Appendix A) came to be seen as a sort of sacred epic, a + hacker-culture Matter of Britain chronicling the heroic exploits of + the Knights of the Lab. The pace of change in hackerdom at large + accelerated tremendously -- but the Jargon File, having passed from + living document to icon, remained essentially untouched for seven + years. + + This revision contains nearly the entire text of a late version of + jargon-1 (a few obsolete PDP-10-related entries were dropped after + careful consultation with the editors of Steele-1983). It merges in + about 80% of the Steele-1983 text, omitting some framing material and + a very few entries introduced in Steele-1983 that are now also + obsolete. + + This new version casts a wider net than the old Jargon File; its aim + is to cover not just AI or PDP-10 hacker culture but all the technical + computing cultures wherein the true hacker-nature is manifested. More + than half of the entries now derive from [49]Usenet and represent + jargon now current in the C and Unix communities, but special efforts + have been made to collect jargon from other cultures including IBM PC + programmers, Amiga fans, Mac enthusiasts, and even the IBM mainframe + world. + + Eric S. Raymond [50]<esr@snark.thyrsus.com> maintains the new File + with assistance from Guy L. Steele Jr. [51]<gls@think.com>; these are + the persons primarily reflected in the File's editorial `we', though + we take pleasure in acknowledging the special contribution of the + other coauthors of Steele-1983. Please email all additions, + corrections, and correspondence relating to the Jargon File to + [52]jargon@thyrsus.com. + + (Warning: other email addresses appear in this file but are not + guaranteed to be correct later than the revision date on the first + line. Don't email us if an attempt to reach your idol bounces -- we + have no magic way of checking addresses or looking up people.) + + The 2.9.6 version became the main text of "The New Hacker's + Dictionary", by Eric Raymond (ed.), MIT Press 1991, ISBN + 0-262-68069-6. + + The 3.0.0 version was published in September 1993 as the second + edition of "The New Hacker's Dictionary", again from MIT Press (ISBN + 0-262-18154-1). + + If you want the book, you should be able to find it at any of the + major bookstore chains. Failing that, you can order by mail from + + The MIT Press 55 Hayward Street Cambridge, MA 02142 + + or order by phone at (800)-356-0343 or (617)-625-8481. + + The maintainers are committed to updating the on-line version of the + Jargon File through and beyond paper publication, and will continue to + make it available to archives and public-access sites as a trust of + the hacker community. + + Here is a chronology of the high points in the recent on-line + revisions: + + Version 2.1.1, Jun 12 1990: the Jargon File comes alive again after a + seven-year hiatus. Reorganization and massive additions were by Eric + S. Raymond, approved by Guy Steele. Many items of UNIX, C, USENET, and + microcomputer-based jargon were added at that time. + + Version 2.9.6, Aug 16 1991: corresponds to reproduction copy for book. + This version had 18952 lines, 148629 words, 975551 characters, and + 1702 entries. + + Version 2.9.7, Oct 28 1991: first markup for hypertext browser. This + version had 19432 lines, 152132 words, 999595 characters, and 1750 + entries. + + Version 2.9.8, Jan 01 1992: first public release since the book, + including over fifty new entries and numerous corrections/additions to + old ones. Packaged with version 1.1 of vh(1) hypertext reader. This + version had 19509 lines, 153108 words, 1006023 characters, and 1760 + entries. + + Version 2.9.9, Apr 01 1992: folded in XEROX PARC lexicon. This version + had 20298 lines, 159651 words, 1048909 characters, and 1821 entries. + + Version 2.9.10, Jul 01 1992: lots of new historical material. This + version had 21349 lines, 168330 words, 1106991 characters, and 1891 + entries. + + Version 2.9.11, Jan 01 1993: lots of new historical material. This + version had 21725 lines, 171169 words, 1125880 characters, and 1922 + entries. + + Version 2.9.12, May 10 1993: a few new entries & changes, marginal + MUD/IRC slang and some borderline techspeak removed, all in + preparation for 2nd Edition of TNHD. This version had 22238 lines, + 175114 words, 1152467 characters, and 1946 entries. + + Version 3.0.0, Jul 27 1993: manuscript freeze for 2nd edition of TNHD. + This version had 22548 lines, 177520 words, 1169372 characters, and + 1961 entries. + + Version 3.1.0, Oct 15 1994: interim release to test WWW conversion. + This version had 23197 lines, 181001 words, 1193818 characters, and + 1990 entries. + + Version 3.2.0, Mar 15 1995: Spring 1995 update. This version had 23822 + lines, 185961 words, 1226358 characters, and 2031 entries. + + Version 3.3.0, Jan 20 1996: Winter 1996 update. This version had 24055 + lines, 187957 words, 1239604 characters, and 2045 entries. + + Version 3.3.1, Jan 25 1996: Copy-corrected improvement on 3.3.0 + shipped to MIT Press as a step towards TNHD III. This version had + 24147 lines, 188728 words, 1244554 characters, and 2050 entries. + + Version 3.3.2, Mar 20 1996: A number of new entries pursuant on 3.3.2. + This version had 24442 lines, 190867 words, 1262468 characters, and + 2061 entries. + + Version 3.3.3, Mar 25 1996: Cleanup before TNHD III manuscript freeze. + This version had 24584 lines, 191932 words, 1269996 characters, and + 2064 entries. + + Version 4.0.0, Jul 25 1996: The actual TNHD III version after + copy-edit. This version had 24801 lines, 193697 words, 1281402 + characters, and 2067 entries. + + Version 4.1.0, 8 Apr 1999: The Jargon File rides again after three + years. This version had 25777 lines, 206825 words, 1359992 characters, + and 2217 entries. + + Version 4.1.1, 18 Apr 1999: Corrections for minor errors in 4.1.0, and + some new entries. This version had 25921 lines, 208483 words, 1371279 + characters, and 2225 entries. + + Version 4.1.2, 28 Apr 1999: Moving texi2html out of the production + path. This version had 26006 lines, 209479 words, 1377687 characters, + and 2225 entries. + + Version 4.1.3, 14 Jun 1999: Minor updates and markup fixes. This + version had 26108 lines, 210480 words, 1384546 characters, and 2234 + entries. + + Version 4.1.4, 17 Jun 1999: Markup fixes for framed HTML. This version + had 26117 lines, 210527 words, 1384902 characters, and 2234 entries. + + Version 4.2.0, 31 Jan 2000: Fix processing of URLs. This version had + 26598 lines, 214639 words, 1412243 characters, and 2267 entries. + + Version 4.2.1, 5 Mar 2000: Point release to test new production + machinery. This version had 26647 lines, 215040 words, 1414942 + characters, and 2269 entries. + + Version 4.2.2, 12 Aug 2000: This version had 27171 lines, 219630 + words, 1444887 characters, and 2302 entries. + + Version numbering: Version numbers should be read as + major.minor.revision. Major version 1 is reserved for the `old' (ITS) + Jargon File, jargon-1. Major version 2 encompasses revisions by ESR + (Eric S. Raymond) with assistance from GLS (Guy L. Steele, Jr.) + leading up to and including the second paper edition. From now on, + major version number N.00 will probably correspond to the Nth paper + edition. Usually later versions will either completely supersede or + incorporate earlier versions, so there is generally no point in + keeping old versions around. + + Our thanks to the coauthors of Steele-1983 for oversight and + assistance, and to the hundreds of Usenetters (too many to name here) + who contributed entries and encouragement. More thanks go to several + of the old-timers on the Usenet group alt.folklore.computers, who + contributed much useful commentary and many corrections and valuable + historical perspective: Joseph M. Newcomer [53]<jn11+@andrew.cmu.edu>, + Bernie Cosell [54]<cosell@bbn.com>, Earl Boebert + [55]<boebert@SCTC.com>, and Joe Morris + [56]<jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org>. + + We were fortunate enough to have the aid of some accomplished + linguists. David Stampe [57]<stampe@hawaii.edu> and Charles Hoequist + [58]<hoequist@bnr.ca> contributed valuable criticism; Joe Keane + [59]<jgk@osc.osc.com> helped us improve the pronunciation guides. + + A few bits of this text quote previous works. We are indebted to Brian + A. LaMacchia [60]<bal@zurich.ai.mit.edu> for obtaining permission for + us to use material from the "TMRC Dictionary"; also, Don Libes + [61]<libes@cme.nist.gov> contributed some appropriate material from + his excellent book "Life With UNIX". We thank Per Lindberg + [62]<per@front.se>, author of the remarkable Swedish-language 'zine + "Hackerbladet", for bringing "FOO!" comics to our attention and + smuggling one of the IBM hacker underground's own baby jargon files + out to us. Thanks also to Maarten Litmaath for generously allowing the + inclusion of the ASCII pronunciation guide he formerly maintained. And + our gratitude to Marc Weiser of XEROX PARC + [63]<Marc_Weiser.PARC@xerox.com> for securing us permission to quote + from PARC's own jargon lexicon and shipping us a copy. + + It is a particular pleasure to acknowledge the major contributions of + Mark Brader [64]<msb@sq.com> and Steve Summit [65]<scs@eskimo.com> to + the File and Dictionary; they have read and reread many drafts, + checked facts, caught typos, submitted an amazing number of thoughtful + comments, and done yeoman service in catching typos and minor usage + bobbles. Their rare combination of enthusiasm, persistence, + wide-ranging technical knowledge, and precisionism in matters of + language has been of invaluable help. Indeed, the sustained volume and + quality of Mr. Brader's input over several years and several different + editions has only allowed him to escape co-editor credit by the + slimmest of margins. + + Finally, George V. Reilly [66]<georgere@microsoft.com> helped with TeX + arcana and painstakingly proofread some 2.7 and 2.8 versions, and Eric + Tiedemann [67]<est@thyrsus.com> contributed sage advice throughout on + rhetoric, amphigory, and philosophunculism. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Jargon Construction, Next:[68]Hacker Writing Style, + Previous:[69]Revision History, Up:[70]Top + + How Jargon Works + +Jargon Construction + + There are some standard methods of jargonification that became + established quite early (i.e., before 1970), spreading from such + sources as the Tech Model Railroad Club, the PDP-1 SPACEWAR hackers, + and John McCarthy's original crew of LISPers. These include verb + doubling, soundalike slang, the `-P' convention, overgeneralization, + spoken inarticulations, and anthropomorphization. Each is discussed + below. We also cover the standard comparatives for design quality. + + Of these six, verb doubling, overgeneralization, anthropomorphization, + and (especially) spoken inarticulations have become quite general; but + soundalike slang is still largely confined to MIT and other large + universities, and the `-P' convention is found only where LISPers + flourish. + * [71]Verb Doubling: Doubling a verb may change its semantics + * [72]Soundalike Slang: Punning jargon + * [73]The -P convention: A LISPy way to form questions + * [74]Overgeneralization: Standard abuses of grammar + * [75]Spoken Inarticulations: Sighing and <*sigh*>ing + * [76]Anthropomorphization: Homunculi, daemons, and confused + programs + * [77]Comparatives: Standard comparatives for design quality + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Verb Doubling, Next:[78]Soundalike Slang, Up:[79]Jargon + Construction + + Verb Doubling + + A standard construction in English is to double a verb and use it as + an exclamation, such as "Bang, bang!" or "Quack, quack!". Most of + these are names for noises. Hackers also double verbs as a concise, + sometimes sarcastic comment on what the implied subject does. Also, a + doubled verb is often used to terminate a conversation, in the process + remarking on the current state of affairs or what the speaker intends + to do next. Typical examples involve [80]win, [81]lose, [82]hack, + [83]flame, [84]barf, [85]chomp: + + "The disk heads just crashed." "Lose, lose." + "Mostly he talked about his latest crock. Flame, flame." + "Boy, what a bagbiter! Chomp, chomp!" + + Some verb-doubled constructions have special meanings not immediately + obvious from the verb. These have their own listings in the lexicon. + + The [86]Usenet culture has one tripling convention unrelated to this; + the names of `joke' topic groups often have a tripled last element. + The first and paradigmatic example was alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork + (a "Muppet Show" reference); other infamous examples have included: + + alt.french.captain.borg.borg.borg + alt.wesley.crusher.die.die.die + comp.unix.internals.system.calls.brk.brk.brk + sci.physics.edward.teller.boom.boom.boom + alt.sadistic.dentists.drill.drill.drill + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Soundalike Slang, Next:[87]The -P convention, Previous:[88]Verb + Doubling, Up:[89]Jargon Construction + + Soundalike slang + + Hackers will often make rhymes or puns in order to convert an ordinary + word or phrase into something more interesting. It is considered + particularly [90]flavorful if the phrase is bent so as to include some + other jargon word; thus the computer hobbyist magazine "Dr. Dobb's + Journal" is almost always referred to among hackers as `Dr. Frob's + Journal' or simply `Dr. Frob's'. Terms of this kind that have been in + fairly wide use include names for newspapers: + Boston Herald => Horrid (or Harried) + Boston Globe => Boston Glob + Houston (or San Francisco) Chronicle + => the Crocknicle (or the Comical) + New York Times => New York Slime + Wall Street Journal => Wall Street Urinal + + However, terms like these are often made up on the spur of the moment. + Standard examples include: + Data General => Dirty Genitals + IBM 360 => IBM Three-Sickly + Government Property --- Do Not Duplicate (on keys) + => Government Duplicity --- Do Not Propagate + for historical reasons => for hysterical raisins + Margaret Jacks Hall (the CS building at Stanford) + => Marginal Hacks Hall + Microsoft => Microsloth + Internet Explorer => Internet Exploiter + + This is not really similar to the Cockney rhyming slang it has been + compared to in the past, because Cockney substitutions are opaque + whereas hacker punning jargon is intentionally transparent. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:The -P convention, Next:[91]Overgeneralization, + Previous:[92]Soundalike Slang, Up:[93]Jargon Construction + + The `-P' convention + + Turning a word into a question by appending the syllable `P'; from the + LISP convention of appending the letter `P' to denote a predicate (a + boolean-valued function). The question should expect a yes/no answer, + though it needn't. (See [94]T and [95]NIL.) + At dinnertime: + + Q: ``Foodp?'' + + A: ``Yeah, I'm pretty hungry.'' or ``T!'' + + + At any time: + + Q: ``State-of-the-world-P?'' + + A: (Straight) ``I'm about to go home.'' + + A: (Humorous) ``Yes, the world has a state.'' + + + On the phone to Florida: + + Q: ``State-p Florida?'' + + A: ``Been reading JARGON.TXT again, eh?'' + + [One of the best of these is a [96]Gosperism. Once, when we were at a + Chinese restaurant, Bill Gosper wanted to know whether someone would + like to share with him a two-person-sized bowl of soup. His inquiry + was: "Split-p soup?" -- GLS] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Overgeneralization, Next:[97]Spoken Inarticulations, + Previous:[98]The -P convention, Up:[99]Jargon Construction + + Overgeneralization + + A very conspicuous feature of jargon is the frequency with which + techspeak items such as names of program tools, command language + primitives, and even assembler opcodes are applied to contexts outside + of computing wherever hackers find amusing analogies to them. Thus (to + cite one of the best-known examples) Unix hackers often [100]grep for + things rather than searching for them. Many of the lexicon entries are + generalizations of exactly this kind. + + Hackers enjoy overgeneralization on the grammatical level as well. + Many hackers love to take various words and add the wrong endings to + them to make nouns and verbs, often by extending a standard rule to + nonuniform cases (or vice versa). For example, because + + porous => porosity + generous => generosity + + hackers happily generalize: + + mysterious => mysteriosity + ferrous => ferrosity + obvious => obviosity + dubious => dubiosity + + Another class of common construction uses the suffix `-itude' to + abstract a quality from just about any adjective or noun. This usage + arises especially in cases where mainstream English would perform the + same abstraction through `-iness' or `-ingness'. Thus: + + win => winnitude (a common exclamation) + loss => lossitude + cruft => cruftitude + lame => lameitude + + Some hackers cheerfully reverse this transformation; they argue, for + example, that the horizontal degree lines on a globe ought to be + called `lats' -- after all, they're measuring latitude! + + Also, note that all nouns can be verbed. E.g.: "All nouns can be + verbed", "I'll mouse it up", "Hang on while I clipboard it over", "I'm + grepping the files". English as a whole is already heading in this + direction (towards pure-positional grammar like Chinese); hackers are + simply a bit ahead of the curve. + + The suffix "-full" can also be applied in generalized and fanciful + ways, as in "As soon as you have more than one cachefull of data, the + system starts thrashing," or "As soon as I have more than one headfull + of ideas, I start writing it all down." A common use is "screenfull", + meaning the amount of text that will fit on one screen, usually in + text mode where you have no choice as to character size. Another + common form is "bufferfull". + + However, hackers avoid the unimaginative verb-making techniques + characteristic of marketroids, bean-counters, and the Pentagon; a + hacker would never, for example, `productize', `prioritize', or + `securitize' things. Hackers have a strong aversion to bureaucratic + bafflegab and regard those who use it with contempt. + + Similarly, all verbs can be nouned. This is only a slight + overgeneralization in modern English; in hackish, however, it is good + form to mark them in some standard nonstandard way. Thus: + + win => winnitude, winnage + disgust => disgustitude + hack => hackification + + Further, note the prevalence of certain kinds of nonstandard plural + forms. Some of these go back quite a ways; the TMRC Dictionary + includes an entry which implies that the plural of `mouse' is + [101]meeces, and notes that the defined plural of `caboose' is + `cabeese'. This latter has apparently been standard (or at least a + standard joke) among railfans (railroad enthusiasts) for many years. + + On a similarly Anglo-Saxon note, almost anything ending in `x' may + form plurals in `-xen' (see [102]VAXen and [103]boxen in the main + text). Even words ending in phonetic /k/ alone are sometimes treated + this way; e.g., `soxen' for a bunch of socks. Other funny plurals are + `frobbotzim' for the plural of `frobbozz' (see [104]frobnitz) and + `Unices' and `Twenices' (rather than `Unixes' and `Twenexes'; see + [105]Unix, [106]TWENEX in main text). But note that `Twenexen' was + never used, and `Unixen' was not sighted in the wild until the year + 2000, thirty years after it might logically have come into use; it has + been suggested that this is because `-ix' and `-ex' are Latin singular + endings that attract a Latinate plural. Finally, it has been suggested + to general approval that the plural of `mongoose' ought to be + `polygoose'. + + The pattern here, as with other hackish grammatical quirks, is + generalization of an inflectional rule that in English is either an + import or a fossil (such as the Hebrew plural ending `-im', or the + Anglo-Saxon plural suffix `-en') to cases where it isn't normally + considered to apply. + + This is not `poor grammar', as hackers are generally quite well aware + of what they are doing when they distort the language. It is + grammatical creativity, a form of playfulness. It is done not to + impress but to amuse, and never at the expense of clarity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Spoken Inarticulations, Next:[107]Anthropomorphization, + Previous:[108]Overgeneralization, Up:[109]Jargon Construction + + Spoken inarticulations + + Words such as `mumble', `sigh', and `groan' are spoken in places where + their referent might more naturally be used. It has been suggested + that this usage derives from the impossibility of representing such + noises on a comm link or in electronic mail, MUDs, and IRC channels + (interestingly, the same sorts of constructions have been showing up + with increasing frequency in comic strips). Another expression + sometimes heard is "Complain!", meaning "I have a complaint!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Anthropomorphization, Next:[110]Comparatives, + Previous:[111]Spoken Inarticulations, Up:[112]Jargon Construction + + Anthropomorphization + + Semantically, one rich source of jargon constructions is the hackish + tendency to anthropomorphize hardware and software. English purists + and academic computer scientists frequently look down on others for + anthropomorphizing hardware and software, considering this sort of + behavior to be characteristic of naive misunderstanding. But most + hackers anthropomorphize freely, frequently describing program + behavior in terms of wants and desires. + + Thus it is common to hear hardware or software talked about as though + it has homunculi talking to each other inside it, with intentions and + desires. Thus, one hears "The protocol handler got confused", or that + programs "are trying" to do things, or one may say of a routine that + "its goal in life is to X". One even hears explanations like "... and + its poor little brain couldn't understand X, and it died." Sometimes + modelling things this way actually seems to make them easier to + understand, perhaps because it's instinctively natural to think of + anything with a really complex behavioral repertoire as `like a + person' rather than `like a thing'. + + At first glance, to anyone who understands how these programs actually + work, this seems like an absurdity. As hackers are among the people + who know best how these phenomena work, it seems odd that they would + use language that seemds to ascribe conciousness to them. The mind-set + behind this tendency thus demands examination. + + The key to understanding this kind of usage is that it isn't done in a + naive way; hackers don't personalize their stuff in the sense of + feeling empathy with it, nor do they mystically believe that the + things they work on every day are `alive'. To the contrary: hackers + who anthropomorphize are expressing not a vitalistic view of program + behavior but a mechanistic view of human behavior. + + Almost all hackers subscribe to the mechanistic, materialistic + ontology of science (this is in practice true even of most of the + minority with contrary religious theories). In this view, people are + biological machines - consciousness is an interesting and valuable + epiphenomenon, but mind is implemented in machinery which is not + fundamentally different in information-processing capacity from + computers. + + Hackers tend to take this a step further and argue that the difference + between a substrate of CHON atoms and water and a substrate of silicon + and metal is a relatively unimportant one; what matters, what makes a + thing `alive', is information and richness of pattern. This is animism + from the flip side; it implies that humans and computers and dolphins + and rocks are all machines exhibiting a continuum of modes of + `consciousness' according to their information-processing capacity. + + Because hackers accept a that a human machine can have intentions, it + is therefore easy for them to ascribe consciousness and intention to + complex patterned systems such as computers. If consciousness is + mechanical, it is neither more or less absurd to say that "The program + wants to go into an infinite loop" than it is to say that "I want to + go eat some chocolate" - and even defensible to say that "The stone, + once dropped, wants to move towards the center of the earth". + + This viewpoint has respectable company in academic philosophy. Daniel + Dennett organizes explanations of behavior using three stances: the + "physical stance" (thing-to-be-explained as a physical object), the + "design stance" (thing-to-be-explained as an artifact), and the + "intentional stance" (thing-to-be-explained as an agent with desires + and intentions). Which stances are appropriate is a matter not of + truth but of utility. Hackers typically view simple programs from the + design stance, but more complex ones are modelled using the + intentional stance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Comparatives, Previous:[113]Anthropomorphization, Up:[114]Jargon + Construction + + Comparatives + + Finally, note that many words in hacker jargon have to be understood + as members of sets of comparatives. This is especially true of the + adjectives and nouns used to describe the beauty and functional + quality of code. Here is an approximately correct spectrum: + + monstrosity brain-damage screw bug lose misfeature + crock kluge hack win feature elegance perfection + + The last is spoken of as a mythical absolute, approximated but never + actually attained. Another similar scale is used for describing the + reliability of software: + + broken flaky dodgy fragile brittle + solid robust bulletproof armor-plated + + Note, however, that `dodgy' is primarily Commonwealth Hackish (it is + rare in the U.S.) and may change places with `flaky' for some + speakers. + + Coinages for describing [115]lossage seem to call forth the very + finest in hackish linguistic inventiveness; it has been truly said + that hackers have even more words for equipment failures than Yiddish + has for obnoxious people. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Hacker Writing Style, Next:[116]Email Quotes, + Previous:[117]Jargon Construction, Up:[118]Top + +Hacker Writing Style + + We've already seen that hackers often coin jargon by overgeneralizing + grammatical rules. This is one aspect of a more general fondness for + form-versus-content language jokes that shows up particularly in + hackish writing. One correspondent reports that he consistently + misspells `wrong' as `worng'. Others have been known to criticize + glitches in Jargon File drafts by observing (in the mode of Douglas + Hofstadter) "This sentence no verb", or "Too repetetetive", or "Bad + speling", or "Incorrectspa cing." Similarly, intentional spoonerisms + are often made of phrases relating to confusion or things that are + confusing; `dain bramage' for `brain damage' is perhaps the most + common (similarly, a hacker would be likely to write "Excuse me, I'm + cixelsyd today", rather than "I'm dyslexic today"). This sort of thing + is quite common and is enjoyed by all concerned. + + Hackers tend to use quotes as balanced delimiters like parentheses, + much to the dismay of American editors. Thus, if "Jim is going" is a + phrase, and so are "Bill runs" and "Spock groks", then hackers + generally prefer to write: "Jim is going", "Bill runs", and "Spock + groks". This is incorrect according to standard American usage (which + would put the continuation commas and the final period inside the + string quotes); however, it is counter-intuitive to hackers to + mutilate literal strings with characters that don't belong in them. + Given the sorts of examples that can come up in discussions of + programming, American-style quoting can even be grossly misleading. + When communicating command lines or small pieces of code, extra + characters can be a real pain in the neck. + + Consider, for example, a sentence in a [119]vi tutorial that looks + like this: + + Then delete a line from the file by typing "dd". + + Standard usage would make this + + Then delete a line from the file by typing "dd." + + but that would be very bad -- because the reader would be prone to + type the string d-d-dot, and it happens that in vi(1) dot repeats the + last command accepted. The net result would be to delete two lines! + + The Jargon File follows hackish usage throughout. + + Interestingly, a similar style is now preferred practice in Great + Britain, though the older style (which became established for + typographical reasons having to do with the aesthetics of comma and + quotes in typeset text) is still accepted there. "Hart's Rules" and + the "Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors" call the hacker-like + style `new' or `logical' quoting. This returns British English to the + style Latin languages (including Spanish, French, Italian, Catalan) + have been using all along. + + Another hacker habit is a tendency to distinguish between `scare' + quotes and `speech' quotes; that is, to use British-style single + quotes for marking and reserve American-style double quotes for actual + reports of speech or text included from elsewhere. Interestingly, some + authorities describe this as correct general usage, but mainstream + American English has gone to using double-quotes indiscriminately + enough that hacker usage appears marked [and, in fact, I thought this + was a personal quirk of mine until I checked with Usenet --ESR]. One + further permutation that is definitely not standard is a hackish + tendency to do marking quotes by using apostrophes (single quotes) in + pairs; that is, 'like this'. This is modelled on string and character + literal syntax in some programming languages (reinforced by the fact + that many character-only terminals display the apostrophe in + typewriter style, as a vertical single quote). + + One quirk that shows up frequently in the [120]email style of Unix + hackers in particular is a tendency for some things that are normally + all-lowercase (including usernames and the names of commands and C + routines) to remain uncapitalized even when they occur at the + beginning of sentences. It is clear that, for many hackers, the case + of such identifiers becomes a part of their internal representation + (the `spelling') and cannot be overridden without mental effort (an + appropriate reflex because Unix and C both distinguish cases and + confusing them can lead to [121]lossage). A way of escaping this + dilemma is simply to avoid using these constructions at the beginning + of sentences. + + There seems to be a meta-rule behind these nonstandard hackerisms to + the effect that precision of expression is more important than + conformance to traditional rules; where the latter create ambiguity or + lose information they can be discarded without a second thought. It is + notable in this respect that other hackish inventions (for example, in + vocabulary) also tend to carry very precise shades of meaning even + when constructed to appear slangy and loose. In fact, to a hacker, the + contrast between `loose' form and `tight' content in jargon is a + substantial part of its humor! + + Hackers have also developed a number of punctuation and emphasis + conventions adapted to single-font all-ASCII communications links, and + these are occasionally carried over into written documents even when + normal means of font changes, underlining, and the like are available. + + One of these is that TEXT IN ALL CAPS IS INTERPRETED AS `LOUD', and + this becomes such an ingrained synesthetic reflex that a person who + goes to caps-lock while in [122]talk mode may be asked to "stop + shouting, please, you're hurting my ears!". + + Also, it is common to use bracketing with unusual characters to + signify emphasis. The asterisk is most common, as in "What the + *hell*?" even though this interferes with the common use of the + asterisk suffix as a footnote mark. The underscore is also common, + suggesting underlining (this is particularly common with book titles; + for example, "It is often alleged that Joe Haldeman wrote + _The_Forever_War_ as a rebuttal to Robert Heinlein's earlier novel of + the future military, _Starship_Troopers_."). Other forms exemplified + by "=hell=", "\hell/", or "/hell/" are occasionally seen (it's claimed + that in the last example the first slash pushes the letters over to + the right to make them italic, and the second keeps them from falling + over). On FidoNet, you might see #bright# and ^dark^ text, which was + actually interpreted by some reader software. Finally, words may also + be emphasized L I K E T H I S, or by a series of carets (^) under them + on the next line of the text. + + There is a semantic difference between *emphasis like this* (which + emphasizes the phrase as a whole), and *emphasis* *like* *this* (which + suggests the writer speaking very slowly and distinctly, as if to a + very young child or a mentally impaired person). Bracketing a word + with the `*' character may also indicate that the writer wishes + readers to consider that an action is taking place or that a sound is + being made. Examples: *bang*, *hic*, *ring*, *grin*, *kick*, *stomp*, + *mumble*. + + One might also see the above sound effects as <bang>, <hic>, <ring>, + <grin>, <kick>, <stomp>, <mumble>. This use of angle brackets to mark + their contents originally derives from conventions used in [123]BNF, + but since about 1993 it has been reinforced by the HTML markup used on + the World Wide Web. + + Angle-bracket enclosure is also used to indicate that a term stands + for some [124]random member of a larger class (this is straight from + [125]BNF). Examples like the following are common: +So this <ethnic> walks into a bar one day... + + There is also an accepted convention for `writing under erasure'; the + text +Be nice to this fool^H^H^H^Hgentleman, +he's visiting from corporate HQ. + + reads roughly as "Be nice to this fool, er, gentleman...", with irony + emphasized. The digraph ^H is often used as a print representation for + a backspace, and was actually very visible on old-style printing + terminals. As the text was being composed the characters would be + echoed and printed immediately, and when a correction was made the + backspace keystrokes would be echoed with the string '^H'. Of course, + the final composed text would have no trace of the backspace + characters (or the original erroneous text). + + This convention parallels (and may have been influenced by) the ironic + use of `slashouts' in science-fiction fanzines. + + A related habit uses editor commands to signify corrections to + previous text. This custom faded in email as more mailers got good + editing capabilities, only to tale on new life on IRCs and other + line-based chat systems. +I've seen that term used on alt.foobar often. +Send it to Erik for the File. +Oops...s/Erik/Eric/. + + The s/Erik/Eric/ says "change Erik to Eric in the preceding". This + syntax is borrowed from the Unix editing tools ed and sed, but is + widely recognized by non-Unix hackers as well. + + In a formula, * signifies multiplication but two asterisks in a row + are a shorthand for exponentiation (this derives from FORTRAN). Thus, + one might write 2 ** 8 = 256. + + Another notation for exponentiation one sees more frequently uses the + caret (^, ASCII 1011110); one might write instead 2^8 = 256. This goes + all the way back to Algol-60, which used the archaic ASCII `up-arrow' + that later became the caret; this was picked up by Kemeny and Kurtz's + original BASIC, which in turn influenced the design of the bc(1) and + dc(1) Unix tools, which have probably done most to reinforce the + convention on Usenet. (TeX math mode also uses ^ for exponention.) The + notation is mildly confusing to C programmers, because ^ means bitwise + exclusive-or in C. Despite this, it was favored 3:1 over ** in a + late-1990 snapshot of Usenet. It is used consistently in this lexicon. + + In on-line exchanges, hackers tend to use decimal forms or improper + fractions (`3.5' or `7/2') rather than `typewriter style' mixed + fractions (`3-1/2'). The major motive here is probably that the former + are more readable in a monospaced font, together with a desire to + avoid the risk that the latter might be read as `three minus + one-half'. The decimal form is definitely preferred for fractions with + a terminating decimal representation; there may be some cultural + influence here from the high status of scientific notation. + + Another on-line convention, used especially for very large or very + small numbers, is taken from C (which derived it from FORTRAN). This + is a form of `scientific notation' using `e' to replace `*10^'; for + example, one year is about 3e7 seconds long. + + The tilde (~) is commonly used in a quantifying sense of + `approximately'; that is, ~50 means `about fifty'. + + On Usenet and in the [126]MUD world, common C boolean, logical, and + relational operators such as |, &, ||, &&, !, ==, !=, >, <, >=, and =< + are often combined with English. The Pascal not-equals, <>, is also + recognized, and occasionally one sees /= for not-equals (from Ada, + Common Lisp, and Fortran 90). The use of prefix `!' as a loose synonym + for `not-' or `no-' is particularly common; thus, `!clue' is read + `no-clue' or `clueless'. + + A related practice borrows syntax from preferred programming languages + to express ideas in a natural-language text. For example, one might + see the following: +In <jrh578689@thudpucker.com> J. R. Hacker wrote: +>I recently had occasion to field-test the Snafu +>Systems 2300E adaptive gonkulator. The price was +>right, and the racing stripe on the case looked +>kind of neat, but its performance left something +>to be desired. + +Yeah, I tried one out too. + +#ifdef FLAME +Hasn't anyone told those idiots that you can't get +decent bogon suppression with AFJ filters at today's +net volumes? +#endif /* FLAME */ + +I guess they figured the price premium for true +frame-based semantic analysis was too high. +Unfortunately, it's also the only workable approach. +I wouldn't recommend purchase of this product unless +you're on a *very* tight budget. + +#include <disclaimer.h> +-- + == Frank Foonly (Fubarco Systems) + + In the above, the #ifdef/#endif pair is a conditional compilation + syntax from C; here, it implies that the text between (which is a + [127]flame) should be evaluated only if you have turned on (or defined + on) the switch FLAME. The #include at the end is C for "include + standard disclaimer here"; the `standard disclaimer' is understood to + read, roughly, "These are my personal opinions and not to be construed + as the official position of my employer." + + The top section in the example, with > at the left margin, is an + example of an inclusion convention we'll discuss below. + + More recently, following on the huge popularity of the World Wide Web, + pseudo-HTML markup has become popular for similar purposes: +<flame> +Your father was a hamster and your mother smelt of elderberries! +</flame> + + You'll even see this with an HTML-style modifier: +<flame intensity="100%"> +You seem well-suited for a career in government. +</flame> + + Another recent (late 1990s) construction now common on USENET seems to + be borrowed from Perl. It consists of using a dollar sign before an + uppercased form of a word or acronym to suggest any [128]random member + of the class indicated by the word. Thus: `$PHB' means "any random + member of the class `Pointy-Haired Boss'". + + Hackers also mix letters and numbers more freely than in mainstream + usage. In particular, it is good hackish style to write a digit + sequence where you intend the reader to understand the text string + that names that number in English. So, hackers prefer to write `1970s' + rather than `nineteen-seventies' or `1970's' (the latter looks like a + possessive). + + It should also be noted that hackers exhibit much less reluctance to + use multiply-nested parentheses than is normal in English. Part of + this is almost certainly due to influence from LISP (which uses deeply + nested parentheses (like this (see?)) in its syntax a lot), but it has + also been suggested that a more basic hacker trait of enjoying playing + with complexity and pushing systems to their limits is in operation. + + Finally, it is worth mentioning that many studies of on-line + communication have shown that electronic links have a de-inhibiting + effect on people. Deprived of the body-language cues through which + emotional state is expressed, people tend to forget everything about + other parties except what is presented over that ASCII link. This has + both good and bad effects. A good one is that it encourages honesty + and tends to break down hierarchical authority relationships; a bad + one is that it may encourage depersonalization and gratuitous + rudeness. Perhaps in response to this, experienced netters often + display a sort of conscious formal politesse in their writing that has + passed out of fashion in other spoken and written media (for example, + the phrase "Well said, sir!" is not uncommon). + + Many introverted hackers who are next to inarticulate in person + communicate with considerable fluency over the net, perhaps precisely + because they can forget on an unconscious level that they are dealing + with people and thus don't feel stressed and anxious as they would + face to face. + + Though it is considered gauche to publicly criticize posters for poor + spelling or grammar, the network places a premium on literacy and + clarity of expression. It may well be that future historians of + literature will see in it a revival of the great tradition of personal + letters as art. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Email Quotes, Next:[129]Hacker Speech Style, Previous:[130]Hacker + Writing Style, Up:[131]Top + +Email Quotes and Inclusion Conventions + + One area where conventions for on-line writing are still in some flux + is the marking of included material from earlier messages -- what + would be called `block quotations' in ordinary English. From the usual + typographic convention employed for these (smaller font at an extra + indent), there derived a practice of included text being indented by + one ASCII TAB (0001001) character, which under Unix and many other + environments gives the appearance of an 8-space indent. + + Early mail and netnews readers had no facility for including messages + this way, so people had to paste in copy manually. BSD Mail(1) was the + first message agent to support inclusion, and early Usenetters + emulated its style. But the TAB character tended to push included text + too far to the right (especially in multiply nested inclusions), + leading to ugly wraparounds. After a brief period of confusion (during + which an inclusion leader consisting of three or four spaces became + established in EMACS and a few mailers), the use of leading > or > + became standard, perhaps owing to its use in ed(1) to display tabs + (alternatively, it may derive from the > that some early Unix mailers + used to quote lines starting with "From" in text, so they wouldn't + look like the beginnings of new message headers). Inclusions within + inclusions keep their > leaders, so the `nesting level' of a quotation + is visually apparent. + + The practice of including text from the parent article when posting a + followup helped solve what had been a major nuisance on Usenet: the + fact that articles do not arrive at different sites in the same order. + Careless posters used to post articles that would begin with, or even + consist entirely of, "No, that's wrong" or "I agree" or the like. It + was hard to see who was responding to what. Consequently, around 1984, + new news-posting software evolved a facility to automatically include + the text of a previous article, marked with "> " or whatever the + poster chose. The poster was expected to delete all but the relevant + lines. The result has been that, now, careless posters post articles + containing the entire text of a preceding article, followed only by + "No, that's wrong" or "I agree". + + Many people feel that this cure is worse than the original disease, + and there soon appeared newsreader software designed to let the reader + skip over included text if desired. Today, some posting software + rejects articles containing too high a proportion of lines beginning + with `>' -- but this too has led to undesirable workarounds, such as + the deliberate inclusion of zero-content filler lines which aren't + quoted and thus pull the message below the rejection threshold. + + Because the default mailers supplied with Unix and other operating + systems haven't evolved as quickly as human usage, the older + conventions using a leading TAB or three or four spaces are still + alive; however, >-inclusion is now clearly the prevalent form in both + netnews and mail. + + Inclusion practice is still evolving, and disputes over the `correct' + inclusion style occasionally lead to [132]holy wars. + + Most netters view an inclusion as a promise that comment on it will + immediately follow. The preferred, conversational style looks like + this, + > relevant excerpt 1 + response to excerpt + > relevant excerpt 2 + response to excerpt + > relevant excerpt 3 + response to excerpt + + or for short messages like this: + > entire message + response to message + + Thanks to poor design of some PC-based mail agents, one will + occasionally see the entire quoted message after the response, like + this + response to message + > entire message + + but this practice is strongly deprecated. + + Though > remains the standard inclusion leader, | is occasionally used + for extended quotations where original variations in indentation are + being retained (one mailer even combines these and uses |>). One also + sees different styles of quoting a number of authors in the same + message: one (deprecated because it loses information) uses a leader + of > for everyone, another (the most common) is > > > > , > > > , + etc. (or >>>> , >>>, etc., depending on line length and nesting depth) + reflecting the original order of messages, and yet another is to use a + different citation leader for each author, say > , : , | , } + (preserving nesting so that the inclusion order of messages is still + apparent, or tagging the inclusions with authors' names). Yet another + style is to use each poster's initials (or login name) as a citation + leader for that poster. + + Occasionally one sees a # leader used for quotations from + authoritative sources such as standards documents; the intended + allusion is to the root prompt (the special Unix command prompt issued + when one is running as the privileged super-user). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Hacker Speech Style, Next:[133]International Style, + Previous:[134]Email Quotes, Up:[135]Top + +Hacker Speech Style + + Hackish speech generally features extremely precise diction, careful + word choice, a relatively large working vocabulary, and relatively + little use of contractions or street slang. Dry humor, irony, puns, + and a mildly flippant attitude are highly valued -- but an underlying + seriousness and intelligence are essential. One should use just enough + jargon to communicate precisely and identify oneself as a member of + the culture; overuse of jargon or a breathless, excessively gung-ho + attitude is considered tacky and the mark of a loser. + + This speech style is a variety of the precisionist English normally + spoken by scientists, design engineers, and academics in technical + fields. In contrast with the methods of jargon construction, it is + fairly constant throughout hackerdom. + + It has been observed that many hackers are confused by negative + questions -- or, at least, that the people to whom they are talking + are often confused by the sense of their answers. The problem is that + they have done so much programming that distinguishes between +if (going) ... + + and +if (!going) ... + + that when they parse the question "Aren't you going?" it may seem to + be asking the opposite question from "Are you going?", and so to merit + an answer in the opposite sense. This confuses English-speaking + non-hackers because they were taught to answer as though the negative + part weren't there. In some other languages (including Russian, + Chinese, and Japanese) the hackish interpretation is standard and the + problem wouldn't arise. Hackers often find themselves wishing for a + word like French `si', German `doch', or Dutch `jawel' - a word with + which one could unambiguously answer `yes' to a negative question. + (See also [136]mu) + + For similar reasons, English-speaking hackers almost never use double + negatives, even if they live in a region where colloquial usage allows + them. The thought of uttering something that logically ought to be an + affirmative knowing it will be misparsed as a negative tends to + disturb them. + + In a related vein, hackers sometimes make a game of answering + questions containing logical connectives with a strictly literal + rather than colloquial interpretation. A non-hacker who is indelicate + enough to ask a question like "So, are you working on finding that bug + now or leaving it until later?" is likely to get the perfectly correct + answer "Yes!" (that is, "Yes, I'm doing it either now or later, and + you didn't ask which!"). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:International Style, Next:[137]Lamer-speak, Previous:[138]Hacker + Speech Style, Up:[139]Top + +International Style + + Although the Jargon File remains primarily a lexicon of hacker usage + in American English, we have made some effort to get input from + abroad. Though the hacker-speak of other languages often uses + translations of jargon from English (often as transmitted to them by + earlier Jargon File versions!), the local variations are interesting, + and knowledge of them may be of some use to travelling hackers. + + There are some references herein to `Commonwealth hackish'. These are + intended to describe some variations in hacker usage as reported in + the English spoken in Great Britain and the Commonwealth (Canada, + Australia, India, etc. -- though Canada is heavily influenced by + American usage). There is also an entry on [140]Commonwealth Hackish + reporting some general phonetic and vocabulary differences from U.S. + hackish. + + Hackers in Western Europe and (especially) Scandinavia report that + they often use a mixture of English and their native languages for + technical conversation. Occasionally they develop idioms in their + English usage that are influenced by their native-language styles. + Some of these are reported here. + + On the other hand, English often gives rise to grammatical and + vocabulary mutations in the native language. For example, Italian + hackers often use the nonexistent verbs `scrollare' (to scroll) and + `deletare' (to delete) rather than native Italian `scorrere' and + `cancellare'. Similarly, the English verb `to hack' has been seen + conjugated in Swedish. In German, many Unix terms in English are + casually declined as if they were German verbs - thus: + mount/mounten/gemountet; grep/grepen/gegrept; fork/forken/geforkt; + core dump/core-dumpen, core-gedumpt. And Spanish-speaking hackers use + `linkar' (to link), `debugear' (to debug), and `lockear' (to lock). + + European hackers report that this happens partly because the English + terms make finer distinctions than are available in their native + vocabularies, and partly because deliberate language-crossing makes + for amusing wordplay. + + A few notes on hackish usages in Russian have been added where they + are parallel with English idioms and thus comprehensible to + English-speakers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Lamer-speak, Next:[141]Pronunciation Guide, + Previous:[142]International Style, Up:[143]Top + +Crackers, Phreaks, and Lamers + + From the early 1980s onward, a flourishing culture of local, + MS-DOS-based bulletin boards developed separately from Internet + hackerdom. The BBS culture has, as its seamy underside, a stratum of + `pirate boards' inhabited by [144]crackers, phone phreaks, and + [145]warez d00dz. These people (mostly teenagers running IBM-PC clones + from their bedrooms) have developed their own characteristic jargon, + heavily influenced by skateboard lingo and underground-rock slang. + + Though crackers often call themselves `hackers', they aren't (they + typically have neither significant programming ability, nor Internet + expertise, nor experience with UNIX or other true multi-user systems). + Their vocabulary has little overlap with hackerdom's. Nevertheless, + this lexicon covers much of it so the reader will be able to + understand what goes by on bulletin-board systems. + + Here is a brief guide to cracker and [146]warez d00dz usage: + * Misspell frequently. The substitutions + phone => fone + freak => phreak + are obligatory. + * Always substitute `z's for `s's. (i.e. "codes" -> "codez"). The + substitution of 'z' for 's' has evolved so that a 'z' is bow + systematically put at the end of words to denote an illegal or + cracking connection. Examples : Appz, passwordz, passez, utilz, + MP3z, distroz, pornz, sitez, gamez, crackz, serialz, downloadz, + FTPz, etc. + * Type random emphasis characters after a post line (i.e. "Hey + Dudes!#!$#$!#!$"). + * Use the emphatic `k' prefix ("k-kool", "k-rad", "k-awesome") + frequently. + * Abbreviate compulsively ("I got lotsa warez w/ docs"). + * Substitute `0' for `o' ("r0dent", "l0zer"). + * TYPE ALL IN CAPS LOCK, SO IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE YELLING ALL THE + TIME. + + These traits are similar to those of [147]B1FF, who originated as a + parody of naive [148]BBS users; also of his latter-day equivalent + [149]Jeff K.. Occasionally, this sort of distortion may be used as + heavy sarcasm by a real hacker, as in: + > I got X Windows running under Linux! + + d00d! u R an 31337 hax0r + + The only practice resembling this in actual hacker usage is the + substitution of a dollar sign of `s' in names of products or service + felt to be excessively expensive, e.g. Compu$erve, Micro$oft. + + For further discussion of the pirate-board subculture, see [150]lamer, + [151]elite, [152]leech, [153]poser, [154]cracker, and especially + [155]warez d00dz, [156]banner site, [157]ratio site, [158]leech mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Pronunciation Guide, Next:[159]Other Lexicon Conventions, + Previous:[160]Lamer-speak, Up:[161]Top + + How to Use the Lexicon + +Pronunciation Guide + + Pronunciation keys are provided in the jargon listings for all entries + that are neither dictionary words pronounced as in standard English + nor obvious compounds thereof. Slashes bracket phonetic + pronunciations, which are to be interpreted using the following + conventions: + 1. Syllables are hyphen-separated, except that an accent or + back-accent follows each accented syllable (the back-accent marks + a secondary accent in some words of four or more syllables). If no + accent is given, the word is pronounced with equal accentuation on + all syllables (this is common for abbreviations). + 2. Consonants are pronounced as in American English. The letter `g' + is always hard (as in "got" rather than "giant"); `ch' is soft + ("church" rather than "chemist"). The letter `j' is the sound that + occurs twice in "judge". The letter `s' is always as in "pass", + never a z sound. The digraph `kh' is the guttural of "loch" or + "l'chaim". The digraph 'gh' is the aspirated g+h of "bughouse" or + "ragheap" (rare in English). + 3. Uppercase letters are pronounced as their English letter names; + thus (for example) /H-L-L/ is equivalent to /aych el el/. /Z/ may + be pronounced /zee/ or /zed/ depending on your local dialect. + 4. Vowels are represented as follows: + + /a/ + back, that + + /ah/ + father, palm (see note) + + /ar/ + far, mark + + /aw/ + flaw, caught + + /ay/ + bake, rain + + /e/ + less, men + + /ee/ + easy, ski + + /eir/ + their, software + + /i/ + trip, hit + + /i:/ + life, sky + + /o/ + block, stock (see note) + + /oh/ + flow, sew + + /oo/ + loot, through + + /or/ + more, door + + /ow/ + out, how + + /oy/ + boy, coin + + /uh/ + but, some + + /u/ + put, foot + + /y/ + yet, young + + /yoo/ + few, chew + + /[y]oo/ + /oo/ with optional fronting as in `news' (/nooz/ or + /nyooz/) + + The glyph /*/ is used for the `schwa' sound of unstressed or occluded + vowels (the one that is often written with an upside-down `e'). The + schwa vowel is omitted in syllables containing vocalic r, l, m or n; + that is, `kitten' and `color' would be rendered /kit'n/ and /kuhl'r/, + not /kit'*n/ and /kuhl'*r/. + + Note that the above table reflects mainly distinctions found in + standard American English (that is, the neutral dialect spoken by TV + network announcers and typical of educated speech in the Upper + Midwest, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Philadelphia). However, we + separate /o/ from /ah/, which tend to merge in standard American. This + may help readers accustomed to accents resembling British Received + Pronunciation. + + The intent of this scheme is to permit as many readers as possible to + map the pronunciations into their local dialect by ignoring some + subset of the distinctions we make. Speakers of British RP, for + example, can smash terminal /r/ and all unstressed vowels. Speakers of + many varieties of southern American will automatically map /o/ to + /aw/; and so forth. (Standard American makes a good reference dialect + for this purpose because it has crisp consonants and more vowel + distinctions than other major dialects, and tends to retain + distinctions between unstressed vowels. It also happens to be what + your editor speaks.) + + Entries with a pronunciation of `//' are written-only usages. (No, + Unix weenies, this does not mean `pronounce like previous + pronunciation'!) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Other Lexicon Conventions, Next:[162]Format for New Entries, + Previous:[163]Pronunciation Guide, Up:[164]Top + +Other Lexicon Conventions + + Entries are sorted in case-blind ASCII collation order (rather than + the letter-by-letter order ignoring interword spacing common in + mainstream dictionaries), except that all entries beginning with + nonalphabetic characters are sorted after Z. The case-blindness is a + feature, not a bug. + + The beginning of each entry is marked by a colon (:) at the left + margin. This convention helps out tools like hypertext browsers that + benefit from knowing where entry boundaries are, but aren't as + context-sensitive as humans. + + In pure ASCII renderings of the Jargon File, you will see {} used to + bracket words which themselves have entries in the File. This isn't + done all the time for every such word, but it is done everywhere that + a reminder seems useful that the term has a jargon meaning and one + might wish to refer to its entry. + + In this all-ASCII version, headwords for topic entries are + distinguished from those for ordinary entries by being followed by + "::" rather than ":"; similarly, references are surrounded by "{{" and + "}}" rather than "{" and "}". + + Defining instances of terms and phrases appear in `slanted type'. A + defining instance is one which occurs near to or as part of an + explanation of it. + + Prefixed ** is used as linguists do; to mark examples of incorrect + usage. + + We follow the `logical' quoting convention described in the Writing + Style section above. In addition, we reserve double quotes for actual + excerpts of text or (sometimes invented) speech. Scare quotes (which + mark a word being used in a nonstandard way), and philosopher's quotes + (which turn an utterance into the string of letters or words that name + it) are both rendered with single quotes. + + References such as malloc(3) and patch(1) are to Unix facilities (some + of which, such as patch(1), are actually freeware distributed over + Usenet). The Unix manuals use foo(n) to refer to item foo in section + (n) of the manual, where n=1 is utilities, n=2 is system calls, n=3 is + C library routines, n=6 is games, and n=8 (where present) is system + administration utilities. Sections 4, 5, and 7 of the manuals have + changed roles frequently and in any case are not referred to in any of + the entries. + + Various abbreviations used frequently in the lexicon are summarized + here: + + abbrev. + abbreviation + + adj. + adjective + + adv. + adverb + + alt. + alternate + + cav. + caveat + + conj. + conjunction + + esp. + especially + + excl. + exclamation + + imp. + imperative + + interj. + interjection + + n. + noun + + obs. + obsolete + + pl. + plural + + poss. + possibly + + pref. + prefix + + prob. + probably + + prov. + proverbial + + quant. + quantifier + + suff. + suffix + + syn. + synonym (or synonymous with) + + v. + verb (may be transitive or intransitive) + + var. + variant + + vi. + intransitive verb + + vt. + transitive verb + + Where alternate spellings or pronunciations are given, alt. separates + two possibilities with nearly equal distribution, while var. prefixes + one that is markedly less common than the primary. + + Where a term can be attributed to a particular subculture or is known + to have originated there, we have tried to so indicate. Here is a list + of abbreviations used in etymologies: + + Amateur Packet Radio + A technical culture of ham-radio sites using AX.25 and TCP/IP + for wide-area networking and BBS systems. + + Berkeley + University of California at Berkeley + + BBN + Bolt, Beranek & Newman + + Cambridge + the university in England (not the city in Massachusetts where + MIT happens to be located!) + + CMU + Carnegie-Mellon University + + Commodore + Commodore Business Machines + + DEC + The Digital Equipment Corporation (now Compaq). + + Fairchild + The Fairchild Instruments Palo Alto development group + + FidoNet + See the [165]FidoNet entry + + IBM + International Business Machines + + MIT + Massachusetts Institute of Technology; esp. the legendary MIT + AI Lab culture of roughly 1971 to 1983 and its feeder groups, + including the Tech Model Railroad Club + + NRL + Naval Research Laboratories + + NYU + New York University + + OED + The Oxford English Dictionary + + Purdue + Purdue University + + SAIL + Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (at Stanford + University) + + SI + From Système International, the name for the standard + conventions of metric nomenclature used in the sciences + + Stanford + Stanford University + + Sun + Sun Microsystems + + TMRC + Some MITisms go back as far as the Tech Model Railroad Club + (TMRC) at MIT c. 1960. Material marked TMRC is from "An + Abridged Dictionary of the TMRC Language", originally compiled + by Pete Samson in 1959 + + UCLA + University of California at Los Angeles + + UK + the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) + + Usenet + See the [166]Usenet entry + + WPI + Worcester Polytechnic Institute, site of a very active + community of PDP-10 hackers during the 1970s + + WWW + The World-Wide-Web. + + XEROX PARC + XEROX's Palo Alto Research Center, site of much pioneering + research in user interface design and networking + + Yale + Yale University + + Some other etymology abbreviations such as [167]Unix and [168]PDP-10 + refer to technical cultures surrounding specific operating systems, + processors, or other environments. The fact that a term is labelled + with any one of these abbreviations does not necessarily mean its use + is confined to that culture. In particular, many terms labelled `MIT' + and `Stanford' are in quite general use. We have tried to give some + indication of the distribution of speakers in the usage notes; + however, a number of factors mentioned in the introduction conspire to + make these indications less definite than might be desirable. + + A few new definitions attached to entries are marked [proposed]. These + are usually generalizations suggested by editors or Usenet respondents + in the process of commenting on previous definitions of those entries. + These are not represented as established jargon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Format for New Entries, Next:[169]The Jargon Lexicon, + Previous:[170]Other Lexicon Conventions, Up:[171]Top + +Format For New Entries + + You can mail submissions for the Jargon File to + [172]jargon@snark.thyrsus.com. + + We welcome new jargon, and corrections to or amplifications of + existing entries. You can improve your submission's chances of being + included by adding background information on user population and years + of currency. References to actual usage via URLs and/or DejaNews + pointers are particularly welcomed. + + All contributions and suggestions about the Jargon File will be + considered donations to be placed in the public domain as part of this + File, and may be used in subsequent paper editions. Submissions may be + edited for accuracy, clarity and concision. + + We are looking to expand the File's range of technical specialties + covered. There are doubtless rich veins of jargon yet untapped in the + scientific computing, graphics, and networking hacker communities; + also in numerical analysis, computer architectures and VLSI design, + language design, and many other related fields. Send us your jargon! + + We are not interested in straight technical terms explained by + textbooks or technical dictionaries unless an entry illuminates + `underground' meanings or aspects not covered by official histories. + We are also not interested in `joke' entries -- there is a lot of + humor in the file but it must flow naturally out of the explanations + of what hackers do and how they think. + + It is OK to submit items of jargon you have originated if they have + spread to the point of being used by people who are not personally + acquainted with you. We prefer items to be attested by independent + submission from two different sites. + + An HTML version of the File is available at + http://www.tuxedo.org/jargon. Please send us URLs for materials + related to the entries, so we can enrich the File's link structure. + + The Jargon File will be regularly maintained and made available for + browsing on the World Wide Web, and will include a version number. + Read it, pass it around, contribute -- this is your monument! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:The Jargon Lexicon, Next:[173]Appendix A, Previous:[174]Format + for New Entries, Up:[175]Top + + The Jargon Lexicon + + * [176]= 0 =: + * [177]= A =: + * [178]= B =: + * [179]= C =: + * [180]= D =: + * [181]= E =: + * [182]= F =: + * [183]= G =: + * [184]= H =: + * [185]= I =: + * [186]= J =: + * [187]= K =: + * [188]= L =: + * [189]= M =: + * [190]= N =: + * [191]= O =: + * [192]= P =: + * [193]= Q =: + * [194]= R =: + * [195]= S =: + * [196]= T =: + * [197]= U =: + * [198]= V =: + * [199]= W =: + * [200]= X =: + * [201]= Y =: + * [202]= Z =: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= 0 =, Next:[203]= A =, Up:[204]The Jargon Lexicon + += 0 = + + * [205]0: + * [206]1TBS: + * [207]120 reset: + * [208]2: + * [209]404: + * [210]404 compliant: + * [211]4.2: + * [212]@-party: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:0, Next:[213]1TBS, Up:[214]= 0 = + + 0 + + Numeric zero, as opposed to the letter `O' (the 15th letter of the + English alphabet). In their unmodified forms they look a lot alike, + and various kluges invented to make them visually distinct have + compounded the confusion. If your zero is center-dotted and letter-O + is not, or if letter-O looks almost rectangular but zero looks more + like an American football stood on end (or the reverse), you're + probably looking at a modern character display (though the dotted zero + seems to have originated as an option on IBM 3270 controllers). If + your zero is slashed but letter-O is not, you're probably looking at + an old-style ASCII graphic set descended from the default typewheel on + the venerable ASR-33 Teletype (Scandinavians, for whom Ø is a letter, + curse this arrangement). (Interestingly, the slashed zero long + predates computers; Florian Cajori's monumental "A History of + Mathematical Notations" notes that it was used in the twelfth and + thirteenth centuries.) If letter-O has a slash across it and the zero + does not, your display is tuned for a very old convention used at IBM + and a few other early mainframe makers (Scandinavians curse this + arrangement even more, because it means two of their letters collide). + Some Burroughs/Unisys equipment displays a zero with a reversed slash. + Old CDC computers rendered letter O as an unbroken oval and 0 as an + oval broken at upper right and lower left. And yet another convention + common on early line printers left zero unornamented but added a tail + or hook to the letter-O so that it resembled an inverted Q or cursive + capital letter-O (this was endorsed by a draft ANSI standard for how + to draw ASCII characters, but the final standard changed the + distinguisher to a tick-mark in the upper-left corner). Are we + sufficiently confused yet? + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:1TBS, Next:[215]120 reset, Previous:[216]0, Up:[217]= 0 = + + 1TBS // n. + + The "One True Brace Style"; see [218]indent style. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:120 reset, Next:[219]2, Previous:[220]1TBS, Up:[221]= 0 = + + 120 reset /wuhn-twen'tee ree'set/ n. + + [from 120 volts, U.S. wall voltage] To cycle power on a machine in + order to reset or unjam it. Compare [222]Big Red Switch, [223]power + cycle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:2, Next:[224]404, Previous:[225]120 reset, Up:[226]= 0 = + + 2 infix. + + In translation software written by hackers, infix 2 often represents + the syllable to with the connotation `translate to': as in dvi2ps (DVI + to PostScript), int2string (integer to string), and texi2roff (Texinfo + to [nt]roff). Several versions of a joke have floated around the + internet in which some idiot programmer fixes the Y2K bug by changing + all the Y's in something to K's, as in Januark, Februark, etc. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:404, Next:[227]404 compliant, Previous:[228]2, Up:[229]= 0 = + + 404 // n. + + [from the HTTP error "file not found on server"] Extended to humans to + convey that the subject has no idea or no clue - sapience not found. + May be used reflexively; "Uh, I'm 404ing" means "I'm drawing a blank". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:404 compliant, Next:[230]4.2, Previous:[231]404, Up:[232]= 0 = + + 404 compliant adj. + + The status of a website which has been completely removed, usually by + the administrators of the hosting site as a result of net abuse by the + website operators. The term is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the + standard "301 compliant" Murkowski Bill disclaimer used by spammers. + See also: [233]spam, [234]spamvertize. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:4.2, Next:[235]@-party, Previous:[236]404 compliant, Up:[237]= 0 + = + + 4.2 /for' poynt too'/ n. + + Without a prefix, this almost invariably refers to [238]BSD Unix + release 4.2. Note that it is an indication of cluelessness to say + "version 4.2", and "release 4.2" is rare; the number stands on its + own, or is used in the more explicit forms 4.2BSD or (less commonly) + BSD 4.2. Similar remarks apply to "4.3", "4.4" and to earlier, + less-widespread releases 4.1 and 2.9. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:@-party, Next:[239]abbrev, Previous:[240]4.2, Up:[241]= 0 = + + @-party /at'par`tee/ n. + + [from the @-sign in an Internet address] (alt. `@-sign party' /at'si:n + par`tee/) A semi-closed party thrown for hackers at a science-fiction + convention (esp. the annual World Science Fiction Convention or + "Worldcon"); one must have a [242]network address to get in, or at + least be in company with someone who does. One of the most reliable + opportunities for hackers to meet face to face with people who might + otherwise be represented by mere phosphor dots on their screens. + Compare [243]boink. + + The first recorded @-party was held at the Westercon (a U.S. western + regional SF convention) over the July 4th weekend in 1980. It is not + clear exactly when the canonical @-party venue shifted to the Worldcon + but it had certainly become established by Constellation in 1983. + Sadly, the @-party tradition has been in decline since about 1996, + mainly because having an @-address no longer functions as an effective + lodge pin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= A =, Next:[244]= B =, Previous:[245]= 0 =, Up:[246]The Jargon + Lexicon + += A = + + * [247]abbrev: + * [248]ABEND: + * [249]accumulator: + * [250]ACK: + * [251]Acme: + * [252]acolyte: + * [253]ad-hockery: + * [254]Ada: + * [255]address harvester: + * [256]adger: + * [257]admin: + * [258]ADVENT: + * [259]AFAIK: + * [260]AFJ: + * [261]AFK: + * [262]AI: + * [263]AI-complete: + * [264]AI koans: + * [265]AIDS: + * [266]AIDX: + * [267]airplane rule: + * [268]Alderson loop: + * [269]aliasing bug: + * [270]Alice and Bob: + * [271]all-elbows: + * [272]alpha geek: + * [273]alpha particles: + * [274]alt: + * [275]alt bit: + * [276]Aluminum Book: + * [277]ambimouseterous: + * [278]Amiga: + * [279]Amiga Persecution Complex: + * [280]amoeba: + * [281]amp off: + * [282]amper: + * [283]Angband: + * [284]angle brackets: + * [285]angry fruit salad: + * [286]annoybot: + * [287]annoyware: + * [288]ANSI: + * [289]ANSI standard: + * [290]ANSI standard pizza: + * [291]AOL!: + * [292]app: + * [293]arena: + * [294]arg: + * [295]ARMM: + * [296]armor-plated: + * [297]asbestos: + * [298]asbestos cork award: + * [299]asbestos longjohns: + * [300]ASCII: + * [301]ASCII art: + * [302]ASCIIbetical order: + * [303]astroturfing: + * [304]atomic: + * [305]attoparsec: + * [306]AUP: + * [307]autobogotiphobia: + * [308]automagically: + * [309]avatar: + * [310]awk: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:abbrev, Next:[311]ABEND, Previous:[312]@-party, Up:[313]= A = + + abbrev /*-breev'/, /*-brev'/ n. + + Common abbreviation for `abbreviation'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ABEND, Next:[314]accumulator, Previous:[315]abbrev, Up:[316]= A = + + ABEND /a'bend/, /*-bend'/ n. + + [ABnormal END] 1. Abnormal termination (of software); [317]crash; + [318]lossage. Derives from an error message on the IBM 360; used + jokingly by hackers but seriously mainly by [319]code grinders. + Usually capitalized, but may appear as `abend'. Hackers will try to + persuade you that ABEND is called `abend' because it is what system + operators do to the machine late on Friday when they want to call it a + day, and hence is from the German `Abend' = `Evening'. 2. + [alt.callahans] Absent By Enforced Net Deprivation - used in the + subject lines of postings warning friends of an imminent loss of + Internet access. (This can be because of computer downtime, loss of + provider, moving or illness.) Variants of this also appear: ABVND = + `Absent By Voluntary Net Deprivation' and ABSEND = `Absent By + Self-Enforced Net Deprivation' have been sighted. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:accumulator, Next:[320]ACK, Previous:[321]ABEND, Up:[322]= A = + + accumulator n. obs. + + 1. Archaic term for a register. On-line use of it as a synonym for + `register' is a fairly reliable indication that the user has been + around for quite a while and/or that the architecture under discussion + is quite old. The term in full is almost never used of microprocessor + registers, for example, though symbolic names for arithmetic registers + beginning in `A' derive from historical use of the term `accumulator' + (and not, actually, from `arithmetic'). Confusingly, though, an `A' + register name prefix may also stand for `address', as for example on + the Motorola 680x0 family. 2. A register being used for arithmetic or + logic (as opposed to addressing or a loop index), especially one being + used to accumulate a sum or count of many items. This use is in + context of a particular routine or stretch of code. "The FOOBAZ + routine uses A3 as an accumulator." 3. One's in-basket (esp. among + old-timers who might use sense 1). "You want this reviewed? Sure, just + put it in the accumulator." (See [323]stack.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ACK, Next:[324]Acme, Previous:[325]accumulator, Up:[326]= A = + + ACK /ak/ interj. + + 1. [common; from the ASCII mnemonic for 0000110] Acknowledge. Used to + register one's presence (compare mainstream Yo!). An appropriate + response to [327]ping or [328]ENQ. 2. [from the comic strip "Bloom + County"] An exclamation of surprised disgust, esp. in "Ack pffft!" + Semi-humorous. Generally this sense is not spelled in caps (ACK) and + is distinguished by a following exclamation point. 3. Used to politely + interrupt someone to tell them you understand their point (see + [329]NAK). Thus, for example, you might cut off an overly long + explanation with "Ack. Ack. Ack. I get it now". 4. An affirmative. + "Think we ought to ditch that damn NT server for a Linux box?" "ACK!" + + There is also a usage "ACK?" (from sense 1) meaning "Are you there?", + often used in email when earlier mail has produced no reply, or during + a lull in [330]talk mode to see if the person has gone away (the + standard humorous response is of course [331]NAK (sense 1), i.e., "I'm + not here"). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Acme, Next:[332]acolyte, Previous:[333]ACK, Up:[334]= A = + + Acme n. + + The canonical supplier of bizarre, elaborate, and non-functional + gadgetry - where Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson (two cartoonists who + specialized in elaborate contraptions) shop. The name has been + humorously expanded as A (or American) Company Making Everything. (In + fact, Acme was a real brand sold from Sears Roebuck catalogs in the + early 1900s.) Describing some X as an "Acme X" either means "This is + [335]insanely great", or, more likely, "This looks [336]insanely great + on paper, but in practice it's really easy to shoot yourself in the + foot with it." Compare [337]pistol. + + This term, specially cherished by American hackers and explained here + for the benefit of our overseas brethren, comes from the Warner + Brothers' series of "Roadrunner" cartoons. In these cartoons, the + famished Wile E. Coyote was forever attempting to catch up with, trap, + and eat the Roadrunner. His attempts usually involved one or more + high-technology Rube Goldberg devices - rocket jetpacks, catapults, + magnetic traps, high-powered slingshots, etc. These were usually + delivered in large cardboard boxes, labeled prominently with the Acme + name. These devices invariably malfunctioned in improbable and violent + ways. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:acolyte, Next:[338]ad-hockery, Previous:[339]Acme, Up:[340]= A = + + acolyte n. obs. + + [TMRC] An [341]OSU privileged enough to submit data and programs to a + member of the [342]priesthood. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ad-hockery, Next:[343]Ada, Previous:[344]acolyte, Up:[345]= A = + + ad-hockery /ad-hok'*r-ee/ n. + + [Purdue] 1. Gratuitous assumptions made inside certain programs, esp. + expert systems, which lead to the appearance of semi-intelligent + behavior but are in fact entirely arbitrary. For example, + fuzzy-matching of input tokens that might be typing errors against a + symbol table can make it look as though a program knows how to spell. + 2. Special-case code to cope with some awkward input that would + otherwise cause a program to [346]choke, presuming normal inputs are + dealt with in some cleaner and more regular way. Also called + `ad-hackery', `ad-hocity' (/ad-hos'*-tee/), `ad-crockery'. See also + [347]ELIZA effect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Ada, Next:[348]address harvester, Previous:[349]ad-hockery, + Up:[350]= A = + + Ada n. + + A [351]Pascal-descended language that was at one time made mandatory + for Department of Defense software projects by the Pentagon. Hackers + are nearly unanimous in observing that, technically, it is precisely + what one might expect given that kind of endorsement by fiat; designed + by committee, crockish, difficult to use, and overall a disastrous, + multi-billion-dollar boondoggle (one common description wss "The PL/I + of the 1980s"). Hackers find Ada's exception-handling and + inter-process communication features particularly hilarious. Ada + Lovelace (the daughter of Lord Byron who became the world's first + programmer while cooperating with Charles Babbage on the design of his + mechanical computing engines in the mid-1800s) would almost certainly + blanch at the use to which her name has latterly been put; the kindest + thing that has been said about it is that there is probably a good + small language screaming to get out from inside its vast, + [352]elephantine bulk. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:address harvester, Next:[353]adger, Previous:[354]Ada, Up:[355]= + A = + + address harvester n. + + A robot that searches web pages and/or filters netnews traffic looking + for valid email addresses. Some address harvesters are benign, used + only for compiling address directories. Most, unfortunately, are run + by miscreants compiling address lists to [356]spam. Address harvesters + can be foiled by a [357]teergrube. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:adger, Next:[358]admin, Previous:[359]address harvester, + Up:[360]= A = + + adger /aj'r/ vt. + + [UCLA mutant of [361]nadger, poss. also from the middle name of an + infamous [362]tenured graduate student] To make a bonehead move with + consequences that could have been foreseen with even slight mental + effort. E.g., "He started removing files and promptly adgered the + whole project". Compare [363]dumbass attack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:admin, Next:[364]ADVENT, Previous:[365]adger, Up:[366]= A = + + admin /ad-min'/ n. + + Short for `administrator'; very commonly used in speech or on-line to + refer to the systems person in charge on a computer. Common + constructions on this include `sysadmin' and `site admin' (emphasizing + the administrator's role as a site contact for email and news) or + `newsadmin' (focusing specifically on news). Compare [367]postmaster, + [368]sysop, [369]system mangler. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ADVENT, Next:[370]AFAIK, Previous:[371]admin, Up:[372]= A = + + ADVENT /ad'vent/ n. + + The prototypical computer adventure game, first designed by Will + Crowther on the [373]PDP-10 in the mid-1970s as an attempt at + computer-refereed fantasy gaming, and expanded into a puzzle-oriented + game by Don Woods at Stanford in 1976. (Woods had been one of the + authors of [374]INTERCAL.) Now better known as Adventure or Colossal + Cave Adventure, but the [375]TOPS-10 operating system permitted only + six-letter filenames. See also [376]vadding, [377]Zork, and + [378]Infocom. + + This game defined the terse, dryly humorous style since expected in + text adventure games, and popularized several tag lines that have + become fixtures of hacker-speak: "A huge green fierce snake bars the + way!" "I see no X here" (for some noun X). "You are in a maze of + twisty little passages, all alike." "You are in a little maze of + twisty passages, all different." The `magic words' [379]xyzzy and + [380]plugh also derive from this game. + + Crowther, by the way, participated in the exploration of the Mammoth & + Flint Ridge cave system; it actually has a `Colossal Cave' and a + `Bedquilt' as in the game, and the `Y2' that also turns up is cavers' + jargon for a map reference to a secondary entrance. + + ADVENT sources are available for FTP at + [381]ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/doc/misc/if-archive/games/source/advent.tar.Z + . There is a + [382]http://people.delphi.com/rickadams/adventure/index.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AFAIK, Next:[383]AFJ, Previous:[384]ADVENT, Up:[385]= A = + + AFAIK // n. + + [Usenet] Abbrev. for "As Far As I Know". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AFJ, Next:[386]AFK, Previous:[387]AFAIK, Up:[388]= A = + + AFJ // n. + + Written-only abbreviation for "April Fool's Joke". Elaborate April + Fool's hoaxes are a long-established tradition on Usenet and Internet; + see [389]kremvax for an example. In fact, April Fool's Day is the only + seasonal holiday consistently marked by customary observances on + Internet and other hacker networks. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AFK, Next:[390]AI, Previous:[391]AFJ, Up:[392]= A = + + AFK + + [MUD] Abbrev. for "Away From Keyboard". Used to notify others that you + will be momentarily unavailable online. eg. "Let's not go kill that + frost giant yet, I need to go AFK to make a phone call". Often MUDs + will have a command to politely inform others of your absence when + they try to talk with you. The term is not restricted to MUDs, + however, and has become common in many chat situations, from IRC to + Unix talk. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AI, Next:[393]AI-complete, Previous:[394]AFK, Up:[395]= A = + + AI /A-I/ n. + + Abbreviation for `Artificial Intelligence', so common that the full + form is almost never written or spoken among hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AI-complete, Next:[396]AI koans, Previous:[397]AI, Up:[398]= A = + + AI-complete /A-I k*m-pleet'/ adj. + + [MIT, Stanford: by analogy with `NP-complete' (see [399]NP-)] Used to + describe problems or subproblems in AI, to indicate that the solution + presupposes a solution to the `strong AI problem' (that is, the + synthesis of a human-level intelligence). A problem that is + AI-complete is, in other words, just too hard. + + Examples of AI-complete problems are `The Vision Problem' (building a + system that can see as well as a human) and `The Natural Language + Problem' (building a system that can understand and speak a natural + language as well as a human). These may appear to be modular, but all + attempts so far (1999) to solve them have foundered on the amount of + context information and `intelligence' they seem to require. See also + [400]gedanken. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AI koans, Next:[401]AIDS, Previous:[402]AI-complete, Up:[403]= A + = + + AI koans /A-I koh'anz/ pl.n. + + A series of pastiches of Zen teaching riddles created by Danny Hillis + at the MIT AI Lab around various major figures of the Lab's culture + (several are included under [404]Some AI Koans in Appendix A). See + also [405]ha ha only serious, [406]mu, and [407]hacker humor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AIDS, Next:[408]AIDX, Previous:[409]AI koans, Up:[410]= A = + + AIDS /aydz/ n. + + Short for A* Infected Disk Syndrome (`A*' is a [411]glob pattern that + matches, but is not limited to, Apple or Amiga), this condition is + quite often the result of practicing unsafe [412]SEX. See [413]virus, + [414]worm, [415]Trojan horse, [416]virgin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AIDX, Next:[417]airplane rule, Previous:[418]AIDS, Up:[419]= A = + + AIDX /ayd'k*z/ n. + + Derogatory term for IBM's perverted version of Unix, AIX, especially + for the AIX 3.? used in the IBM RS/6000 series (some hackers think it + is funnier just to pronounce "AIX" as "aches"). A victim of the + dreaded "hybridism" disease, this attempt to combine the two main + currents of the Unix stream ([420]BSD and [421]USG Unix) became a + [422]monstrosity to haunt system administrators' dreams. For example, + if new accounts are created while many users are logged on, the load + average jumps quickly over 20 due to silly implementation of the user + databases. For a quite similar disease, compare [423]HP-SUX. Also, + compare [424]Macintrash, [425]Nominal Semidestructor, [426]ScumOS, + [427]sun-stools. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:airplane rule, Next:[428]Alderson loop, Previous:[429]AIDX, + Up:[430]= A = + + airplane rule n. + + "Complexity increases the possibility of failure; a twin-engine + airplane has twice as many engine problems as a single-engine + airplane." By analogy, in both software and electronics, the rule that + simplicity increases robustness. It is correspondingly argued that the + right way to build reliable systems is to put all your eggs in one + basket, after making sure that you've built a really good basket. See + also [431]KISS Principle, [432]elegant. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Alderson loop, Next:[433]aliasing bug, Previous:[434]airplane + rule, Up:[435]= A = + + Alderson loop n. + + [Intel] A special version of an [436]infinite loop where there is an + exit condition available, but inaccessible in the current + implementation of the code. Typically this is created while debugging + user interface code. An example would be when there is a menu stating, + "Select 1-3 or 9 to quit" and 9 is not allowed by the function that + takes the selection from the user. + + This term received its name from a programmer who had coded a modal + message box in MSAccess with no Ok or Cancel buttons, thereby + disabling the entire program whenever the box came up. The message box + had the proper code for dismissal and even was set up so that when the + non-existent Ok button was pressed the proper code would be called. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:aliasing bug, Next:[437]Alice and Bob, Previous:[438]Alderson + loop, Up:[439]= A = + + aliasing bug n. + + A class of subtle programming errors that can arise in code that does + dynamic allocation, esp. via malloc(3) or equivalent. If several + pointers address (`aliases for') a given hunk of storage, it may + happen that the storage is freed or reallocated (and thus moved) + through one alias and then referenced through another, which may lead + to subtle (and possibly intermittent) lossage depending on the state + and the allocation history of the malloc [440]arena. Avoidable by use + of allocation strategies that never alias allocated core, or by use of + higher-level languages, such as [441]LISP, which employ a garbage + collector (see [442]GC). Also called a [443]stale pointer bug. See + also [444]precedence lossage, [445]smash the stack, [446]fandango on + core, [447]memory leak, [448]memory smash, [449]overrun screw, + [450]spam. + + Historical note: Though this term is nowadays associated with C + programming, it was already in use in a very similar sense in the + Algol-60 and FORTRAN communities in the 1960s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Alice and Bob, Next:[451]all-elbows, Previous:[452]aliasing bug, + Up:[453]= A = + + Alice and Bob n. + + The archetypal individuals used as examples in discussions of + cryptographic protocols. Originally, theorists would say something + like: "A communicates with someone who claims to be B, So to be sure, + A tests that B knows a secret number K. So A sends to B a random + number X. B then forms Y by encrypting X under key K and sends Y back + to A" Because this sort of thing is is quite hard to follow, theorists + stopped using the unadorned letters A and B to represent the main + players and started calling them Alice and Bob. So now we say "Alice + communicates with someone claiming to be Bob, and to be sure, So Alice + tests that Bob knows a secret number K. Alice sends to Bob a random + number X. Bob then forms Y by encrypting X under key K and sends Y + back to Alice". A whole mythology rapidly grew up around the + metasyntactic names; see + [454]http://www.conceptlabs.co.uk/alicebob.html. + + In Bruce Schneier's definitive introductory text "Applied + Cryptography" (2nd ed., 1996, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-11709-9) + he introduces a table of dramatis personae headed by Alice and Bob. + Others include Carol (a participant in three- and four-party + protocols), Dave (a participant in four-party protocols), Eve (an + eavesdropper), Mallory (a malicious active attacker), Trent (a trusted + arbitrator), Walter (a warden), Peggy (a prover) and Victor (a + verifier). These names for roles are either already standard or, given + the wide popularity of the book, may be expected to quickly become so. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:all-elbows, Next:[455]alpha geek, Previous:[456]Alice and Bob, + Up:[457]= A = + + all-elbows adj. + + [MS-DOS] Of a TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident) IBM PC program, such + as the N pop-up calendar and calculator utilities that circulate on + [458]BBS systems: unsociable. Used to describe a program that rudely + steals the resources that it needs without considering that other TSRs + may also be resident. One particularly common form of rudeness is + lock-up due to programs fighting over the keyboard interrupt. See + [459]rude, also [460]mess-dos. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:alpha geek, Next:[461]alpha particles, Previous:[462]all-elbows, + Up:[463]= A = + + alpha geek n. + + [from animal ethologists' `alpha male'] The most technically + accomplished or skillful person in some implied context. "Ask Larry, + he's the alpha geek here." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:alpha particles, Next:[464]alt, Previous:[465]alpha geek, + Up:[466]= A = + + alpha particles n. + + See [467]bit rot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:alt, Next:[468]alt bit, Previous:[469]alpha particles, Up:[470]= + A = + + alt /awlt/ + + 1. n. The alt shift key on an IBM PC or [471]clone keyboard; see + [472]bucky bits, sense 2 (though typical PC usage does not simply set + the 0200 bit). 2. n. The `option' key on a Macintosh; use of this term + usually reveals that the speaker hacked PCs before coming to the Mac + (see also [473]feature key, which is sometimes incorrectly called + `alt'). 3. n.,obs. [PDP-10; often capitalized to ALT] Alternate name + for the ASCII ESC character (ASCII 0011011), after the keycap labeling + on some older terminals; also `altmode' (/awlt'mohd/). This character + was almost never pronounced `escape' on an ITS system, in [474]TECO, + or under TOPS-10 -- always alt, as in "Type alt alt to end a TECO + command" or "alt-U onto the system" (for "log onto the [ITS] system"). + This usage probably arose because alt is more convenient to say than + `escape', especially when followed by another alt or a character (or + another alt and a character, for that matter). 4. The alt hierarchy on + Usenet, the tree of newsgroups created by users without a formal vote + and approval procedure. There is a myth, not entirely implausible, + that alt is acronymic for "anarchists, lunatics, and terrorists"; but + in fact it is simply short for "alternative". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:alt bit, Next:[475]Aluminum Book, Previous:[476]alt, Up:[477]= A + = + + alt bit /awlt bit/ [from alternate] adj. + + See [478]meta bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Aluminum Book, Next:[479]ambimouseterous, Previous:[480]alt bit, + Up:[481]= A = + + Aluminum Book n. + + [MIT] "Common LISP: The Language", by Guy L. Steele Jr. (Digital + Press, first edition 1984, second edition 1990). Note that due to a + technical screwup some printings of the second edition are actually of + a color the author describes succinctly as "yucky green". See also + [482]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ambimouseterous, Next:[483]Amiga, Previous:[484]Aluminum Book, + Up:[485]= A = + + ambimouseterous /am-b*-mows'ter-us/ or /am-b*-mows'trus/ adj. + + [modeled on ambidextrous] Able to use a mouse with either hand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Amiga, Next:[486]Amiga Persecution Complex, + Previous:[487]ambimouseterous, Up:[488]= A = + + Amiga n + + A series of personal computer models originally sold by Commodore, + based on 680x0 processors, custom support chips and an operating + system that combined some of the best features of Macintosh and Unix + with compatibility with neither. + + The Amiga was released just as the personal computing world + standardized on IBM-PC clones. This prevented it from gaining serious + market share, despite the fact that the first Amigas had a substantial + technological lead on the IBM XTs of the time. Instead, it acquired a + small but zealous population of enthusiastic hackers who dreamt of one + day unseating the clones (see [489]Amiga Persecution Complex). The + traits of this culture are both spoofed and illuminated in [490]The + BLAZE Humor Viewer. The strength of the Amiga platform seeded a small + industry of companies building software and hardware for the platform, + especially in graphics and video applications (see [491]video + toaster). + + Due to spectacular mismanagement, Commodore did hardly any R&D, + allowing the competition to close Amiga's technological lead. After + Commodore went bankrupt in 1994 the technology passed through several + hands, none of whom did much with it. However, the Amiga is still + being produced in Europe under license and has a substantial number of + fans, which will probably extend the platform's life considerably. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Amiga Persecution Complex, Next:[492]amoeba, Previous:[493]Amiga, + Up:[494]= A = + + Amiga Persecution Complex n. + + The disorder suffered by a particularly egregious variety of + [495]bigot, those who believe that the marginality of their preferred + machine is the result of some kind of industry-wide conspiracy (for + without a conspiracy of some kind, the eminent superiority of their + beloved shining jewel of a platform would obviously win over all, + market pressures be damned!) Those afflicted are prone to engaging in + [496]flame wars and calling for boycotts and mailbombings. Amiga + Persecution Complex is by no means limited to Amiga users; NeXT, + [497]NeWS, [498]OS/2, Macintosh, [499]LISP, and [500]GNU users are + also common victims. [501]Linux users used to display symptoms very + frequently before Linux started winning; some still do. See also + [502]newbie, [503]troll, [504]holy wars, [505]weenie, [506]Get a + life!. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:amoeba, Next:[507]amp off, Previous:[508]Amiga Persecution + Complex, Up:[509]= A = + + amoeba n. + + Humorous term for the Commodore Amiga personal computer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:amp off, Next:[510]amper, Previous:[511]amoeba, Up:[512]= A = + + amp off vt. + + [Purdue] To run in [513]background. From the Unix shell `&' operator. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:amper, Next:[514]Angband, Previous:[515]amp off, Up:[516]= A = + + amper n. + + Common abbreviation for the name of the ampersand (`&', ASCII 0100110) + character. See [517]ASCII for other synonyms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Angband, Next:[518]angle brackets, Previous:[519]amper, Up:[520]= + A = + + Angband n. /ang'band/ + + Like [521]nethack, [522]moria, and [523]rogue, one of the large freely + distributed Dungeons-and-Dragons-like simulation games, available for + a wide range of machines and operating systems. The name is from + Tolkien's Pits of Angband (compare [524]elder days, [525]elvish). Has + been described as "Moria on steroids"; but, unlike Moria, many aspects + of the game are customizable. This leads many hackers and would-be + hackers into fooling with these instead of doing productive work. + There are many Angband variants, of which the most notorious is + probably the rather whimsical Zangband. In this game, when a key that + does not correspond to a command is pressed, the game will display + "Type ? for help" 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time, random + error messages including "An error has occurred because an error of + type 42 has occurred" and "Windows 95 uninstalled successfully" will + be displayed. Zangband also allows the player to kill Santa Claus (who + has some really good stuff, but also has a lot of friends), "Bull + Gates", and Barney the Dinosaur (but be watchful; Barney has a nasty + case of halitosis). There is an official angband home page at + [526]http://www.phial.com/angband and a zangband one at + [527]http://thangorodrim.angband.org. See also [528]Random Number God. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:angle brackets, Next:[529]angry fruit salad, + Previous:[530]Angband, Up:[531]= A = + + angle brackets n. + + Either of the characters < (ASCII 0111100) and > (ASCII 0111110) + (ASCII less-than or greater-than signs). Typographers in the [532]Real + World use angle brackets which are either taller and slimmer (the ISO + `Bra' and `Ket' characters), or significantly smaller (single or + double guillemets) than the less-than and greater-than signs. See + [533]broket, [534]ASCII. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:angry fruit salad, Next:[535]annoybot, Previous:[536]angle + brackets, Up:[537]= A = + + angry fruit salad n. + + A bad visual-interface design that uses too many colors. (This term + derives, of course, from the bizarre day-glo colors found in canned + fruit salad.) Too often one sees similar effects from interface + designers using color window systems such as [538]X; there is a + tendency to create displays that are flashy and attention-getting but + uncomfortable for long-term use. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:annoybot, Next:[539]annoyware, Previous:[540]angry fruit salad, + Up:[541]= A = + + annoybot /*-noy-bot/ n. + + [IRC] See [542]bot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:annoyware, Next:[543]ANSI, Previous:[544]annoybot, Up:[545]= A = + + annoyware n. + + A type of [546]shareware that frequently disrupts normal program + operation to display requests for payment to the author in return for + the ability to disable the request messages. (Also called `nagware') + The requests generally require user action to acknowledge the message + before normal operation is resumed and are often tied to the most + frequently used features of the software. See also [547]careware, + [548]charityware, [549]crippleware, [550]freeware, [551]FRS, + [552]guiltware, [553]postcardware, and [554]-ware; compare + [555]payware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ANSI, Next:[556]ANSI standard, Previous:[557]annoyware, Up:[558]= + A = + + ANSI /an'see/ + + 1. n. [techspeak] The American National Standards Institute. ANSI, + along with the International Organization for Standards (ISO), + standardized the C programming language (see [559]K&R, [560]Classic + C), and promulgates many other important software standards. 2. n. + [techspeak] A terminal may be said to be `ANSI' if it meets the ANSI + X.364 standard for terminal control. Unfortunately, this standard was + both over-complicated and too permissive. It has been retired and + replaced by the ECMA-48 standard, which shares both flaws. 3. n. [BBS + jargon] The set of screen-painting codes that most MS-DOS and Amiga + computers accept. This comes from the ANSI.SYS device driver that must + be loaded on an MS-DOS computer to view such codes. Unfortunately, + neither DOS ANSI nor the BBS ANSIs derived from it exactly match the + ANSI X.364 terminal standard. For example, the ESC-[1m code turns on + the bold highlight on large machines, but in IBM PC/MS-DOS ANSI, it + turns on `intense' (bright) colors. Also, in BBS-land, the term `ANSI' + is often used to imply that a particular computer uses or can emulate + the IBM high-half character set from MS-DOS. Particular use depends on + context. Occasionally, the vanilla ASCII character set is used with + the color codes, but on BBSs, ANSI and `IBM characters' tend to go + together. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ANSI standard, Next:[561]ANSI standard pizza, Previous:[562]ANSI, + Up:[563]= A = + + ANSI standard /an'see stan'd*rd/ + + The ANSI standard usage of `ANSI standard' refers to any practice + which is typical or broadly done. It's most appropriately applied to + things that everyone does that are not quite regulation. For example: + ANSI standard shaking of a laser printer cartridge to get extra life + from it, or the ANSI standard word tripling in names of usenet alt + groups. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ANSI standard pizza, Next:[564]AOL!, Previous:[565]ANSI standard, + Up:[566]= A = + + ANSI standard pizza /an'see stan'd*rd peet'z*/ + + [CMU] Pepperoni and mushroom pizza. Coined allegedly because most + pizzas ordered by CMU hackers during some period leading up to + mid-1990 were of that flavor. See also [567]rotary debugger; compare + [568]ISO standard cup of tea. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AOL!, Next:[569]app, Previous:[570]ANSI standard pizza, Up:[571]= + A = + + AOL! n. + + [Usenet] Common synonym for "Me, too!" alluding to the legendary + propensity of America Online users to utter contentless "Me, too!" + postings. The number of exclamation points following varies from zero + to five or so. The pseudo-HTML + + <AOL>Me, too!</AOL> + + is also frequently seen. See also [572]September that never ended. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:app, Next:[573]arena, Previous:[574]AOL!, Up:[575]= A = + + app /ap/ n. + + Short for `application program', as opposed to a systems program. Apps + are what systems vendors are forever chasing developers to create for + their environments so they can sell more boxes. Hackers tend not to + think of the things they themselves run as apps; thus, in hacker + parlance the term excludes compilers, program editors, games, and + messaging systems, though a user would consider all those to be apps. + (Broadly, an app is often a self-contained environment for performing + some well-defined task such as `word processing'; hackers tend to + prefer more general-purpose tools.) See [576]killer app; oppose + [577]tool, [578]operating system. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:arena, Next:[579]arg, Previous:[580]app, Up:[581]= A = + + arena n. + + [common; Unix] The area of memory attached to a process by brk(2) and + sbrk(2) and used by malloc(3) as dynamic storage. So named from a + malloc: corrupt arena message emitted when some early versions + detected an impossible value in the free block list. See [582]overrun + screw, [583]aliasing bug, [584]memory leak, [585]memory smash, + [586]smash the stack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:arg, Next:[587]ARMM, Previous:[588]arena, Up:[589]= A = + + arg /arg/ n. + + Abbreviation for `argument' (to a function), used so often as to have + become a new word (like `piano' from `pianoforte'). "The sine function + takes 1 arg, but the arc-tangent function can take either 1 or 2 + args." Compare [590]param, [591]parm, [592]var. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ARMM, Next:[593]armor-plated, Previous:[594]arg, Up:[595]= A = + + ARMM n. + + [acronym, `Automated Retroactive Minimal Moderation'] A Usenet + [596]cancelbot created by Dick Depew of Munroe Falls, Ohio. ARMM was + intended to automatically cancel posts from anonymous-posting sites. + Unfortunately, the robot's recognizer for anonymous postings triggered + on its own automatically-generated control messages! Transformed by + this stroke of programming ineptitude into a monster of + Frankensteinian proportions, it broke loose on the night of March 31, + 1993 and proceeded to [597]spam news.admin.policy with a recursive + explosion of over 200 messages. + + ARMM's bug produced a recursive [598]cascade of messages each of which + mechanically added text to the ID and Subject and some other headers + of its parent. This produced a flood of messages in which each header + took up several screens and each message ID and subject line got + longer and longer and longer. + + Reactions varied from amusement to outrage. The pathological messages + crashed at least one mail system, and upset people paying line charges + for their Usenet feeds. One poster described the ARMM debacle as + "instant Usenet history" (also establishing the term [599]despew), and + it has since been widely cited as a cautionary example of the havoc + the combination of good intentions and incompetence can wreak on a + network. Compare [600]Great Worm; [601]sorcerer's apprentice mode. See + also [602]software laser, [603]network meltdown. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:armor-plated, Next:[604]asbestos, Previous:[605]ARMM, Up:[606]= A + = + + armor-plated n. + + Syn. for [607]bulletproof. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:asbestos, Next:[608]asbestos cork award, + Previous:[609]armor-plated, Up:[610]= A = + + asbestos adj. + + [common] Used as a modifier to anything intended to protect one from + [611]flames; also in other highly [612]flame-suggestive usages. See, + for example, [613]asbestos longjohns and [614]asbestos cork award. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:asbestos cork award, Next:[615]asbestos longjohns, + Previous:[616]asbestos, Up:[617]= A = + + asbestos cork award n. + + Once, long ago at MIT, there was a [618]flamer so consistently + obnoxious that another hacker designed, had made, and distributed + posters announcing that said flamer had been nominated for the + `asbestos cork award'. (Any reader in doubt as to the intended + application of the cork should consult the etymology under + [619]flame.) Since then, it is agreed that only a select few have + risen to the heights of bombast required to earn this dubious dignity + -- but there is no agreement on which few. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:asbestos longjohns, Next:[620]ASCII, Previous:[621]asbestos cork + award, Up:[622]= A = + + asbestos longjohns n. + + Notional garments donned by [623]Usenet posters just before emitting a + remark they expect will elicit [624]flamage. This is the most common + of the [625]asbestos coinages. Also `asbestos underwear', `asbestos + overcoat', etc. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ASCII, Next:[626]ASCII art, Previous:[627]asbestos longjohns, + Up:[628]= A = + + ASCII /as'kee/ n. + + [originally an acronym (American Standard Code for Information + Interchange) but now merely conventional] The predominant character + set encoding of present-day computers. The standard version uses 7 + bits for each character, whereas most earlier codes (including early + drafts of of ASCII prior to June 1961) used fewer. This change allowed + the inclusion of lowercase letters -- a major [629]win -- but it did + not provide for accented letters or any other letterforms not used in + English (such as the German sharp-S or the ae-ligature which is a + letter in, for example, Norwegian). It could be worse, though. It + could be much worse. See [630]EBCDIC to understand how. A history of + ASCII and its ancestors is at + [631]http://www.wps.com/texts/codes/index.html. + + Computers are much pickier and less flexible about spelling than + humans; thus, hackers need to be very precise when talking about + characters, and have developed a considerable amount of verbal + shorthand for them. Every character has one or more names -- some + formal, some concise, some silly. Common jargon names for ASCII + characters are collected here. See also individual entries for + [632]bang, [633]excl, [634]open, [635]ques, [636]semi, [637]shriek, + [638]splat, [639]twiddle, and [640]Yu-Shiang Whole Fish. + + This list derives from revision 2.3 of the Usenet ASCII pronunciation + guide. Single characters are listed in ASCII order; character pairs + are sorted in by first member. For each character, common names are + given in rough order of popularity, followed by names that are + reported but rarely seen; official ANSI/CCITT names are surrounded by + brokets: <>. Square brackets mark the particularly silly names + introduced by [641]INTERCAL. The abbreviations "l/r" and "o/c" stand + for left/right and "open/close" respectively. Ordinary parentheticals + provide some usage information. + + ! + Common: [642]bang; pling; excl; shriek; ball-bat; <exclamation + mark>. Rare: factorial; exclam; smash; cuss; boing; yell; wow; + hey; wham; eureka; [spark-spot]; soldier, control. + + " + Common: double quote; quote. Rare: literal mark; double-glitch; + <quotation marks>; <dieresis>; dirk; [rabbit-ears]; double + prime. + + # + Common: number sign; pound; pound sign; hash; sharp; + [643]crunch; hex; [mesh]. Rare: grid; crosshatch; octothorpe; + flash; <square>, pig-pen; tictactoe; scratchmark; thud; thump; + [644]splat. + + $ + Common: dollar; <dollar sign>. Rare: currency symbol; buck; + cash; string (from BASIC); escape (when used as the echo of + ASCII ESC); ding; cache; [big money]. + + % + Common: percent; <percent sign>; mod; grapes. Rare: + [double-oh-seven]. + + & + Common: <ampersand>; amper; and, and sign. Rare: address (from + C); reference (from C++); andpersand; bitand; background (from + sh(1)); pretzel; amp. [INTERCAL called this `ampersand'; what + could be sillier?] + + ' + Common: single quote; quote; <apostrophe>. Rare: prime; glitch; + tick; irk; pop; [spark]; <closing single quotation mark>; + <acute accent>. + + ( ) + Common: l/r paren; l/r parenthesis; left/right; open/close; + paren/thesis; o/c paren; o/c parenthesis; l/r parenthesis; l/r + banana. Rare: so/already; lparen/rparen; <opening/closing + parenthesis>; o/c round bracket, l/r round bracket, [wax/wane]; + parenthisey/unparenthisey; l/r ear. + + * + Common: star; [[645]splat]; <asterisk>. Rare: wildcard; gear; + dingle; mult; spider; aster; times; twinkle; glob (see + [646]glob); [647]Nathan Hale. + + + + Common: <plus>; add. Rare: cross; [intersection]. + + , + Common: <comma>. Rare: <cedilla>; [tail]. + + - + Common: dash; <hyphen>; <minus>. Rare: [worm]; option; dak; + bithorpe. + + . + Common: dot; point; <period>; <decimal point>. Rare: radix + point; full stop; [spot]. + + / + Common: slash; stroke; <slant>; forward slash. Rare: diagonal; + solidus; over; slak; virgule; [slat]. + + : + Common: <colon>. Rare: dots; [two-spot]. + + ; + Common: <semicolon>; semi. Rare: weenie; [hybrid], pit-thwong. + + < > + Common: <less/greater than>; bra/ket; l/r angle; l/r angle + bracket; l/r broket. Rare: from/{into, towards}; read + from/write to; suck/blow; comes-from/gozinta; in/out; + crunch/zap (all from UNIX); tic/tac; [angle/right angle]. + + = + Common: <equals>; gets; takes. Rare: quadrathorpe; [half-mesh]. + + ? + Common: query; <question mark>; [648]ques. Rare: whatmark; + [what]; wildchar; huh; hook; buttonhook; hunchback. + + @ + Common: at sign; at; strudel. Rare: each; vortex; whorl; + [whirlpool]; cyclone; snail; ape; cat; rose; cabbage; + <commercial at>. + + V + Rare: [book]. + + [ ] + Common: l/r square bracket; l/r bracket; <opening/closing + bracket>; bracket/unbracket. Rare: square/unsquare; [U turn/U + turn back]. + + \ + Common: backslash, hack, whack; escape (from C/UNIX); reverse + slash; slosh; backslant; backwhack. Rare: bash; <reverse + slant>; reversed virgule; [backslat]. + + ^ + Common: hat; control; uparrow; caret; <circumflex>. Rare: xor + sign, chevron; [shark (or shark-fin)]; to the (`to the power + of'); fang; pointer (in Pascal). + + _ + Common: <underline>; underscore; underbar; under. Rare: score; + backarrow; skid; [flatworm]. + + ` + Common: backquote; left quote; left single quote; open quote; + <grave accent>; grave. Rare: backprime; [backspark]; + unapostrophe; birk; blugle; back tick; back glitch; push; + <opening single quotation mark>; quasiquote. + + { } + Common: o/c brace; l/r brace; l/r squiggly; l/r squiggly + bracket/brace; l/r curly bracket/brace; <opening/closing + brace>. Rare: brace/unbrace; curly/uncurly; leftit/rytit; l/r + squirrelly; [embrace/bracelet]. + + | + Common: bar; or; or-bar; v-bar; pipe; vertical bar. Rare: + <vertical line>; gozinta; thru; pipesinta (last three from + UNIX); [spike]. + + ~ + Common: <tilde>; squiggle; [649]twiddle; not. Rare: approx; + wiggle; swung dash; enyay; [sqiggle (sic)]. + + The pronunciation of # as `pound' is common in the U.S. but a bad + idea; [650]Commonwealth Hackish has its own, rather more apposite use + of `pound sign' (confusingly, on British keyboards the pound graphic + happens to replace #; thus Britishers sometimes call # on a U.S.-ASCII + keyboard `pound', compounding the American error). The U.S. usage + derives from an old-fashioned commercial practice of using a # suffix + to tag pound weights on bills of lading. The character is usually + pronounced `hash' outside the U.S. There are more culture wars over + the correct pronunciation of this character than any other, which has + led to the [651]ha ha only serious suggestion that it be pronounced + `shibboleth' (see Judges 12:6 in an Old Testament or Tanakh). + + The `uparrow' name for circumflex and `leftarrow' name for underline + are historical relics from archaic ASCII (the 1963 version), which had + these graphics in those character positions rather than the modern + punctuation characters. + + The `swung dash' or `approximation' sign is not quite the same as + tilde in typeset material but the ASCII tilde serves for both (compare + [652]angle brackets). + + Some other common usages cause odd overlaps. The #, $, >, and & + characters, for example, are all pronounced "hex" in different + communities because various assemblers use them as a prefix tag for + hexadecimal constants (in particular, # in many assembler-programming + cultures, $ in the 6502 world, > at Texas Instruments, and & on the + BBC Micro, Sinclair, and some Z80 machines). See also [653]splat. + + The inability of ASCII text to correctly represent any of the world's + other major languages makes the designers' choice of 7 bits look more + and more like a serious [654]misfeature as the use of international + networks continues to increase (see [655]software rot). Hardware and + software from the U.S. still tends to embody the assumption that ASCII + is the universal character set and that characters have 7 bits; this + is a major irritant to people who want to use a character set suited + to their own languages. Perversely, though, efforts to solve this + problem by proliferating `national' character sets produce an + evolutionary pressure to use a smaller subset common to all those in + use. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ASCII art, Next:[656]ASCIIbetical order, Previous:[657]ASCII, + Up:[658]= A = + + ASCII art n. + + The fine art of drawing diagrams using the ASCII character set (mainly + |, -, /, \, and +). Also known as `character graphics' or `ASCII + graphics'; see also [659]boxology. Here is a serious example: + o----)||(--+--|<----+ +---------o + D O + L )||( | | | C U + A I )||( +-->|-+ | +-\/\/-+--o - T + C N )||( | | | | P + E )||( +-->|-+--)---+--|(--+-o U + )||( | | | GND T + o----)||(--+--|<----+----------+ + + A power supply consisting of a full wave rectifier circuit + feeding a capacitor input filter circuit + + And here are some very silly examples: + |\/\/\/| ____/| ___ |\_/| ___ + | | \ o.O| ACK! / \_ |` '| _/ \ + | | =(_)= THPHTH! / \/ \/ \ + | (o)(o) U / \ + C _) (__) \/\/\/\ _____ /\/\/\/ + | ,___| (oo) \/ \/ + | / \/-------\ U (__) + /____\ || | \ /---V `v'- oo ) +/ \ ||---W|| * * |--| || |`. |_/\ + + //-o-\\ + ____---=======---____ + ====___\ /.. ..\ /___==== Klingons rule OK! + // ---\__O__/--- \\ + \_\ /_/ + + There is an important subgenre of ASCII art that puns on the standard + character names in the fashion of a rebus. ++--------------------------------------------------------+ +| ^^^^^^^^^^^^ | +| ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ | +| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | +| ^^^^^^^ B ^^^^^^^^^ | +| ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ | ++--------------------------------------------------------+ + " A Bee in the Carrot Patch " + + Within humorous ASCII art, there is for some reason an entire + flourishing subgenre of pictures of silly cows. Four of these are + reproduced in the examples above, here are three more: + (__) (__) (__) + (\/) ($$) (**) + /-------\/ /-------\/ /-------\/ + / | 666 || / |=====|| / | || +* ||----|| * ||----|| * ||----|| + ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ +Satanic cow This cow is a Yuppie Cow in love + + Finally, here's a magnificent example of ASCII art depicting an + Edwardian train station in Dunedin, New Zealand: + .-. + /___\ + |___| + |]_[| + / I \ + JL/ | \JL + .-. i () | () i .-. + |_| .^. /_\ LJ=======LJ /_\ .^. |_| +._/___\._./___\_._._._._.L_J_/.-. .-.\_L_J._._._._._/___\._./___\._._._ + ., |-,-| ., L_J |_| [I] |_| L_J ., |-,-| ., ., + JL |-O-| JL L_J%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%L_J JL |-O-| JL JL +IIIIII_HH_'-'-'_HH_IIIIII|_|=======H=======|_|IIIIII_HH_'-'-'_HH_IIIIII_HH_ +-------[]-------[]-------[_]----\.=I=./----[_]-------[]-------[]--------[]- + _/\_ ||\\_I_//|| _/\_ [_] []_/_L_J_\_[] [_] _/\_ ||\\_I_//|| _/\_ ||\ + |__| ||=/_|_\=|| |__|_|_| _L_L_J_J_ |_|_|__| ||=/_|_\=|| |__| ||- + |__| |||__|__||| |__[___]__--__===__--__[___]__| |||__|__||| |__| ||| +IIIIIII[_]IIIII[_]IIIIIL___J__II__|_|__II__L___JIIIII[_]IIIII[_]IIIIIIII[_] + \_I_/ [_]\_I_/[_] \_I_[_]\II/[]\_\I/_/[]\II/[_]\_I_/ [_]\_I_/[_] \_I_/ [_] +./ \.L_J/ \L_J./ L_JI I[]/ \[]I IL_J \.L_J/ \L_J./ \.L_J +| |L_J| |L_J| L_J| |[]| |[]| |L_J |L_J| |L_J| |L_J +|_____JL_JL___JL_JL____|-|| |[]| |[]| ||-|_____JL_JL___JL_JL_____JL_J + + There is a newsgroup, alt.ascii-art, devoted to this genre; however, + see also [660]warlording. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ASCIIbetical order, Next:[661]astroturfing, Previous:[662]ASCII + art, Up:[663]= A = + + ASCIIbetical order /as'kee-be'-t*-kl or'dr/ adj.,n. + + Used to indicate that data is sorted in ASCII collated order rather + than alphabetical order. This lexicon is sorted in something close to + ASCIIbetical order, but with case ignored and entries beginning with + non-alphabetic characters moved to the end. "At my video store, they + used their computer to sort the videos into ASCIIbetical order, so I + couldn't find `"Crocodile" Dundee' until I thought to look before + `2001' and `48 HRS.'!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:astroturfing, Next:[664]atomic, Previous:[665]ASCIIbetical order, + Up:[666]= A = + + astroturfing n. + + The use of paid shills to create the impression of a popular movement, + through means like letters to newspapers from soi-disant `concerned + citizens', paid opinion pieces, and the formation of grass-roots + lobbying groups that are actually funded by a PR group (astroturf is + fake grass; hence the term). This term became common among hackers + after it came to light in early 1998 that Microsoft had attempted to + use such tactics to forestall the U.S. Department of Justice's + antitrust action against the company. + + This backfired horribly, angering a number of state attorneys-general + enough to induce them to go public with plans to join the Federal + suit. It also set anybody defending Microsoft on the net for the + accusation "You're just astroturfing!". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:atomic, Next:[667]attoparsec, Previous:[668]astroturfing, + Up:[669]= A = + + atomic adj. + + [from Gk. `atomos', indivisible] 1. Indivisible; cannot be split up. + For example, an instruction may be said to do several things + `atomically', i.e., all the things are done immediately, and there is + no chance of the instruction being half-completed or of another being + interspersed. Used esp. to convey that an operation cannot be screwed + up by interrupts. "This routine locks the file and increments the + file's semaphore atomically." 2. [primarily techspeak] Guaranteed to + complete successfully or not at all, usu. refers to database + transactions. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction + from proceeding to completion, it must be "backed out," as the + database must not be left in an inconsistent state. + + Computer usage, in either of the above senses, has none of the + connotations that `atomic' has in mainstream English (i.e. of + particles of matter, nuclear explosions etc.). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:attoparsec, Next:[670]AUP, Previous:[671]atomic, Up:[672]= A = + + attoparsec n. + + About an inch. `atto-' is the standard SI prefix for multiplication by + 10^(-18). A parsec (parallax-second) is 3.26 light-years; an + attoparsec is thus 3.26 * 10^(-18) light years, or about 3.1 cm (thus, + 1 attoparsec/[673]microfortnight equals about 1 inch/sec). This unit + is reported to be in use (though probably not very seriously) among + hackers in the U.K. See [674]micro-. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:AUP, Next:[675]autobogotiphobia, Previous:[676]attoparsec, + Up:[677]= A = + + AUP /A-U-P/ + + Abbreviation, "Acceptable Use Policy". The policy of a given ISP which + sets out what the ISP considers to be (un)acceptable uses of its + Internet resources. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:autobogotiphobia, Next:[678]automagically, Previous:[679]AUP, + Up:[680]= A = + + autobogotiphobia /aw'toh-boh-got`*-foh'bee-*/ + + n. See [681]bogotify. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:automagically, Next:[682]avatar, Previous:[683]autobogotiphobia, + Up:[684]= A = + + automagically /aw-toh-maj'i-klee/ adv. + + Automatically, but in a way that, for some reason (typically because + it is too complicated, or too ugly, or perhaps even too trivial), the + speaker doesn't feel like explaining to you. See [685]magic. "The + C-INTERCAL compiler generates C, then automagically invokes cc(1) to + produce an executable." + + This term is quite old, going back at least to the mid-70s in jargon + and probably much earlier. The word `automagic' occurred in + advertising (for a shirt-ironing gadget) as far back as the late + 1940s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:avatar, Next:[686]awk, Previous:[687]automagically, Up:[688]= A = + + avatar n. Syn. + + [in Hindu mythology, the incarnation of a god] 1. Among people working + on virtual reality and [689]cyberspace interfaces, an avatar is an + icon or representation of a user in a shared virtual reality. The term + is sometimes used on [690]MUDs. 2. [CMU, Tektronix] [691]root, + [692]superuser. There are quite a few Unix machines on which the name + of the superuser account is `avatar' rather than `root'. This quirk + was originated by a CMU hacker who found the terms `root' and + `superuser' unimaginative, and thought `avatar' might better impress + people with the responsibility they were accepting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:awk, Next:[693]B5, Previous:[694]avatar, Up:[695]= A = + + awk /awk/ + + 1. n. [Unix techspeak] An interpreted language for massaging text data + developed by Alfred Aho, Peter Weinberger, and Brian Kernighan (the + name derives from their initials). It is characterized by C-like + syntax, a declaration-free approach to variable typing and + declarations, associative arrays, and field-oriented text processing. + See also [696]Perl. 2. n. Editing term for an expression awkward to + manipulate through normal [697]regexp facilities (for example, one + containing a [698]newline). 3. vt. To process data using awk(1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= B =, Next:[699]= C =, Previous:[700]= A =, Up:[701]The Jargon + Lexicon + += B = + + * [702]B5: + * [703]back door: + * [704]backbone cabal: + * [705]backbone site: + * [706]backgammon: + * [707]background: + * [708]backreference: + * [709]backronym: + * [710]backspace and overstrike: + * [711]backward combatability: + * [712]BAD: + * [713]Bad and Wrong: + * [714]Bad Thing: + * [715]bag on the side: + * [716]bagbiter: + * [717]bagbiting: + * [718]baggy pantsing: + * [719]balloonian variable: + * [720]bamf: + * [721]banana label: + * [722]banana problem: + * [723]banner ad: + * [724]banner site: + * [725]barn: + * [726]batbelt: + * [727]Befunge: + * [728]BI: + * [729]binary four: + * [730]bandwidth: + * [731]bang: + * [732]bang on: + * [733]bang path: + * [734]banner: + * [735]bar: + * [736]bare metal: + * [737]barf: + * [738]barfmail: + * [739]barfulation: + * [740]barfulous: + * [741]barney: + * [742]baroque: + * [743]BASIC: + * [744]batch: + * [745]bathtub curve: + * [746]baud: + * [747]baud barf: + * [748]baz: + * [749]bazaar: + * [750]bboard: + * [751]BBS: + * [752]BCPL: + * [753]beam: + * [754]beanie key: + * [755]beep: + * [756]beige toaster: + * [757]bells and whistles: + * [758]bells whistles and gongs: + * [759]benchmark: + * [760]Berkeley Quality Software: + * [761]berklix: + * [762]Berzerkeley: + * [763]beta: + * [764]BFI: + * [765]bible: + * [766]BiCapitalization: + * [767]B1FF: + * [768]biff: + * [769]Big Gray Wall: + * [770]big iron: + * [771]Big Red Switch: + * [772]Big Room: + * [773]big win: + * [774]big-endian: + * [775]bignum: + * [776]bigot: + * [777]bit: + * [778]bit bang: + * [779]bit bashing: + * [780]bit bucket: + * [781]bit decay: + * [782]bit rot: + * [783]bit twiddling: + * [784]bit-paired keyboard: + * [785]bitblt: + * [786]BITNET: + * [787]bits: + * [788]bitty box: + * [789]bixen: + * [790]bixie: + * [791]black art: + * [792]black hole: + * [793]black magic: + * [794]Black Screen of Death: + * [795]Black Thursday: + * [796]blammo: + * [797]blargh: + * [798]blast: + * [799]blat: + * [800]bletch: + * [801]bletcherous: + * [802]blink: + * [803]blinkenlights: + * [804]blit: + * [805]blitter: + * [806]blivet: + * [807]bloatware: + * [808]BLOB: + * [809]block: + * [810]block transfer computations: + * [811]Bloggs Family: + * [812]blow an EPROM: + * [813]blow away: + * [814]blow out: + * [815]blow past: + * [816]blow up: + * [817]BLT: + * [818]Blue Book: + * [819]blue box: + * [820]Blue Glue: + * [821]blue goo: + * [822]Blue Screen of Death: + * [823]blue wire: + * [824]blurgle: + * [825]BNF: + * [826]boa: + * [827]board: + * [828]boat anchor: + * [829]bob: + * [830]bodysurf code: + * [831]BOF: + * [832]BOFH: + * [833]bogo-sort: + * [834]bogometer: + * [835]BogoMIPS: + * [836]bogon: + * [837]bogon filter: + * [838]bogon flux: + * [839]bogosity: + * [840]bogotify: + * [841]bogue out: + * [842]bogus: + * [843]Bohr bug: + * [844]boink: + * [845]bomb: + * [846]bondage-and-discipline language: + * [847]bonk/oif: + * [848]book titles: + * [849]boot: + * [850]Borg: + * [851]borken: + * [852]bot: + * [853]bot spot: + * [854]bottom feeder: + * [855]bottom-up implementation: + * [856]bounce: + * [857]bounce message: + * [858]boustrophedon: + * [859]box: + * [860]boxed comments: + * [861]boxen: + * [862]boxology: + * [863]bozotic: + * [864]BQS: + * [865]brain dump: + * [866]brain fart: + * [867]brain-damaged: + * [868]brain-dead: + * [869]braino: + * [870]branch to Fishkill: + * [871]bread crumbs: + * [872]break: + * [873]break-even point: + * [874]breath-of-life packet: + * [875]breedle: + * [876]Breidbart Index: + * [877]bring X to its knees: + * [878]brittle: + * [879]broadcast storm: + * [880]brochureware: + * [881]broken: + * [882]broken arrow: + * [883]BrokenWindows: + * [884]broket: + * [885]Brooks's Law: + * [886]brown-paper-bag bug: + * [887]browser: + * [888]BRS: + * [889]brute force: + * [890]brute force and ignorance: + * [891]BSD: + * [892]BSOD: + * [893]BUAF: + * [894]BUAG: + * [895]bubble sort: + * [896]bucky bits: + * [897]buffer chuck: + * [898]buffer overflow: + * [899]bug: + * [900]bug-compatible: + * [901]bug-for-bug compatible: + * [902]bug-of-the-month club: + * [903]buglix: + * [904]bulletproof: + * [905]bullschildt: + * [906]bum: + * [907]bump: + * [908]burble: + * [909]buried treasure: + * [910]burn-in period: + * [911]burst page: + * [912]busy-wait: + * [913]buzz: + * [914]BWQ: + * [915]by hand: + * [916]byte: + * [917]byte sex: + * [918]bytesexual: + * [919]Bzzzt! Wrong.: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:B5, Next:[920]back door, Previous:[921]awk, Up:[922]= B = + + B5 // + + [common] Abbreviation for "Babylon 5", a science-fiction TV series as + revered among hackers as was the original Star Trek. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:back door, Next:[923]backbone cabal, Previous:[924]B5, Up:[925]= + B = + + back door n. + + [common] A hole in the security of a system deliberately left in place + by designers or maintainers. The motivation for such holes is not + always sinister; some operating systems, for example, come out of the + box with privileged accounts intended for use by field service + technicians or the vendor's maintenance programmers. Syn. [926]trap + door; may also be called a `wormhole'. See also [927]iron box, + [928]cracker, [929]worm, [930]logic bomb. + + Historically, back doors have often lurked in systems longer than + anyone expected or planned, and a few have become widely known. Ken + Thompson's 1983 Turing Award lecture to the ACM admitted the existence + of a back door in early Unix versions that may have qualified as the + most fiendishly clever security hack of all time. In this scheme, the + C compiler contained code that would recognize when the `login' + command was being recompiled and insert some code recognizing a + password chosen by Thompson, giving him entry to the system whether or + not an account had been created for him. + + Normally such a back door could be removed by removing it from the + source code for the compiler and recompiling the compiler. But to + recompile the compiler, you have to use the compiler -- so Thompson + also arranged that the compiler would recognize when it was compiling + a version of itself, and insert into the recompiled compiler the code + to insert into the recompiled `login' the code to allow Thompson entry + -- and, of course, the code to recognize itself and do the whole thing + again the next time around! And having done this once, he was then + able to recompile the compiler from the original sources; the hack + perpetuated itself invisibly, leaving the back door in place and + active but with no trace in the sources. + + The talk that suggested this truly moby hack was published as + "Reflections on Trusting Trust", "Communications of the ACM 27", 8 + (August 1984), pp. 761-763 (text available at + [931]http://www.acm.org/classics). Ken Thompson has since confirmed + that this hack was implemented and that the Trojan Horse code did + appear in the login binary of a Unix Support group machine. Ken says + the crocked compiler was never distributed. Your editor has heard two + separate reports that suggest that the crocked login did make it out + of Bell Labs, notably to BBN, and that it enabled at least one + late-night login across the network by someone using the login name + `kt'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backbone cabal, Next:[932]backbone site, Previous:[933]back door, + Up:[934]= B = + + backbone cabal n. + + A group of large-site administrators who pushed through the [935]Great + Renaming and reined in the chaos of [936]Usenet during most of the + 1980s. During most of its lifetime, the Cabal (as it was sometimes + capitalized) steadfastly denied its own existence; it was almost + obligatory for anyone privy to their secrets to respond "There is no + Cabal" whenever the existence or activities of the group were + speculated on in public. + + The result of this policy was an attractive aura of mystery. Even a + decade after the cabal [937]mailing list disbanded in late 1988 + following a bitter internal catfight, many people believed (or claimed + to believe) that it had not actually disbanded but only gone deeper + underground with its power intact. + + This belief became a model for various paranoid theories about various + Cabals with dark nefarious objectives beginning with taking over the + Usenet or Internet. These paranoias were later satirized in ways that + took on a life of their own. See [938]Eric Conspiracy for one example. + + See [939]NANA for the subsequent history of "the Cabal". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backbone site, Next:[940]backgammon, Previous:[941]backbone + cabal, Up:[942]= B = + + backbone site n.,obs. + + Formerly, a key Usenet and email site, one that processes a large + amount of third-party traffic, especially if it is the home site of + any of the regional coordinators for the Usenet maps. Notable backbone + sites as of early 1993, when this sense of the term was beginning to + pass out of general use due to wide availability of cheap Internet + connections, included uunet and the mail machines at Rutgers + University, UC Berkeley, [943]DEC's Western Research Laboratories, + Ohio State University, and the University of Texas. Compare [944]rib + site, [945]leaf site. + + [1996 update: This term is seldom heard any more. The UUCP network + world that gave it meaning has nearly disappeared; everyone is on the + Internet now and network traffic is distributed in very different + patterns. Today one might see references to a `backbone router' + instead --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backgammon, Next:[946]background, Previous:[947]backbone site, + Up:[948]= B = + + backgammon + + See [949]bignum (sense 3), [950]moby (sense 4), and [951]pseudoprime. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:background, Next:[952]backreference, Previous:[953]backgammon, + Up:[954]= B = + + background n.,adj.,vt. + + [common] To do a task `in background' is to do it whenever + [955]foreground matters are not claiming your undivided attention, and + `to background' something means to relegate it to a lower priority. + "For now, we'll just print a list of nodes and links; I'm working on + the graph-printing problem in background." Note that this implies + ongoing activity but at a reduced level or in spare time, in contrast + to mainstream `back burner' (which connotes benign neglect until some + future resumption of activity). Some people prefer to use the term for + processing that they have queued up for their unconscious minds (a + tack that one can often fruitfully take upon encountering an obstacle + in creative work). Compare [956]amp off, [957]slopsucker. + + Technically, a task running in background is detached from the + terminal where it was started (and often running at a lower priority); + oppose [958]foreground. Nowadays this term is primarily associated + with [959]Unix, but it appears to have been first used in this sense + on OS/360. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backreference, Next:[960]backronym, Previous:[961]background, + Up:[962]= B = + + backreference n. + + 1. In a regular expression or pattern match, the text which was + matched within grouping parentheses parentheses. 2. The part of the + pattern which refers back to the matched text. 3. By extension, + anything which refers back to something which has been seen or + discussed before. "When you said `she' just now, who were you + backreferencing?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backronym, Next:[963]backspace and overstrike, + Previous:[964]backreference, Up:[965]= B = + + backronym n. + + [portmanteau of back + acronym] A word interpreted as an acronym that + was not originally so intended. This is a special case of what + linguists call `back formation'. Examples are given under [966]BASIC, + [967]recursive acronym (Cygnus), [968]Acme, and [969]mung. Discovering + backronyms is a common form of wordplay among hackers. Compare + [970]retcon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backspace and overstrike, Next:[971]backward combatability, + Previous:[972]backronym, Up:[973]= B = + + backspace and overstrike interj. + + [rare] Whoa! Back up. Used to suggest that someone just said or did + something wrong. Once common among APL programmers; may now be + obsolete. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:backward combatability, Next:[974]BAD, Previous:[975]backspace + and overstrike, Up:[976]= B = + + backward combatability /bak'w*rd k*m-bat'*-bil'*-tee/ n. + + [CMU, Tektronix: from `backward compatibility'] A property of hardware + or software revisions in which previous protocols, formats, layouts, + etc. are irrevocably discarded in favor of `new and improved' + protocols, formats, and layouts, leaving the previous ones not merely + deprecated but actively defeated. (Too often, the old and new versions + cannot definitively be distinguished, such that lingering instances of + the previous ones yield crashes or other infelicitous effects, as + opposed to a simple "version mismatch" message.) A backwards + compatible change, on the other hand, allows old versions to coexist + without crashes or error messages, but too many major changes + incorporating elaborate backwards compatibility processing can lead to + extreme [977]software bloat. See also [978]flag day. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BAD, Next:[979]Bad and Wrong, Previous:[980]backward + combatability, Up:[981]= B = + + BAD /B-A-D/ adj. + + [IBM: acronym, `Broken As Designed'] Said of a program that is + [982]bogus because of bad design and misfeatures rather than because + of bugginess. See [983]working as designed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Bad and Wrong, Next:[984]Bad Thing, Previous:[985]BAD, Up:[986]= + B = + + Bad and Wrong adj. + + [Durham, UK] Said of something that is both badly designed and wrongly + executed. This common term is the prototype of, and is used by + contrast with, three less common terms - Bad and Right (a kludge, + something ugly but functional); Good and Wrong (an overblown GUI or + other attractive nuisance); and (rare praise) Good and Right. These + terms entered common use at Durham c.1994 and may have been imported + from elsewhere; they are also in use at Oxford, and the emphatic form + "Evil, Bad and Wrong" (abbreviated EBW) is reported fromm there. There + are standard abbreviations: they start with B&R, a typo for "Bad and + Wrong". Consequently, B&W is actually "Bad and Right", G&R = "Good and + Wrong", and G&W = "Good and Right". Compare [987]evil and rude, + [988]Good Thing, [989]Bad Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Bad Thing, Next:[990]bag on the side, Previous:[991]Bad and + Wrong, Up:[992]= B = + + Bad Thing n. + + [very common; from the 1930 Sellar & Yeatman parody "1066 And All + That"] Something that can't possibly result in improvement of the + subject. This term is always capitalized, as in "Replacing all of the + 9600-baud modems with bicycle couriers would be a Bad Thing". Oppose + [993]Good Thing. British correspondents confirm that [994]Bad Thing + and [995]Good Thing (and prob. therefore [996]Right Thing and + [997]Wrong Thing) come from the book referenced in the etymology, + which discusses rulers who were Good Kings but Bad Things. This has + apparently created a mainstream idiom on the British side of the pond. + It is very common among American hackers, but not in mainstream usage + here. Compare [998]Bad and Wrong. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bag on the side, Next:[999]bagbiter, Previous:[1000]Bad Thing, + Up:[1001]= B = + + bag on the side n. + + [prob. originally related to a colostomy bag] An extension to an + established hack that is supposed to add some functionality to the + original. Usually derogatory, implying that the original was being + overextended and should have been thrown away, and the new product is + ugly, inelegant, or bloated. Also v. phrase, `to hang a bag on the + side [of]'. "C++? That's just a bag on the side of C ...." "They want + me to hang a bag on the side of the accounting system." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bagbiter, Next:[1002]bagbiting, Previous:[1003]bag on the side, + Up:[1004]= B = + + bagbiter /bag'bi:t-*r/ n. + + 1. Something, such as a program or a computer, that fails to work, or + works in a remarkably clumsy manner. "This text editor won't let me + make a file with a line longer than 80 characters! What a bagbiter!" + 2. A person who has caused you some trouble, inadvertently or + otherwise, typically by failing to program the computer properly. + Synonyms: [1005]loser, [1006]cretin, [1007]chomper. 3. `bite the bag' + vi. To fail in some manner. "The computer keeps crashing every five + minutes." "Yes, the disk controller is really biting the bag." + + The original loading of these terms was almost undoubtedly obscene, + possibly referring to a douche bag or the scrotum (we have reports of + "Bite the douche bag!" being used as a taunt at MIT 1970-1976, and we + have another report that "Bite the bag!" was in common use at least as + early as 1965), but in their current usage they have become almost + completely sanitized. + + ITS's [1008]lexiphage program was the first and to date only known + example of a program intended to be a bagbiter. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bagbiting, Next:[1009]baggy pantsing, Previous:[1010]bagbiter, + Up:[1011]= B = + + bagbiting adj. + + Having the quality of a [1012]bagbiter. "This bagbiting system won't + let me compute the factorial of a negative number." Compare + [1013]losing, [1014]cretinous, [1015]bletcherous, `barfucious' (under + [1016]barfulous) and `chomping' (under [1017]chomp). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:baggy pantsing, Next:[1018]balloonian variable, + Previous:[1019]bagbiting, Up:[1020]= B = + + baggy pantsing v. + + [Georgia Tech] A "baggy pantsing" is used to reprimand hackers who + incautiously leave their terminals unlocked. The affected user will + come back to find a post from them on internal newsgroups discussing + exactly how baggy their pants are, an accepted stand-in for + "unattentive user who left their work unprotected in the clusters". A + properly-done baggy pantsing is highly mocking and humorous (see + examples below). It is considered bad form to post a baggy pantsing to + off-campus newsgroups or the more technical, serious groups. A + particularly nice baggy pantsing may be "claimed" by immediately + quoting the message in full, followed by your sig; this has the added + benefit of keeping the embarassed victim from being able to delete the + post. Interesting baggy-pantsings have been done involving adding + commands to login scripts to repost the message every time the unlucky + user logs in; Unix boxes on the residential network, when cracked, + oftentimes have their homepages replaced (after being politely + backedup to another file) with a baggy-pants message; .plan files are + also occasionally targeted. Usage: "Prof. Greenlee fell asleep in the + Solaris cluster again; we baggy-pantsed him to + git.cc.class.2430.flame." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:balloonian variable, Next:[1021]bamf, Previous:[1022]baggy + pantsing, Up:[1023]= B = + + balloonian variable n. + + [Commodore users; perh. a deliberate phonetic mangling of `boolean + variable'?] Any variable that doesn't actually hold or control state, + but must nevertheless be declared, checked, or set. A typical + balloonian variable started out as a flag attached to some environment + feature that either became obsolete or was planned but never + implemented. Compatibility concerns (or politics attached to same) may + require that such a flag be treated as though it were [1024]live. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bamf, Next:[1025]banana label, Previous:[1026]balloonian + variable, Up:[1027]= B = + + bamf /bamf/ + + 1. [from X-Men comics; originally "bampf"] interj. Notional sound made + by a person or object teleporting in or out of the hearer's vicinity. + Often used in [1028]virtual reality (esp. [1029]MUD) electronic + [1030]fora when a character wishes to make a dramatic entrance or + exit. 2. The sound of magical transformation, used in virtual reality + [1031]fora like MUDs. 3. In MUD circles, "bamf" is also used to refer + to the act by which a MUD server sends a special notification to the + MUD client to switch its connection to another server ("I'll set up + the old site to just bamf people over to our new location."). 4. Used + by MUDders on occasion in a more general sense related to sense 3, to + refer to directing someone to another location or resource ("A user + was asking about some technobabble so I bamfed them to + [1032]http://www.tuxedo.org/jargon/".) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:banana label, Next:[1033]banana problem, Previous:[1034]bamf, + Up:[1035]= B = + + banana label n. + + The labels often used on the sides of [1036]macrotape reels, so called + because they are shaped roughly like blunt-ended bananas. This term, + like macrotapes themselves, is still current but visibly headed for + obsolescence. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:banana problem, Next:[1037]binary four, Previous:[1038]banana + label, Up:[1039]= B = + + banana problem n. + + [from the story of the little girl who said "I know how to spell + `banana', but I don't know when to stop"]. Not knowing where or when + to bring a production to a close (compare [1040]fencepost error). One + may say `there is a banana problem' of an algorithm with poorly + defined or incorrect termination conditions, or in discussing the + evolution of a design that may be succumbing to featuritis (see also + [1041]creeping elegance, [1042]creeping featuritis). See item 176 + under [1043]HAKMEM, which describes a banana problem in a + [1044]Dissociated Press implementation. Also, see [1045]one-banana + problem for a superficially similar but unrelated usage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:binary four, Next:[1046]bandwidth, Previous:[1047]banana problem, + Up:[1048]= B = + + binary four n. + + [Usenet] The finger, in the sense of `digitus impudicus'. This comes + from an analogy between binary and the hand, i.e. 1=00001=thumb, + 2=00010=index finger, 3=00011=index and thumb, 4=00100. Considered + silly. Prob. from humorous derivative of [1049]finger, sense 4. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bandwidth, Next:[1050]bang, Previous:[1051]binary four, + Up:[1052]= B = + + bandwidth n. + + 1. [common] Used by hackers (in a generalization of its technical + meaning) as the volume of information per unit time that a computer, + person, or transmission medium can handle. "Those are amazing + graphics, but I missed some of the detail -- not enough bandwidth, I + guess." Compare [1053]low-bandwidth. This generalized usage began to + go mainstream after the Internet population explosion of 1993-1994. 2. + Attention span. 3. On [1054]Usenet, a measure of network capacity that + is often wasted by people complaining about how items posted by others + are a waste of bandwidth. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bang, Next:[1055]bang on, Previous:[1056]bandwidth, Up:[1057]= B + = + + bang + + 1. n. Common spoken name for ! (ASCII 0100001), especially when used + in pronouncing a [1058]bang path in spoken hackish. In [1059]elder + days this was considered a CMUish usage, with MIT and Stanford hackers + preferring [1060]excl or [1061]shriek; but the spread of Unix has + carried `bang' with it (esp. via the term [1062]bang path) and it is + now certainly the most common spoken name for !. Note that it is used + exclusively for non-emphatic written !; one would not say + "Congratulations bang" (except possibly for humorous purposes), but if + one wanted to specify the exact characters `foo!' one would speak "Eff + oh oh bang". See [1063]shriek, [1064]ASCII. 2. interj. An exclamation + signifying roughly "I have achieved enlightenment!", or "The dynamite + has cleared out my brain!" Often used to acknowledge that one has + perpetrated a [1065]thinko immediately after one has been called on + it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bang on, Next:[1066]bang path, Previous:[1067]bang, Up:[1068]= B + = + + bang on vt. + + To stress-test a piece of hardware or software: "I banged on the new + version of the simulator all day yesterday and it didn't crash once. I + guess it is ready for release." The term [1069]pound on is synonymous. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bang path, Next:[1070]banner, Previous:[1071]bang on, Up:[1072]= + B = + + bang path n. + + [now historical] An old-style UUCP electronic-mail address specifying + hops to get from some assumed-reachable location to the addressee, so + called because each [1073]hop is signified by a [1074]bang sign. Thus, + for example, the path ...!bigsite!foovax!barbox!me directs people to + route their mail to machine bigsite (presumably a well-known location + accessible to everybody) and from there through the machine foovax to + the account of user me on barbox. + + In the bad old days of not so long ago, before autorouting mailers + became commonplace, people often published compound bang addresses + using the { } convention (see [1075]glob) to give paths from several + big machines, in the hopes that one's correspondent might be able to + get mail to one of them reliably (example: ...!{seismo, ut-sally, + ihnp4}!rice!beta!gamma!me). Bang paths of 8 to 10 hops were not + uncommon in 1981. Late-night dial-up UUCP links would cause week-long + transmission times. Bang paths were often selected by both + transmission time and reliability, as messages would often get lost. + See [1076]Internet address, [1077]the network, and [1078]sitename. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:banner, Next:[1079]banner ad, Previous:[1080]bang path, + Up:[1081]= B = + + banner n. + + 1. The title page added to printouts by most print spoolers (see + [1082]spool). Typically includes user or account ID information in + very large character-graphics capitals. Also called a `burst page', + because it indicates where to burst (tear apart) fanfold paper to + separate one user's printout from the next. 2. A similar printout + generated (typically on multiple pages of fan-fold paper) from + user-specified text, e.g., by a program such as Unix's banner({1,6}). + 3. On interactive software, a first screen containing a logo and/or + author credits and/or a copyright notice. This is probably now the + commonest sense. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:banner ad, Next:[1083]banner site, Previous:[1084]banner, + Up:[1085]= B = + + banner ad n. + + Any of the annoying graphical advertisements that span the tops of way + too many Web pages. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:banner site, Next:[1086]bar, Previous:[1087]banner ad, Up:[1088]= + B = + + banner site n. + + [warez d00dz] A FTP site storing pirated files where one must first + click on several banners and/or subscribe to various `free' services, + usually generating some form of revenues for the site owner, to be + able to access the site. More often than not, the username/password + painfully obtained by clicking on banners and subscribing to bogus + services or mailing lists turns out to be non-working or gives access + to a site that always responds busy. See [1089]ratio site, [1090]leech + mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bar, Next:[1091]bare metal, Previous:[1092]banner site, + Up:[1093]= B = + + bar /bar/ n. + + 1. [very common] The second [1094]metasyntactic variable, after + [1095]foo and before [1096]baz. "Suppose we have two functions: FOO + and BAR. FOO calls BAR...." 2. Often appended to [1097]foo to produce + [1098]foobar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bare metal, Next:[1099]barf, Previous:[1100]bar, Up:[1101]= B = + + bare metal n. + + 1. [common] New computer hardware, unadorned with such snares and + delusions as an [1102]operating system, an [1103]HLL, or even + assembler. Commonly used in the phrase `programming on the bare + metal', which refers to the arduous work of [1104]bit bashing needed + to create these basic tools for a new machine. Real bare-metal + programming involves things like building boot proms and BIOS chips, + implementing basic monitors used to test device drivers, and writing + the assemblers that will be used to write the compiler back ends that + will give the new machine a real development environment. 2. + `Programming on the bare metal' is also used to describe a style of + [1105]hand-hacking that relies on bit-level peculiarities of a + particular hardware design, esp. tricks for speed and space + optimization that rely on crocks such as overlapping instructions (or, + as in the famous case described in [1106]The Story of Mel (in Appendix + A), interleaving of opcodes on a magnetic drum to minimize fetch + delays due to the device's rotational latency). This sort of thing has + become less common as the relative costs of programming time and + machine resources have changed, but is still found in heavily + constrained environments such as industrial embedded systems, and in + the code of hackers who just can't let go of that low-level control. + See [1107]Real Programmer. + + In the world of personal computing, bare metal programming (especially + in sense 1 but sometimes also in sense 2) is often considered a + [1108]Good Thing, or at least a necessary evil (because these machines + have often been sufficiently slow and poorly designed to make it + necessary; see [1109]ill-behaved). There, the term usually refers to + bypassing the BIOS or OS interface and writing the application to + directly access device registers and machine addresses. "To get 19.2 + kilobaud on the serial port, you need to get down to the bare metal." + People who can do this sort of thing well are held in high regard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:barf, Next:[1110]barfmail, Previous:[1111]bare metal, Up:[1112]= + B = + + barf /barf/ n.,v. + + [common; from mainstream slang meaning `vomit'] 1. interj. Term of + disgust. This is the closest hackish equivalent of the Valspeak "gag + me with a spoon". (Like, euwww!) See [1113]bletch. 2. vi. To say + "Barf!" or emit some similar expression of disgust. "I showed him my + latest hack and he barfed" means only that he complained about it, not + that he literally vomited. 3. vi. To fail to work because of + unacceptable input, perhaps with a suitable error message, perhaps + not. Examples: "The division operation barfs if you try to divide by + 0." (That is, the division operation checks for an attempt to divide + by zero, and if one is encountered it causes the operation to fail in + some unspecified, but generally obvious, manner.) "The text editor + barfs if you try to read in a new file before writing out the old + one." See [1114]choke, [1115]gag. In Commonwealth Hackish, `barf' is + generally replaced by `puke' or `vom'. [1116]barf is sometimes also + used as a [1117]metasyntactic variable, like [1118]foo or [1119]bar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:barfmail, Next:[1120]barfulation, Previous:[1121]barf, Up:[1122]= + B = + + barfmail n. + + Multiple [1123]bounce messages accumulating to the level of serious + annoyance, or worse. The sort of thing that happens when an + inter-network mail gateway goes down or wonky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:barfulation, Next:[1124]barfulous, Previous:[1125]barfmail, + Up:[1126]= B = + + barfulation /bar`fyoo-lay'sh*n/ interj. + + Variation of [1127]barf used around the Stanford area. An exclamation, + expressing disgust. On seeing some particularly bad code one might + exclaim, "Barfulation! Who wrote this, Quux?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:barfulous, Next:[1128]barn, Previous:[1129]barfulation, + Up:[1130]= B = + + barfulous /bar'fyoo-l*s/ adj. + + (alt. `barfucious', /bar-fyoo-sh*s/) Said of something that would make + anyone barf, if only for esthetic reasons. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:barn, Next:[1131]barney, Previous:[1132]barfulous, Up:[1133]= B = + + barn n. + + [uncommon; prob. from the nuclear military] An unexpectedly large + quantity of something: a unit of measurement. "Why is /var/adm taking + up so much space?" "The logs have grown to several barns." The source + of this is clear: when physicists were first studying nuclear + interactions, the probability was thought to be proportional to the + cross-sectional area of the nucleus (this probability is still called + the cross-section). Upon experimenting, they discovered the + interactions were far more probable than expected; the nuclei were `as + big as a barn'. The units for cross-sections were christened Barns, + (10^-24 cm^2) and the book containing cross-sections has a picture of + a barn on the cover. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:barney, Next:[1134]baroque, Previous:[1135]barn, Up:[1136]= B = + + barney n. + + In Commonwealth hackish, `barney' is to [1137]fred (sense #1) as + [1138]bar is to [1139]foo. That is, people who commonly use `fred' as + their first metasyntactic variable will often use `barney' second. The + reference is, of course, to Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble in the + Flintstones cartoons. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:baroque, Next:[1140]BASIC, Previous:[1141]barney, Up:[1142]= B = + + baroque adj. + + [common] Feature-encrusted; complex; gaudy; verging on excessive. Said + of hardware or (esp.) software designs, this has many of the + connotations of [1143]elephantine or [1144]monstrosity but is less + extreme and not pejorative in itself. "Metafont even has features to + introduce random variations to its letterform output. Now that is + baroque!" See also [1145]rococo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BASIC, Next:[1146]batbelt, Previous:[1147]baroque, Up:[1148]= B = + + BASIC /bay'-sic/ n. + + A programming language, originally designed for Dartmouth's + experimental timesharing system in the early 1960s, which for many + years was the leading cause of brain damage in proto-hackers. Edsger + W. Dijkstra observed in "Selected Writings on Computing: A Personal + Perspective" that "It is practically impossible to teach good + programming style to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC: + as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of + regeneration." This is another case (like [1149]Pascal) of the + cascading [1150]lossage that happens when a language deliberately + designed as an educational toy gets taken too seriously. A novice can + write short BASIC programs (on the order of 10-20 lines) very easily; + writing anything longer (a) is very painful, and (b) encourages bad + habits that will make it harder to use more powerful languages well. + This wouldn't be so bad if historical accidents hadn't made BASIC so + common on low-end micros in the 1980s. As it is, it probably ruined + tens of thousands of potential wizards. + + [1995: Some languages called `BASIC' aren't quite this nasty any more, + having acquired Pascal- and C-like procedures and control structures + and shed their line numbers. --ESR] + + Note: the name is commonly parsed as Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic + Instruction Code, but this is a [1151]backronym. BASIC was originally + named Basic, simply because it was a simple and basic programming + language. Because most programming language names were in fact + acronyms, BASIC was often capitalized just out of habit or to be + silly. No acronym for BASIC originally existed or was intended (as one + can verify by reading texts through the early 1970s). Later, around + the mid-1970s, people began to make up backronyms for BASIC because + they weren't sure. Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code is + the one that caught on. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:batbelt, Next:[1152]batch, Previous:[1153]BASIC, Up:[1154]= B = + + batbelt n. + + Many hackers routinely hang numerous devices such as pagers, + cell-phones, personal organizers, leatherman multitools, pocket + knives, flashlights, walkie-talkies, even miniature computers from + their belts. When many of these devices are worn at once, the hacker's + belt somewhat resembles Batman's utility belt; hence it is referred to + as a batbelt. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:batch, Next:[1155]bathtub curve, Previous:[1156]batbelt, + Up:[1157]= B = + + batch adj. + + 1. Non-interactive. Hackers use this somewhat more loosely than the + traditional technical definitions justify; in particular, switches on + a normally interactive program that prepare it to receive + non-interactive command input are often referred to as `batch mode' + switches. A `batch file' is a series of instructions written to be + handed to an interactive program running in batch mode. 2. Performance + of dreary tasks all at one sitting. "I finally sat down in batch mode + and wrote out checks for all those bills; I guess they'll turn the + electricity back on next week..." 3. `batching up': Accumulation of a + number of small tasks that can be lumped together for greater + efficiency. "I'm batching up those letters to send sometime" "I'm + batching up bottles to take to the recycling center." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bathtub curve, Next:[1158]baud, Previous:[1159]batch, Up:[1160]= + B = + + bathtub curve n. + + Common term for the curve (resembling an end-to-end section of one of + those claw-footed antique bathtubs) that describes the expected + failure rate of electronics with time: initially high, dropping to + near 0 for most of the system's lifetime, then rising again as it + `tires out'. See also [1161]burn-in period, [1162]infant mortality. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:baud, Next:[1163]baud barf, Previous:[1164]bathtub curve, + Up:[1165]= B = + + baud /bawd/ n. + + [simplified from its technical meaning] n. Bits per second. Hence + kilobaud or Kbaud, thousands of bits per second. The technical meaning + is `level transitions per second'; this coincides with bps only for + two-level modulation with no framing or stop bits. Most hackers are + aware of these nuances but blithely ignore them. + + Historical note: `baud' was originally a unit of telegraph signalling + speed, set at one pulse per second. It was proposed at the November, + 1926 conference of the Comité Consultatif International Des + Communications Télégraphiques as an improvement on the then standard + practice of referring to line speeds in terms of words per minute, and + named for Jean Maurice Emile Baudot (1845-1903), a French engineer who + did a lot of pioneering work in early teleprinters. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:baud barf, Next:[1166]baz, Previous:[1167]baud, Up:[1168]= B = + + baud barf /bawd barf/ n. + + The garbage one gets a terminal (or terminal emulator) when using a + modem connection with some protocol setting (esp. line speed) + incorrect, or when someone picks up a voice extension on the same + line, or when really bad line noise disrupts the connection. Baud barf + is not completely [1169]random, by the way; hackers with a lot of + serial-line experience can usually tell whether the device at the + other end is expecting a higher or lower speed than the terminal is + set to. Really experienced ones can identify particular speeds. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:baz, Next:[1170]bazaar, Previous:[1171]baud barf, Up:[1172]= B = + + baz /baz/ n. + + 1. [common] The third [1173]metasyntactic variable "Suppose we have + three functions: FOO, BAR, and BAZ. FOO calls BAR, which calls + BAZ...." (See also [1174]fum) 2. interj. A term of mild annoyance. In + this usage the term is often drawn out for 2 or 3 seconds, producing + an effect not unlike the bleating of a sheep; /baaaaaaz/. 3. + Occasionally appended to [1175]foo to produce `foobaz'. + + Earlier versions of this lexicon derived `baz' as a Stanford + corruption of [1176]bar. However, Pete Samson (compiler of the + [1177]TMRC lexicon) reports it was already current when he joined TMRC + in 1958. He says "It came from "Pogo". Albert the Alligator, when + vexed or outraged, would shout `Bazz Fazz!' or `Rowrbazzle!' The club + layout was said to model the (mythical) New England counties of + Rowrfolk and Bassex (Rowrbazzle mingled with + (Norfolk/Suffolk/Middlesex/Essex)." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bazaar, Next:[1178]bboard, Previous:[1179]baz, Up:[1180]= B = + + bazaar n.,adj. + + In 1997, after meditatating on the success of [1181]Linux for three + years, the Jargon File's own editor ESR wrote an analytical paper on + hacker culture and development models titled [1182]The Cathedral and + the Bazaar. The main argument of the paper was that [1183]Brooks's Law + is not the whole story; given the right social machinery, debugging + can be efficiently parallelized across large numbers of programmers. + The title metaphor caught on (see also [1184]cathedral), and the style + of development typical in the Linux community is now often referred to + as the bazaar mode. Its characteristics include releasing code early + and often, and actively seeking the largest possible pool of peer + reviewers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bboard, Next:[1185]BBS, Previous:[1186]bazaar, Up:[1187]= B = + + bboard /bee'bord/ n. + + [contraction of `bulletin board'] 1. Any electronic bulletin board; + esp. used of [1188]BBS systems running on personal micros, less + frequently of a Usenet [1189]newsgroup (in fact, use of this term for + a newsgroup generally marks one either as a [1190]newbie fresh in from + the BBS world or as a real old-timer predating Usenet). 2. At CMU and + other colleges with similar facilities, refers to campus-wide + electronic bulletin boards. 3. The term `physical bboard' is sometimes + used to refer to an old-fashioned, non-electronic cork-and-thumbtack + memo board. At CMU, it refers to a particular one outside the CS + Lounge. + + In either of senses 1 or 2, the term is usually prefixed by the name + of the intended board (`the Moonlight Casino bboard' or `market + bboard'); however, if the context is clear, the better-read bboards + may be referred to by name alone, as in (at CMU) "Don't post for-sale + ads on general". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BBS, Next:[1191]BCPL, Previous:[1192]bboard, Up:[1193]= B = + + BBS /B-B-S/ n. + + [common; abbreviation, `Bulletin Board System'] An electronic bulletin + board system; that is, a message database where people can log in and + leave broadcast messages for others grouped (typically) into + [1194]topic groups. The term was especially applied to the thousands + of local BBS systems that operated during the pre-Internet + microcomputer era of roughly 1980 to 1995, typically run by amateurs + for fun out of their homes on MS-DOS boxes with a single modem line + each. Fans of Usenet and Internet or the big commercial timesharing + bboards such as CompuServe and GEnie tended to consider local BBSes + the low-rent district of the hacker culture, but they served a + valuable function by knitting together lots of hackers and users in + the personal-micro world who would otherwise have been unable to + exchange code at all. Post-Internet, BBSs are likely to be local + newsgroups on an ISP; efficiency has increased but a certain flavor + has been lost. See also [1195]bboard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BCPL, Next:[1196]beam, Previous:[1197]BBS, Up:[1198]= B = + + BCPL // n. + + [abbreviation, `Basic Combined Programming Language') A programming + language developed by Martin Richards in Cambridge in 1967. It is + remarkable for its rich syntax, small size of compiler (it can be run + in 16k) and extreme portability. It reached break-even point at a very + early stage, and was the language in which the original [1199]hello + world program was written. It has been ported to so many different + systems that its creator confesses to having lost count. It has only + one data type (a machine word) which can be used as an integer, a + character, a floating point number, a pointer, or almost anything + else, depending on context. BCPL was a precursor of C, which inherited + some of its features. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:beam, Next:[1200]beanie key, Previous:[1201]BCPL, Up:[1202]= B = + + beam vt. + + [from Star Trek Classic's "Beam me up, Scotty!"] 1. To transfer + [1203]softcopy of a file electronically; most often in combining forms + such as `beam me a copy' or `beam that over to his site'. 2. Palm + Pilot users very commonly use this term for the act of exchanging bits + via the infrared links on their machines (this term seems to have + originated with the ill-fated Newton Message Pad). Compare + [1204]blast, [1205]snarf, [1206]BLT. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:beanie key, Next:[1207]beep, Previous:[1208]beam, Up:[1209]= B = + + beanie key n. + + [Mac users] See [1210]command key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:beep, Next:[1211]Befunge, Previous:[1212]beanie key, Up:[1213]= B + = + + beep n.,v. + + Syn. [1214]feep. This term is techspeak under MS-DOS and OS/2, and + seems to be generally preferred among micro hobbyists. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Befunge, Next:[1215]beige toaster, Previous:[1216]beep, + Up:[1217]= B = + + Befunge n. + + A worthy companion to [1218]INTERCAL; a computer language family which + escapes the quotidian limitation of linear control flow and embraces + program counters flying through multiple dimensions with exotic + topologies. Sadly, the Befunge home page has vanished, but a Befunge + version of the [1219]hello world program is at + [1220]http://www.catseye.mb.ca/esoteric/befunge.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:beige toaster, Next:[1221]bells and whistles, + Previous:[1222]Befunge, Up:[1223]= B = + + beige toaster n. + + A Macintosh. See [1224]toaster; compare [1225]Macintrash, + [1226]maggotbox. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bells and whistles, Next:[1227]bells whistles and gongs, + Previous:[1228]beige toaster, Up:[1229]= B = + + bells and whistles n. + + [common] Features added to a program or system to make it more + [1230]flavorful from a hacker's point of view, without necessarily + adding to its utility for its primary function. Distinguished from + [1231]chrome, which is intended to attract users. "Now that we've got + the basic program working, let's go back and add some bells and + whistles." No one seems to know what distinguishes a bell from a + whistle. The recognized emphatic form is "bells, whistles, and gongs". + + It used to be thought that this term derived from the toyboxes on + theater organs. However, the "and gongs" strongly suggests a different + origin, at sea. Before powered horns, ships routinely used bells, + whistles, and gongs to signal each other over longer distances than + voice can carry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bells whistles and gongs, Next:[1232]benchmark, + Previous:[1233]bells and whistles, Up:[1234]= B = + + bells whistles and gongs n. + + A standard elaborated form of [1235]bells and whistles; typically said + with a pronounced and ironic accent on the `gongs'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:benchmark, Next:[1236]Berkeley Quality Software, + Previous:[1237]bells whistles and gongs, Up:[1238]= B = + + benchmark n. + + [techspeak] An inaccurate measure of computer performance. "In the + computer industry, there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and + benchmarks." Well-known ones include Whetstone, Dhrystone, Rhealstone + (see [1239]h), the Gabriel LISP benchmarks (see [1240]gabriel), the + SPECmark suite, and LINPACK. See also [1241]machoflops, [1242]MIPS, + [1243]smoke and mirrors. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Berkeley Quality Software, Next:[1244]berklix, + Previous:[1245]benchmark, Up:[1246]= B = + + Berkeley Quality Software adj. + + (often abbreviated `BQS') Term used in a pejorative sense to refer to + software that was apparently created by rather spaced-out hackers late + at night to solve some unique problem. It usually has nonexistent, + incomplete, or incorrect documentation, has been tested on at least + two examples, and core dumps when anyone else attempts to use it. This + term was frequently applied to early versions of the dbx(1) debugger. + See also [1247]Berzerkeley. + + Note to British and Commonwealth readers: that's /berk'lee/, not + /bark'lee/ as in British Received Pronunciation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:berklix, Next:[1248]Berzerkeley, Previous:[1249]Berkeley Quality + Software, Up:[1250]= B = + + berklix /berk'liks/ n.,adj. + + [contraction of `Berkeley Unix'] See [1251]BSD. Not used at Berkeley + itself. May be more common among [1252]suits attempting to sound like + cognoscenti than among hackers, who usually just say `BSD'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Berzerkeley, Next:[1253]beta, Previous:[1254]berklix, Up:[1255]= + B = + + Berzerkeley /b*r-zer'klee/ n. + + [from `berserk', via the name of a now-deceased record label; poss. + originated by famed columnist Herb Caen] Humorous distortion of + `Berkeley' used esp. to refer to the practices or products of the + [1256]BSD Unix hackers. See [1257]software bloat, + [1258]Missed'em-five, [1259]Berkeley Quality Software. + + Mainstream use of this term in reference to the cultural and political + peculiarities of UC Berkeley as a whole has been reported from as far + back as the 1960s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:beta, Next:[1260]BFI, Previous:[1261]Berzerkeley, Up:[1262]= B = + + beta /bay't*/, /be't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/ n. + + 1. Mostly working, but still under test; usu. used with `in': `in + beta'. In the [1263]Real World, systems (hardware or software) + software often go through two stages of release testing: Alpha + (in-house) and Beta (out-house?). Beta releases are generally made to + a group of lucky (or unlucky) trusted customers. 2. Anything that is + new and experimental. "His girlfriend is in beta" means that he is + still testing for compatibility and reserving judgment. 3. Flaky; + dubious; suspect (since beta software is notoriously buggy). + + Historical note: More formally, to beta-test is to test a pre-release + (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it + available to selected (or self-selected) customers and users. This + term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle + checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the + industry. `Alpha Test' was the unit, module, or component test phase; + `Beta Test' was initial system test. These themselves came from + earlier A- and B-tests for hardware. The A-test was a feasibility and + manufacturability evaluation done before any commitment to design and + development. The B-test was a demonstration that the engineering model + functioned as specified. The C-test (corresponding to today's beta) + was the B-test performed on early samples of the production design, + and the D test was the C test repeated after the model had been in + production a while. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BFI, Next:[1264]bible, Previous:[1265]beta, Up:[1266]= B = + + BFI /B-F-I/ n. + + See [1267]brute force and ignorance. Also encountered in the variants + `BFMI', `brute force and massive ignorance' and `BFBI' `brute force + and bloody ignorance'. In dome parts of the U.S. this abbreviation was + probably reinforced by a company called Browning-Ferris Industries who + used to be in the waste-management business; a large BFI logo in + white-on-blue could be seen on the sides of garbage trucks. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bible, Next:[1268]BiCapitalization, Previous:[1269]BFI, + Up:[1270]= B = + + bible n. + + 1. One of a small number of fundamental source books such as + [1271]Knuth, [1272]K&R, or the [1273]Camel Book. 2. The most detailed + and authoritative reference for a particular language, operating + system, or other complex software system. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BiCapitalization, Next:[1274]B1FF, Previous:[1275]bible, + Up:[1276]= B = + + BiCapitalization n. + + The act said to have been performed on trademarks (such as + [1277]PostScript, NeXT, [1278]NeWS, VisiCalc, FrameMaker, TK!solver, + EasyWriter) that have been raised above the ruck of common coinage by + nonstandard capitalization. Too many [1279]marketroid types think this + sort of thing is really cute, even the 2,317th time they do it. + Compare [1280]studlycaps. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:B1FF, Next:[1281]BI, Previous:[1282]BiCapitalization, Up:[1283]= + B = + + B1FF /bif/ [Usenet] (alt. `BIFF') n. + + The most famous [1284]pseudo, and the prototypical [1285]newbie. + Articles from B1FF feature all uppercase letters sprinkled liberally + with bangs, typos, `cute' misspellings (EVRY BUDY LUVS GOOD OLD BIFF + CUZ HE"S A K00L DOOD AN HE RITES REEL AWESUM THINGZ IN CAPITULL LETTRS + LIKE THIS!!!), use (and often misuse) of fragments of [1286]talk mode + abbreviations, a long [1287]sig block (sometimes even a [1288]doubled + sig), and unbounded naivete. B1FF posts articles using his elder + brother's VIC-20. B1FF's location is a mystery, as his articles appear + to come from a variety of sites. However, [1289]BITNET seems to be the + most frequent origin. The theory that B1FF is a denizen of BITNET is + supported by B1FF's (unfortunately invalid) electronic mail address: + B1FF@BIT.NET. + + [1993: Now It Can Be Told! My spies inform me that B1FF was originally + created by Joe Talmadge <jat@cup.hp.com>, also the author of the + infamous and much-plagiarized "Flamer's Bible". The BIFF filter he + wrote was later passed to Richard Sexton, who posted BIFFisms much + more widely. Versions have since been posted for the amusement of the + net at large. See also [1290]Jeff K. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BI, Next:[1291]biff, Previous:[1292]B1FF, Up:[1293]= B = + + BI // + + Common written abbreviation for [1294]Breidbart Index. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:biff, Next:[1295]Big Gray Wall, Previous:[1296]BI, Up:[1297]= B = + + biff /bif/ vt. + + To notify someone of incoming mail. From the BSD utility biff(1), + which was in turn named after a friendly dog who used to chase + frisbees in the halls at UCB while 4.2BSD was in development. There + was a legend that it had a habit of barking whenever the mailman came, + but the author of biff says this is not true. No relation to + [1298]B1FF. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Big Gray Wall, Next:[1299]big iron, Previous:[1300]biff, + Up:[1301]= B = + + Big Gray Wall n. + + What faces a [1302]VMS user searching for documentation. A full VMS + kit comes on a pallet, the documentation taking up around 15 feet of + shelf space before the addition of layered products such as compilers, + databases, multivendor networking, and programming tools. Recent + (since VMS version 5) documentation comes with gray binders; under VMS + version 4 the binders were orange (`big orange wall'), and under + version 3 they were blue. See [1303]VMS. Often contracted to `Gray + Wall'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:big iron, Next:[1304]Big Red Switch, Previous:[1305]Big Gray + Wall, Up:[1306]= B = + + big iron n. + + [common] Large, expensive, ultra-fast computers. Used generally of + [1307]number-crunching supercomputers such as Crays, but can include + more conventional big commercial IBMish mainframes. Term of approval; + compare [1308]heavy metal, oppose [1309]dinosaur. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Big Red Switch, Next:[1310]Big Room, Previous:[1311]big iron, + Up:[1312]= B = + + Big Red Switch n. + + [IBM] The power switch on a computer, esp. the `Emergency Pull' switch + on an IBM [1313]mainframe or the power switch on an IBM PC where it + really is large and red. "This !@%$% [1314]bitty box is hung again; + time to hit the Big Red Switch." Sources at IBM report that, in tune + with the company's passion for [1315]TLAs, this is often abbreviated + as `BRS' (this has also become established on FidoNet and in the PC + [1316]clone world). It is alleged that the emergency pull switch on an + IBM 360/91 actually fired a non-conducting bolt into the main power + feed; the BRSes on more recent mainframes physically drop a block into + place so that they can't be pushed back in. People get fired for + pulling them, especially inappropriately (see also [1317]molly-guard). + Compare [1318]power cycle, [1319]three-finger salute, [1320]120 reset; + see also [1321]scram switch. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Big Room, Next:[1322]big win, Previous:[1323]Big Red Switch, + Up:[1324]= B = + + Big Room n. + + (Also `Big Blue Room') The extremely large room with the blue ceiling + and intensely bright light (during the day) or black ceiling with lots + of tiny night-lights (during the night) found outside all computer + installations. "He can't come to the phone right now, he's somewhere + out in the Big Room." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:big win, Next:[1325]big-endian, Previous:[1326]Big Room, + Up:[1327]= B = + + big win n. + + 1. [common] Major success. 2. [MIT] Serendipity. "Yes, those two + physicists discovered high-temperature superconductivity in a batch of + ceramic that had been prepared incorrectly according to their + experimental schedule. Small mistake; big win!" See [1328]win big. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:big-endian, Next:[1329]bignum, Previous:[1330]big win, Up:[1331]= + B = + + big-endian adj. + + [common; From Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" via the famous paper "On + Holy Wars and a Plea for Peace" by Danny Cohen, USC/ISI IEN 137, dated + April 1, 1980] 1. Describes a computer architecture in which, within a + given multi-byte numeric representation, the most significant byte has + the lowest address (the word is stored `big-end-first'). Most + processors, including the IBM 370 family, the [1332]PDP-10, the + Motorola microprocessor families, and most of the various RISC designs + are big-endian. Big-endian byte order is also sometimes called + `network order'. See [1333]little-endian, [1334]middle-endian, + [1335]NUXI problem, [1336]swab. 2. An [1337]Internet address the wrong + way round. Most of the world follows the Internet standard and writes + email addresses starting with the name of the computer and ending up + with the name of the country. In the U.K. the Joint Networking Team + had decided to do it the other way round before the Internet domain + standard was established. Most gateway sites have [1338]ad-hockery in + their mailers to handle this, but can still be confused. In + particular, the address me@uk.ac.bris.pys.as could be interpreted in + JANET's big-endian way as one in the U.K. (domain uk) or in the + standard little-endian way as one in the domain as (American Samoa) on + the opposite side of the world. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bignum, Next:[1339]bigot, Previous:[1340]big-endian, Up:[1341]= B + = + + bignum /big'nuhm/ n. + + [common; orig. from MIT MacLISP] 1. [techspeak] A multiple-precision + computer representation for very large integers. 2. More generally, + any very large number. "Have you ever looked at the United States + Budget? There's bignums for you!" 3. [Stanford] In backgammon, large + numbers on the dice especially a roll of double fives or double sixes + (compare [1342]moby, sense 4). See also [1343]El Camino Bignum. + + Sense 1 may require some explanation. Most computer languages provide + a kind of data called `integer', but such computer integers are + usually very limited in size; usually they must be smaller than 2^(31) + (2,147,483,648) or (on a [1344]bitty box) 2^(15) (32,768). If you want + to work with numbers larger than that, you have to use floating-point + numbers, which are usually accurate to only six or seven decimal + places. Computer languages that provide bignums can perform exact + calculations on very large numbers, such as 1000! (the factorial of + 1000, which is 1000 times 999 times 998 times ... times 2 times 1). + For example, this value for 1000! was computed by the MacLISP system + using bignums: +40238726007709377354370243392300398571937486421071 +46325437999104299385123986290205920442084869694048 +00479988610197196058631666872994808558901323829669 +94459099742450408707375991882362772718873251977950 +59509952761208749754624970436014182780946464962910 +56393887437886487337119181045825783647849977012476 +63288983595573543251318532395846307555740911426241 +74743493475534286465766116677973966688202912073791 +43853719588249808126867838374559731746136085379534 +52422158659320192809087829730843139284440328123155 +86110369768013573042161687476096758713483120254785 +89320767169132448426236131412508780208000261683151 +02734182797770478463586817016436502415369139828126 +48102130927612448963599287051149649754199093422215 +66832572080821333186116811553615836546984046708975 +60290095053761647584772842188967964624494516076535 +34081989013854424879849599533191017233555566021394 +50399736280750137837615307127761926849034352625200 +01588853514733161170210396817592151090778801939317 +81141945452572238655414610628921879602238389714760 +88506276862967146674697562911234082439208160153780 +88989396451826324367161676217916890977991190375403 +12746222899880051954444142820121873617459926429565 +81746628302955570299024324153181617210465832036786 +90611726015878352075151628422554026517048330422614 +39742869330616908979684825901254583271682264580665 +26769958652682272807075781391858178889652208164348 +34482599326604336766017699961283186078838615027946 +59551311565520360939881806121385586003014356945272 +24206344631797460594682573103790084024432438465657 +24501440282188525247093519062092902313649327349756 +55139587205596542287497740114133469627154228458623 +77387538230483865688976461927383814900140767310446 +64025989949022222176590433990188601856652648506179 +97023561938970178600408118897299183110211712298459 +01641921068884387121855646124960798722908519296819 +37238864261483965738229112312502418664935314397013 +74285319266498753372189406942814341185201580141233 +44828015051399694290153483077644569099073152433278 +28826986460278986432113908350621709500259738986355 +42771967428222487575867657523442202075736305694988 +25087968928162753848863396909959826280956121450994 +87170124451646126037902930912088908694202851064018 +21543994571568059418727489980942547421735824010636 +77404595741785160829230135358081840096996372524230 +56085590370062427124341690900415369010593398383577 +79394109700277534720000000000000000000000000000000 +00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 +00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 +00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 +00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 +000000000000000000. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bigot, Next:[1345]bit, Previous:[1346]bignum, Up:[1347]= B = + + bigot n. + + [common] A person who is religiously attached to a particular + computer, language, operating system, editor, or other tool (see + [1348]religious issues). Usually found with a specifier; thus, `cray + bigot', `ITS bigot', `APL bigot', `VMS bigot', `Berkeley bigot'. Real + bigots can be distinguished from mere partisans or zealots by the fact + that they refuse to learn alternatives even when the march of time + and/or technology is threatening to obsolete the favored tool. It is + truly said "You can tell a bigot, but you can't tell him much." + Compare [1349]weenie, [1350]Amiga Persecution Complex. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit, Next:[1351]bit bang, Previous:[1352]bigot, Up:[1353]= B = + + bit n. + + [from the mainstream meaning and `Binary digIT'] 1. [techspeak] The + unit of information; the amount of information obtained by asking a + yes-or-no question for which the two outcomes are equally probable. 2. + [techspeak] A computational quantity that can take on one of two + values, such as true and false or 0 and 1. 3. A mental flag: a + reminder that something should be done eventually. "I have a bit set + for you." (I haven't seen you for a while, and I'm supposed to tell or + ask you something.) 4. More generally, a (possibly incorrect) mental + state of belief. "I have a bit set that says that you were the last + guy to hack on EMACS." (Meaning "I think you were the last guy to hack + on EMACS, and what I am about to say is predicated on this, so please + stop me if this isn't true.") + + "I just need one bit from you" is a polite way of indicating that you + intend only a short interruption for a question that can presumably be + answered yes or no. + + A bit is said to be `set' if its value is true or 1, and `reset' or + `clear' if its value is false or 0. One speaks of setting and clearing + bits. To [1354]toggle or `invert' a bit is to change it, either from 0 + to 1 or from 1 to 0. See also [1355]flag, [1356]trit, [1357]mode bit. + + The term `bit' first appeared in print in the computer-science sense + in a 1948 paper by information theorist Claude Shannon, and was there + credited to the early computer scientist John Tukey (who also seems to + have coined the term `software'). Tukey records that `bit' evolved + over a lunch table as a handier alternative to `bigit' or `binit', at + a conference in the winter of 1943-44. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit bang, Next:[1358]bit bashing, Previous:[1359]bit, Up:[1360]= + B = + + bit bang n. + + Transmission of data on a serial line, when accomplished by rapidly + tweaking a single output bit, in software, at the appropriate times. + The technique is a simple loop with eight OUT and SHIFT instruction + pairs for each byte. Input is more interesting. And full duplex (doing + input and output at the same time) is one way to separate the real + hackers from the [1361]wannabees. + + Bit bang was used on certain early models of Prime computers, + presumably when UARTs were too expensive, and on archaic Z80 micros + with a Zilog PIO but no SIO. In an interesting instance of the + [1362]cycle of reincarnation, this technique returned to use in the + early 1990s on some RISC architectures because it consumes such an + infinitesimal part of the processor that it actually makes sense not + to have a UART. Compare [1363]cycle of reincarnation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit bashing, Next:[1364]bit bucket, Previous:[1365]bit bang, + Up:[1366]= B = + + bit bashing n. + + (alt. `bit diddling' or [1367]bit twiddling) Term used to describe any + of several kinds of low-level programming characterized by + manipulation of [1368]bit, [1369]flag, [1370]nybble, and other + smaller-than-character-sized pieces of data; these include low-level + device control, encryption algorithms, checksum and error-correcting + codes, hash functions, some flavors of graphics programming (see + [1371]bitblt), and assembler/compiler code generation. May connote + either tedium or a real technical challenge (more usually the former). + "The command decoding for the new tape driver looks pretty solid but + the bit-bashing for the control registers still has bugs." See also + [1372]bit bang, [1373]mode bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit bucket, Next:[1374]bit decay, Previous:[1375]bit bashing, + Up:[1376]= B = + + bit bucket n. + + [very common] 1. The universal data sink (originally, the mythical + receptacle used to catch bits when they fall off the end of a register + during a shift instruction). Discarded, lost, or destroyed data is + said to have `gone to the bit bucket'. On [1377]Unix, often used for + [1378]/dev/null. Sometimes amplified as `the Great Bit Bucket in the + Sky'. 2. The place where all lost mail and news messages eventually + go. The selection is performed according to [1379]Finagle's Law; + important mail is much more likely to end up in the bit bucket than + junk mail, which has an almost 100% probability of getting delivered. + Routing to the bit bucket is automatically performed by mail-transfer + agents, news systems, and the lower layers of the network. 3. The + ideal location for all unwanted mail responses: "Flames about this + article to the bit bucket." Such a request is guaranteed to overflow + one's mailbox with flames. 4. Excuse for all mail that has not been + sent. "I mailed you those figures last week; they must have landed in + the bit bucket." Compare [1380]black hole. + + This term is used purely in jest. It is based on the fanciful notion + that bits are objects that are not destroyed but only misplaced. This + appears to have been a mutation of an earlier term `bit box', about + which the same legend was current; old-time hackers also report that + trainees used to be told that when the CPU stored bits into memory it + was actually pulling them `out of the bit box'. See also [1381]chad + box. + + Another variant of this legend has it that, as a consequence of the + `parity preservation law', the number of 1 bits that go to the bit + bucket must equal the number of 0 bits. Any imbalance results in bits + filling up the bit bucket. A qualified computer technician can empty a + full bit bucket as part of scheduled maintenance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit decay, Next:[1382]bit rot, Previous:[1383]bit bucket, + Up:[1384]= B = + + bit decay n. + + See [1385]bit rot. People with a physics background tend to prefer + this variant for the analogy with particle decay. See also + [1386]computron, [1387]quantum bogodynamics. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit rot, Next:[1388]bit twiddling, Previous:[1389]bit decay, + Up:[1390]= B = + + bit rot n. + + [common] Also [1391]bit decay. Hypothetical disease the existence of + which has been deduced from the observation that unused programs or + features will often stop working after sufficient time has passed, + even if `nothing has changed'. The theory explains that bits decay as + if they were radioactive. As time passes, the contents of a file or + the code in a program will become increasingly garbled. + + There actually are physical processes that produce such effects (alpha + particles generated by trace radionuclides in ceramic chip packages, + for example, can change the contents of a computer memory + unpredictably, and various kinds of subtle media failures can corrupt + files in mass storage), but they are quite rare (and computers are + built with error-detecting circuitry to compensate for them). The + notion long favored among hackers that cosmic rays are among the + causes of such events turns out to be a myth; see the [1392]cosmic + rays entry for details. + + The term [1393]software rot is almost synonymous. Software rot is the + effect, bit rot the notional cause. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit twiddling, Next:[1394]bit-paired keyboard, Previous:[1395]bit + rot, Up:[1396]= B = + + bit twiddling n. + + [very common] 1. (pejorative) An exercise in tuning (see [1397]tune) + in which incredible amounts of time and effort go to produce little + noticeable improvement, often with the result that the code becomes + incomprehensible. 2. Aimless small modification to a program, esp. for + some pointless goal. 3. Approx. syn. for [1398]bit bashing; esp. used + for the act of frobbing the device control register of a peripheral in + an attempt to get it back to a known state. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bit-paired keyboard, Next:[1399]bitblt, Previous:[1400]bit + twiddling, Up:[1401]= B = + + bit-paired keyboard n.,obs. + + (alt. `bit-shift keyboard') A non-standard keyboard layout that seems + to have originated with the Teletype ASR-33 and remained common for + several years on early computer equipment. The ASR-33 was a mechanical + device (see [1402]EOU), so the only way to generate the character + codes from keystrokes was by some physical linkage. The design of the + ASR-33 assigned each character key a basic pattern that could be + modified by flipping bits if the SHIFT or the CTRL key was pressed. In + order to avoid making the thing even more of a kluge than it already + was, the design had to group characters that shared the same basic bit + pattern on one key. + + Looking at the ASCII chart, we find: +high low bits +bits 0000 0001 0010 0011 0100 0101 0110 0111 1000 1001 + 010 ! " # $ % & ' ( ) + 011 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + + This is why the characters !"#$%&'() appear where they do on a + Teletype (thankfully, they didn't use shift-0 for space). The Teletype + Model 33 was actually designed before ASCII existed, and was + originally intended to use a code that contained these two rows: + low bits +high 0000 0010 0100 0110 1000 1010 1100 1110 +bits 0001 0011 0101 0111 1001 1011 1101 1111 + 10 ) ! bel # $ % wru & * ( " : ? _ , . + 11 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ' ; / - esc del + + The result would have been something closer to a normal keyboard. But + as it happened, Teletype had to use a lot of persuasion just to keep + ASCII, and the Model 33 keyboard, from looking like this instead: + ! " ? $ ' & - ( ) ; : * / , . + 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + ~ < > × | + + Teletype's was not the weirdest variant of the [1403]QWERTY layout + widely seen, by the way; that prize should probably go to one of + several (differing) arrangements on IBM's even clunkier 026 and 029 + card punches. + + When electronic terminals became popular, in the early 1970s, there + was no agreement in the industry over how the keyboards should be laid + out. Some vendors opted to emulate the Teletype keyboard, while others + used the flexibility of electronic circuitry to make their product + look like an office typewriter. Either choice was supported by the + ANSI computer keyboard standard, X4.14-1971, which referred to the + alternatives as `logical bit pairing' and `typewriter pairing'. These + alternatives became known as `bit-paired' and `typewriter-paired' + keyboards. To a hacker, the bit-paired keyboard seemed far more + logical -- and because most hackers in those days had never learned to + touch-type, there was little pressure from the pioneering users to + adapt keyboards to the typewriter standard. + + The doom of the bit-paired keyboard was the large-scale introduction + of the computer terminal into the normal office environment, where + out-and-out technophobes were expected to use the equipment. The + `typewriter-paired' standard became universal, X4.14 was superseded by + X4.23-1982, `bit-paired' hardware was quickly junked or relegated to + dusty corners, and both terms passed into disuse. + + However, in countries without a long history of touch typing, the + argument against the bit-paired keyboard layout was weak or + nonexistent. As a result, the standard Japanese keyboard, used on PCs, + Unix boxen etc. still has all of the !"#$%&'() characters above the + numbers in the ASR-33 layout. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bitblt, Next:[1404]BITNET, Previous:[1405]bit-paired keyboard, + Up:[1406]= B = + + bitblt /bit'blit/ n. + + [from [1407]BLT, q.v.] 1. [common] Any of a family of closely related + algorithms for moving and copying rectangles of bits between main and + display memory on a bit-mapped device, or between two areas of either + main or display memory (the requirement to do the [1408]Right Thing in + the case of overlapping source and destination rectangles is what + makes BitBlt tricky). 2. Synonym for [1409]blit or [1410]BLT. Both + uses are borderline techspeak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BITNET, Next:[1411]bits, Previous:[1412]bitblt, Up:[1413]= B = + + BITNET /bit'net/ n., obs. + + [acronym: Because It's Time NETwork] Everybody's least favorite piece + of the network (see [1414]the network) - until AOL happened. The + BITNET hosts were a collection of IBM dinosaurs and VAXen (the latter + with lobotomized comm hardware) that communicate using 80-character + [1415]EBCDIC card images (see [1416]eighty-column mind); thus, they + tend to mangle the headers and text of third-party traffic from the + rest of the ASCII/[1417]RFC-822 world with annoying regularity. BITNET + was also notorious as the apparent home of [1418]B1FF. By 1995 it had, + much to everyone's relief, been obsolesced and absorbed into the + Internet. Unfortunately, around this time we also got AOL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bits, Next:[1419]bitty box, Previous:[1420]BITNET, Up:[1421]= B = + + bits pl.n. + + 1. Information. Examples: "I need some bits about file formats." ("I + need to know about file formats.") Compare [1422]core dump, sense 4. + 2. Machine-readable representation of a document, specifically as + contrasted with paper: "I have only a photocopy of the Jargon File; + does anyone know where I can get the bits?". See [1423]softcopy, + [1424]source of all good bits See also [1425]bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bitty box, Next:[1426]bixen, Previous:[1427]bits, Up:[1428]= B = + + bitty box /bit'ee boks/ n. + + 1. A computer sufficiently small, primitive, or incapable as to cause + a hacker acute claustrophobia at the thought of developing software on + or for it. Especially used of small, obsolescent, single-tasking-only + personal machines such as the Atari 800, Osborne, Sinclair, VIC-20, + TRS-80, or IBM PC. 2. [Pejorative] More generally, the opposite of + `real computer' (see [1429]Get a real computer!). See also + [1430]mess-dos, [1431]toaster, and [1432]toy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bixen, Next:[1433]bixie, Previous:[1434]bitty box, Up:[1435]= B = + + bixen pl.n. + + Users of BIX (the BIX Information eXchange, formerly the Byte + Information eXchange). Parallels other plurals like boxen, + [1436]VAXen, oxen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bixie, Next:[1437]black art, Previous:[1438]bixen, Up:[1439]= B = + + bixie /bik'see/ n. + + Variant [1440]emoticons used on BIX (the BIX Information eXchange). + The most common ([1441]smiley) bixie is <@_@>, representing two + cartoon eyes and a mouth. These were originally invented in an SF + fanzine called APA-L and imported to BIX by one of the earliest users. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:black art, Next:[1442]black hole, Previous:[1443]bixie, + Up:[1444]= B = + + black art n. + + [common] A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication) + mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or + systems area (compare [1445]black magic). VLSI design and compiler + code optimization were (in their beginnings) considered classic + examples of black art; as theory developed they became [1446]deep + magic, and once standard textbooks had been written, became merely + [1447]heavy wizardry. The huge proliferation of formal and informal + channels for spreading around new computer-related technologies during + the last twenty years has made both the term `black art' and what it + describes less common than formerly. See also [1448]voodoo + programming. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:black hole, Next:[1449]black magic, Previous:[1450]black art, + Up:[1451]= B = + + black hole n.,vt. + + [common] What data (a piece of email or netnews, or a stream of TCP/IP + packets) has fallen into if it disappears mysteriously between its + origin and destination sites (that is, without returning a + [1452]bounce message). "I think there's a black hole at foovax!" + conveys suspicion that site foovax has been dropping a lot of stuff on + the floor lately (see [1453]drop on the floor). The implied metaphor + of email as interstellar travel is interesting in itself. Readily + verbed as `blackhole': "That router is blackholing IDP packets." + Compare [1454]bit bucket and see [1455]RBL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:black magic, Next:[1456]Black Screen of Death, + Previous:[1457]black hole, Up:[1458]= B = + + black magic n. + + [common] A technique that works, though nobody really understands why. + More obscure than [1459]voodoo programming, which may be done by + cookbook. Compare also [1460]black art, [1461]deep magic, and + [1462]magic number (sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Black Screen of Death, Next:[1463]Black Thursday, + Previous:[1464]black magic, Up:[1465]= B = + + Black Screen of Death n. + + [prob. related to the Floating Head of Death in a famous "Far Side" + cartoon.] A failure mode of [1466]Microsloth Windows. On an attempt to + launch a DOS box, a networked Windows system not uncommonly blanks the + screen and locks up the PC so hard that it requires a cold [1467]boot + to recover. This unhappy phenomenon is known as The Black Screen of + Death. See also [1468]Blue Screen of Death, which has become rather + more common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Black Thursday, Next:[1469]blammo, Previous:[1470]Black Screen of + Death, Up:[1471]= B = + + Black Thursday n. + + February 8th, 1996 - the day of the signing into law of the [1472]CDA, + so called by analogy with the catastrophic "Black Friday" in 1929 that + began the Great Depression. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blammo, Next:[1473]blargh, Previous:[1474]Black Thursday, + Up:[1475]= B = + + blammo v. + + [Oxford Brookes University and alumni, UK] To forcibly remove someone + from any interactive system, especially talker systems. The operators, + who may remain hidden, may `blammo' a user who is misbehaving. Very + similar to MIT [1476]gun; in fact, the `blammo-gun' is a notional + device used to `blammo' someone. While in actual fact the only + incarnation of the blammo-gun is the command used to forcibly eject a + user, operators speak of different levels of blammo-gun fire; e.g., a + blammo-gun to `stun' will temporarily remove someone, but a blammo-gun + set to `maim' will stop someone coming back on for a while. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blargh, Next:[1477]blast, Previous:[1478]blammo, Up:[1479]= B = + + blargh /blarg/ n. + + [MIT; now common] The opposite of [1480]ping, sense 5; an exclamation + indicating that one has absorbed or is emitting a quantum of + unhappiness. Less common than [1481]ping. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blast, Next:[1482]blat, Previous:[1483]blargh, Up:[1484]= B = + + blast 1. v.,n. + + Synonym for [1485]BLT, used esp. for large data sends over a network + or comm line. Opposite of [1486]snarf. Usage: uncommon. The variant + `blat' has been reported. 2. vt. [HP/Apollo] Synonymous with + [1487]nuke (sense 3). Sometimes the message Unable to kill all + processes. Blast them (y/n)? would appear in the command window upon + logout. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blat, Next:[1488]bletch, Previous:[1489]blast, Up:[1490]= B = + + blat n. + + 1. Syn. [1491]blast, sense 1. 2. See [1492]thud. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bletch, Next:[1493]bletcherous, Previous:[1494]blat, Up:[1495]= B + = + + bletch /blech/ interj. + + [very common; from Yiddish/German `brechen', to vomit, poss. via + comic-strip exclamation `blech'] Term of disgust. Often used in "Ugh, + bletch". Compare [1496]barf. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bletcherous, Next:[1497]blink, Previous:[1498]bletch, Up:[1499]= + B = + + bletcherous /blech'*-r*s/ adj. + + Disgusting in design or function; esthetically unappealing. This word + is seldom used of people. "This keyboard is bletcherous!" (Perhaps the + keys don't work very well, or are misplaced.) See [1500]losing, + [1501]cretinous, [1502]bagbiting, [1503]bogus, and [1504]random. The + term [1505]bletcherous applies to the esthetics of the thing so + described; similarly for [1506]cretinous. By contrast, something that + is `losing' or `bagbiting' may be failing to meet objective criteria. + See also [1507]bogus and [1508]random, which have richer and wider + shades of meaning than any of the above. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blink, Next:[1509]blinkenlights, Previous:[1510]bletcherous, + Up:[1511]= B = + + blink vi.,n. + + To use a navigator or off-line message reader to minimize time spent + on-line to a commercial network service (a necessity in many places + outside the U.S. where the telecoms monopolies charge per-minute for + local calls). This term attained wide use in the UK, but is rare or + unknown in the US. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blinkenlights, Next:[1512]blit, Previous:[1513]blink, Up:[1514]= + B = + + blinkenlights /blink'*n-li:tz/ n. + + [common] Front-panel diagnostic lights on a computer, esp. a + [1515]dinosaur. Now that dinosaurs are rare, this term usually refers + to status lights on a modem, network hub, or the like. + + This term derives from the last word of the famous blackletter-Gothic + sign in mangled pseudo-German that once graced about half the computer + rooms in the English-speaking world. One version ran in its entirety + as follows: + + ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! + + Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. + Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken + mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das + rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das + pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten. + + This silliness dates back at least as far as 1959 at Stanford + University and had already gone international by the early 1960s, when + it was reported at London University's ATLAS computing site. There are + several variants of it in circulation, some of which actually do end + with the word `blinkenlights'. + + In an amusing example of turnabout-is-fair-play, German hackers have + developed their own versions of the blinkenlights poster in fractured + English, one of which is reproduced here: + + ATTENTION + + This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equippment. + Fingergrabbing and pressing the cnoeppkes from the computers is + allowed for die experts only! So all the "lefthanders" stay away + and do not disturben the brainstorming von here working + intelligencies. Otherwise you will be out thrown and kicked + anderswhere! Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished + the blinkenlights. + + See also [1516]geef. + + Old-time hackers sometimes get nostalgic for blinkenlights because + they were so much more fun to look at than a blank panel. Sadly, very + few computers still have them (the three LEDs on a PC keyboard + certainly don't count). The obvious reasons (cost of wiring, cost of + front-panel cutouts, almost nobody needs or wants to interpret + machine-register states on the fly anymore) are only part of the + story. Another part of it is that radio-frequency leakage from the + lamp wiring was beginning to be a problem as far back as transistor + machines. But the most fundamental fact is that there are very few + signals slow enough to blink an LED these days! With slow CPUs, you + could watch the bus register or instruction counter tick, but at + 33/66/150MHz it's all a blur. + + Finally, a version updated for the Internet has been seen on + news.admin.net-abuse.email: + + ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! + + Das Internet is nicht fuer gefingerclicken und giffengrabben. Ist + easy droppenpacket der routers und overloaden der backbone mit der + spammen und der me-tooen. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das + dumpkopfen. Das mausklicken sichtseeren keepen das bandwit-spewin + hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das cursorblinken. + + This newest version partly reflects reports that the word + `blinkenlights' is (in 1999) undergoing something of a revival in + usage, but applied to networking equipment. The transmit and receive + lights on routers, activity lights on switches and hubs, and other + network equipment often blink in visually pleasing and seemingly + coordinated ways. Although this is different in some ways from + register readings, a tall stack of Cisco equipment or a 19-inch rack + of ISDN terminals can provoke a similar feeling of hypnotic awe, + especially in a darkened network operations center or server room. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blit, Next:[1517]blitter, Previous:[1518]blinkenlights, + Up:[1519]= B = + + blit /blit/ vt. + + 1. [common] To copy a large array of bits from one part of a + computer's memory to another part, particularly when the memory is + being used to determine what is shown on a display screen. "The + storage allocator picks through the table and copies the good parts up + into high memory, and then blits it all back down again." See + [1520]bitblt, [1521]BLT, [1522]dd, [1523]cat, [1524]blast, + [1525]snarf. More generally, to perform some operation (such as + toggling) on a large array of bits while moving them. 2. [historical, + rare] Sometimes all-capitalized as `BLIT': an early experimental + bit-mapped terminal designed by Rob Pike at Bell Labs, later + commercialized as the AT&T 5620. (The folk etymology from `Bell Labs + Intelligent Terminal' is incorrect. Its creators liked to claim that + "Blit" stood for the Bacon, Lettuce, and Interactive Tomato.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blitter, Next:[1526]blivet, Previous:[1527]blit, Up:[1528]= B = + + blitter /blit'r/ n. + + [common] A special-purpose chip or hardware system built to perform + [1529]blit operations, esp. used for fast implementation of bit-mapped + graphics. The Commodore Amiga and a few other micros have these, but + since 1990 the trend has been away from them (however, see [1530]cycle + of reincarnation). Syn. [1531]raster blaster. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blivet, Next:[1532]bloatware, Previous:[1533]blitter, Up:[1534]= + B = + + blivet /bliv'*t/ n. + + [allegedly from a World War II military term meaning "ten pounds of + manure in a five-pound bag"] 1. An intractable problem. 2. A crucial + piece of hardware that can't be fixed or replaced if it breaks. 3. A + tool that has been hacked over by so many incompetent programmers that + it has become an unmaintainable tissue of hacks. 4. An out-of-control + but unkillable development effort. 5. An embarrassing bug that pops up + during a customer demo. 6. In the subjargon of computer security + specialists, a denial-of-service attack performed by hogging limited + resources that have no access controls (for example, shared spool + space on a multi-user system). + + This term has other meanings in other technical cultures; among + experimental physicists and hardware engineers of various kinds it + seems to mean any random object of unknown purpose (similar to hackish + use of [1535]frob). It has also been used to describe an amusing + trick-the-eye drawing resembling a three-pronged fork that appears to + depict a three-dimensional object until one realizes that the parts + fit together in an impossible way. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bloatware, Next:[1536]BLOB, Previous:[1537]blivet, Up:[1538]= B = + + bloatware n. + + [common] Software that provides minimal functionality while requiring + a disproportionate amount of diskspace and memory. Especially used for + application and OS upgrades. This term is very common in the + Windows/NT world. So is its cause. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BLOB, Next:[1539]block, Previous:[1540]bloatware, Up:[1541]= B = + + BLOB + + 1. n. [acronym: Binary Large OBject] Used by database people to refer + to any random large block of bits that needs to be stored in a + database, such as a picture or sound file. The essential point about a + BLOB is that it's an object that cannot be interpreted within the + database itself. 2. v. To [1542]mailbomb someone by sending a BLOB to + him/her; esp. used as a mild threat. "If that program crashes again, + I'm going to BLOB the core dump to you." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:block, Next:[1543]block transfer computations, + Previous:[1544]BLOB, Up:[1545]= B = + + block v. + + [common; from process scheduling terminology in OS theory] 1. vi. To + delay or sit idle while waiting for something. "We're blocking until + everyone gets here." Compare [1546]busy-wait. 2. `block on' vt. To + block, waiting for (something). "Lunch is blocked on Phil's arrival." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:block transfer computations, Next:[1547]Bloggs Family, + Previous:[1548]block, Up:[1549]= B = + + block transfer computations n. + + [from the television series "Dr. Who"] Computations so fiendishly + subtle and complex that they could not be performed by machines. Used + to refer to any task that should be expressible as an algorithm in + theory, but isn't. (The Z80's LDIR instruction, "Computed Block + Transfer with increment", may also be relevant.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Bloggs Family, Next:[1550]blow an EPROM, Previous:[1551]block + transfer computations, Up:[1552]= B = + + Bloggs Family n. + + An imaginary family consisting of Fred and Mary Bloggs and their + children. Used as a standard example in knowledge representation to + show the difference between extensional and intensional objects. For + example, every occurrence of "Fred Bloggs" is the same unique person, + whereas occurrences of "person" may refer to different people. Members + of the Bloggs family have been known to pop up in bizarre places such + as the old [1553]DEC Telephone Directory. Compare [1554]Dr. Fred + Mbogo; [1555]J. Random Hacker; [1556]Fred Foobar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blow an EPROM, Next:[1557]blow away, Previous:[1558]Bloggs + Family, Up:[1559]= B = + + blow an EPROM /bloh *n ee'prom/ v. + + (alt. `blast an EPROM', `burn an EPROM') To program a read-only + memory, e.g. for use with an embedded system. This term arose because + the programming process for the Programmable Read-Only Memories + (PROMs) that preceded present-day Erasable Programmable Read-Only + Memories (EPROMs) involved intentionally blowing tiny electrical fuses + on the chip. The usage lives on (it's too vivid and expressive to + discard) even though the write process on EPROMs is nondestructive. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blow away, Next:[1560]blow out, Previous:[1561]blow an EPROM, + Up:[1562]= B = + + blow away vt. + + To remove (files and directories) from permanent storage, generally by + accident. "He reformatted the wrong partition and blew away last + night's netnews." Oppose [1563]nuke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blow out, Next:[1564]blow past, Previous:[1565]blow away, + Up:[1566]= B = + + blow out vi. + + [prob. from mining and tunneling jargon] Of software, to fail + spectacularly; almost as serious as [1567]crash and burn. See + [1568]blow past, [1569]blow up, [1570]die horribly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blow past, Next:[1571]blow up, Previous:[1572]blow out, + Up:[1573]= B = + + blow past vt. + + To [1574]blow out despite a safeguard. "The server blew past the 5K + reserve buffer." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blow up, Next:[1575]BLT, Previous:[1576]blow past, Up:[1577]= B = + + blow up vi. + + 1. [scientific computation] To become unstable. Suggests that the + computation is diverging so rapidly that it will soon overflow or at + least go [1578]nonlinear. 2. Syn. [1579]blow out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BLT, Next:[1580]Blue Book, Previous:[1581]blow up, Up:[1582]= B = + + BLT /B-L-T/, /bl*t/ or (rarely) /belt/ n.,vt. + + Synonym for [1583]blit. This is the original form of [1584]blit and + the ancestor of [1585]bitblt. It referred to any large bit-field copy + or move operation (one resource-intensive memory-shuffling operation + done on pre-paged versions of ITS, WAITS, and TOPS-10 was sardonically + referred to as `The Big BLT'). The jargon usage has outlasted the + [1586]PDP-10 BLock Transfer instruction from which [1587]BLT derives; + nowadays, the assembler mnemonic [1588]BLT almost always means `Branch + if Less Than zero'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Blue Book, Next:[1589]blue box, Previous:[1590]BLT, Up:[1591]= B + = + + Blue Book n. + + 1. Informal name for one of the four standard references on the + page-layout and graphics-control language [1592]PostScript + ("PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook", Adobe Systems, + Addison-Wesley 1985, QA76.73.P67P68, ISBN 0-201-10179-3); the other + three official guides are known as the [1593]Green Book, the [1594]Red + Book, and the [1595]White Book (sense 2). 2. Informal name for one of + the three standard references on Smalltalk: "Smalltalk-80: The + Language and its Implementation", David Robson, Addison-Wesley 1983, + QA76.8.S635G64, ISBN 0-201-11371-63 (this book also has green and red + siblings). 3. Any of the 1988 standards issued by the CCITT's ninth + plenary assembly. These include, among other things, the X.400 email + spec and the Group 1 through 4 fax standards. See also [1596]book + titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blue box, Next:[1597]Blue Glue, Previous:[1598]Blue Book, + Up:[1599]= B = + + blue box + + n. 1. obs. Once upon a time, before all-digital switches made it + possible for the phone companies to move them out of band, one could + actually hear the switching tones used to route long-distance calls. + Early [1600]phreakers built devices called `blue boxes' that could + reproduce these tones, which could be used to commandeer portions of + the phone network. (This was not as hard as it may sound; one early + phreak acquired the sobriquet `Captain Crunch' after he proved that he + could generate switching tones with a plastic whistle pulled out of a + box of Captain Crunch cereal!) There were other colors of box with + more specialized phreaking uses; red boxes, black boxes, silver boxes, + etc. 2. n. An [1601]IBM machine, especially a large (non-PC) one. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Blue Glue, Next:[1602]blue goo, Previous:[1603]blue box, + Up:[1604]= B = + + Blue Glue n. + + [IBM] IBM's SNA (Systems Network Architecture), an incredibly + [1605]losing and [1606]bletcherous communications protocol widely + favored at commercial shops that don't know any better. The official + IBM definition is "that which binds blue boxes together." See + [1607]fear and loathing. It may not be irrelevant that Blue Glue is + the trade name of a 3M product that is commonly used to hold down the + carpet squares to the removable panel floors common in [1608]dinosaur + pens. A correspondent at U. Minn. reports that the CS department there + has about 80 bottles of the stuff hanging about, so they often refer + to any messy work to be done as `using the blue glue'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blue goo, Next:[1609]Blue Screen of Death, Previous:[1610]Blue + Glue, Up:[1611]= B = + + blue goo n. + + Term for `police' [1612]nanobots intended to prevent [1613]gray goo, + denature hazardous waste, destroy pollution, put ozone back into the + stratosphere, prevent halitosis, and promote truth, justice, and the + American way, etc. The term `Blue Goo' can be found in Dr. Seuss's + "Fox In Socks" to refer to a substance much like bubblegum. `Would you + like to chew blue goo, sir?'. See [1614]nanotechnology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Blue Screen of Death, Next:[1615]blue wire, Previous:[1616]blue + goo, Up:[1617]= B = + + Blue Screen of Death n. + + [common] This term is closely related to the older [1618]Black Screen + of Death but much more common (many non-hackers have picked it up). + Due to the extreme fragility and bugginess of Microsoft Windows + misbehaving applications can readily crash the OS (and the OS + sometimes crashes itself spontaneously). The Blue Screen of Death, + sometimes decorated with hex error codes, is what you get when this + happens. (Commonly abbreviated [1619]BSOD.) + + The following entry from the [1620]Salon Haiku Contest, seems to have + predated popular use of the term: + Windows NT crashed. + I am the Blue Screen of Death + No one hears your screams. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blue wire, Next:[1621]blurgle, Previous:[1622]Blue Screen of + Death, Up:[1623]= B = + + blue wire n. + + [IBM] Patch wires (esp. 30 AWG gauge) added to circuit boards at the + factory to correct design or fabrication problems. Blue wire is not + necessarily blue, the term describes function rather than color. These + may be necessary if there hasn't been time to design and qualify + another board version. In Great Britain this can be `bodge wire', + after mainstreanm slang `bodge' for a clumsy improvisation or sloppy + job of work. Compare [1624]purple wire, [1625]red wire, [1626]yellow + wire, [1627]pink wire. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:blurgle, Next:[1628]BNF, Previous:[1629]blue wire, Up:[1630]= B = + + blurgle /bler'gl/ n. + + [UK] Spoken [1631]metasyntactic variable, to indicate some text that + is obvious from context, or which is already known. If several words + are to be replaced, blurgle may well be doubled or tripled. "To look + for something in several files use `grep string blurgle blurgle'." In + each case, "blurgle blurgle" would be understood to be replaced by the + file you wished to search. Compare [1632]mumble, sense 7. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BNF, Next:[1633]boa, Previous:[1634]blurgle, Up:[1635]= B = + + BNF /B-N-F/ n. + + 1. [techspeak] Acronym for `Backus Normal Form' (later retronymed to + `Backus-Naur Form' because BNF was not in fact a normal form), a + metasyntactic notation used to specify the syntax of programming + languages, command sets, and the like. Widely used for language + descriptions but seldom documented anywhere, so that it must usually + be learned by osmosis from other hackers. Consider this BNF for a U.S. + postal address: + <postal-address> ::= <name-part> <street-address> <zip-part> + + <personal-part> ::= <name> | <initial> "." + + <name-part> ::= <personal-part> <last-name> [<jr-part>] <EOL> + | <personal-part> <name-part> + + <street-address> ::= [<apt>] <house-num> <street-name> <EOL> + + <zip-part> ::= <town-name> "," <state-code> <ZIP-code> <EOL> + + This translates into English as: "A postal-address consists of a + name-part, followed by a street-address part, followed by a zip-code + part. A personal-part consists of either a first name or an initial + followed by a dot. A name-part consists of either: a personal-part + followed by a last name followed by an optional `jr-part' (Jr., Sr., + or dynastic number) and end-of-line, or a personal part followed by a + name part (this rule illustrates the use of recursion in BNFs, + covering the case of people who use multiple first and middle names + and/or initials). A street address consists of an optional apartment + specifier, followed by a street number, followed by a street name. A + zip-part consists of a town-name, followed by a comma, followed by a + state code, followed by a ZIP-code followed by an end-of-line." Note + that many things (such as the format of a personal-part, apartment + specifier, or ZIP-code) are left unspecified. These are presumed to be + obvious from context or detailed somewhere nearby. See also + [1636]parse. 2. Any of a number of variants and extensions of BNF + proper, possibly containing some or all of the [1637]regexp wildcards + such as * or +. In fact the example above isn't the pure form invented + for the Algol-60 report; it uses [], which was introduced a few years + later in IBM's PL/I definition but is now universally recognized. 3. + In [1638]science-fiction fandom, a `Big-Name Fan' (someone famous or + notorious). Years ago a fan started handing out black-on-green BNF + buttons at SF conventions; this confused the hacker contingent + terribly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boa, Next:[1639]board, Previous:[1640]BNF, Up:[1641]= B = + + boa [IBM] n. + + Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a + [1642]dinosaur pen. Possibly so called because they display a + ferocious life of their own when you try to lay them straight and flat + after they have been coiled for some time. It is rumored within IBM + that channel cables for the 370 are limited to 200 feet because beyond + that length the boas get dangerous -- and it is worth noting that one + of the major cable makers uses the trademark `Anaconda'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:board, Next:[1643]boat anchor, Previous:[1644]boa, Up:[1645]= B = + + board n. + + 1. In-context synonym for [1646]bboard; sometimes used even for Usenet + newsgroups (but see usage note under [1647]bboard, sense 1). 2. An + electronic circuit board. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boat anchor, Next:[1648]bob, Previous:[1649]board, Up:[1650]= B = + + boat anchor n. + + [common; from ham radio] 1. Like [1651]doorstop but more severe; + implies that the offending hardware is irreversibly dead or useless. + "That was a working motherboard once. One lightning strike later, + instant boat anchor!" 2. A person who just takes up space. 3. Obsolete + but still working hardware, especially when used of an old S100-bus + hobbyist system; originally a term of annoyance, but became more and + more affectionate as the hardware became more and more obsolete. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bob, Next:[1652]bodysurf code, Previous:[1653]boat anchor, + Up:[1654]= B = + + bob n. + + At [1655]Demon Internet, all tech support personnel are called "Bob". + (Female support personnel have an option on "Bobette"). This has + nothing to do with Bob the divine drilling-equipment salesman of the + [1656]Church of the SubGenius. Nor is it acronymized from "Brother Of + [1657]BOFH", though all parties agree it could have been. Rather, it + was triggered by an unusually large draft of new tech-support people + in 1995. It was observed that there would be much duplication of + names. To ease the confusion, it was decided that all support techs + would henceforth be known as "Bob", and identity badges were created + labelled "Bob 1" and "Bob 2". ("No, we never got any further" reports + a witness). + + The reason for "Bob" rather than anything else is due to a [1658]luser + calling and asking to speak to "Bob", despite the fact that no "Bob" + was currently working for Tech Support. Since we all know "the + customer is always right", it was decided that there had to be at + least one "Bob" on duty at all times, just in case. + + This sillyness inexorably snowballed. Shift leaders and managers began + to refer to their groups of "bobs". Whole ranks of support machines + were set up (and still exist in the DNS as of 1999) as bob1 through + bobN. Then came alt.tech-support.recovery, and it was filled with + Demon support personnel. They all referred to themselves, and to + others, as `bob', and after a while it caught on. There is now a + [1659]Bob Code describing the Bob nature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bodysurf code, Next:[1660]BOF, Previous:[1661]bob, Up:[1662]= B = + + bodysurf code n. + + A program or segment of code written quickly in the heat of + inspiration without the benefit of formal design or deep thought. Like + its namesake sport, the result is too often a wipeout that leaves the + programmer eating sand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BOF, Next:[1663]BOFH, Previous:[1664]bodysurf code, Up:[1665]= B + = + + BOF /B-O-F/ or /bof/ n. + + 1. [common] Abbreviation for the phrase "Birds Of a Feather" (flocking + together), an informal discussion group and/or bull session scheduled + on a conference program. It is not clear where or when this term + originated, but it is now associated with the USENIX conferences for + Unix techies and was already established there by 1984. It was used + earlier than that at DECUS conferences and is reported to have been + common at SHARE meetings as far back as the early 1960s. 2. Acronym, + `Beginning of File'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BOFH, Next:[1666]bogo-sort, Previous:[1667]BOF, Up:[1668]= B = + + BOFH // n. + + [common] Acronym, Bastard Operator From Hell. A system administrator + with absolutely no tolerance for [1669]lusers. "You say you need more + filespace? <massive-global-delete> Seems to me you have plenty + left..." Many BOFHs (and others who would be BOFHs if they could get + away with it) hang out in the newsgroup alt.sysadmin.recovery, + although there has also been created a top-level newsgroup hierarchy + (bofh.*) of their own. + + Several people have written stories about BOFHs. The set usually + considered canonical is by Simon Travaglia and may be found at the + [1670]Bastard Home Page. BOFHs and BOFH wannabes hang out on + [1671]scary devil monastery and wield [1672]LARTs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogo-sort, Next:[1673]bogometer, Previous:[1674]BOFH, Up:[1675]= + B = + + bogo-sort /boh`goh-sort'/ n. + + (var. `stupid-sort') The archetypical perversely awful algorithm (as + opposed to [1676]bubble sort, which is merely the generic bad + algorithm). Bogo-sort is equivalent to repeatedly throwing a deck of + cards in the air, picking them up at random, and then testing whether + they are in order. It serves as a sort of canonical example of + awfulness. Looking at a program and seeing a dumb algorithm, one might + say "Oh, I see, this program uses bogo-sort." Esp. appropriate for + algorithms with factorial or super-exponential running time in the + average case and probabilistically infinite worst-case running time. + Compare [1677]bogus, [1678]brute force, [1679]lasherism. + + A spectacular variant of bogo-sort has been proposed which has the + interesting property that, if the Many Worlds interpretation of + quantum mechanics is true, it can sort an arbitrarily large array in + constant time. (In the Many-Worlds model, the result of any quantum + action is to split the universe-before into a sheaf of + universes-after, one for each possible way the state vector can + collapse; in any one of the universes-after the result appears + random.) The steps are: 1. Permute the array randomly using a quantum + process, 2. If the array is not sorted, destroy the universe. + Implementation of step 2 is left as an exercise for the reader. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogometer, Next:[1680]BogoMIPS, Previous:[1681]bogo-sort, + Up:[1682]= B = + + bogometer /boh-gom'-*t-er/ n. + + A notional instrument for measuring [1683]bogosity. Compare the + [1684]Troll-O-Meter and the `wankometer' described in the [1685]wank + entry; see also [1686]bogus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BogoMIPS, Next:[1687]bogon, Previous:[1688]bogometer, Up:[1689]= + B = + + BogoMIPS /bo'go-mips/ n. + + The number of million times a second a processor can do absolutely + nothing. The [1690]Linux OS measures BogoMIPS at startup in order to + calibrate some soft timing loops that will be used later on; details + at [1691]the BogoMIPS mini-HOWTO. The name Linus chose, of course, is + an ironic comment on the uselessness of all other [1692]MIPS figures. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogon, Next:[1693]bogon filter, Previous:[1694]BogoMIPS, + Up:[1695]= B = + + bogon /boh'gon/ n. + + [very common; by analogy with proton/electron/neutron, but doubtless + reinforced after 1980 by the similarity to Douglas Adams's `Vogons'; + see the [1696]Bibliography in Appendix C and note that Arthur Dent + actually mispronounces `Vogons' as `Bogons' at one point] 1. The + elementary particle of bogosity (see [1697]quantum bogodynamics). For + instance, "the Ethernet is emitting bogons again" means that it is + broken or acting in an erratic or bogus fashion. 2. A query packet + sent from a TCP/IP domain resolver to a root server, having the reply + bit set instead of the query bit. 3. Any bogus or incorrectly formed + packet sent on a network. 4. By synecdoche, used to refer to any bogus + thing, as in "I'd like to go to lunch with you but I've got to go to + the weekly staff bogon". 5. A person who is bogus or who says bogus + things. This was historically the original usage, but has been + overtaken by its derivative senses 1-4. See also [1698]bogosity, + [1699]bogus; compare [1700]psyton, [1701]fat electrons, [1702]magic + smoke. + + The bogon has become the type case for a whole bestiary of nonce + particle names, including the `clutron' or `cluon' (indivisible + particle of cluefulness, obviously the antiparticle of the bogon) and + the futon (elementary particle of [1703]randomness, or sometimes of + lameness). These are not so much live usages in themselves as examples + of a live meta-usage: that is, it has become a standard joke or + linguistic maneuver to "explain" otherwise mysterious circumstances by + inventing nonce particle names. And these imply nonce particle + theories, with all their dignity or lack thereof (we might note + parenthetically that this is a generalization from "(bogus particle) + theories" to "bogus (particle theories)"!). Perhaps such particles are + the modern-day equivalents of trolls and wood-nymphs as standard + starting-points around which to construct explanatory myths. Of + course, playing on an existing word (as in the `futon') yields + additional flavor. Compare [1704]magic smoke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogon filter, Next:[1705]bogon flux, Previous:[1706]bogon, + Up:[1707]= B = + + bogon filter /boh'gon fil'tr/ n. + + Any device, software or hardware, that limits or suppresses the flow + and/or emission of bogons. "Engineering hacked a bogon filter between + the Cray and the VAXen, and now we're getting fewer dropped packets." + See also [1708]bogosity, [1709]bogus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogon flux, Next:[1710]bogosity, Previous:[1711]bogon filter, + Up:[1712]= B = + + bogon flux /boh'gon fluhks/ n. + + A measure of a supposed field of [1713]bogosity emitted by a speaker, + measured by a [1714]bogometer; as a speaker starts to wander into + increasing bogosity a listener might say "Warning, warning, bogon flux + is rising". See [1715]quantum bogodynamics. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogosity, Next:[1716]bogotify, Previous:[1717]bogon flux, + Up:[1718]= B = + + bogosity /boh-go's*-tee/ n. + + 1. [orig. CMU, now very common] The degree to which something is + [1719]bogus. Bogosity is measured with a [1720]bogometer; in a + seminar, when a speaker says something bogus, a listener might raise + his hand and say "My bogometer just triggered". More extremely, "You + just pinned my bogometer" means you just said or did something so + outrageously bogus that it is off the scale, pinning the bogometer + needle at the highest possible reading (one might also say "You just + redlined my bogometer"). The agreed-upon unit of bogosity is the + [1721]microLenat. 2. The potential field generated by a [1722]bogon + flux; see [1723]quantum bogodynamics. See also [1724]bogon flux, + [1725]bogon filter, [1726]bogus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogotify, Next:[1727]bogue out, Previous:[1728]bogosity, + Up:[1729]= B = + + bogotify /boh-go't*-fi:/ vt. + + To make or become bogus. A program that has been changed so many times + as to become completely disorganized has become bogotified. If you + tighten a nut too hard and strip the threads on the bolt, the bolt has + become bogotified and you had better not use it any more. This coinage + led to the notional `autobogotiphobia' defined as `the fear of + becoming bogotified'; but is not clear that the latter has ever been + `live' jargon rather than a self-conscious joke in jargon about + jargon. See also [1730]bogosity, [1731]bogus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogue out, Next:[1732]bogus, Previous:[1733]bogotify, Up:[1734]= + B = + + bogue out /bohg owt/ vi. + + To become bogus, suddenly and unexpectedly. "His talk was relatively + sane until somebody asked him a trick question; then he bogued out and + did nothing but [1735]flame afterwards." See also [1736]bogosity, + [1737]bogus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bogus, Next:[1738]Bohr bug, Previous:[1739]bogue out, Up:[1740]= + B = + + bogus adj. + + 1. Non-functional. "Your patches are bogus." 2. Useless. "OPCON is a + bogus program." 3. False. "Your arguments are bogus." 4. Incorrect. + "That algorithm is bogus." 5. Unbelievable. "You claim to have solved + the halting problem for Turing Machines? That's totally bogus." 6. + Silly. "Stop writing those bogus sagas." + + Astrology is bogus. So is a bolt that is obviously about to break. So + is someone who makes blatantly false claims to have solved a + scientific problem. (This word seems to have some, but not all, of the + connotations of [1741]random -- mostly the negative ones.) + + It is claimed that `bogus' was originally used in the hackish sense at + Princeton in the late 1960s. It was spread to CMU and Yale by Michael + Shamos, a migratory Princeton alumnus. A glossary of bogus words was + compiled at Yale when the word was first popularized there about + 1975-76. These coinages spread into hackerdom from CMU and MIT. Most + of them remained wordplay objects rather than actual vocabulary items + or live metaphors. Examples: `amboguous' (having multiple bogus + interpretations); `bogotissimo' (in a gloriously bogus manner); + `bogotophile' (one who is pathologically fascinated by the bogus); + `paleobogology' (the study of primeval bogosity). + + Some bogowords, however, obtained sufficient live currency to be + listed elsewhere in this lexicon; see [1742]bogometer, [1743]bogon, + [1744]bogotify, and [1745]quantum bogodynamics and the related but + unlisted [1746]Dr. Fred Mbogo. + + By the early 1980s `bogus' was also current in something like hacker + usage sense in West Coast teen slang, and it had gone mainstream by + 1985. A correspondent from Cambridge reports, by contrast, that these + uses of `bogus' grate on British nerves; in Britain the word means, + rather specifically, `counterfeit', as in "a bogus 10-pound note". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Bohr bug, Next:[1747]boink, Previous:[1748]bogus, Up:[1749]= B = + + Bohr bug /bohr buhg/ n. + + [from quantum physics] A repeatable [1750]bug; one that manifests + reliably under a possibly unknown but well-defined set of conditions. + Antonym of [1751]heisenbug; see also [1752]mandelbug, + [1753]schroedinbug. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boink, Next:[1754]bomb, Previous:[1755]Bohr bug, Up:[1756]= B = + + boink /boynk/ + + [Usenet: variously ascribed to the TV series "Cheers" "Moonlighting", + and "Soap"] 1. v. To have sex with; compare [1757]bounce, sense 3. + (This is mainstream slang.) In Commonwealth hackish the variant `bonk' + is more common. 2. n. After the original Peter Korn `Boinkon' + [1758]Usenet parties, used for almost any net social gathering, e.g., + Miniboink, a small boink held by Nancy Gillett in 1988; Minniboink, a + Boinkcon in Minnesota in 1989; Humpdayboinks, Wednesday get-togethers + held in the San Francisco Bay Area. Compare [1759]@-party. 3. Var of + `bonk'; see [1760]bonk/oif. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bomb, Next:[1761]bondage-and-discipline language, + Previous:[1762]boink, Up:[1763]= B = + + bomb + + 1. v. General synonym for [1764]crash (sense 1) except that it is not + used as a noun; esp. used of software or OS failures. "Don't run + Empire with less than 32K stack, it'll bomb." 2. n.,v. Atari ST and + Macintosh equivalents of a Unix `panic' or Amiga [1765]guru + meditation, in which icons of little black-powder bombs or mushroom + clouds are displayed, indicating that the system has died. On the Mac, + this may be accompanied by a decimal (or occasionally hexadecimal) + number indicating what went wrong, similar to the Amiga [1766]guru + meditation number. [1767]MS-DOS machines tend to get [1768]locked up + in this situation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bondage-and-discipline language, Next:[1769]bonk/oif, + Previous:[1770]bomb, Up:[1771]= B = + + bondage-and-discipline language n. + + A language (such as [1772]Pascal, [1773]Ada, APL, or Prolog) that, + though ostensibly general-purpose, is designed so as to enforce an + author's theory of `right programming' even though said theory is + demonstrably inadequate for systems hacking or even vanilla + general-purpose programming. Often abbreviated `B&D'; thus, one may + speak of things "having the B&D nature". See [1774]Pascal; oppose + [1775]languages of choice. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bonk/oif, Next:[1776]book titles, + Previous:[1777]bondage-and-discipline language, Up:[1778]= B = + + bonk/oif /bonk/, /oyf/ interj. + + In the U.S. [1779]MUD community, it has become traditional to express + pique or censure by `bonking' the offending person. Convention holds + that one should acknowledge a bonk by saying `oif!' and there is a + myth to the effect that failing to do so upsets the cosmic bonk/oif + balance, causing much trouble in the universe. Some MUDs have + implemented special commands for bonking and oifing. Note: in parts of + the U.K. `bonk' is a sexually loaded slang term; care is advised in + transatlantic conversations (see [1780]boink). Commonwealth hackers + report a similar convention involving the `fish/bang' balance. See + also [1781]talk mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:book titles, Next:[1782]boot, Previous:[1783]bonk/oif, Up:[1784]= + B = + + book titles + + There is a tradition in hackerdom of informally tagging important + textbooks and standards documents with the dominant color of their + covers or with some other conspicuous feature of the cover. Many of + these are described in this lexicon under their own entries. See + [1785]Aluminum Book, [1786]Blue Book, [1787]Camel Book, + [1788]Cinderella Book, [1789]Devil Book, [1790]Dragon Book, + [1791]Green Book, [1792]Orange Book, [1793]Purple Book, [1794]Red + Book, [1795]Silver Book, [1796]White Book, [1797]Wizard Book, + [1798]Yellow Book, and [1799]bible; see also [1800]rainbow series. + Since about 1983 this tradition has gotten a boost from the popular + O'Reilly and Associates line of technical books, which usually feature + some kind of exotic animal on the cover. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boot, Next:[1801]Borg, Previous:[1802]book titles, Up:[1803]= B = + + boot v.,n. + + [techspeak; from `by one's bootstraps'] To load and initialize the + operating system on a machine. This usage is no longer jargon (having + passed into techspeak) but has given rise to some derivatives that are + still jargon. + + The derivative `reboot' implies that the machine hasn't been down for + long, or that the boot is a [1804]bounce (sense 4) intended to clear + some state of [1805]wedgitude. This is sometimes used of human thought + processes, as in the following exchange: "You've lost me." "OK, + reboot. Here's the theory...." + + This term is also found in the variants `cold boot' (from power-off + condition) and `warm boot' (with the CPU and all devices already + powered up, as after a hardware reset or software crash). + + Another variant: `soft boot', reinitialization of only part of a + system, under control of other software still running: "If you're + running the [1806]mess-dos emulator, control-alt-insert will cause a + soft-boot of the emulator, while leaving the rest of the system + running." + + Opposed to this there is `hard boot', which connotes hostility towards + or frustration with the machine being booted: "I'll have to hard-boot + this losing Sun." "I recommend booting it hard." One often hard-boots + by performing a [1807]power cycle. + + Historical note: this term derives from `bootstrap loader', a short + program that was read in from cards or paper tape, or toggled in from + the front panel switches. This program was always very short (great + efforts were expended on making it short in order to minimize the + labor and chance of error involved in toggling it in), but was just + smart enough to read in a slightly more complex program (usually from + a card or paper tape reader), to which it handed control; this program + in turn was smart enough to read the application or operating system + from a magnetic tape drive or disk drive. Thus, in successive steps, + the computer `pulled itself up by its bootstraps' to a useful + operating state. Nowadays the bootstrap is usually found in ROM or + EPROM, and reads the first stage in from a fixed location on the disk, + called the `boot block'. When this program gains control, it is + powerful enough to load the actual OS and hand control over to it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Borg, Next:[1808]borken, Previous:[1809]boot, Up:[1810]= B = + + Borg n. + + 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 [1811]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 [1812]Halloween Documents + reveal that this jargon is live within Microsoft itself. (Other + companies, notably Intel and UUNet, have also occasionally been + equated to the Borg.) See also [1813]Evil Empire, [1814]Internet + Exploiter. + + In IETF circles, where direct pressure from Microsoft is not a daily + reality, the Borg is sometimes Cisco. This usage commemmorates 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". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:borken, Next:[1815]bot, Previous:[1816]Borg, Up:[1817]= B = + + borken adj. + + (also `borked') Common deliberate typo for `broken'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bot, Next:[1818]bot spot, Previous:[1819]borken, Up:[1820]= B = + + bot n + + [common on IRC, MUD and among gamers; from `robot'] 1. An [1821]IRC or + [1822]MUD user who is actually a program. On IRC, typically the robot + provides some useful service. Examples are NickServ, which tries to + prevent random users from adopting [1823]nicks already claimed by + others, and MsgServ, which allows one to send asynchronous messages to + be delivered when the recipient signs on. Also common are `annoybots', + such as KissServ, which perform no useful function except to send cute + messages to other people. Service bots are less common on MUDs; but + some others, such as the `Julia' bot active in 1990-91, have been + remarkably impressive Turing-test experiments, able to pass as human + for as long as ten or fifteen minutes of conversation. 2. An + AI-controlled player in a computer game (especially a first-person + shooter such as Quake) which, unlike ordinary monsters, operates like + a human-controlled player, with access to a player's weapons and + abilities. An example can be found at + [1824]http://www.telefragged.com/thefatal/. 3. Term used, though less + commonly, for a web [1825]spider. The file for controlling spider + behavior on your site is officially the "Robots Exclusion File" and + its URL is "http://<somehost>/robots.txt") + + Note that bots in all senses were `robots' when the terms first + appeared in the early 1990s, but the shortened form is now habitual. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bot spot, Next:[1826]bottom feeder, Previous:[1827]bot, + Up:[1828]= B = + + bot spot n. + + [MUD] The user on a MUD with the longest connect time. Derives from + the fact that [1829]bots on MUDS often stay constantly connected and + appear at the bottom of the list. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bottom feeder, Next:[1830]bottom-up implementation, + Previous:[1831]bot spot, Up:[1832]= B = + + bottom feeder n. + + 1. An Internet user that leeches off ISPs - the sort you can never + provide good enough services for, always complains about the price, no + matter how low it may be, and will bolt off to another service the + moment there is even the slimmest price difference. While most bottom + feeders infest free or almost free services such as AOL, MSN, and + Hotmail, too many flock to whomever happens to be the cheapest + regional ISP at the time. Bottom feeders are often the classic problem + user, known for unleashing spam, flamage, and other breaches of + [1833]netiquette. 2. Syn. for [1834]slopsucker, derived from the + fishermen's and naturalists' term for finny creatures who subsist on + the primordial ooze. (This sense is older.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bottom-up implementation, Next:[1835]bounce, + Previous:[1836]bottom feeder, Up:[1837]= B = + + bottom-up implementation n. + + Hackish opposite of the techspeak term `top-down design'. It has been + received wisdom in most programming cultures that it is best to design + from higher levels of abstraction down to lower, specifying sequences + of action in increasing detail until you get to actual code. Hackers + often find (especially in exploratory designs that cannot be closely + specified in advance) that it works best to build things in the + opposite order, by writing and testing a clean set of primitive + operations and then knitting them together. Naively applied, this + leads to hacked-together bottom-up implementations; a more + sophisticated response is `middle-out implementation', in which + scratch code within primitives at the mid-level of the system is + gradually replaced with a more polished version of the lowest level at + the same time the structure above the midlevel is being built. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bounce, Next:[1838]bounce message, Previous:[1839]bottom-up + implementation, Up:[1840]= B = + + bounce v. + + 1. [common; perhaps by analogy to a bouncing check] An electronic mail + message that is undeliverable and returns an error notification to the + sender is said to `bounce'. See also [1841]bounce message. 2. + [Stanford] To play volleyball. The now-demolished [1842]D. C. Power + Lab building used by the Stanford AI Lab in the 1970s had a volleyball + court on the front lawn. From 5 P.M. to 7 P.M. was the scheduled + maintenance time for the computer, so every afternoon at 5 would come + over the intercom the cry: "Now hear this: bounce, bounce!", followed + by Brian McCune loudly bouncing a volleyball on the floor outside the + offices of known volleyballers. 3. To engage in sexual intercourse; + prob. from the expression `bouncing the mattress', but influenced by + Roo's psychosexually loaded "Try bouncing me, Tigger!" from the + "Winnie-the-Pooh" books. Compare [1843]boink. 4. To casually reboot a + system in order to clear up a transient problem. Reported primarily + among [1844]VMS and [1845]Unix users. 5. [VM/CMS programmers] + Automatic warm-start of a machine after an error. "I logged on this + morning and found it had bounced 7 times during the night" 6. [IBM] To + [1846]power cycle a peripheral in order to reset it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bounce message, Next:[1847]boustrophedon, Previous:[1848]bounce, + Up:[1849]= B = + + bounce message n. + + [common] Notification message returned to sender by a site unable to + relay [1850]email to the intended [1851]Internet address recipient or + the next link in a [1852]bang path (see [1853]bounce, sense 1). + Reasons might include a nonexistent or misspelled username or a + [1854]down relay site. Bounce messages can themselves fail, with + occasionally ugly results; see [1855]sorcerer's apprentice mode and + [1856]software laser. The terms `bounce mail' and `barfmail' are also + common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boustrophedon, Next:[1857]box, Previous:[1858]bounce message, + Up:[1859]= B = + + boustrophedon n. + + [from a Greek word for turning like an ox while plowing] An ancient + method of writing using alternate left-to-right and right-to-left + lines. This term is actually philologists' techspeak and typesetters' + jargon. Erudite hackers use it for an optimization performed by some + computer typesetting software and moving-head printers. The adverbial + form `boustrophedonically' is also found (hackers purely love + constructions like this). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:box, Next:[1860]boxed comments, Previous:[1861]boustrophedon, + Up:[1862]= B = + + box n. + + 1. A computer; esp. in the construction `foo box' where foo is some + functional qualifier, like `graphics', or the name of an OS (thus, + `Unix box', `MS-DOS box', etc.) "We preprocess the data on Unix boxes + before handing it up to the mainframe." 2. [IBM] Without qualification + but within an SNA-using site, this refers specifically to an IBM + front-end processor or FEP /F-E-P/. An FEP is a small computer + necessary to enable an IBM [1863]mainframe to communicate beyond the + limits of the [1864]dinosaur pen. Typically used in expressions like + the cry that goes up when an SNA network goes down: "Looks like the + [1865]box has fallen over." (See [1866]fall over.) See also [1867]IBM, + [1868]fear and loathing, [1869]Blue Glue. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boxed comments, Next:[1870]boxen, Previous:[1871]box, Up:[1872]= + B = + + boxed comments n. + + Comments (explanatory notes attached to program instructions) that + occupy several lines by themselves; so called because in assembler and + C code they are often surrounded by a box in a style something like + this: + +/************************************************* + * + * This is a boxed comment in C style + * + *************************************************/ + + Common variants of this style omit the asterisks in column 2 or add a + matching row of asterisks closing the right side of the box. The + sparest variant omits all but the comment delimiters themselves; the + `box' is implied. Oppose [1873]winged comments. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boxen, Next:[1874]boxology, Previous:[1875]boxed comments, + Up:[1876]= B = + + boxen /bok'sn/ pl.n. + + [very common; by analogy with [1877]VAXen] Fanciful plural of + [1878]box often encountered in the phrase `Unix boxen', used to + describe commodity [1879]Unix hardware. The connotation is that any + two Unix boxen are interchangeable. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:boxology, Next:[1880]bozotic, Previous:[1881]boxen, Up:[1882]= B + = + + boxology /bok-sol'*-jee/ n. + + Syn. [1883]ASCII art. This term implies a more restricted domain, that + of box-and-arrow drawings. "His report has a lot of boxology in it." + Compare [1884]macrology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bozotic, Next:[1885]BQS, Previous:[1886]boxology, Up:[1887]= B = + + bozotic /boh-zoh'tik/ or /boh-zo'tik/ adj. + + [from the name of a TV clown even more losing than Ronald McDonald] + Resembling or having the quality of a bozo; that is, clownish, + ludicrously wrong, unintentionally humorous. Compare [1888]wonky, + [1889]demented. Note that the noun `bozo' occurs in slang, but the + mainstream adjectival form would be `bozo-like' or (in New England) + `bozoish'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BQS, Next:[1890]brain dump, Previous:[1891]bozotic, Up:[1892]= B + = + + BQS /B-Q-S/ adj. + + Syn. [1893]Berkeley Quality Software. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brain dump, Next:[1894]brain fart, Previous:[1895]BQS, Up:[1896]= + B = + + brain dump n. + + [common] The act of telling someone everything one knows about a + particular topic or project. Typically used when someone is going to + let a new party maintain a piece of code. Conceptually analogous to an + operating system [1897]core dump in that it saves a lot of useful + [1898]state before an exit. "You'll have to give me a brain dump on + FOOBAR before you start your new job at HackerCorp." See [1899]core + dump (sense 4). At Sun, this is also known as `TOI' (transfer of + information). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brain fart, Next:[1900]brain-damaged, Previous:[1901]brain dump, + Up:[1902]= B = + + brain fart n. + + The actual result of a [1903]braino, as opposed to the mental glitch + that is the braino itself. E.g., typing dir on a Unix box after a + session with DOS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brain-damaged, Next:[1904]brain-dead, Previous:[1905]brain fart, + Up:[1906]= B = + + brain-damaged adj. + + 1. [common; generalization of `Honeywell Brain Damage' (HBD), a + theoretical disease invented to explain certain utter cretinisms in + Honeywell [1907]Multics] adj. Obviously wrong; [1908]cretinous; + [1909]demented. There is an implication that the person responsible + must have suffered brain damage, because he should have known better. + Calling something brain-damaged is really bad; it also implies it is + unusable, and that its failure to work is due to poor design rather + than some accident. "Only six monocase characters per file name? Now + that's brain-damaged!" 2. [esp. in the Mac world] May refer to free + demonstration software that has been deliberately crippled in some way + so as not to compete with the product it is intended to sell. Syn. + [1910]crippleware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brain-dead, Next:[1911]braino, Previous:[1912]brain-damaged, + Up:[1913]= B = + + brain-dead adj. + + [common] Brain-damaged in the extreme. It tends to imply terminal + design failure rather than malfunction or simple stupidity. "This comm + program doesn't know how to send a break -- how brain-dead!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:braino, Next:[1914]branch to Fishkill, Previous:[1915]brain-dead, + Up:[1916]= B = + + braino /bray'no/ n. + + Syn. for [1917]thinko. See also [1918]brain fart. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:branch to Fishkill, Next:[1919]bread crumbs, + Previous:[1920]braino, Up:[1921]= B = + + branch to Fishkill n. + + [IBM: from the location of one of the corporation's facilities] Any + unexpected jump in a program that produces catastrophic or just plain + weird results. See [1922]jump off into never-never land, + [1923]hyperspace. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bread crumbs, Next:[1924]break, Previous:[1925]branch to + Fishkill, Up:[1926]= B = + + bread crumbs n. + + 1. Debugging statements inserted into a program that emit output or + log indicators of the program's [1927]state to a file so you can see + where it dies or pin down the cause of surprising behavior. The term + is probably a reference to the Hansel and Gretel story from the + Brothers Grimm or the older French folktale of Thumbelina; in several + variants of these, a character leaves a trail of bread crumbs so as + not to get lost in the woods. 2. In user-interface design, any feature + that allows some tracking of where you've been, like coloring visited + links purple rather than blue in Netscape (also called `footrinting'). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:break, Next:[1928]break-even point, Previous:[1929]bread crumbs, + Up:[1930]= B = + + break + + 1. vt. To cause to be [1931]broken (in any sense). "Your latest patch + to the editor broke the paragraph commands." 2. v. (of a program) To + stop temporarily, so that it may debugged. The place where it stops is + a `breakpoint'. 3. [techspeak] vi. To send an RS-232 break (two + character widths of line high) over a serial comm line. 4. [Unix] vi. + To strike whatever key currently causes the tty driver to send SIGINT + to the current process. Normally, break (sense 3), delete or + [1932]control-C does this. 5. `break break' may be said to interrupt a + conversation (this is an example of verb doubling). This usage comes + from radio communications, which in turn probably came from landline + telegraph/teleprinter usage, as badly abused in the Citizen's Band + craze a few years ago. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:break-even point, Next:[1933]breath-of-life packet, + Previous:[1934]break, Up:[1935]= B = + + break-even point n. + + In the process of implementing a new computer language, the point at + which the language is sufficiently effective that one can implement + the language in itself. That is, for a new language called, + hypothetically, FOOGOL, one has reached break-even when one can write + a demonstration compiler for FOOGOL in FOOGOL, discard the original + implementation language, and thereafter use working versions of FOOGOL + to develop newer ones. This is an important milestone; see [1936]MFTL. + + Since this entry was first written, several correspondents have + reported that there actually was a compiler for a tiny Algol-like + language called Foogol floating around on various [1937]VAXen in the + early and mid-1980s. A FOOGOL implementation is available at the + Retrocomputing Museum [1938]http://www.ccil.org/retro. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:breath-of-life packet, Next:[1939]breedle, + Previous:[1940]break-even point, Up:[1941]= B = + + breath-of-life packet n. + + [XEROX PARC] An Ethernet packet that contains bootstrap (see + [1942]boot) code, periodically sent out from a working computer to + infuse the `breath of life' into any computer on the network that has + happened to crash. Machines depending on such packets have sufficient + hardware or firmware code to wait for (or request) such a packet + during the reboot process. See also [1943]dickless workstation. + + The notional `kiss-of-death packet', with a function complementary to + that of a breath-of-life packet, is recommended for dealing with hosts + that consume too many network resources. Though `kiss-of-death packet' + is usually used in jest, there is at least one documented instance of + an Internet subnet with limited address-table slots in a gateway + machine in which such packets were routinely used to compete for + slots, rather like Christmas shoppers competing for scarce parking + spaces. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:breedle, Next:[1944]Breidbart Index, + Previous:[1945]breath-of-life packet, Up:[1946]= B = + + breedle n. + + See [1947]feep. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Breidbart Index, Next:[1948]bring X to its knees, + Previous:[1949]breedle, Up:[1950]= B = + + Breidbart Index /bri:d'bart ind*ks/ + + A measurement of the severity of spam invented by long-time hacker + Seth Breidbart, used for programming cancelbots. The Breidbart Index + takes into account the fact that excessive multi-posting [1951]EMP is + worse than excessive cross-posting [1952]ECP. The Breidbart Index is + computed as follows: For each article in a spam, take the square-root + of the number of newsgroups to which the article is posted. The + Breidbart Index is the sum of the square roots of all of the posts in + the spam. For example, one article posted to nine newsgroups and again + to sixteen would have BI = sqrt(9) + sqrt(16) = 7. It is generally + agreed that a spam is cancelable if the Breidbart Index exceeds 20. + + The Breidbart Index accumulates over a 45-day window. Ten articles + yesterday and ten articles today and ten articles tomorrow add up to a + 30-article spam. Spam fighters will often reset the count if you can + convince them that the spam was accidental and/or you have seen the + error of your ways and won't repeat it. Breidbart Index can accumulate + over multiple authors. For example, the "Make Money Fast" pyramid + scheme exceeded a BI of 20 a long time ago, and is now considered + "cancel on sight". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bring X to its knees, Next:[1953]brittle, + Previous:[1954]Breidbart Index, Up:[1955]= B = + + bring X to its knees v. + + [common] To present a machine, operating system, piece of software, or + algorithm with a load so extreme or [1956]pathological that it grinds + to a halt. "To bring a MicroVAX to its knees, try twenty users running + [1957]vi -- or four running [1958]EMACS." Compare [1959]hog. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brittle, Next:[1960]broadcast storm, Previous:[1961]bring X to + its knees, Up:[1962]= B = + + brittle adj. + + Said of software that is functional but easily broken by changes in + operating environment or configuration, or by any minor tweak to the + software itself. Also, any system that responds inappropriately and + disastrously to abnormal but expected external stimuli; e.g., a file + system that is usually totally scrambled by a power failure is said to + be brittle. This term is often used to describe the results of a + research effort that were never intended to be robust, but it can be + applied to commercial software, which (due to closed-source + development) displays the quality far more often than it ought to. + Oppose [1963]robust. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:broadcast storm, Next:[1964]brochureware, Previous:[1965]brittle, + Up:[1966]= B = + + broadcast storm n. + + [common] An incorrect packet broadcast on a network that causes most + hosts to respond all at once, typically with wrong answers that start + the process over again. See [1967]network meltdown; compare [1968]mail + storm. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brochureware, Next:[1969]broken, Previous:[1970]broadcast storm, + Up:[1971]= B = + + brochureware n. + + Planned but non-existent product like [1972]vaporware, but with the + added implication that marketing is actively selling and promoting it + (they've printed brochures). Brochureware is often deployed as a + strategic weapon; the idea is to con customers into not committing to + an existing product of the competition's. It is a safe bet that when a + brochureware product finally becomes real, it will be more expensive + than and inferior to the alternatives that had been available for + years. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:broken, Next:[1973]broken arrow, Previous:[1974]brochureware, + Up:[1975]= B = + + broken adj. + + 1. Not working properly (of programs). 2. Behaving strangely; + especially (when used of people) exhibiting extreme depression. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:broken arrow, Next:[1976]BrokenWindows, Previous:[1977]broken, + Up:[1978]= B = + + broken arrow n. + + [IBM] The error code displayed on line 25 of a 3270 terminal (or a PC + emulating a 3270) for various kinds of protocol violations and + "unexpected" error conditions (including connection to a [1979]down + computer). On a PC, simulated with `->/_', with the two center + characters overstruck. + + Note: to appreciate this term fully, it helps to know that `broken + arrow' is also military jargon for an accident involving nuclear + weapons.... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BrokenWindows, Next:[1980]broket, Previous:[1981]broken arrow, + Up:[1982]= B = + + BrokenWindows n. + + Abusive hackerism for the [1983]crufty and [1984]elephantine [1985]X + environment on Sun machines; properly called `OpenWindows'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:broket, Next:[1986]Brooks's Law, Previous:[1987]BrokenWindows, + Up:[1988]= B = + + broket /broh'k*t/ or /broh'ket`/ n. + + [rare; by analogy with `bracket': a `broken bracket'] Either of the + characters < and >, when used as paired enclosing delimiters. This + word originated as a contraction of the phrase `broken bracket', that + is, a bracket that is bent in the middle. (At MIT, and apparently in + the [1989]Real World as well, these are usually called [1990]angle + brackets.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Brooks's Law, Next:[1991]brown-paper-bag bug, + Previous:[1992]broket, Up:[1993]= B = + + Brooks's Law prov. + + "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later" -- a + result of the fact that the expected advantage from splitting + development work among N programmers is O(N) (that is, proportional to + N), but the complexity and communications cost associated with + coordinating and then merging their work is O(N^2) (that is, + proportional to the square of N). The quote is from Fred Brooks, a + manager of IBM's OS/360 project and author of "The Mythical Man-Month" + (Addison-Wesley, 1975, ISBN 0-201-00650-2), an excellent early book on + software engineering. The myth in question has been most tersely + expressed as "Programmer time is fungible" and Brooks established + conclusively that it is not. Hackers have never forgotten his advice + (though it's not the whole story; see [1994]bazaar); too often, + [1995]management still does. See also [1996]creationism, + [1997]second-system effect, [1998]optimism. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brown-paper-bag bug, Next:[1999]browser, Previous:[2000]Brooks's + Law, Up:[2001]= B = + + brown-paper-bag bug n. + + A bug in a public software release that is so embarrassing that the + author notionally wears a brown paper bag over his head for a while so + he won't be recognized on the net. Entered popular usage after the + early-1999 release of the first Linux 2.2, which had one. The phrase + was used in Linus Torvalds's apology posting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:browser, Next:[2002]BRS, Previous:[2003]brown-paper-bag bug, + Up:[2004]= B = + + browser n. + + A program specifically designed to help users view and navigate + hypertext, on-line documentation, or a database. While this general + sense has been present in jargon for a long time, the proliferation of + browsers for the World Wide Web after 1992 has made it much more + popular and provided a central or default techspeak meaning of the + word previously lacking in hacker usage. Nowadays, if someone mentions + using a `browser' without qualification, one may assume it is a Web + browser. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BRS, Next:[2005]brute force, Previous:[2006]browser, Up:[2007]= B + = + + BRS /B-R-S/ n. + + Syn. [2008]Big Red Switch. This abbreviation is fairly common on-line. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brute force, Next:[2009]brute force and ignorance, + Previous:[2010]BRS, Up:[2011]= B = + + brute force adj. + + Describes a primitive programming style, one in which the programmer + relies on the computer's processing power instead of using his or her + own intelligence to simplify the problem, often ignoring problems of + scale and applying naive methods suited to small problems directly to + large ones. The term can also be used in reference to programming + style: brute-force programs are written in a heavyhanded, tedious way, + full of repetition and devoid of any elegance or useful abstraction + (see also [2012]brute force and ignorance). + + The [2013]canonical example of a brute-force algorithm is associated + with the `traveling salesman problem' (TSP), a classical [2014]NP-hard + problem: Suppose a person is in, say, Boston, and wishes to drive to N + other cities. In what order should the cities be visited in order to + minimize the distance travelled? The brute-force method is to simply + generate all possible routes and compare the distances; while + guaranteed to work and simple to implement, this algorithm is clearly + very stupid in that it considers even obviously absurd routes (like + going from Boston to Houston via San Francisco and New York, in that + order). For very small N it works well, but it rapidly becomes + absurdly inefficient when N increases (for N = 15, there are already + 1,307,674,368,000 possible routes to consider, and for N = 1000 -- + well, see [2015]bignum). Sometimes, unfortunately, there is no better + general solution than brute force. See also [2016]NP-. + + A more simple-minded example of brute-force programming is finding the + smallest number in a large list by first using an existing program to + sort the list in ascending order, and then picking the first number + off the front. + + Whether brute-force programming should actually be considered stupid + or not depends on the context; if the problem is not terribly big, the + extra CPU time spent on a brute-force solution may cost less than the + programmer time it would take to develop a more `intelligent' + algorithm. Additionally, a more intelligent algorithm may imply more + long-term complexity cost and bug-chasing than are justified by the + speed improvement. + + Ken Thompson, co-inventor of Unix, is reported to have uttered the + epigram "When in doubt, use brute force". He probably intended this as + a [2017]ha ha only serious, but the original Unix kernel's preference + for simple, robust, and portable algorithms over [2018]brittle `smart' + ones does seem to have been a significant factor in the success of + that OS. Like so many other tradeoffs in software design, the choice + between brute force and complex, finely-tuned cleverness is often a + difficult one that requires both engineering savvy and delicate + esthetic judgment. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:brute force and ignorance, Next:[2019]BSD, Previous:[2020]brute + force, Up:[2021]= B = + + brute force and ignorance n. + + A popular design technique at many software houses -- [2022]brute + force coding unrelieved by any knowledge of how problems have been + previously solved in elegant ways. Dogmatic adherence to design + methodologies tends to encourage this sort of thing. Characteristic of + early [2023]larval stage programming; unfortunately, many never + outgrow it. Often abbreviated BFI: "Gak, they used a [2024]bubble + sort! That's strictly from BFI." Compare [2025]bogosity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BSD, Next:[2026]BSOD, Previous:[2027]brute force and ignorance, + Up:[2028]= B = + + BSD /B-S-D/ n. + + [abbreviation for `Berkeley Software Distribution'] a family of + [2029]Unix versions for the [2030]DEC [2031]VAX and PDP-11 developed + by Bill Joy and others at [2032]Berzerkeley starting around 1977, + incorporating paged virtual memory, TCP/IP networking enhancements, + and many other features. The BSD versions (4.1, 4.2, and 4.3) and the + commercial versions derived from them (SunOS, ULTRIX, and Mt. Xinu) + held the technical lead in the Unix world until AT&T's successful + standardization efforts after about 1986; descendants including + Free/Open/NetBSD, BSD/OS and MacOS X are still widely popular. Note + that BSD versions going back to 2.9 are often referred to by their + version numbers alone, without the BSD prefix. See [2033]4.2, + [2034]Unix, [2035]USG Unix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BSOD, Next:[2036]BUAF, Previous:[2037]BSD, Up:[2038]= B = + + BSOD /B-S-O-D/ + + Very commmon abbreviation for [2039]Blue Screen of Death. Both spoken + and written. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BUAF, Next:[2040]BUAG, Previous:[2041]BSOD, Up:[2042]= B = + + BUAF // n. + + [abbreviation, from alt.fan.warlord] Big Ugly ASCII Font -- a special + form of [2043]ASCII art. Various programs exist for rendering text + strings into block, bloob, and pseudo-script fonts in cells between + four and six character cells on a side; this is smaller than the + letters generated by older [2044]banner (sense 2) programs. These are + sometimes used to render one's name in a [2045]sig block, and are + critically referred to as `BUAF's. See [2046]warlording. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BUAG, Next:[2047]bubble sort, Previous:[2048]BUAF, Up:[2049]= B = + + BUAG // n. + + [abbreviation, from alt.fan.warlord] Big Ugly ASCII Graphic. + Pejorative term for ugly [2050]ASCII art, especially as found in + [2051]sig blocks. For some reason, mutations of the head of Bart + Simpson are particularly common in the least imaginative [2052]sig + blocks. See [2053]warlording. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bubble sort, Next:[2054]bucky bits, Previous:[2055]BUAG, + Up:[2056]= B = + + bubble sort n. + + Techspeak for a particular sorting technique in which pairs of + adjacent values in the list to be sorted are compared and interchanged + if they are out of order; thus, list entries `bubble upward' in the + list until they bump into one with a lower sort value. Because it is + not very good relative to other methods and is the one typically + stumbled on by [2057]naive and untutored programmers, hackers consider + it the [2058]canonical example of a naive algorithm. (However, it's + been shown by repeated experiment that below about 5000 records + bubble-sort is OK anyway.) The canonical example of a really bad + algorithm is [2059]bogo-sort. A bubble sort might be used out of + ignorance, but any use of bogo-sort could issue only from brain damage + or willful perversity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bucky bits, Next:[2060]buffer chuck, Previous:[2061]bubble sort, + Up:[2062]= B = + + bucky bits /buh'kee bits/ n. + + 1. obs. The bits produced by the CONTROL and META shift keys on a SAIL + keyboard (octal 200 and 400 respectively), resulting in a 9-bit + keyboard character set. The MIT AI TV (Knight) keyboards extended this + with TOP and separate left and right CONTROL and META keys, resulting + in a 12-bit character set; later, LISP Machines added such keys as + SUPER, HYPER, and GREEK (see [2063]space-cadet keyboard). 2. By + extension, bits associated with `extra' shift keys on any keyboard, + e.g., the ALT on an IBM PC or command and option keys on a Macintosh. + + It has long been rumored that `bucky bits' were named for Buckminster + Fuller during a period when he was consulting at Stanford. Actually, + bucky bits were invented by Niklaus Wirth when he was at Stanford in + 1964-65; he first suggested the idea of an EDIT key to set the 8th bit + of an otherwise 7-bit ASCII character). It seems that, unknown to + Wirth, certain Stanford hackers had privately nicknamed him `Bucky' + after a prominent portion of his dental anatomy, and this nickname + transferred to the bit. Bucky-bit commands were used in a number of + editors written at Stanford, including most notably TV-EDIT and NLS. + + The term spread to MIT and CMU early and is now in general use. + Ironically, Wirth himself remained unaware of its derivation for + nearly 30 years, until GLS dug up this history in early 1993! See + [2064]double bucky, [2065]quadruple bucky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:buffer chuck, Next:[2066]buffer overflow, Previous:[2067]bucky + bits, Up:[2068]= B = + + buffer chuck n. + + Shorter and ruder syn. for [2069]buffer overflow. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:buffer overflow, Next:[2070]bug, Previous:[2071]buffer chuck, + Up:[2072]= B = + + buffer overflow n. + + What happens when you try to stuff more data into a buffer (holding + area) than it can handle. This problem is commonly exploited by + [2073]crackers to get arbitrary commands executed by a program running + with root permissions. This may be due to a mismatch in the processing + rates of the producing and consuming processes (see [2074]overrun and + [2075]firehose syndrome), or because the buffer is simply too small to + hold all the data that must accumulate before a piece of it can be + processed. For example, in a text-processing tool that [2076]crunches + a line at a time, a short line buffer can result in [2077]lossage as + input from a long line overflows the buffer and trashes data beyond + it. Good defensive programming would check for overflow on each + character and stop accepting data when the buffer is full up. The term + is used of and by humans in a metaphorical sense. "What time did I + agree to meet you? My buffer must have overflowed." Or "If I answer + that phone my buffer is going to overflow." See also [2078]spam, + [2079]overrun screw. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bug, Next:[2080]bug-compatible, Previous:[2081]buffer overflow, + Up:[2082]= B = + + bug n. + + An unwanted and unintended property of a program or piece of hardware, + esp. one that causes it to malfunction. Antonym of [2083]feature. + Examples: "There's a bug in the editor: it writes things out + backwards." "The system crashed because of a hardware bug." "Fred is a + winner, but he has a few bugs" (i.e., Fred is a good guy, but he has a + few personality problems). + + Historical note: Admiral Grace Hopper (an early computing pioneer + better known for inventing [2084]COBOL) liked to tell a story in which + a technician solved a [2085]glitch in the Harvard Mark II machine by + pulling an actual insect out from between the contacts of one of its + relays, and she subsequently promulgated [2086]bug in its hackish + sense as a joke about the incident (though, as she was careful to + admit, she was not there when it happened). For many years the logbook + associated with the incident and the actual bug in question (a moth) + sat in a display case at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). The + entire story, with a picture of the logbook and the moth taped into + it, is recorded in the "Annals of the History of Computing", Vol. 3, + No. 3 (July 1981), pp. 285-286. + + The text of the log entry (from September 9, 1947), reads "1545 Relay + #70 Panel F (moth) in relay. First actual case of bug being found". + This wording establishes that the term was already in use at the time + in its current specific sense -- and Hopper herself reports that the + term `bug' was regularly applied to problems in radar electronics + during WWII. + + Indeed, the use of `bug' to mean an industrial defect was already + established in Thomas Edison's time, and a more specific and rather + modern use can be found in an electrical handbook from 1896 ("Hawkin's + New Catechism of Electricity", Theo. Audel & Co.) which says: "The + term `bug' is used to a limited extent to designate any fault or + trouble in the connections or working of electric apparatus." It + further notes that the term is "said to have originated in quadruplex + telegraphy and have been transferred to all electric apparatus." + + The latter observation may explain a common folk etymology of the + term; that it came from telephone company usage, in which "bugs in a + telephone cable" were blamed for noisy lines. Though this derivation + seems to be mistaken, it may well be a distorted memory of a joke + first current among telegraph operators more than a century ago! + + Or perhaps not a joke. Historians of the field inform us that the term + "bug" was regularly used in the early days of telegraphy to refer to a + variety of semi-automatic telegraphy keyers that would send a string + of dots if you held them down. In fact, the Vibroplex keyers (which + were among the most common of this type) even had a graphic of a + beetle on them (and still do)! While the ability to send repeated dots + automatically was very useful for professional morse code operators, + these were also significantly trickier to use than the older manual + keyers, and it could take some practice to ensure one didn't introduce + extraneous dots into the code by holding the key down a fraction too + long. In the hands of an inexperienced operator, a Vibroplex "bug" on + the line could mean that a lot of garbled Morse would soon be coming + your way. + + Further, the term "bug" has long been used among radio technicians to + describe a device that converts electromagnetic field variations into + acoustic signals. It is used to trace radio interference and look for + dangerous radio emissions. Radio community usage derives from the + roach-like shape of the first versions used by 19th century + physicists. The first versions consisted of a coil of wire (roach + body), with the two wire ends sticking out and bent back to nearly + touch forming a spark gap (roach antennae). The bug is to the radio + technician what the stethoscope is to the stereotype medical doctor. + This sense is almost certainly ancestral to modern use of "bug" for a + covert monitoring device, but may also have contributed to the use of + "bug" for the effects of radio interference itself. + + Actually, use of `bug' in the general sense of a disruptive event goes + back to Shakespeare! (Henry VI, part III - Act V, Scene II: King + Edward: "So, lie thou there. Die thou; and die our fear; For Warwick + was a bug that fear'd us all.") In the first edition of Samuel + Johnson's dictionary one meaning of `bug' is "A frightful object; a + walking spectre"; this is traced to `bugbear', a Welsh term for a + variety of mythological monster which (to complete the circle) has + recently been reintroduced into the popular lexicon through fantasy + role-playing games. + + In any case, in jargon the word almost never refers to insects. Here + is a plausible conversation that never actually happened: + + "There is a bug in this ant farm!" + + "What do you mean? I don't see any ants in it." + + "That's the bug." + + A careful discussion of the etymological issues can be found in a + paper by Fred R. Shapiro, 1987, "Entomology of the Computer Bug: + History and Folklore", American Speech 62(4):376-378. + + [There has been a widespread myth that the original bug was moved to + the Smithsonian, and an earlier version of this entry so asserted. A + correspondent who thought to check discovered that the bug was not + there. While investigating this in late 1990, your editor discovered + that the NSWC still had the bug, but had unsuccessfully tried to get + the Smithsonian to accept it -- and that the present curator of their + History of American Technology Museum didn't know this and agreed that + it would make a worthwhile exhibit. It was moved to the Smithsonian in + mid-1991, but due to space and money constraints was not actually + exhibited years afterwards. Thus, the process of investigating the + original-computer-bug bug fixed it in an entirely unexpected way, by + making the myth true! --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bug-compatible, Next:[2087]bug-for-bug compatible, + Previous:[2088]bug, Up:[2089]= B = + + bug-compatible adj. + + [common] Said of a design or revision that has been badly compromised + by a requirement to be compatible with [2090]fossils or + [2091]misfeatures in other programs or (esp.) previous releases of + itself. "MS-DOS 2.0 used \ as a path separator to be bug-compatible + with some cretin's choice of / as an option character in 1.0." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bug-for-bug compatible, Next:[2092]bug-of-the-month club, + Previous:[2093]bug-compatible, Up:[2094]= B = + + bug-for-bug compatible n. + + Same as [2095]bug-compatible, with the additional implication that + much tedious effort went into ensuring that each (known) bug was + replicated. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bug-of-the-month club, Next:[2096]buglix, + Previous:[2097]bug-for-bug compatible, Up:[2098]= B = + + bug-of-the-month club n. + + [from "book-of-the-month club", a time-honored mail-order-marketing + technique in the U.S.] A mythical club which users of `sendmail(8)' + (the UNIX mail daemon) belong to; this was coined on the Usenet + newsgroup comp.security.unix at a time when sendmail security holes, + which allowed outside [2099]crackers access to the system, were being + uncovered at an alarming rate, forcing sysadmins to update very often. + Also, more completely, `fatal security bug-of-the-month club'. See + also [2100]kernel-of-the-week club. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:buglix, Next:[2101]bulletproof, Previous:[2102]bug-of-the-month + club, Up:[2103]= B = + + buglix /buhg'liks/ n. + + [uncommon] Pejorative term referring to [2104]DEC's ULTRIX operating + system in its earlier severely buggy versions. Still used to describe + ULTRIX, but without nearly so much venom. Compare [2105]AIDX, + [2106]HP-SUX, [2107]Nominal Semidestructor, [2108]Telerat, + [2109]sun-stools. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bulletproof, Next:[2110]bullschildt, Previous:[2111]buglix, + Up:[2112]= B = + + bulletproof adj. + + Used of an algorithm or implementation considered extremely + [2113]robust; lossage-resistant; capable of correctly recovering from + any imaginable exception condition -- a rare and valued quality. + Implies that the programmer has thought of all possible errors, and + added [2114]code to protect against each one. Thus, in some cases, + this can imply code that is too heavyweight, due to excessive paranoia + on the part of the programmer. Syn. [2115]armor-plated. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bullschildt, Next:[2116]bum, Previous:[2117]bulletproof, + Up:[2118]= B = + + bullschildt /bul'shilt/ n. + + [comp.lang.c on USENET] A confident, but incorrect, statement about a + programming language. This immortalizes a very bad book about [2119]C, + Herbert Schildt's "C - The Complete Reference". One reviewer commented + "The naive errors in this book would be embarassing even in a + programming assignment turned in by a computer science college + sophomore." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bum, Next:[2120]bump, Previous:[2121]bullschildt, Up:[2122]= B = + + bum + + 1. vt. To make highly efficient, either in time or space, often at the + expense of clarity. "I managed to bum three more instructions out of + that code." "I spent half the night bumming the interrupt code." In + 1996, this term and the practice it describes are semi-obsolete. In + [2123]elder days, John McCarthy (inventor of [2124]LISP) used to + compare some efficiency-obsessed hackers among his students to "ski + bums"; thus, optimization became "program bumming", and eventually + just "bumming". 2. To squeeze out excess; to remove something in order + to improve whatever it was removed from (without changing function; + this distinguishes the process from a [2125]featurectomy). 3. n. A + small change to an algorithm, program, or hardware device to make it + more efficient. "This hardware bum makes the jump instruction faster." + Usage: now uncommon, largely superseded by v. [2126]tune (and n. + [2127]tweak, [2128]hack), though none of these exactly capture sense + 2. All these uses are rare in Commonwealth hackish, because in the + parent dialects of English the noun `bum' is a rude synonym for + `buttocks' and the verb `bum' for buggery. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bump, Next:[2129]burble, Previous:[2130]bum, Up:[2131]= B = + + bump vt. + + Synonym for increment. Has the same meaning as C's ++ operator. Used + esp. of counter variables, pointers, and index dummies in for, while, + and do-while loops. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:burble, Next:[2132]buried treasure, Previous:[2133]bump, + Up:[2134]= B = + + burble v. + + [from Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky"] Like [2135]flame, but connotes + that the source is truly clueless and ineffectual (mere flamers can be + competent). A term of deep contempt. "There's some guy on the phone + burbling about how he got a DISK FULL error and it's all our comm + software's fault." This is mainstream slang in some parts of England. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:buried treasure, Next:[2136]burn-in period, + Previous:[2137]burble, Up:[2138]= B = + + buried treasure n. + + A surprising piece of code found in some program. While usually not + wrong, it tends to vary from [2139]crufty to [2140]bletcherous, and + has lain undiscovered only because it was functionally correct, + however horrible it is. Used sarcastically, because what is found is + anything but treasure. Buried treasure almost always needs to be dug + up and removed. "I just found that the scheduler sorts its queue using + [2141]bubble sort! Buried treasure!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:burn-in period, Next:[2142]burst page, Previous:[2143]buried + treasure, Up:[2144]= B = + + burn-in period n. + + 1. A factory test designed to catch systems with [2145]marginal + components before they get out the door; the theory is that burn-in + will protect customers by outwaiting the steepest part of the + [2146]bathtub curve (see [2147]infant mortality). 2. A period of + indeterminate length in which a person using a computer is so + intensely involved in his project that he forgets basic needs such as + food, drink, sleep, etc. Warning: Excessive burn-in can lead to + burn-out. See [2148]hack mode, [2149]larval stage. + + Historical note: the origin of "burn-in" (sense 1) is apparently the + practice of setting a new-model airplane's brakes on fire, then + extinguishing the fire, in order to make them hold better. This was + done on the first version of the U.S. spy-plane, the U-2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:burst page, Next:[2150]busy-wait, Previous:[2151]burn-in period, + Up:[2152]= B = + + burst page n. + + Syn. [2153]banner, sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:busy-wait, Next:[2154]buzz, Previous:[2155]burst page, Up:[2156]= + B = + + busy-wait vi. + + Used of human behavior, conveys that the subject is busy waiting for + someone or something, intends to move instantly as soon as it shows + up, and thus cannot do anything else at the moment. "Can't talk now, + I'm busy-waiting till Bill gets off the phone." + + Technically, `busy-wait' means to wait on an event by [2157]spinning + through a tight or timed-delay loop that polls for the event on each + pass, as opposed to setting up an interrupt handler and continuing + execution on another part of the task. In applications this is a + wasteful technique, and best avoided on time-sharing systems where a + busy-waiting program may [2158]hog the processor. However, it is often + unavoidable in kernel programming. In the Linux world, kernel + busy-waits are usually referred to as `spinlocks'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:buzz, Next:[2159]BWQ, Previous:[2160]busy-wait, Up:[2161]= B = + + buzz vi. + + 1. Of a program, to run with no indication of progress and perhaps + without guarantee of ever finishing; esp. said of programs thought to + be executing tight loops of code. A program that is buzzing appears to + be [2162]catatonic, but never gets out of catatonia, while a buzzing + loop may eventually end of its own accord. "The program buzzes for + about 10 seconds trying to sort all the names into order." See + [2163]spin; see also [2164]grovel. 2. [ETA Systems] To test a wire or + printed circuit trace for continuity, esp. by applying an AC rather + than DC signal. Some wire faults will pass DC tests but fail an AC + buzz test. 3. To process an array or list in sequence, doing the same + thing to each element. "This loop buzzes through the tz array looking + for a terminator type." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:BWQ, Next:[2165]by hand, Previous:[2166]buzz, Up:[2167]= B = + + BWQ /B-W-Q/ n. + + [IBM: abbreviation, `Buzz Word Quotient'] The percentage of buzzwords + in a speech or documents. Usually roughly proportional to + [2168]bogosity. See [2169]TLA. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:by hand, Next:[2170]byte, Previous:[2171]BWQ, Up:[2172]= B = + + by hand adv. + + [common] 1. Said of an operation (especially a repetitive, trivial, + and/or tedious one) that ought to be performed automatically by the + computer, but which a hacker instead has to step tediously through. + "My mailer doesn't have a command to include the text of the message + I'm replying to, so I have to do it by hand." This does not + necessarily mean the speaker has to retype a copy of the message; it + might refer to, say, dropping into a subshell from the mailer, making + a copy of one's mailbox file, reading that into an editor, locating + the top and bottom of the message in question, deleting the rest of + the file, inserting `>' characters on each line, writing the file, + leaving the editor, returning to the mailer, reading the file in, and + later remembering to delete the file. Compare [2173]eyeball search. 2. + By extension, writing code which does something in an explicit or + low-level way for which a presupplied library routine ought to have + been available. "This cretinous B-tree library doesn't supply a decent + iterator, so I'm having to walk the trees by hand." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:byte, Next:[2174]byte sex, Previous:[2175]by hand, Up:[2176]= B = + + byte /bi:t/ n. + + [techspeak] A unit of memory or data equal to the amount used to + represent one character; on modern architectures this is usually 8 + bits, but may be 9 on 36-bit machines. Some older architectures used + `byte' for quantities of 6 or 7 bits, and the PDP-10 supported `bytes' + that were actually bitfields of 1 to 36 bits! These usages are now + obsolete, and even 9-bit bytes have become rare in the general trend + toward power-of-2 word sizes. + + Historical note: The term was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during + the early design phase for the IBM Stretch computer; originally it was + described as 1 to 6 bits (typical I/O equipment of the period used + 6-bit chunks of information). The move to an 8-bit byte happened in + late 1956, and this size was later adopted and promulgated as a + standard by the System/360. The word was coined by mutating the word + `bite' so it would not be accidentally misspelled as [2177]bit. See + also [2178]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:byte sex, Next:[2179]bytesexual, Previous:[2180]byte, Up:[2181]= + B = + + byte sex n. + + [common] The byte sex of hardware is [2182]big-endian or + [2183]little-endian; see those entries. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:bytesexual, Next:[2184]Bzzzt! Wrong., Previous:[2185]byte sex, + Up:[2186]= B = + + bytesexual /bi:t`sek'shu-*l/ adj. + + [rare] Said of hardware, denotes willingness to compute or pass data + in either [2187]big-endian or [2188]little-endian format (depending, + presumably, on a [2189]mode bit somewhere). See also [2190]NUXI + problem. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Bzzzt! Wrong., Next:[2191]C, Previous:[2192]bytesexual, + Up:[2193]= B = + + Bzzzt! Wrong. /bzt rong/ excl. + + [common; Usenet/Internet; punctuation varies] From a Robin Williams + routine in the movie "Dead Poets Society" spoofing radio or TV quiz + programs, such as Truth or Consequences, where an incorrect answer + earns one a blast from the buzzer and condolences from the + interlocutor. A way of expressing mock-rude disagreement, usually + immediately following an included quote from another poster. The less + abbreviated "*Bzzzzt*, wrong, but thank you for playing" is also + common; capitalization and emphasis of the buzzer sound varies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= C =, Next:[2194]= D =, Previous:[2195]= B =, Up:[2196]The + Jargon Lexicon + += C = + + * [2197]C: + * [2198]C Programmer's Disease: + * [2199]C&C: + * [2200]C++: + * [2201]calculator: + * [2202]Camel Book: + * [2203]can: + * [2204]can't happen: + * [2205]cancelbot: + * [2206]Cancelmoose[tm]: + * [2207]candygrammar: + * [2208]canonical: + * [2209]card walloper: + * [2210]careware: + * [2211]cargo cult programming: + * [2212]cascade: + * [2213]case and paste: + * [2214]casters-up mode: + * [2215]casting the runes: + * [2216]cat: + * [2217]catatonic: + * [2218]cathedral: + * [2219]cd tilde: + * [2220]CDA: + * [2221]cdr: + * [2222]chad: + * [2223]chad box: + * [2224]chain: + * [2225]channel: + * [2226]channel hopping: + * [2227]channel op: + * [2228]chanop: + * [2229]char: + * [2230]charityware: + * [2231]chase pointers: + * [2232]chawmp: + * [2233]check: + * [2234]cheerfully: + * [2235]chemist: + * [2236]Chernobyl chicken: + * [2237]Chernobyl packet: + * [2238]chicken head: + * [2239]chiclet keyboard: + * [2240]Chinese Army technique: + * [2241]choad: + * [2242]choke: + * [2243]chomp: + * [2244]chomper: + * [2245]CHOP: + * [2246]Christmas tree: + * [2247]Christmas tree packet: + * [2248]chrome: + * [2249]chug: + * [2250]Church of the SubGenius: + * [2251]Cinderella Book: + * [2252]CI$: + * [2253]Classic C: + * [2254]clean: + * [2255]CLM: + * [2256]clobber: + * [2257]clock: + * [2258]clocks: + * [2259]clone: + * [2260]clone-and-hack coding: + * [2261]clover key: + * [2262]clue-by-four: + * [2263]clustergeeking: + * [2264]co-lo: + * [2265]code: + * [2266]coaster: + * [2267]COBOL: + * [2268]COBOL fingers: + * [2269]cobweb site: + * [2270]code grinder: + * [2271]code monkey: + * [2272]Code of the Geeks: + * [2273]code police: + * [2274]codes: + * [2275]codewalker: + * [2276]coefficient of X: + * [2277]cokebottle: + * [2278]cold boot: + * [2279]COME FROM: + * [2280]comm mode: + * [2281]command key: + * [2282]comment out: + * [2283]Commonwealth Hackish: + * [2284]compact: + * [2285]compiler jock: + * [2286]compo: + * [2287]compress: + * [2288]Compu$erve: + * [2289]computer confetti: + * [2290]computer geek: + * [2291]computron: + * [2292]con: + * [2293]condition out: + * [2294]condom: + * [2295]confuser: + * [2296]connector conspiracy: + * [2297]cons: + * [2298]considered harmful: + * [2299]console: + * [2300]console jockey: + * [2301]content-free: + * [2302]control-C: + * [2303]control-O: + * [2304]control-Q: + * [2305]control-S: + * [2306]Conway's Law: + * [2307]cookbook: + * [2308]cooked mode: + * [2309]cookie: + * [2310]cookie bear: + * [2311]cookie file: + * [2312]cookie jar: + * [2313]cookie monster: + * [2314]copious free time: + * [2315]copper: + * [2316]copy protection: + * [2317]copybroke: + * [2318]copycenter: + * [2319]copyleft: + * [2320]copyparty: + * [2321]copywronged: + * [2322]core: + * [2323]core cancer: + * [2324]core dump: + * [2325]core leak: + * [2326]Core Wars: + * [2327]corge: + * [2328]cosmic rays: + * [2329]cough and die: + * [2330]courier: + * [2331]cow orker: + * [2332]cowboy: + * [2333]CP/M: + * [2334]CPU Wars: + * [2335]crack: + * [2336]crack root: + * [2337]cracker: + * [2338]cracking: + * [2339]crank: + * [2340]crapplet: + * [2341]CrApTeX: + * [2342]crash: + * [2343]crash and burn: + * [2344]crawling horror: + * [2345]cray: + * [2346]cray instability: + * [2347]crayola: + * [2348]crayola books: + * [2349]crayon: + * [2350]creationism: + * [2351]creep: + * [2352]creeping elegance: + * [2353]creeping featurism: + * [2354]creeping featuritis: + * [2355]cretin: + * [2356]cretinous: + * [2357]crippleware: + * [2358]critical mass: + * [2359]crlf: + * [2360]crock: + * [2361]cross-post: + * [2362]crossload: + * [2363]crudware: + * [2364]cruft: + * [2365]cruft together: + * [2366]cruftsmanship: + * [2367]crufty: + * [2368]crumb: + * [2369]crunch: + * [2370]cryppie: + * [2371]CTSS: + * [2372]cube: + * [2373]cubing: + * [2374]cup holder: + * [2375]cursor dipped in X: + * [2376]cuspy: + * [2377]cut a tape: + * [2378]cybercrud: + * [2379]cyberpunk: + * [2380]cyberspace: + * [2381]cycle: + * [2382]cycle crunch: + * [2383]cycle drought: + * [2384]cycle of reincarnation: + * [2385]cycle server: + * [2386]cypherpunk: + * [2387]C|N>K: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:C, Next:[2388]C Programmer's Disease, Previous:[2389]Bzzzt! + Wrong., Up:[2390]= C = + + C n. + + 1. The third letter of the English alphabet. 2. ASCII 1000011. 3. The + name of a programming language designed by Dennis Ritchie during the + early 1970s and immediately used to reimplement [2391]Unix; so called + because many features derived from an earlier compiler named `B' in + commemoration of its parent, BCPL. (BCPL was in turn descended from an + earlier Algol-derived language, CPL.) Before Bjarne Stroustrup settled + the question by designing [2392]C++, there was a humorous debate over + whether C's successor should be named `D' or `P'. C became immensely + popular outside Bell Labs after about 1980 and is now the dominant + language in systems and microcomputer applications programming. See + also [2393]languages of choice, [2394]indent style. + + C is often described, with a mixture of fondness and disdain varying + according to the speaker, as "a language that combines all the + elegance and power of assembly language with all the readability and + maintainability of assembly language". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:C Programmer's Disease, Next:[2395]C&C, Previous:[2396]C, + Up:[2397]= C = + + C Programmer's Disease n. + + The tendency of the undisciplined C programmer to set arbitrary but + supposedly generous static limits on table sizes (defined, if you're + lucky, by constants in header files) rather than taking the trouble to + do proper dynamic storage allocation. If an application user later + needs to put 68 elements into a table of size 50, the afflicted + programmer reasons that he or she can easily reset the table size to + 68 (or even as much as 70, to allow for future expansion) and + recompile. This gives the programmer the comfortable feeling of having + made the effort to satisfy the user's (unreasonable) demands, and + often affords the user multiple opportunities to explore the marvelous + consequences of [2398]fandango on core. In severe cases of the + disease, the programmer cannot comprehend why each fix of this kind + seems only to further disgruntle the user. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:C&C, Next:[2399]C++, Previous:[2400]C Programmer's Disease, + Up:[2401]= C = + + C&C // + + [common, esp. on news.admin.net-abuse.email] Contraction of "Coffee & + Cats". This frequently occurs as a warning label on USENET posts that + are likely to cause you to [2402]snarf coffee onto your keyboard and + startle the cat off your lap. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:C++, Next:[2403]calculator, Previous:[2404]C&C, Up:[2405]= C = + + C++ /C'-pluhs-pluhs/ n. + + Designed by Bjarne Stroustrup of AT&T Bell Labs as a successor to + [2406]C. Now one of the [2407]languages of choice, although many + hackers still grumble that it is the successor to either Algol 68 or + [2408]Ada (depending on generation), and a prime example of + [2409]second-system effect. Almost anything that can be done in any + language can be done in C++, but it requires a [2410]language lawyer + to know what is and what is not legal-- the design is almost too large + to hold in even hackers' heads. Much of the [2411]cruft results from + C++'s attempt to be backward compatible with C. Stroustrup himself has + said in his retrospective book "The Design and Evolution of C++" (p. + 207), "Within C++, there is a much smaller and cleaner language + struggling to get out." [Many hackers would now add "Yes, and it's + called [2412]Java" --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:calculator, Next:[2413]Camel Book, Previous:[2414]C++, Up:[2415]= + C = + + calculator [Cambridge] n. + + Syn. for [2416]bitty box. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Camel Book, Next:[2417]can, Previous:[2418]calculator, Up:[2419]= + C = + + Camel Book n. + + Universally recognized nickname for the book "Programming Perl", by + Larry Wall and Randal L. Schwartz, O'Reilly and Associates 1991, ISBN + 0-937175-64-1 (second edition 1996, ISBN 1-56592-149-6). The + definitive reference on [2420]Perl. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:can, Next:[2421]can't happen, Previous:[2422]Camel Book, + Up:[2423]= C = + + can vt. + + To abort a job on a time-sharing system. Used esp. when the person + doing the deed is an operator, as in "canned from the [2424]console". + Frequently used in an imperative sense, as in "Can that print job, the + LPT just popped a sprocket!" Synonymous with [2425]gun. It is said + that the ASCII character with mnemonic CAN (0011000) was used as a + kill-job character on some early OSes. Alternatively, this term may + derive from mainstream slang `canned' for being laid off or fired. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:can't happen, Next:[2426]cancelbot, Previous:[2427]can, + Up:[2428]= C = + + can't happen + + The traditional program comment for code executed under a condition + that should never be true, for example a file size computed as + negative. Often, such a condition being true indicates data corruption + or a faulty algorithm; it is almost always handled by emitting a fatal + error message and terminating or crashing, since there is little else + that can be done. Some case variant of "can't happen" is also often + the text emitted if the `impossible' error actually happens! Although + "can't happen" events are genuinely infrequent in production code, + programmers wise enough to check for them habitually are often + surprised at how frequently they are triggered during development and + how many headaches checking for them turns out to head off. See also + [2429]firewall code (sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cancelbot, Next:[2430]Cancelmoose[tm], Previous:[2431]can't + happen, Up:[2432]= C = + + cancelbot /kan'sel-bot/ + + [Usenet: compound, cancel + robot] 1. Mythically, a + [2433]robocanceller 2. In reality, most cancelbots are manually + operated by being fed lists of spam message IDs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Cancelmoose[tm], Next:[2434]candygrammar, + Previous:[2435]cancelbot, Up:[2436]= C = + + Cancelmoose[tm] /kan'sel-moos/ + + [Usenet] The archetype and model of all good [2437]spam-fighters. Once + upon a time, the 'Moose would send out spam-cancels and then post + notice anonymously to news.admin.policy, news.admin.misc, and + alt.current-events.net-abuse. The 'Moose stepped to the fore on its + own initiative, at a time (mid-1994) when spam-cancels were irregular + and disorganized, and behaved altogether admirably - fair, + even-handed, and quick to respond to comments and criticism, all + without self-aggrandizement or martyrdom. Cancelmoose[tm] quickly + gained near-unanimous support from the readership of all three + above-mentioned groups. + + Nobody knows who Cancelmoose[tm] really is, and there aren't even any + good rumors. However, the 'Moose now has an e-mail address + ([2438]moose@cm.org) and a web site ([2439]http://www.cm.org.) + + By early 1995, others had stepped into the spam-cancel business, and + appeared to be comporting themselves well, after the 'Moose's manner. + The 'Moose has now gotten out of the business, and is more interested + in ending spam (and cancels) entirely. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:candygrammar, Next:[2440]canonical, + Previous:[2441]Cancelmoose[tm], Up:[2442]= C = + + candygrammar n. + + A programming-language grammar that is mostly [2443]syntactic sugar; + the term is also a play on `candygram'. [2444]COBOL, Apple's Hypertalk + language, and a lot of the so-called `4GL' database languages share + this property. The usual intent of such designs is that they be as + English-like as possible, on the theory that they will then be easier + for unskilled people to program. This intention comes to grief on the + reality that syntax isn't what makes programming hard; it's the mental + effort and organization required to specify an algorithm precisely + that costs. Thus the invariable result is that `candygrammar' + languages are just as difficult to program in as terser ones, and far + more painful for the experienced hacker. + + [The overtones from the old Chevy Chase skit on Saturday Night Live + should not be overlooked. This was a "Jaws" parody. Someone lurking + outside an apartment door tries all kinds of bogus ways to get the + occupant to open up, while ominous music plays in the background. The + last attempt is a half-hearted "Candygram!" When the door is opened, a + shark bursts in and chomps the poor occupant. [There is a similar gag + in "Blazing Saddles" --ESR] There is a moral here for those attracted + to candygrammars. Note that, in many circles, pretty much the same + ones who remember Monty Python sketches, all it takes is the word + "Candygram!", suitably timed, to get people rolling on the floor. -- + GLS] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:canonical, Next:[2445]card walloper, Previous:[2446]candygrammar, + Up:[2447]= C = + + canonical adj. + + [very common; historically, `according to religious law'] The usual or + standard state or manner of something. This word has a somewhat more + technical meaning in mathematics. Two formulas such as 9 + x and x + 9 + are said to be equivalent because they mean the same thing, but the + second one is in `canonical form' because it is written in the usual + way, with the highest power of x first. Usually there are fixed rules + you can use to decide whether something is in canonical form. The + jargon meaning, a relaxation of the technical meaning, acquired its + present loading in computer-science culture largely through its + prominence in Alonzo Church's work in computation theory and + mathematical logic (see [2448]Knights of the Lambda Calculus). Compare + [2449]vanilla. + + Non-technical academics do not use the adjective `canonical' in any of + the senses defined above with any regularity; they do however use the + nouns `canon' and `canonicity' (not **canonicalness or + **canonicality). The `canon' of a given author is the complete body of + authentic works by that author (this usage is familiar to Sherlock + Holmes fans as well as to literary scholars). `The canon' is the body + of works in a given field (e.g., works of literature, or of art, or of + music) deemed worthwhile for students to study and for scholars to + investigate. + + The word `canon' has an interesting history. It derives ultimately + from the Greek `kanon' (akin to the English `cane') referring to a + reed. Reeds were used for measurement, and in Latin and later Greek + the word `canon' meant a rule or a standard. The establishment of a + canon of scriptures within Christianity was meant to define a standard + or a rule for the religion. The above non-techspeak academic usages + stem from this instance of a defined and accepted body of work. + Alongside this usage was the promulgation of `canons' (`rules') for + the government of the Catholic Church. The techspeak usages + ("according to religious law") derive from this use of the Latin + `canon'. + + Hackers invest this term with a playfulness that makes an ironic + contrast with its historical meaning. A true story: One Bob Sjoberg, + new at the MIT AI Lab, expressed some annoyance at the incessant use + of jargon. Over his loud objections, GLS and RMS made a point of using + as much of it as possible in his presence, and eventually it began to + sink in. Finally, in one conversation, he used the word `canonical' in + jargon-like fashion without thinking. Steele: "Aha! We've finally got + you talking jargon too!" Stallman: "What did he say?" Steele: "Bob + just used `canonical' in the canonical way." + + Of course, canonicality depends on context, but it is implicitly + defined as the way hackers normally expect things to be. Thus, a + hacker may claim with a straight face that `according to religious + law' is not the canonical meaning of `canonical'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:card walloper, Next:[2450]careware, Previous:[2451]canonical, + Up:[2452]= C = + + card walloper n. + + An EDP programmer who grinds out batch programs that do stupid things + like print people's paychecks. Compare [2453]code grinder. See also + [2454]punched card, [2455]eighty-column mind. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:careware, Next:[2456]cargo cult programming, Previous:[2457]card + walloper, Up:[2458]= C = + + careware /keir'weir/ n. + + A variety of [2459]shareware for which either the author suggests that + some payment be made to a nominated charity or a levy directed to + charity is included on top of the distribution charge. Syn. + [2460]charityware; compare [2461]crippleware, sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cargo cult programming, Next:[2462]cascade, + Previous:[2463]careware, Up:[2464]= C = + + cargo cult programming n. + + A style of (incompetent) programming dominated by ritual inclusion of + code or program structures that serve no real purpose. A cargo cult + programmer will usually explain the extra code as a way of working + around some bug encountered in the past, but usually neither the bug + nor the reason the code apparently avoided the bug was ever fully + understood (compare [2465]shotgun debugging, [2466]voodoo + programming). + + The term `cargo cult' is a reference to aboriginal religions that grew + up in the South Pacific after World War II. The practices of these + cults center on building elaborate mockups of airplanes and military + style landing strips in the hope of bringing the return of the + god-like airplanes that brought such marvelous cargo during the war. + Hackish usage probably derives from Richard Feynman's characterization + of certain practices as "cargo cult science" in his book "Surely + You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" (W. W. Norton & Co, New York 1985, ISBN + 0-393-01921-7). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cascade, Next:[2467]case and paste, Previous:[2468]cargo cult + programming, Up:[2469]= C = + + cascade n. + + 1. A huge volume of spurious error-message output produced by a + compiler with poor error recovery. Too frequently, one trivial syntax + error (such as a missing `)' or `}') throws the parser out of synch so + that much of the remaining program text is interpreted as garbaged or + ill-formed. 2. A chain of Usenet followups, each adding some trivial + variation or riposte to the text of the previous one, all of which is + reproduced in the new message; an [2470]include war in which the + object is to create a sort of communal graffito. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:case and paste, Next:[2471]casters-up mode, + Previous:[2472]cascade, Up:[2473]= C = + + case and paste n. + + [from `cut and paste'] 1. The addition of a new [2474]feature to an + existing system by selecting the code from an existing feature and + pasting it in with minor changes. Common in telephony circles because + most operations in a telephone switch are selected using case + statements. Leads to [2475]software bloat. + + In some circles of EMACS users this is called `programming by Meta-W', + because Meta-W is the EMACS command for copying a block of text to a + kill buffer in preparation to pasting it in elsewhere. The term is + condescending, implying that the programmer is acting mindlessly + rather than thinking carefully about what is required to integrate the + code for two similar cases. + + At [2476]DEC (now Compaq), this is sometimes called `clone-and-hack' + coding. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:casters-up mode, Next:[2477]casting the runes, + Previous:[2478]case and paste, Up:[2479]= C = + + casters-up mode n. + + [IBM, prob. fr. slang belly up] Yet another synonym for `broken' or + `down'. Usually connotes a major failure. A system (hardware or + software) which is `down' may be already being restarted before the + failure is noticed, whereas one which is `casters up' is usually a + good excuse to take the rest of the day off (as long as you're not + responsible for fixing it). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:casting the runes, Next:[2480]cat, Previous:[2481]casters-up + mode, Up:[2482]= C = + + casting the runes n. + + What a [2483]guru does when you ask him or her to run a particular + program and type at it because it never works for anyone else; esp. + used when nobody can ever see what the guru is doing different from + what J. Random Luser does. Compare [2484]incantation, [2485]runes, + [2486]examining the entrails; also see the AI koan about Tom Knight in + "[2487]Some AI Koans" (Appendix A). + + A correspondent from England tells us that one of ICL's most talented + systems designers used to be called out occasionally to service + machines which the [2488]field circus had given up on. Since he knew + the design inside out, he could often find faults simply by listening + to a quick outline of the symptoms. He used to play on this by going + to some site where the field circus had just spent the last two weeks + solid trying to find a fault, and spreading a diagram of the system + out on a table top. He'd then shake some chicken bones and cast them + over the diagram, peer at the bones intently for a minute, and then + tell them that a certain module needed replacing. The system would + start working again immediately upon the replacement. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cat, Next:[2489]catatonic, Previous:[2490]casting the runes, + Up:[2491]= C = + + cat [from `catenate' via [2492]Unix cat(1)] vt. + + 1. [techspeak] To spew an entire file to the screen or some other + output sink without pause (syn. [2493]blast). 2. By extension, to dump + large amounts of data at an unprepared target or with no intention of + browsing it carefully. Usage: considered silly. Rare outside Unix + sites. See also [2494]dd, [2495]BLT. + + Among Unix fans, cat(1) is considered an excellent example of + user-interface design, because it delivers the file contents without + such verbosity as spacing or headers between the files, and because it + does not require the files to consist of lines of text, but works with + any sort of data. + + Among Unix haters, cat(1) is considered the [2496]canonical example of + bad user-interface design, because of its woefully unobvious name. It + is far more often used to [2497]blast a file to standard output than + to concatenate two files. The name cat for the former operation is + just as unintuitive as, say, LISP's [2498]cdr. + + Of such oppositions are [2499]holy wars made.... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:catatonic, Next:[2500]cathedral, Previous:[2501]cat, Up:[2502]= C + = + + catatonic adj. + + Describes a condition of suspended animation in which something is so + [2503]wedged or [2504]hung that it makes no response. If you are + typing on a terminal and suddenly the computer doesn't even echo the + letters back to the screen as you type, let alone do what you're + asking it to do, then the computer is suffering from catatonia + (possibly because it has crashed). "There I was in the middle of a + winning game of [2505]nethack and it went catatonic on me! Aaargh!" + Compare [2506]buzz. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cathedral, Next:[2507]cd tilde, Previous:[2508]catatonic, + Up:[2509]= C = + + cathedral n.,adj. + + [see [2510]bazaar for derivation] The `classical' mode of software + engineering long thought to be necessarily implied by [2511]Brooks's + Law. Features small teams, tight project control, and long release + intervals. This term came into use after analysis of the Linux + experience suggested there might be something wrong (or at least + incomplete) in the classical assumptions. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cd tilde, Next:[2512]CDA, Previous:[2513]cathedral, Up:[2514]= C + = + + cd tilde /C-D til-d*/ vi. + + To go home. From the Unix C-shell and Korn-shell command cd ~, which + takes one to one's $HOME (cd with no arguments happens to do the same + thing). By extension, may be used with other arguments; thus, over an + electronic chat link, cd ~coffee would mean "I'm going to the coffee + machine." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CDA, Next:[2515]cdr, Previous:[2516]cd tilde, Up:[2517]= C = + + CDA /C-D-A/ + + The "Communications Decency Act" of 1996, passed on [2518]Black + Thursday as section 502 of a major telecommunications reform bill. The + CDA made it a federal crime in the USA to send a communication which + is "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent, with intent to + annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass another person." It also threatened + with imprisonment anyone who "knowingly" makes accessible to minors + any message that "describes, in terms patently offensive as measured + by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or + organs". + + While the CDA was sold as a measure to protect minors from the + putative evils of pornography, the repressive political aims of the + bill were laid bare by the Hyde amendment, which intended to outlaw + discussion of abortion on the Internet. + + To say that this direct attack on First Amendment free-speech rights + was not well received on the Internet would be putting it mildly. A + firestorm of protest followed, including a February 29th mass + demonstration by thousands of netters who turned their [2519]home + pages black for 48 hours. Several civil-rights groups and + computing/telecommunications companies mounted a constitutional + challenge. The CDA was demolished by a strongly-worded decision handed + down on in 8th-circuit Federal court and subsequently affirmed by the + U.S. Supreme Court on 26 June 1997 (`White Thursday'). See also + [2520]Exon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cdr, Next:[2521]chad, Previous:[2522]CDA, Up:[2523]= C = + + cdr /ku'dr/ or /kuh'dr/ vt. + + [from LISP] To skip past the first item from a list of things + (generalized from the LISP operation on binary tree structures, which + returns a list consisting of all but the first element of its + argument). In the form `cdr down', to trace down a list of elements: + "Shall we cdr down the agenda?" Usage: silly. See also [2524]loop + through. + + Historical note: The instruction format of the IBM 704 that hosted the + original LISP implementation featured two 15-bit fields called the + `address' and `decrement' parts. The term `cdr' was originally + `Contents of Decrement part of Register'. Similarly, `car' stood for + `Contents of Address part of Register'. + + The cdr and car operations have since become bases for formation of + compound metaphors in non-LISP contexts. GLS recalls, for example, a + programming project in which strings were represented as linked lists; + the get-character and skip-character operations were of course called + CHAR and CHDR. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chad, Next:[2525]chad box, Previous:[2526]cdr, Up:[2527]= C = + + chad /chad/ n. + + 1. [common] The perforated edge strips on printer paper, after they + have been separated from the printed portion. Also called + [2528]selvage, [2529]perf, and [2530]ripoff. 2. obs. The confetti-like + paper bits punched out of cards or paper tape; this has also been + called `chaff', `computer confetti', and `keypunch droppings'. It's + reported that this was very old Army slang, and it may now be + mainstream; it has been reported seen (1993) in directions for a + card-based voting machine in California. + + Historical note: One correspondent believes `chad' (sense 2) derives + from the Chadless keypunch (named for its inventor), which cut little + u-shaped tabs in the card to make a hole when the tab folded back, + rather than punching out a circle/rectangle; it was clear that if the + Chadless keypunch didn't make them, then the stuff that other + keypunches made had to be `chad'. There is a legend that the word was + originally acronymic, standing for "Card Hole Aggregate Debris", but + this has all the earmarks of a [2531]backronym. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chad box, Next:[2532]chain, Previous:[2533]chad, Up:[2534]= C = + + chad box n. + + A metal box about the size of a lunchbox (or in some models a large + wastebasket), for collecting the [2535]chad (sense 2) that accumulated + in [2536]Iron Age card punches. You had to open the covers of the card + punch periodically and empty the chad box. The [2537]bit bucket was + notionally the equivalent device in the CPU enclosure, which was + typically across the room in another great gray-and-blue box. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chain, Next:[2538]channel, Previous:[2539]chad box, Up:[2540]= C + = + + chain + + 1. vi. [orig. from BASIC's CHAIN statement] To hand off execution to a + child or successor without going through the [2541]OS command + interpreter that invoked it. The state of the parent program is lost + and there is no returning to it. Though this facility used to be + common on memory-limited micros and is still widely supported for + backward compatibility, the jargon usage is semi-obsolescent; in + particular, most Unix programmers will think of this as an [2542]exec. + Oppose the more modern `subshell'. 2. n. A series of linked data areas + within an operating system or application. `Chain rattling' is the + process of repeatedly running through the linked data areas searching + for one which is of interest to the executing program. The implication + is that there is a very large number of links on the chain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:channel, Next:[2543]channel hopping, Previous:[2544]chain, + Up:[2545]= C = + + channel n. + + [IRC] The basic unit of discussion on [2546]IRC. Once one joins a + channel, everything one types is read by others on that channel. + Channels are named with strings that begin with a `#' sign and can + have topic descriptions (which are generally irrelevant to the actual + subject of discussion). Some notable channels are #initgame, #hottub, + callahans, and #report. At times of international crisis, #report has + hundreds of members, some of whom take turns listening to various news + services and typing in summaries of the news, or in some cases, giving + first-hand accounts of the action (e.g., Scud missile attacks in Tel + Aviv during the Gulf War in 1991). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:channel hopping, Next:[2547]channel op, Previous:[2548]channel, + Up:[2549]= C = + + channel hopping n. + + [common; IRC, GEnie] To rapidly switch channels on [2550]IRC, or a + GEnie chat board, just as a social butterfly might hop from one group + to another at a party. This term may derive from the TV watcher's + idiom, `channel surfing'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:channel op, Next:[2551]chanop, Previous:[2552]channel hopping, + Up:[2553]= C = + + channel op /chan'l op/ n. + + [IRC] Someone who is endowed with privileges on a particular [2554]IRC + channel; commonly abbreviated `chanop' or `CHOP' or just `op' (as of + 2000 these short forms have almost crowded out the parent usage). + These privileges include the right to [2555]kick users, to change + various status bits, and to make others into CHOPs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chanop, Next:[2556]char, Previous:[2557]channel op, Up:[2558]= C + = + + chanop /chan'-op/ n. + + [IRC] See [2559]channel op. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:char, Next:[2560]charityware, Previous:[2561]chanop, Up:[2562]= C + = + + char /keir/ or /char/; rarely, /kar/ n. + + Shorthand for `character'. Esp. used by C programmers, as `char' is + C's typename for character data. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:charityware, Next:[2563]chase pointers, Previous:[2564]char, + Up:[2565]= C = + + charityware /cha'rit-ee-weir`/ n. + + Syn. [2566]careware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chase pointers, Next:[2567]chawmp, Previous:[2568]charityware, + Up:[2569]= C = + + chase pointers + + 1. vi. To go through multiple levels of indirection, as in traversing + a linked list or graph structure. Used esp. by programmers in C, where + explicit pointers are a very common data type. This is techspeak, but + it remains jargon when used of human networks. "I'm chasing pointers. + Bob said you could tell me who to talk to about...." See + [2570]dangling pointer and [2571]snap. 2. [Cambridge] `pointer chase' + or `pointer hunt': The process of going through a [2572]core dump + (sense 1), interactively or on a large piece of paper printed with hex + [2573]runes, following dynamic data-structures. Used only in a + debugging context. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chawmp, Next:[2574]check, Previous:[2575]chase pointers, + Up:[2576]= C = + + chawmp n. + + [University of Florida] 16 or 18 bits (half of a machine word). This + term was used by FORTH hackers during the late 1970s/early 1980s; it + is said to have been archaic then, and may now be obsolete. It was + coined in revolt against the promiscuous use of `word' for anything + between 16 and 32 bits; `word' has an additional special meaning for + FORTH hacks that made the overloading intolerable. For similar + reasons, /gaw'bl/ (spelled `gawble' or possibly `gawbul') was in use + as a term for 32 or 48 bits (presumably a full machine word, but our + sources are unclear on this). These terms are more easily understood + if one thinks of them as faithful phonetic spellings of `chomp' and + `gobble' pronounced in a Florida or other Southern U.S. dialect. For + general discussion of similar terms, see [2577]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:check, Next:[2578]cheerfully, Previous:[2579]chawmp, Up:[2580]= C + = + + check n. + + A hardware-detected error condition, most commonly used to refer to + actual hardware failures rather than software-induced traps. E.g., a + `parity check' is the result of a hardware-detected parity error. + Recorded here because the word often humorously extended to + non-technical problems. For example, the term `child check' has been + used to refer to the problems caused by a small child who is curious + to know what happens when s/he presses all the cute buttons on a + computer's console (of course, this particular problem could have been + prevented with [2581]molly-guards). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cheerfully, Next:[2582]chemist, Previous:[2583]check, Up:[2584]= + C = + + cheerfully adv. + + See [2585]happily. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chemist, Next:[2586]Chernobyl chicken, Previous:[2587]cheerfully, + Up:[2588]= C = + + chemist n. + + [Cambridge] Someone who wastes computer time on [2589]number-crunching + when you'd far rather the machine were doing something more + productive, such as working out anagrams of your name or printing + Snoopy calendars or running [2590]life patterns. May or may not refer + to someone who actually studies chemistry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Chernobyl chicken, Next:[2591]Chernobyl packet, + Previous:[2592]chemist, Up:[2593]= C = + + Chernobyl chicken n. + + See [2594]laser chicken. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Chernobyl packet, Next:[2595]chicken head, + Previous:[2596]Chernobyl chicken, Up:[2597]= C = + + Chernobyl packet /cher-noh'b*l pak'*t/ n. + + A network packet that induces a [2598]broadcast storm and/or + [2599]network meltdown, in memory of the April 1986 nuclear accident + at Chernobyl in Ukraine. The typical scenario involves an IP Ethernet + datagram that passes through a gateway with both source and + destination Ether and IP address set as the respective broadcast + addresses for the subnetworks being gated between. Compare + [2600]Christmas tree packet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chicken head, Next:[2601]chiclet keyboard, + Previous:[2602]Chernobyl packet, Up:[2603]= C = + + chicken head n. + + [Commodore] The Commodore Business Machines logo, which strongly + resembles a poultry part (within Commodore itself the logo was always + called `chicken lips'). Rendered in ASCII as `C='. With the arguable + exception of the Amiga (see [2604]amoeba), Commodore's machines were + notoriously crocky little [2605]bitty boxes (see also [2606]PETSCII), + albeit people have written multitasking Unix-like operating systems + with TCP/IP networking for them. Thus, this usage may owe something to + Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (the + basis for the movie "Blade Runner"; the novel is now sold under that + title), in which a `chickenhead' is a mutant with below-average + intelligence. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chiclet keyboard, Next:[2607]Chinese Army technique, + Previous:[2608]chicken head, Up:[2609]= C = + + chiclet keyboard n. + + A keyboard with a small, flat rectangular or lozenge-shaped rubber or + plastic keys that look like pieces of chewing gum. (Chiclets is the + brand name of a variety of chewing gum that does in fact resemble the + keys of chiclet keyboards.) Used esp. to describe the original IBM + PCjr keyboard. Vendors unanimously liked these because they were + cheap, and a lot of early portable and laptop products got launched + using them. Customers rejected the idea with almost equal unanimity, + and chiclets are not often seen on anything larger than a digital + watch any more. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Chinese Army technique, Next:[2610]choad, Previous:[2611]chiclet + keyboard, Up:[2612]= C = + + Chinese Army technique n. + + Syn. [2613]Mongolian Hordes technique. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:choad, Next:[2614]choke, Previous:[2615]Chinese Army technique, + Up:[2616]= C = + + choad /chohd/ n. + + Synonym for `penis' used in alt.tasteless and popularized by the + denizens thereof. They say: "We think maybe it's from Middle English + but we're all too damned lazy to check the OED." [I'm not. It isn't. + --ESR] This term is alleged to have been inherited through 1960s + underground comics, and to have been recently sighted in the Beavis + and Butthead cartoons. Speakers of the Hindi, Bengali and Gujarati + languages have confirmed that `choad' is in fact an Indian vernacular + word equivalent to `fuck'; it is therefore likely to have entered + English slang via the British Raj. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:choke, Next:[2617]chomp, Previous:[2618]choad, Up:[2619]= C = + + choke v. + + 1. [common] To reject input, often ungracefully. "NULs make System V's + lpr(1) choke." "I tried building an [2620]EMACS binary to use [2621]X, + but cpp(1) choked on all those #defines." See [2622]barf, [2623]gag, + [2624]vi. 2. [MIT] More generally, to fail at any endeavor, but with + some flair or bravado; the popular definition is "to snatch defeat + from the jaws of victory." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chomp, Next:[2625]chomper, Previous:[2626]choke, Up:[2627]= C = + + chomp vi. + + 1. To [2628]lose; specifically, to chew on something of which more was + bitten off than one can. Probably related to gnashing of teeth. 2. To + bite the bag; See [2629]bagbiter. + + A hand gesture commonly accompanies this. To perform it, hold the four + fingers together and place the thumb against their tips. Now open and + close your hand rapidly to suggest a biting action (much like what + Pac-Man does in the classic video game, though this pantomime seems to + predate that). The gesture alone means `chomp chomp' (see "[2630]Verb + Doubling" in the "[2631]Jargon Construction" section of the + Prependices). The hand may be pointed at the object of complaint, and + for real emphasis you can use both hands at once. Doing this to a + person is equivalent to saying "You chomper!" If you point the gesture + at yourself, it is a humble but humorous admission of some failure. + You might do this if someone told you that a program you had written + had failed in some surprising way and you felt dumb for not having + anticipated it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chomper, Next:[2632]CHOP, Previous:[2633]chomp, Up:[2634]= C = + + chomper n. + + Someone or something that is chomping; a loser. See [2635]loser, + [2636]bagbiter, [2637]chomp. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CHOP, Next:[2638]Christmas tree, Previous:[2639]chomper, + Up:[2640]= C = + + CHOP /chop/ n. + + [IRC] See [2641]channel op. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Christmas tree, Next:[2642]Christmas tree packet, + Previous:[2643]CHOP, Up:[2644]= C = + + Christmas tree n. + + A kind of RS-232 line tester or breakout box featuring rows of + blinking red and green LEDs suggestive of Christmas lights. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Christmas tree packet, Next:[2645]chrome, + Previous:[2646]Christmas tree, Up:[2647]= C = + + Christmas tree packet n. + + A packet with every single option set for whatever protocol is in use. + See [2648]kamikaze packet, [2649]Chernobyl packet. (The term doubtless + derives from a fanciful image of each little option bit being + represented by a different-colored light bulb, all turned on.) Compare + [2650]Godzillagram. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chrome, Next:[2651]chug, Previous:[2652]Christmas tree packet, + Up:[2653]= C = + + chrome n. + + [from automotive slang via wargaming] Showy features added to attract + users but contributing little or nothing to the power of a system. + "The 3D icons in Motif are just chrome, but they certainly are pretty + chrome!" Distinguished from [2654]bells and whistles by the fact that + the latter are usually added to gratify developers' own desires for + featurefulness. Often used as a term of contempt. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:chug, Next:[2655]Church of the SubGenius, Previous:[2656]chrome, + Up:[2657]= C = + + chug vi. + + To run slowly; to [2658]grind or [2659]grovel. "The disk is chugging + like crazy." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Church of the SubGenius, Next:[2660]Cinderella Book, + Previous:[2661]chug, Up:[2662]= C = + + Church of the SubGenius n. + + A mutant offshoot of [2663]Discordianism launched in 1981 as a spoof + of fundamentalist Christianity by the `Reverend' Ivan Stang, a + brilliant satirist with a gift for promotion. Popular among hackers as + a rich source of bizarre imagery and references such as "Bob" the + divine drilling-equipment salesman, the Benevolent Space Xists, and + the Stark Fist of Removal. Much SubGenius theory is concerned with the + acquisition of the mystical substance or quality of [2664]slack. There + is a home page at [2665]http://www.subgenius.com/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Cinderella Book, Next:[2666]CI$, Previous:[2667]Church of the + SubGenius, Up:[2668]= C = + + Cinderella Book [CMU] n. + + "Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation", by John + Hopcroft and Jeffrey Ullman, (Addison-Wesley, 1979). So called because + the cover depicts a girl (putatively Cinderella) sitting in front of a + Rube Goldberg device and holding a rope coming out of it. On the back + cover, the device is in shambles after she has (inevitably) pulled on + the rope. See also [2669]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CI$, Next:[2670]Classic C, Previous:[2671]Cinderella Book, + Up:[2672]= C = + + CI$ // n. + + Hackerism for `CIS', CompuServe Information Service. The dollar sign + refers to CompuServe's rather steep line charges. Often used in + [2673]sig blocks just before a CompuServe address. Syn. + [2674]Compu$erve. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Classic C, Next:[2675]clean, Previous:[2676]CI$, Up:[2677]= C = + + Classic C /klas'ik C/ n. + + [a play on `Coke Classic'] The C programming language as defined in + the first edition of [2678]K&R, with some small additions. It is also + known as `K&R C'. The name came into use while C was being + standardized by the ANSI X3J11 committee. Also `C Classic'. + + An analogous construction is sometimes applied elsewhere: thus, `X + Classic', where X = Star Trek (referring to the original TV series) or + X = PC (referring to IBM's ISA-bus machines as opposed to the PS/2 + series). This construction is especially used of product series in + which the newer versions are considered serious losers relative to the + older ones. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clean, Next:[2679]CLM, Previous:[2680]Classic C, Up:[2681]= C = + + clean 1. adj. + + Used of hardware or software designs, implies `elegance in the small', + that is, a design or implementation that may not hold any surprises + but does things in a way that is reasonably intuitive and relatively + easy to comprehend from the outside. The antonym is `grungy' or + [2682]crufty. 2. v. To remove unneeded or undesired files in a effort + to reduce clutter: "I'm cleaning up my account." "I cleaned up the + garbage and now have 100 Meg free on that partition." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CLM, Next:[2683]clobber, Previous:[2684]clean, Up:[2685]= C = + + CLM /C-L-M/ + + [Sun: `Career Limiting Move'] 1. n. An action endangering one's future + prospects of getting plum projects and raises, and possibly one's job: + "His Halloween costume was a parody of his manager. He won the prize + for `best CLM'." 2. adj. Denotes extreme severity of a bug, discovered + by a customer and obviously missed earlier because of poor testing: + "That's a CLM bug!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clobber, Next:[2686]clock, Previous:[2687]CLM, Up:[2688]= C = + + clobber vt. + + To overwrite, usually unintentionally: "I walked off the end of the + array and clobbered the stack." Compare [2689]mung, [2690]scribble, + [2691]trash, and [2692]smash the stack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clock, Next:[2693]clocks, Previous:[2694]clobber, Up:[2695]= C = + + clock + + 1. n 1. [techspeak] The master oscillator that steps a CPU or other + digital circuit through its paces. This has nothing to do with the + time of day, although the software counter that keeps track of the + latter may be derived from the former. 2. vt. To run a CPU or other + digital circuit at a particular rate. "If you clock it at 100MHz, it + gets warm.". See [2696]overclock. 3. vt. To force a digital circuit + from one state to the next by applying a single clock pulse. "The data + must be stable 10ns before you clock the latch." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clocks, Next:[2697]clone, Previous:[2698]clock, Up:[2699]= C = + + clocks n. + + Processor logic cycles, so called because each generally corresponds + to one clock pulse in the processor's timing. The relative execution + times of instructions on a machine are usually discussed in clocks + rather than absolute fractions of a second; one good reason for this + is that clock speeds for various models of the machine may increase as + technology improves, and it is usually the relative times one is + interested in when discussing the instruction set. Compare + [2700]cycle, [2701]jiffy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clone, Next:[2702]clone-and-hack coding, Previous:[2703]clocks, + Up:[2704]= C = + + clone n. + + 1. An exact duplicate: "Our product is a clone of their product." + Implies a legal reimplementation from documentation or by + reverse-engineering. Also connotes lower price. 2. A shoddy, spurious + copy: "Their product is a clone of our product." 3. A blatant ripoff, + most likely violating copyright, patent, or trade secret protections: + "Your product is a clone of my product." This use implies legal action + is pending. 4. `PC clone:' a PC-BUS/ISA or EISA-compatible 80x86-based + microcomputer (this use is sometimes spelled `klone' or `PClone'). + These invariably have much more bang for the buck than the IBM + archetypes they resemble. 5. In the construction `Unix clone': An OS + designed to deliver a Unix-lookalike environment without Unix license + fees, or with additional `mission-critical' features such as support + for real-time programming. 6. v. To make an exact copy of something. + "Let me clone that" might mean "I want to borrow that paper so I can + make a photocopy" or "Let me get a copy of that file before you + [2705]mung it". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clone-and-hack coding, Next:[2706]clover key, + Previous:[2707]clone, Up:[2708]= C = + + clone-and-hack coding n. + + [DEC] Syn. [2709]case and paste. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clover key, Next:[2710]clue-by-four, + Previous:[2711]clone-and-hack coding, Up:[2712]= C = + + clover key n. + + [Mac users] See [2713]feature key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clue-by-four, Next:[2714]clustergeeking, Previous:[2715]clover + key, Up:[2716]= C = + + clue-by-four + + [Usenet: portmanteau, clue + two-by-four] The notional stick with + which one whacks an aggressively clueless person. This term derives + from a western American folk saying about training a mule "First, you + got to hit him with a two-by-four. That's to get his attention." The + clue-by-four is a close relative of the [2717]LART. Syn. `clue stick'. + This metaphor is commonly elaborated; your editor once heard a hacker + say "I strike you with the great sword Clue-Bringer!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:clustergeeking, Next:[2718]co-lo, Previous:[2719]clue-by-four, + Up:[2720]= C = + + clustergeeking /kluh'st*r-gee`king/ n. + + [CMU] Spending more time at a computer cluster doing CS homework than + most people spend breathing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:co-lo, Next:[2721]coaster, Previous:[2722]clustergeeking, + Up:[2723]= C = + + co-lo /koh'loh`/ n. + + [very common; first heard c.1995] Short for `co-location', used of a + machine you own that is physically sited on the premises of an ISP in + order to take advantage of the ISP's direct access to lots of network + bandwidthm. Often in the phrases `co-lo box' or `co-lo machines'. + Co-lo boxes are typically web and FTP servers remote-administered by + their owners, who may seldom or never visit the actual site. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:coaster, Next:[2724]COBOL, Previous:[2725]co-lo, Up:[2726]= C = + + coaster n. + + 1. Unuseable CD produced during failed attempt at writing to writeable + or re-writeable CD media. Certainly related to the coaster-like shape + of a CD, and the relative value of these failures. "I made a lot of + coasters before I got a good CD." 2. Useless CDs received in the mail + from the likes of AOL, MSN, CI$, Prodigy, ad nauseam. + + In the U.K., `beermat' is often used in these senses. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:COBOL, Next:[2727]COBOL fingers, Previous:[2728]coaster, + Up:[2729]= C = + + COBOL /koh'bol/ n. + + [COmmon Business-Oriented Language] (Synonymous with [2730]evil.) A + weak, verbose, and flabby language used by [2731]card wallopers to do + boring mindless things on [2732]dinosaur mainframes. Hackers believe + that all COBOL programmers are [2733]suits or [2734]code grinders, and + no self-respecting hacker will ever admit to having learned the + language. Its very name is seldom uttered without ritual expressions + of disgust or horror. One popular one is Edsger W. Dijkstra's famous + observation that "The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching + should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense." (from "Selected + Writings on Computing: A Personal Perspective") See also [2735]fear + and loathing, [2736]software rot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:COBOL fingers, Next:[2737]cobweb site, Previous:[2738]COBOL, + Up:[2739]= C = + + COBOL fingers /koh'bol fing'grz/ n. + + Reported from Sweden, a (hypothetical) disease one might get from + coding in COBOL. The language requires code verbose beyond all reason + (see [2740]candygrammar); thus it is alleged that programming too much + in COBOL causes one's fingers to wear down to stubs by the endless + typing. "I refuse to type in all that source code again; it would give + me COBOL fingers!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cobweb site, Next:[2741]code, Previous:[2742]COBOL fingers, + Up:[2743]= C = + + cobweb site n. + + A World Wide Web Site that hasn't been updated so long it has + figuratively grown cobwebs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:code, Next:[2744]code grinder, Previous:[2745]cobweb site, + Up:[2746]= C = + + code n. + + The stuff that software writers write, either in source form or after + translation by a compiler or assembler. Often used in opposition to + "data", which is the stuff that code operates on. This is a mass noun, + as in "How much code does it take to do a [2747]bubble sort?", or "The + code is loaded at the high end of RAM." Anyone referring to software + as "the software codes" is probably a [2748]newbie or a [2749]suit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:code grinder, Next:[2750]code monkey, Previous:[2751]code, + Up:[2752]= C = + + code grinder n. + + 1. A [2753]suit-wearing minion of the sort hired in legion strength by + banks and insurance companies to implement payroll packages in RPG and + other such unspeakable horrors. In its native habitat, the code + grinder often removes the suit jacket to reveal an underplumage + consisting of button-down shirt (starch optional) and a tie. In times + of dire stress, the sleeves (if long) may be rolled up and the tie + loosened about half an inch. It seldom helps. The [2754]code grinder's + milieu is about as far from hackerdom as one can get and still touch a + computer; the term connotes pity. See [2755]Real World, [2756]suit. 2. + Used of or to a hacker, a really serious slur on the person's creative + ability; connotes a design style characterized by primitive technique, + rule-boundedness, [2757]brute force, and utter lack of imagination. + Compare [2758]card walloper; contrast [2759]hacker, [2760]Real + Programmer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:code monkey, Next:[2761]Code of the Geeks, Previous:[2762]code + grinder, Up:[2763]= C = + + code monkey n + + 1. A person only capable of grinding out code, but unable to perform + the higher-primate tasks of software architecture, analysis, and + design. Mildly insulting. Often applied to the most junior people on a + programming team. 2. Anyone who writes code for a living; a + programmer. 3. A self-deprecating way of denying responsibility for a + [2764]management decision, or of complaining about having to live with + such decisions. As in "Don't ask me why we need to write a compiler + in+COBOL, I'm just a code monkey." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Code of the Geeks, Next:[2765]code police, Previous:[2766]code + monkey, Up:[2767]= C = + + Code of the Geeks n. + + see [2768]geek code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:code police, Next:[2769]codes, Previous:[2770]Code of the Geeks, + Up:[2771]= C = + + code police n. + + [by analogy with George Orwell's `thought police'] A mythical team of + Gestapo-like storm troopers that might burst into one's office and + arrest one for violating programming style rules. May be used either + seriously, to underline a claim that a particular style violation is + dangerous, or ironically, to suggest that the practice under + discussion is condemned mainly by anal-retentive [2772]weenies. "Dike + out that goto or the code police will get you!" The ironic usage is + perhaps more common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:codes, Next:[2773]codewalker, Previous:[2774]code police, + Up:[2775]= C = + + codes n. + + [scientific computing] Programs. This usage is common in people who + hack supercomputers and heavy-duty [2776]number-crunching, rare to + unknown elsewhere (if you say "codes" to hackers outside scientific + computing, their first association is likely to be "and cyphers"). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:codewalker, Next:[2777]coefficient of X, Previous:[2778]codes, + Up:[2779]= C = + + codewalker n. + + A program component that traverses other programs for a living. + Compilers have codewalkers in their front ends; so do cross-reference + generators and some database front ends. Other utility programs that + try to do too much with source code may turn into codewalkers. As in + "This new vgrind feature would require a codewalker to implement." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:coefficient of X, Next:[2780]cokebottle, + Previous:[2781]codewalker, Up:[2782]= C = + + coefficient of X n. + + Hackish speech makes heavy use of pseudo-mathematical metaphors. Four + particularly important ones involve the terms `coefficient', `factor', + `index of X', and `quotient'. They are often loosely applied to things + you cannot really be quantitative about, but there are subtle + distinctions among them that convey information about the way the + speaker mentally models whatever he or she is describing. + + `Foo factor' and `foo quotient' tend to describe something for which + the issue is one of presence or absence. The canonical example is + [2783]fudge factor. It's not important how much you're fudging; the + term simply acknowledges that some fudging is needed. You might talk + of liking a movie for its silliness factor. Quotient tends to imply + that the property is a ratio of two opposing factors: "I would have + won except for my luck quotient." This could also be "I would have won + except for the luck factor", but using quotient emphasizes that it was + bad luck overpowering good luck (or someone else's good luck + overpowering your own). + + `Foo index' and `coefficient of foo' both tend to imply that foo is, + if not strictly measurable, at least something that can be larger or + smaller. Thus, you might refer to a paper or person as having a `high + bogosity index', whereas you would be less likely to speak of a `high + bogosity factor'. `Foo index' suggests that foo is a condensation of + many quantities, as in the mundane cost-of-living index; `coefficient + of foo' suggests that foo is a fundamental quantity, as in a + coefficient of friction. The choice between these terms is often one + of personal preference; e.g., some people might feel that bogosity is + a fundamental attribute and thus say `coefficient of bogosity', + whereas others might feel it is a combination of factors and thus say + `bogosity index'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cokebottle, Next:[2784]cold boot, Previous:[2785]coefficient of + X, Up:[2786]= C = + + cokebottle /kohk'bot-l/ n. + + Any very unusual character, particularly one you can't type because it + isn't on your keyboard. MIT people used to complain about the + `control-meta-cokebottle' commands at SAIL, and SAIL people complained + right back about the `escape-escape-cokebottle' commands at MIT. After + the demise of the [2787]space-cadet keyboard, `cokebottle' faded away + as serious usage, but was often invoked humorously to describe an + (unspecified) weird or non-intuitive keystroke command. It may be due + for a second inning, however. The OSF/Motif window manager, mwm(1), + has a reserved keystroke for switching to the default set of + keybindings and behavior. This keystroke is (believe it or not) + `control-meta-bang' (see [2788]bang). Since the exclamation point + looks a lot like an upside down Coke bottle, Motif hackers have begun + referring to this keystroke as `cokebottle'. See also [2789]quadruple + bucky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cold boot, Next:[2790]COME FROM, Previous:[2791]cokebottle, + Up:[2792]= C = + + cold boot n. + + See [2793]boot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:COME FROM, Next:[2794]comm mode, Previous:[2795]cold boot, + Up:[2796]= C = + + COME FROM n. + + A semi-mythical language construct dual to the `go to'; COME FROM + <label> would cause the referenced label to act as a sort of trapdoor, + so that if the program ever reached it control would quietly and + [2797]automagically be transferred to the statement following the COME + FROM. COME FROM was first proposed in R. Lawrence Clark's "A + Linguistic Contribution to GOTO-less programming", which appeared in a + 1973 [2798]Datamation issue (and was reprinted in the April 1984 issue + of "Communications of the ACM"). This parodied the then-raging + `structured programming' [2799]holy wars (see [2800]considered + harmful). Mythically, some variants are the `assigned COME FROM' and + the `computed COME FROM' (parodying some nasty control constructs in + FORTRAN and some extended BASICs). Of course, multi-tasking (or + non-determinism) could be implemented by having more than one COME + FROM statement coming from the same label. + + In some ways the FORTRAN DO looks like a COME FROM statement. After + the terminating statement number/CONTINUE is reached, control + continues at the statement following the DO. Some generous FORTRANs + would allow arbitrary statements (other than CONTINUE) for the + statement, leading to examples like: + DO 10 I=1,LIMIT +C imagine many lines of code here, leaving the +C original DO statement lost in the spaghetti... + WRITE(6,10) I,FROB(I) + 10 FORMAT(1X,I5,G10.4) + + in which the trapdoor is just after the statement labeled 10. (This is + particularly surprising because the label doesn't appear to have + anything to do with the flow of control at all!) + + While sufficiently astonishing to the unsuspecting reader, this form + of COME FROM statement isn't completely general. After all, control + will eventually pass to the following statement. The implementation of + the general form was left to Univac FORTRAN, ca. 1975 (though a + roughly similar feature existed on the IBM 7040 ten years earlier). + The statement AT 100 would perform a COME FROM 100. It was intended + strictly as a debugging aid, with dire consequences promised to anyone + so deranged as to use it in production code. More horrible things had + already been perpetrated in production languages, however; doubters + need only contemplate the ALTER verb in [2801]COBOL. + + COME FROM was supported under its own name for the first time 15 years + later, in C-INTERCAL (see [2802]INTERCAL, [2803]retrocomputing); + knowledgeable observers are still reeling from the shock. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:comm mode, Next:[2804]command key, Previous:[2805]COME FROM, + Up:[2806]= C = + + comm mode /kom mohd/ n. + + [ITS: from the feature supporting on-line chat; the term may spelled + with one or two m's] Syn. for [2807]talk mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:command key, Next:[2808]comment out, Previous:[2809]comm mode, + Up:[2810]= C = + + command key n. + + [Mac users] Syn. [2811]feature key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:comment out, Next:[2812]Commonwealth Hackish, + Previous:[2813]command key, Up:[2814]= C = + + comment out vt. + + To surround a section of code with comment delimiters or to prefix + every line in the section with a comment marker; this prevents it from + being compiled or interpreted. Often done when the code is redundant + or obsolete, but is being left in the source to make the intent of the + active code clearer; also when the code in that section is broken and + you want to bypass it in order to debug some other part of the code. + Compare [2815]condition out, usually the preferred technique in + languages (such as [2816]C) that make it possible. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Commonwealth Hackish, Next:[2817]compact, Previous:[2818]comment + out, Up:[2819]= C = + + Commonwealth Hackish n. + + Hacker jargon as spoken in English outside the U.S., esp. in the + British Commonwealth. It is reported that Commonwealth speakers are + more likely to pronounce truncations like `char' and `soc', etc., as + spelled (/char/, /sok/), as opposed to American /keir/ and /sohsh/. + Dots in [2820]newsgroup names (especially two-component names) tend to + be pronounced more often (so soc.wibble is /sok dot wib'l/ rather than + /sohsh wib'l/). + + Preferred [2821]metasyntactic variables include [2822]blurgle, eek, + ook, frodo, and bilbo; [2823]wibble, wobble, and in emergencies + wubble; flob, banana, tom, dick, harry, wombat, frog, [2824]fish, + [2825]womble and so on and on (see [2826]foo, sense 4). Alternatives + to verb doubling include suffixes `-o-rama', `frenzy' (as in feeding + frenzy), and `city' (examples: "barf city!" "hack-o-rama!" "core dump + frenzy!"). + + All the generic differences within the anglophone world inevitably + show themselves in the associated hackish dialects. The Greek letters + beta and zeta are usually pronounced /bee't*/ and /zee't*/; meta may + also be pronounced /mee't*/. Various punctuators (and even letters - Z + is called `zed', not `zee') are named differently: most crucially, for + hackish, where Americans use `parens', `brackets' and `braces' for (), + [] and {}, Commonwealth English uses `brackets', `square brackets' and + `curly brackets', though `parentheses' may be used for the first; the + exclamation mark, `!', is called pling rather than bang and the pound + sign, `#', is called hash; furthermore, the term `the pound sign' is + understood to mean the pound currency symbol (of course). + + See also [2827]attoparsec, [2828]calculator, [2829]chemist, + [2830]console jockey, [2831]fish, [2832]go-faster stripes, + [2833]grunge, [2834]hakspek, [2835]heavy metal, [2836]leaky heap, + [2837]lord high fixer, [2838]loose bytes, [2839]muddie, [2840]nadger, + [2841]noddy, [2842]psychedelicware, [2843]plingnet, [2844]raster + blaster, [2845]RTBM, [2846]seggie, [2847]spod, [2848]sun lounge, + [2849]terminal junkie, [2850]tick-list features, [2851]weeble, + [2852]weasel, [2853]YABA, and notes or definitions under [2854]Bad + Thing, [2855]barf, [2856]bogus, [2857]bum, [2858]chase pointers, + [2859]cosmic rays, [2860]crippleware, [2861]crunch, [2862]dodgy, + [2863]gonk, [2864]hamster, [2865]hardwarily, [2866]mess-dos, + [2867]nybble, [2868]proglet, [2869]root, [2870]SEX, [2871]tweak, + [2872]womble, and [2873]xyzzy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:compact, Next:[2874]compiler jock, Previous:[2875]Commonwealth + Hackish, Up:[2876]= C = + + compact adj. + + Of a design, describes the valuable property that it can all be + apprehended at once in one's head. This generally means the thing + created from the design can be used with greater facility and fewer + errors than an equivalent tool that is not compact. Compactness does + not imply triviality or lack of power; for example, C is compact and + FORTRAN is not, but C is more powerful than FORTRAN. Designs become + non-compact through accreting [2877]features and [2878]cruft that + don't merge cleanly into the overall design scheme (thus, some fans of + [2879]Classic C maintain that ANSI C is no longer compact). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:compiler jock, Next:[2880]compo, Previous:[2881]compact, + Up:[2882]= C = + + compiler jock n. + + See [2883]jock (sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:compo, Next:[2884]compress, Previous:[2885]compiler jock, + Up:[2886]= C = + + compo n. + + [[2887]demoscene] Finnish-originated slang for `competition'. Demo + compos are held at a [2888]demoparty. The usual protocol is that + several groups make demos for a compo, they are shown on a big screen, + and then the party participants vote for the best one. Prizes (from + sponsors and party entrance fees) are given. Standard compo formats + include [2889]intro compos (4k or 64k demos), music compos, graphics + compos, quick [2890]demo compos (build a demo within 4 hours for + example), etc. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:compress, Next:[2891]Compu$erve, Previous:[2892]compo, Up:[2893]= + C = + + compress [Unix] vt. + + When used without a qualifier, generally refers to [2894]crunching of + a file using a particular C implementation of compression by Joseph M. + Orost et al. and widely circulated via [2895]Usenet; use of + [2896]crunch itself in this sense is rare among Unix hackers. + Specifically, compress is built around the Lempel-Ziv-Welch algorithm + as described in "A Technique for High Performance Data Compression", + Terry A. Welch, "IEEE Computer", vol. 17, no. 6 (June 1984), pp. 8-19. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Compu$erve, Next:[2897]computer confetti, + Previous:[2898]compress, Up:[2899]= C = + + Compu$erve n. + + See [2900]CI$. Synonyms CompuSpend and Compu$pend are also reported. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:computer confetti, Next:[2901]computer geek, + Previous:[2902]Compu$erve, Up:[2903]= C = + + computer confetti n. + + Syn. [2904]chad. Though this term is common, this use of punched-card + chad is not a good idea, as the pieces are stiff and have sharp + corners that could injure the eyes. GLS reports that he once attended + a wedding at MIT during which he and a few other guests + enthusiastically threw chad instead of rice. The groom later grumbled + that he and his bride had spent most of the evening trying to get the + stuff out of their hair. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:computer geek, Next:[2905]computron, Previous:[2906]computer + confetti, Up:[2907]= C = + + computer geek n. + + 1. One who eats (computer) bugs for a living. One who fulfills all the + dreariest negative stereotypes about hackers: an asocial, malodorous, + pasty-faced monomaniac with all the personality of a cheese grater. + Cannot be used by outsiders without implied insult to all hackers; + compare black-on-black vs. white-on-black usage of `nigger'. A + computer geek may be either a fundamentally clueless individual or a + proto-hacker in [2908]larval stage. Also called `turbo nerd', `turbo + geek'. See also [2909]propeller head, [2910]clustergeeking, [2911]geek + out, [2912]wannabee, [2913]terminal junkie, [2914]spod, [2915]weenie. + 2. Some self-described computer geeks use this term in a positive + sense and protest sense 1 (this seems to have been a post-1990 + development). For one such argument, see + [2916]http://www.darkwater.com/omni/geek.html. See also [2917]geek + code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:computron, Next:[2918]con, Previous:[2919]computer geek, + Up:[2920]= C = + + computron /kom'pyoo-tron`/ + + n. 1. [common] A notional unit of computing power combining + instruction speed and storage capacity, dimensioned roughly in + instructions-per-second times megabytes-of-main-store times + megabytes-of-mass-storage. "That machine can't run GNU Emacs, it + doesn't have enough computrons!" This usage is usually found in + metaphors that treat computing power as a fungible commodity good, + like a crop yield or diesel horsepower. See [2921]bitty box, [2922]Get + a real computer!, [2923]toy, [2924]crank. 2. A mythical subatomic + particle that bears the unit quantity of computation or information, + in much the same way that an electron bears one unit of electric + charge (see also [2925]bogon). An elaborate pseudo-scientific theory + of computrons has been developed based on the physical fact that the + molecules in a solid object move more rapidly as it is heated. It is + argued that an object melts because the molecules have lost their + information about where they are supposed to be (that is, they have + emitted computrons). This explains why computers get so hot and + require air conditioning; they use up computrons. Conversely, it + should be possible to cool down an object by placing it in the path of + a computron beam. It is believed that this may also explain why + machines that work at the factory fail in the computer room: the + computrons there have been all used up by the other hardware. (The + popularity of this theory probably owes something to the "Warlock" + stories by Larry Niven, the best known being "What Good is a Glass + Dagger?", in which magic is fueled by an exhaustible natural resource + called `mana'.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:con, Next:[2926]condition out, Previous:[2927]computron, + Up:[2928]= C = + + con n. + + [from SF fandom] A science-fiction convention. Not used of other sorts + of conventions, such as professional meetings. This term, unlike many + others imported from SF-fan slang, is widely recognized even by + hackers who aren't [2929]fans. "We'd been corresponding on the net for + months, then we met face-to-face at a con." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:condition out, Next:[2930]condom, Previous:[2931]con, Up:[2932]= + C = + + condition out vt. + + To prevent a section of code from being compiled by surrounding it + with a conditional-compilation directive whose condition is always + false. The [2933]canonical examples of these directives are #if 0 (or + #ifdef notdef, though some find the latter [2934]bletcherous) and + #endif in C. Compare [2935]comment out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:condom, Next:[2936]confuser, Previous:[2937]condition out, + Up:[2938]= C = + + condom n. + + 1. The protective plastic bag that accompanies 3.5-inch microfloppy + diskettes. Rarely, also used of (paper) disk envelopes. Unlike the + write protect tab, the condom (when left on) not only impedes the + practice of [2939]SEX but has also been shown to have a high failure + rate as drive mechanisms attempt to access the disk -- and can even + fatally frustrate insertion. 2. The protective cladding on a + [2940]light pipe. 3. `keyboard condom': A flexible, transparent + plastic cover for a keyboard, designed to provide some protection + against dust and [2941]programming fluid without impeding typing. 4. + `elephant condom': the plastic shipping bags used inside cardboard + boxes to protect hardware in transit. 5. n. obs. A dummy directory + /usr/tmp/sh, created to foil the [2942]Great Worm by exploiting a + portability bug in one of its parts. So named in the title of a + comp.risks article by Gene Spafford during the Worm crisis, and again + in the text of "The Internet Worm Program: An Analysis", Purdue + Technical Report CSD-TR-823. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:confuser, Next:[2943]connector conspiracy, Previous:[2944]condom, + Up:[2945]= C = + + confuser n. + + Common soundalike slang for `computer'. Usually encountered in + compounds such as `confuser room', `personal confuser', `confuser + guru'. Usage: silly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:connector conspiracy, Next:[2946]cons, Previous:[2947]confuser, + Up:[2948]= C = + + connector conspiracy n. + + [probably came into prominence with the appearance of the KL-10 (one + model of the [2949]PDP-10), none of whose connectors matched anything + else] The tendency of manufacturers (or, by extension, programmers or + purveyors of anything) to come up with new products that don't fit + together with the old stuff, thereby making you buy either all new + stuff or expensive interface devices. The KL-10 Massbus connector was + actually patented by [2950]DEC, which reputedly refused to license the + design and thus effectively locked third parties out of competition + for the lucrative Massbus peripherals market. This policy is a source + of never-ending frustration for the diehards who maintain older PDP-10 + or VAX systems. Their CPUs work fine, but they are stuck with dying, + obsolescent disk and tape drives with low capacity and high power + requirements. + + (A closely related phenomenon, with a slightly different intent, is + the habit manufacturers have of inventing new screw heads so that only + Designated Persons, possessing the magic screwdrivers, can remove + covers and make repairs or install options. A good 1990s example is + the use of Torx screws for cable-TV set-top boxes. Older Apple + Macintoshes took this one step further, requiring not only a long Torx + screwdriver but a specialized case-cracking tool to open the box.) + + In these latter days of open-systems computing this term has fallen + somewhat into disuse, to be replaced by the observation that + "Standards are great! There are so many of them to choose from!" + Compare [2951]backward combatability. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cons, Next:[2952]considered harmful, Previous:[2953]connector + conspiracy, Up:[2954]= C = + + cons /konz/ or /kons/ + + [from LISP] 1. vt. To add a new element to a specified list, esp. at + the top. "OK, cons picking a replacement for the console TTY onto the + agenda." 2. `cons up': vt. To synthesize from smaller pieces: "to cons + up an example". + + In LISP itself, cons is the most fundamental operation for building + structures. It takes any two objects and returns a `dot-pair' or + two-branched tree with one object hanging from each branch. Because + the result of a cons is an object, it can be used to build binary + trees of any shape and complexity. Hackers think of it as a sort of + universal constructor, and that is where the jargon meanings spring + from. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:considered harmful, Next:[2955]console, Previous:[2956]cons, + Up:[2957]= C = + + considered harmful adj. + + [very common] Edsger W. Dijkstra's note in the March 1968 + "Communications of the ACM", "Goto Statement Considered Harmful", + fired the first salvo in the structured programming wars (text at + [2958]http://www.acm.org/classics). Amusingly, the ACM considered the + resulting acrimony sufficiently harmful that it will (by policy) no + longer print an article taking so assertive a position against a + coding practice. (Years afterwards, a contrary view was uttered in a + CACM letter called, inevitably, "`Goto considered harmful' considered + harmful'"'. In the ensuing decades, a large number of both serious + papers and parodies have borne titles of the form "X considered Y". + The structured-programming wars eventually blew over with the + realization that both sides were wrong, but use of such titles has + remained as a persistent minor in-joke (the `considered silly' found + at various places in this lexicon is related). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:console, Next:[2959]console jockey, Previous:[2960]considered + harmful, Up:[2961]= C = + + console n. + + 1. The operator's station of a [2962]mainframe. In times past, this + was a privileged location that conveyed godlike powers to anyone with + fingers on its keys. Under Unix and other modern timesharing OSes, + such privileges are guarded by passwords instead, and the console is + just the [2963]tty the system was booted from. Some of the mystique + remains, however, and it is traditional for sysadmins to post urgent + messages to all users from the console (on Unix, /dev/console). 2. On + microcomputer Unix boxes, the main screen and keyboard (as opposed to + character-only terminals talking to a serial port). Typically only the + console can do real graphics or run [2964]X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:console jockey, Next:[2965]content-free, Previous:[2966]console, + Up:[2967]= C = + + console jockey n. + + See [2968]terminal junkie. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:content-free, Next:[2969]control-C, Previous:[2970]console + jockey, Up:[2971]= C = + + content-free adj. + + [by analogy with techspeak `context-free'] Used of a message that adds + nothing to the recipient's knowledge. Though this adjective is + sometimes applied to [2972]flamage, it more usually connotes derision + for communication styles that exalt form over substance or are + centered on concerns irrelevant to the subject ostensibly at hand. + Perhaps most used with reference to speeches by company presidents and + other professional manipulators. "Content-free? Uh... that's anything + printed on glossy paper." (See also [2973]four-color glossies.) "He + gave a talk on the implications of electronic networks for + postmodernism and the fin-de-siecle aesthetic. It was content-free." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:control-C, Next:[2974]control-O, Previous:[2975]content-free, + Up:[2976]= C = + + control-C vi. + + 1. "Stop whatever you are doing." From the interrupt character used on + many operating systems to abort a running program. Considered silly. + 2. interj. Among BSD Unix hackers, the canonical humorous response to + "Give me a break!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:control-O, Next:[2977]control-Q, Previous:[2978]control-C, + Up:[2979]= C = + + control-O vi. + + "Stop talking." From the character used on some operating systems to + abort output but allow the program to keep on running. Generally means + that you are not interested in hearing anything more from that person, + at least on that topic; a standard response to someone who is flaming. + Considered silly. Compare [2980]control-S. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:control-Q, Next:[2981]control-S, Previous:[2982]control-O, + Up:[2983]= C = + + control-Q vi. + + "Resume." From the ASCII DC1 or [2984]XON character (the pronunciation + /X-on/ is therefore also used), used to undo a previous + [2985]control-S. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:control-S, Next:[2986]Conway's Law, Previous:[2987]control-Q, + Up:[2988]= C = + + control-S vi. + + "Stop talking for a second." From the ASCII DC3 or XOFF character (the + pronunciation /X-of/ is therefore also used). Control-S differs from + [2989]control-O in that the person is asked to stop talking (perhaps + because you are on the phone) but will be allowed to continue when + you're ready to listen to him -- as opposed to control-O, which has + more of the meaning of "Shut up." Considered silly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Conway's Law, Next:[2990]cookbook, Previous:[2991]control-S, + Up:[2992]= C = + + Conway's Law prov. + + The rule that the organization of the software and the organization of + the software team will be congruent; commonly stated as "If you have + four groups working on a compiler, you'll get a 4-pass compiler". The + original statement was more general, "Organizations which design + systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the + communication structures of these organizations." This first appeared + in the April 1968 issue of [2993]Datamation. Compare [2994]SNAFU + principle. + + The law was named after Melvin Conway, an early proto-hacker who wrote + an assembler for the Burroughs 220 called SAVE. (The name `SAVE' + didn't stand for anything; it was just that you lost fewer card decks + and listings because they all had SAVE written on them.) + + There is also Tom Cheatham's amendment of Conway's Law: "If a group of + N persons implements a COBOL compiler, there will be N-1 passes. + Someone in the group has to be the manager." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cookbook, Next:[2995]cooked mode, Previous:[2996]Conway's Law, + Up:[2997]= C = + + cookbook n. + + [from amateur electronics and radio] A book of small code segments + that the reader can use to do various [2998]magic things in programs. + One current example is the "[2999]PostScript Language Tutorial and + Cookbook" by Adobe Systems, Inc (Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10179-3), + also known as the [3000]Blue Book which has recipes for things like + wrapping text around arbitrary curves and making 3D fonts. Cookbooks, + slavishly followed, can lead one into [3001]voodoo programming, but + are useful for hackers trying to [3002]monkey up small programs in + unknown languages. This function is analogous to the role of + phrasebooks in human languages. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cooked mode, Next:[3003]cookie, Previous:[3004]cookbook, + Up:[3005]= C = + + cooked mode n. + + [Unix, by opposition from [3006]raw mode] The normal character-input + mode, with interrupts enabled and with erase, kill and other + special-character interpretations performed directly by the tty + driver. Oppose [3007]raw mode, [3008]rare mode. This term is techspeak + under Unix but jargon elsewhere; other operating systems often have + similar mode distinctions, and the raw/rare/cooked way of describing + them has spread widely along with the C language and other Unix + exports. Most generally, `cooked mode' may refer to any mode of a + system that does extensive preprocessing before presenting data to a + program. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cookie, Next:[3009]cookie bear, Previous:[3010]cooked mode, + Up:[3011]= C = + + cookie n. + + A handle, transaction ID, or other token of agreement between + cooperating programs. "I give him a packet, he gives me back a + cookie." The claim check you get from a dry-cleaning shop is a perfect + mundane example of a cookie; the only thing it's useful for is to + relate a later transaction to this one (so you get the same clothes + back). Compare [3012]magic cookie; see also [3013]fortune cookie. Now + mainstream in the specific sense of web-browser cookies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cookie bear, Next:[3014]cookie file, Previous:[3015]cookie, + Up:[3016]= C = + + cookie bear n. obs. + + Original term, pre-Sesame-Street, for what is now universally called a + [3017]cookie monster. A correspondent observes "In those days, hackers + were actually getting their yucks from...sit down now...Andy Williams. + Yes, that Andy Williams. Seems he had a rather hip (by the standards + of the day) TV variety show. One of the best parts of the show was the + recurring `cookie bear' sketch. In these sketches, a guy in a bear + suit tried all sorts of tricks to get a cookie out of Williams. The + sketches would always end with Williams shrieking (and I don't mean + figuratively), `No cookies! Not now, not ever...NEVER!!!' And the bear + would fall down. Great stuff." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cookie file, Next:[3018]cookie jar, Previous:[3019]cookie bear, + Up:[3020]= C = + + cookie file n. + + A collection of [3021]fortune cookies in a format that facilitates + retrieval by a fortune program. There are several different cookie + files in public distribution, and site admins often assemble their own + from various sources including this lexicon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cookie jar, Next:[3022]cookie monster, Previous:[3023]cookie + file, Up:[3024]= C = + + cookie jar n. + + An area of memory set aside for storing [3025]cookies. Most commonly + heard in the Atari ST community; many useful ST programs record their + presence by storing a distinctive [3026]magic number in the jar. + Programs can inquire after the presence or otherwise of other programs + by searching the contents of the jar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cookie monster, Next:[3027]copious free time, + Previous:[3028]cookie jar, Up:[3029]= C = + + cookie monster n. + + [from the children's TV program "Sesame Street"] Any of a family of + early (1970s) hacks reported on [3030]TOPS-10, [3031]ITS, + [3032]Multics, and elsewhere that would lock up either the victim's + terminal (on a time-sharing machine) or the [3033]console (on a batch + [3034]mainframe), repeatedly demanding "I WANT A COOKIE". The required + responses ranged in complexity from "COOKIE" through "HAVE A COOKIE" + and upward. Folklorist Jan Brunvand (see [3035]FOAF) has described + these programs as urban legends (implying they probably never existed) + but they existed, all right, in several different versions. See also + [3036]wabbit. Interestingly, the term `cookie monster' appears to be a + [3037]retcon; the original term was [3038]cookie bear. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copious free time, Next:[3039]copper, Previous:[3040]cookie + monster, Up:[3041]= C = + + copious free time n. + + [Apple; orig. fr. the intro to Tom Lehrer's song "It Makes A Fellow + Proud To Be A Soldier"] 1. [used ironically to indicate the speaker's + lack of the quantity in question] A mythical schedule slot for + accomplishing tasks held to be unlikely or impossible. Sometimes used + to indicate that the speaker is interested in accomplishing the task, + but believes that the opportunity will not arise. "I'll implement the + automatic layout stuff in my copious free time." 2. [Archly] Time + reserved for bogus or otherwise idiotic tasks, such as implementation + of [3042]chrome, or the stroking of [3043]suits. "I'll get back to him + on that feature in my copious free time." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copper, Next:[3044]copy protection, Previous:[3045]copious free + time, Up:[3046]= C = + + copper n. + + Conventional electron-carrying network cable with a core conductor of + copper -- or aluminum! Opposed to [3047]light pipe or, say, a + short-range microwave link. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copy protection, Next:[3048]copybroke, Previous:[3049]copper, + Up:[3050]= C = + + copy protection n. + + A class of methods for preventing incompetent pirates from stealing + software and legitimate customers from using it. Considered silly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copybroke, Next:[3051]copycenter, Previous:[3052]copy protection, + Up:[3053]= C = + + copybroke /kop'ee-brohk/ adj. + + 1. [play on `copyright'] Used to describe an instance of a + copy-protected program that has been `broken'; that is, a copy with + the copy-protection scheme disabled. Syn. [3054]copywronged. 2. + Copy-protected software which is unusable because of some bit-rot or + bug that has confused the anti-piracy check. See also [3055]copy + protection. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copycenter, Next:[3056]copyleft, Previous:[3057]copybroke, + Up:[3058]= C = + + copycenter n. + + [play on `copyright' and `copyleft'] 1. The copyright notice carried + by the various flavors of freeware BSD. According to Kirk McKusick at + BSDCon 1999: "The way it was characterized politically, you had + copyright, which is what the big companies use to lock everything up; + you had copyleft, which is free software's way of making sure they + can't lock it up; and then Berkeley had what we called "copycenter", + which is "take it down to the copy center and make as many copies as + you want". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copyleft, Next:[3059]copyparty, Previous:[3060]copycenter, + Up:[3061]= C = + + copyleft /kop'ee-left/ n. + + [play on `copyright'] 1. The copyright notice (`General Public + License') carried by [3062]GNU [3063]EMACS and other Free Software + Foundation software, granting reuse and reproduction rights to all + comers (but see also [3064]General Public Virus). 2. By extension, any + copyright notice intended to achieve similar aims. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copyparty, Next:[3065]copywronged, Previous:[3066]copyleft, + Up:[3067]= C = + + copyparty n. + + [C64/amiga [3068]demoscene ]A computer party organized so demosceners + can meet other in real life, and to facilitate software copying + (mostly pirated software). The copyparty has become less common as the + Internet makes communication easier. The demoscene has gradually + evolved the [3069]demoparty to replace it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:copywronged, Next:[3070]core, Previous:[3071]copyparty, + Up:[3072]= C = + + copywronged /kop'ee-rongd/ adj. + + [play on `copyright'] Syn. for [3073]copybroke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:core, Next:[3074]core cancer, Previous:[3075]copywronged, + Up:[3076]= C = + + core n. + + Main storage or RAM. Dates from the days of ferrite-core memory; now + archaic as techspeak most places outside IBM, but also still used in + the Unix community and by old-time hackers or those who would sound + like them. Some derived idioms are quite current; `in core', for + example, means `in memory' (as opposed to `on disk'), and both + [3077]core dump and the `core image' or `core file' produced by one + are terms in favor. Some varieties of Commonwealth hackish prefer + [3078]store. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:core cancer, Next:[3079]core dump, Previous:[3080]core, + Up:[3081]= C = + + core cancer n. + + [rare] A process that exhibits a slow but inexorable resource + [3082]leak -- like a cancer, it kills by crowding out productive + `tissue'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:core dump, Next:[3083]core leak, Previous:[3084]core cancer, + Up:[3085]= C = + + core dump n. + + [common [3086]Iron Age jargon, preserved by Unix] 1. [techspeak] A + copy of the contents of [3087]core, produced when a process is aborted + by certain kinds of internal error. 2. By extension, used for humans + passing out, vomiting, or registering extreme shock. "He dumped core. + All over the floor. What a mess." "He heard about X and dumped core." + 3. Occasionally used for a human rambling on pointlessly at great + length; esp. in apology: "Sorry, I dumped core on you". 4. A + recapitulation of knowledge (compare [3088]bits, sense 1). Hence, + spewing all one knows about a topic (syn. [3089]brain dump), esp. in a + lecture or answer to an exam question. "Short, concise answers are + better than core dumps" (from the instructions to an exam at + Columbia). See [3090]core. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:core leak, Next:[3091]Core Wars, Previous:[3092]core dump, + Up:[3093]= C = + + core leak n. + + Syn. [3094]memory leak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Core Wars, Next:[3095]corge, Previous:[3096]core leak, Up:[3097]= + C = + + Core Wars n. + + A game between `assembler' programs in a machine or machine simulator, + where the objective is to kill your opponent's program by overwriting + it. Popularized in the 1980s by A. K. Dewdney's column in "Scientific + American" magazine, but described in "Software Practice And + Experience" a decade earlier. The game was actually devised and played + by Victor Vyssotsky, Robert Morris Sr., and Doug McIlroy in the early + 1960s (Dennis Ritchie is sometimes incorrectly cited as a co-author, + but was not involved). Their original game was called `Darwin' and ran + on a IBM 7090 at Bell Labs. See [3098]core. For information on the + modern game, do a web search for the `rec.games.corewar FAQ' or surf + to the [3099]King Of The Hill site. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:corge, Next:[3100]cosmic rays, Previous:[3101]Core Wars, + Up:[3102]= C = + + corge /korj/ n. + + [originally, the name of a cat] Yet another [3103]metasyntactic + variable, invented by Mike Gallaher and propagated by the + [3104]GOSMACS documentation. See [3105]grault. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cosmic rays, Next:[3106]cough and die, Previous:[3107]corge, + Up:[3108]= C = + + cosmic rays n. + + Notionally, the cause of [3109]bit rot. However, this is a + semi-independent usage that may be invoked as a humorous way to + [3110]handwave away any minor [3111]randomness that doesn't seem worth + the bother of investigating. "Hey, Eric -- I just got a burst of + garbage on my [3112]tube, where did that come from?" "Cosmic rays, I + guess." Compare [3113]sunspots, [3114]phase of the moon. The British + seem to prefer the usage `cosmic showers'; `alpha particles' is also + heard, because stray alpha particles passing through a memory chip can + cause single-bit errors (this becomes increasingly more likely as + memory sizes and densities increase). + + Factual note: Alpha particles cause bit rot, cosmic rays do not + (except occasionally in spaceborne computers). Intel could not explain + random bit drops in their early chips, and one hypothesis was cosmic + rays. So they created the World's Largest Lead Safe, using 25 tons of + the stuff, and used two identical boards for testing. One was placed + in the safe, one outside. The hypothesis was that if cosmic rays were + causing the bit drops, they should see a statistically significant + difference between the error rates on the two boards. They did not + observe such a difference. Further investigation demonstrated + conclusively that the bit drops were due to alpha particle emissions + from thorium (and to a much lesser degree uranium) in the + encapsulation material. Since it is impossible to eliminate these + radioactives (they are uniformly distributed through the earth's + crust, with the statistically insignificant exception of uranium + lodes) it became obvious that one has to design memories to withstand + these hits. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cough and die, Next:[3115]courier, Previous:[3116]cosmic rays, + Up:[3117]= C = + + cough and die v. + + Syn. [3118]barf. Connotes that the program is throwing its hands up by + design rather than because of a bug or oversight. "The parser saw a + control-A in its input where it was looking for a printable, so it + coughed and died." Compare [3119]die, [3120]die horribly, [3121]scream + and die. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:courier, Next:[3122]cow orker, Previous:[3123]cough and die, + Up:[3124]= C = + + courier + + [BBS & cracker cultures] A person who distributes newly cracked + [3125]warez, as opposed to a [3126]server who makes them available for + download or a [3127]leech who merely downloads them. Hackers recognize + this term but don't use it themselves, as the act is not part of their + culture. See also [3128]warez d00dz, [3129]cracker, [3130]elite. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cow orker, Next:[3131]cowboy, Previous:[3132]courier, Up:[3133]= + C = + + cow orker n. + + [Usenet] n. fortuitous typo for co-worker, widely used in Usenet, with + perhaps a hint that orking cows is illegal. This term was popularized + by Scott Adams (the creator of [3134]Dilbert) but already appears in + the January 1996 version of the [3135]scary devil monastery FAQ. There + are plausible reports that it was in use on talk.bizarre as early as + 1992. Compare [3136]hing, [3137]grilf, [3138]filk, [3139]newsfroup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cowboy, Next:[3140]CP/M, Previous:[3141]cow orker, Up:[3142]= C = + + cowboy n. + + [Sun, from William Gibson's [3143]cyberpunk SF] Synonym for + [3144]hacker. It is reported that at Sun this word is often said with + reverence. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CP/M, Next:[3145]CPU Wars, Previous:[3146]cowboy, Up:[3147]= C = + + CP/M /C-P-M/ n. + + [Control Program/Monitor; later [3148]retconned to Control Program for + Microcomputers] An early microcomputer [3149]OS written by hacker Gary + Kildall for 8080- and Z80-based machines, very popular in the late + 1970s but virtually wiped out by MS-DOS after the release of the IBM + PC in 1981. Legend has it that Kildall's company blew its chance to + write the OS for the IBM PC because Kildall decided to spend a day + IBM's reps wanted to meet with him enjoying the perfect flying weather + in his private plane. Many of CP/M's features and conventions strongly + resemble those of early [3150]DEC operating systems such as + [3151]TOPS-10, OS/8, RSTS, and RSX-11. See [3152]MS-DOS, + [3153]operating system. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CPU Wars, Next:[3154]crack, Previous:[3155]CP/M, Up:[3156]= C = + + CPU Wars /C-P-U worz/ n. + + A 1979 large-format comic by Chas Andres chronicling the attempts of + the brainwashed androids of IPM (Impossible to Program Machines) to + conquer and destroy the peaceful denizens of HEC (Human Engineered + Computers). This rather transparent allegory featured many references + to [3157]ADVENT and the immortal line "Eat flaming death, minicomputer + mongrels!" (uttered, of course, by an IPM stormtrooper). The whole + shebang is now [3158]available on the Web. + + It is alleged that the author subsequently received a letter of + appreciation on IBM company stationery from the head of IBM's Thomas + J. Watson Research Laboratories (then, as now, one of the few islands + of true hackerdom in the IBM archipelago). The lower loop of the B in + the IBM logo, it is said, had been carefully whited out. See [3159]eat + flaming death. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crack, Next:[3160]crack root, Previous:[3161]CPU Wars, Up:[3162]= + C = + + crack + + [warez d00dz] 1. v. To break into a system (compare [3163]cracker). 2. + v. Action of removing the copy protection from a commercial program. + People who write cracks consider themselves challenged by the copy + protection measures. They will often do it as much to show that they + are smarter than the developper who designed the copy protection + scheme than to actually copy the program. 3. n. A program, + instructions or patch used to remove the copy protection of a program + or to uncripple features from a demo/time limited program. 4. An + [3164]exploit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crack root, Next:[3165]cracker, Previous:[3166]crack, Up:[3167]= + C = + + crack root v. + + [very common] To defeat the security system of a Unix machine and gain + [3168]root privileges thereby; see [3169]cracking. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cracker, Next:[3170]cracking, Previous:[3171]crack root, + Up:[3172]= C = + + cracker n. + + One who breaks security on a system. Coined ca. 1985 by hackers in + defense against journalistic misuse of [3173]hacker (q.v., sense 8). + An earlier attempt to establish `worm' in this sense around 1981-82 on + Usenet was largely a failure. + + Use of both these neologisms reflects a strong revulsion against the + theft and vandalism perpetrated by cracking rings. While it is + expected that any real hacker will have done some playful cracking and + knows many of the basic techniques, anyone past [3174]larval stage is + expected to have outgrown the desire to do so except for immediate, + benign, practical reasons (for example, if it's necessary to get + around some security in order to get some work done). + + Thus, there is far less overlap between hackerdom and crackerdom than + the [3175]mundane reader misled by sensationalistic journalism might + expect. Crackers tend to gather in small, tight-knit, very secretive + groups that have little overlap with the huge, open poly-culture this + lexicon describes; though crackers often like to describe themselves + as hackers, most true hackers consider them a separate and lower form + of life. + + Ethical considerations aside, hackers figure that anyone who can't + imagine a more interesting way to play with their computers than + breaking into someone else's has to be pretty [3176]losing. Some other + reasons crackers are looked down on are discussed in the entries on + [3177]cracking and [3178]phreaking. See also [3179]samurai, + [3180]dark-side hacker, and [3181]hacker ethic. For a portrait of the + typical teenage cracker, see [3182]warez d00dz. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cracking, Next:[3183]crank, Previous:[3184]cracker, Up:[3185]= C + = + + cracking n. + + [very common] The act of breaking into a computer system; what a + [3186]cracker does. Contrary to widespread myth, this does not usually + involve some mysterious leap of hackerly brilliance, but rather + persistence and the dogged repetition of a handful of fairly + well-known tricks that exploit common weaknesses in the security of + target systems. Accordingly, most crackers are only mediocre hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crank, Next:[3187]crapplet, Previous:[3188]cracking, Up:[3189]= C + = + + crank vt. + + [from automotive slang] Verb used to describe the performance of a + machine, especially sustained performance. "This box cranks (or, + cranks at) about 6 megaflops, with a burst mode of twice that on + vectorized operations." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crapplet, Next:[3190]CrApTeX, Previous:[3191]crank, Up:[3192]= C + = + + crapplet n. + + [portmanteau, crap + applet] A worthless applet, esp. a Java widget + attached to a web page that doesn't work or even crashes your browser. + Also spelled `craplet'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CrApTeX, Next:[3193]crash, Previous:[3194]crapplet, Up:[3195]= C + = + + CrApTeX /krap'tekh/ n. + + [University of York, England] Term of abuse used to describe TeX and + LaTeX when they don't work (when used by TeXhackers), or all the time + (by everyone else). The non-TeX-enthusiasts generally dislike it + because it is more verbose than other formatters (e.g. [3196]troff) + and because (particularly if the standard Computer Modern fonts are + used) it generates vast output files. See [3197]religious issues, + [3198]TeX. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crash, Next:[3199]crash and burn, Previous:[3200]CrApTeX, + Up:[3201]= C = + + crash + + 1. n. A sudden, usually drastic failure. Most often said of the + [3202]system (q.v., sense 1), esp. of magnetic disk drives (the term + originally described what happens when the air gap of a hard disk + collapses). "Three [3203]lusers lost their files in last night's disk + crash." A disk crash that involves the read/write heads dropping onto + the surface of the disks and scraping off the oxide may also be + referred to as a `head crash', whereas the term `system crash' + usually, though not always, implies that the operating system or other + software was at fault. 2. v. To fail suddenly. "Has the system just + crashed?" "Something crashed the OS!" See [3204]down. Also used + transitively to indicate the cause of the crash (usually a person or a + program, or both). "Those idiots playing [3205]SPACEWAR crashed the + system." 3. vi. Sometimes said of people hitting the sack after a long + [3206]hacking run; see [3207]gronk out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crash and burn, Next:[3208]crawling horror, Previous:[3209]crash, + Up:[3210]= C = + + crash and burn vi.,n. + + A spectacular crash, in the mode of the conclusion of the car-chase + scene in the movie "Bullitt" and many subsequent imitators (compare + [3211]die horribly). Sun-3 monitors losing the flyback transformer and + lightning strikes on VAX-11/780 backplanes are notable crash and burn + generators. The construction `crash-and-burn machine' is reported for + a computer used exclusively for alpha or [3212]beta testing, or + reproducing bugs (i.e., not for development). The implication is that + it wouldn't be such a disaster if that machine crashed, since only the + testers would be inconvenienced. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crawling horror, Next:[3213]cray, Previous:[3214]crash and burn, + Up:[3215]= C = + + crawling horror n. + + Ancient crufty hardware or software that is kept obstinately alive by + forces beyond the control of the hackers at a site. Like [3216]dusty + deck or [3217]gonkulator, but connotes that the thing described is not + just an irritation but an active menace to health and sanity. "Mostly + we code new stuff in C, but they pay us to maintain one big FORTRAN II + application from nineteen-sixty-X that's a real crawling horror...." + Compare [3218]WOMBAT. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cray, Next:[3219]cray instability, Previous:[3220]crawling + horror, Up:[3221]= C = + + cray /kray/ n. + + 1. (properly, capitalized) One of the line of supercomputers designed + by Cray Research. 2. Any supercomputer at all. 3. The [3222]canonical + [3223]number-crunching machine. + + The term is actually the lowercased last name of Seymour Cray, a noted + computer architect and co-founder of the company. Numerous vivid + legends surround him, some true and some admittedly invented by Cray + Research brass to shape their corporate culture and image. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cray instability, Next:[3224]crayola, Previous:[3225]cray, + Up:[3226]= C = + + cray instability n. + + 1. A shortcoming of a program or algorithm that manifests itself only + when a large problem is being run on a powerful machine (see + [3227]cray). Generally more subtle than bugs that can be detected in + smaller problems running on a workstation or mini. 2. More + specifically, a shortcoming of algorithms which are well behaved when + run on gentle floating point hardware (such as IEEE-standard or + PDP-series machines) but which break down badly when exposed to a + Cray's unique `rounding' rules. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crayola, Next:[3228]crayola books, Previous:[3229]cray + instability, Up:[3230]= C = + + crayola /kray-oh'l*/ n. + + A super-mini or -micro computer that provides some reasonable + percentage of supercomputer performance for an unreasonably low price. + Might also be a [3231]killer micro. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crayola books, Next:[3232]crayon, Previous:[3233]crayola, + Up:[3234]= C = + + crayola books n. + + The [3235]rainbow series of National Computer Security Center (NCSC) + computer security standards (see [3236]Orange Book). Usage: humorous + and/or disparaging. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crayon, Next:[3237]creationism, Previous:[3238]crayola books, + Up:[3239]= C = + + crayon n. + + 1. Someone who works on Cray supercomputers. More specifically, it + implies a programmer, probably of the CDC ilk, probably male, and + almost certainly wearing a tie (irrespective of gender). Systems types + who have a Unix background tend not to be described as crayons. 2. + Formerly, anyone who worked for Cray Research; since the buyout by + SGI, anyone they inherited from Cray. 3. A [3240]computron (sense 2) + that participates only in [3241]number-crunching. 4. A unit of + computational power equal to that of a single Cray-1. There is a + standard joke about this usage that derives from an old Crayola crayon + promotional gimmick: When you buy 64 crayons you get a free sharpener. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:creationism, Next:[3242]creep, Previous:[3243]crayon, Up:[3244]= + C = + + creationism n. + + The (false) belief that large, innovative software designs can be + completely specified in advance and then painlessly magicked out of + the void by the normal efforts of a team of normally talented + programmers. In fact, experience has shown repeatedly that good + designs arise only from evolutionary, exploratory interaction between + one (or at most a small handful of) exceptionally able designer(s) and + an active user population -- and that the first try at a big new idea + is always wrong. Unfortunately, because these truths don't fit the + planning models beloved of [3245]management, they are generally + ignored. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:creep, Next:[3246]creeping elegance, Previous:[3247]creationism, + Up:[3248]= C = + + creep v. + + To advance, grow, or multiply inexorably. In hackish usage this verb + has overtones of menace and silliness, evoking the creeping horrors of + low-budget monster movies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:creeping elegance, Next:[3249]creeping featurism, + Previous:[3250]creep, Up:[3251]= C = + + creeping elegance n. + + Describes a tendency for parts of a design to become [3252]elegant + past the point of diminishing return, something which often happens at + the expense of the less interesting parts of the design, the schedule, + and other things deemed important in the [3253]Real World. See also + [3254]creeping featurism, [3255]second-system effect, [3256]tense. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:creeping featurism, Next:[3257]creeping featuritis, + Previous:[3258]creeping elegance, Up:[3259]= C = + + creeping featurism /kree'ping fee'chr-izm/ n. + + [common] 1. Describes a systematic tendency to load more [3260]chrome + and [3261]features onto systems at the expense of whatever elegance + they may have possessed when originally designed. See also + [3262]feeping creaturism. "You know, the main problem with [3263]BSD + Unix has always been creeping featurism." 2. More generally, the + tendency for anything complicated to become even more complicated + because people keep saying "Gee, it would be even better if it had + this feature too". (See [3264]feature.) The result is usually a + patchwork because it grew one ad-hoc step at a time, rather than being + planned. Planning is a lot of work, but it's easy to add just one + extra little feature to help someone ... and then another ... and + another.... When creeping featurism gets out of hand, it's like a + cancer. Usually this term is used to describe computer programs, but + it could also be said of the federal government, the IRS 1040 form, + and new cars. A similar phenomenon sometimes afflicts conscious + redesigns; see [3265]second-system effect. See also [3266]creeping + elegance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:creeping featuritis, Next:[3267]cretin, Previous:[3268]creeping + featurism, Up:[3269]= C = + + creeping featuritis /kree'ping fee'-chr-i:`t*s/ n. + + Variant of [3270]creeping featurism, with its own spoonerization: + `feeping creaturitis'. Some people like to reserve this form for the + disease as it actually manifests in software or hardware, as opposed + to the lurking general tendency in designers' minds. (After all, -ism + means `condition' or `pursuit of', whereas -itis usually means + `inflammation of'.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cretin, Next:[3271]cretinous, Previous:[3272]creeping featuritis, + Up:[3273]= C = + + cretin /kret'in/ or /kree'tn/ n. + + Congenital [3274]loser; an obnoxious person; someone who can't do + anything right. It has been observed that many American hackers tend + to favor the British pronunciation /kret'in/ over standard American + /kree'tn/; it is thought this may be due to the insidious phonetic + influence of Monty Python's Flying Circus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cretinous, Next:[3275]crippleware, Previous:[3276]cretin, + Up:[3277]= C = + + cretinous /kret'n-*s/ or /kreet'n-*s/ adj. + + Wrong; stupid; non-functional; very poorly designed. Also used + pejoratively of people. See [3278]dread high-bit disease for an + example. Approximate synonyms: [3279]bletcherous, [3280]bagbiting + [3281]losing, [3282]brain-damaged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crippleware, Next:[3283]critical mass, Previous:[3284]cretinous, + Up:[3285]= C = + + crippleware n. + + 1. [common] Software that has some important functionality + deliberately removed, so as to entice potential users to pay for a + working version. 2. [Cambridge] Variety of [3286]guiltware that + exhorts you to donate to some charity (compare [3287]careware, + [3288]nagware). 3. Hardware deliberately crippled, which can be + upgraded to a more expensive model by a trivial change (e.g., cutting + a jumper). + + An excellent example of crippleware (sense 3) is Intel's 486SX chip, + which is a standard 486DX chip with the co-processor diked out (in + some early versions it was present but disabled). To upgrade, you buy + a complete 486DX chip with working co-processor (its identity thinly + veiled by a different pinout) and plug it into the board's expansion + socket. It then disables the SX, which becomes a fancy power sink. + Don't you love Intel? + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:critical mass, Next:[3289]crlf, Previous:[3290]crippleware, + Up:[3291]= C = + + critical mass n. + + In physics, the minimum amount of fissionable material required to + sustain a chain reaction. Of a software product, describes a condition + of the software such that fixing one bug introduces one plus + [3292]epsilon bugs. (This malady has many causes: [3293]creeping + featurism, ports to too many disparate environments, poor initial + design, etc.) When software achieves critical mass, it can never be + fixed; it can only be discarded and rewritten. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crlf, Next:[3294]crock, Previous:[3295]critical mass, Up:[3296]= + C = + + crlf /ker'l*f/, sometimes /kru'l*f/ or /C-R-L-F/ n. + + (often capitalized as `CRLF') A carriage return (CR, ASCII 0001101) + followed by a line feed (LF, ASCII 0001010). More loosely, whatever it + takes to get you from the end of one line of text to the beginning of + the next line. See [3297]newline, [3298]terpri. Under [3299]Unix + influence this usage has become less common (Unix uses a bare line + feed as its `CRLF'). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crock, Next:[3300]cross-post, Previous:[3301]crlf, Up:[3302]= C = + + crock n. + + [from the American scatologism `crock of shit'] 1. An awkward feature + or programming technique that ought to be made cleaner. For example, + using small integers to represent error codes without the program + interpreting them to the user (as in, for example, Unix make(1), which + returns code 139 for a process that dies due to [3303]segfault). 2. A + technique that works acceptably, but which is quite prone to failure + if disturbed in the least. For example, a too-clever programmer might + write an assembler which mapped instruction mnemonics to numeric + opcodes algorithmically, a trick which depends far too intimately on + the particular bit patterns of the opcodes. (For another example of + programming with a dependence on actual opcode values, see [3304]The + Story of Mel in Appendix A.) Many crocks have a tightly woven, almost + completely unmodifiable structure. See [3305]kluge, [3306]brittle. The + adjectives `crockish' and `crocky', and the nouns `crockishness' and + `crockitude', are also used. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cross-post, Next:[3307]crossload, Previous:[3308]crock, + Up:[3309]= C = + + cross-post vi. + + [Usenet; very common] To post a single article simultaneously to + several newsgroups. Distinguished from posting the article repeatedly, + once to each newsgroup, which causes people to see it multiple times + (which is very bad form). Gratuitous cross-posting without a + Followup-To line directing responses to a single followup group is + frowned upon, as it tends to cause [3310]followup articles to go to + inappropriate newsgroups when people respond to only one part of the + original posting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crossload, Next:[3311]crudware, Previous:[3312]cross-post, + Up:[3313]= C = + + crossload v.,n. + + [proposed, by analogy with [3314]upload and [3315]download] To move + files between machines on a peer-to-peer network of nodes that act as + both servers and clients for a distributed file store. Esp. + appropriate for ananonymized networks like Gnutella and Freenet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crudware, Next:[3316]cruft, Previous:[3317]crossload, Up:[3318]= + C = + + crudware /kruhd'weir/ n. + + Pejorative term for the hundreds of megabytes of low-quality + [3319]freeware circulated by user's groups and BBS systems in the + micro-hobbyist world. "Yet another set of disk catalog utilities for + [3320]MS-DOS? What crudware!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cruft, Next:[3321]cruft together, Previous:[3322]crudware, + Up:[3323]= C = + + cruft /kruhft/ + + [very common; back-formation from [3324]crufty] 1. n. An unpleasant + substance. The dust that gathers under your bed is cruft; the TMRC + Dictionary correctly noted that attacking it with a broom only + produces more. 2. n. The results of shoddy construction. 3. vt. [from + `hand cruft', pun on `hand craft'] To write assembler code for + something normally (and better) done by a compiler (see + [3325]hand-hacking). 4. n. Excess; superfluous junk; used esp. of + redundant or superseded code. 5. [University of Wisconsin] n. Cruft is + to hackers as gaggle is to geese; that is, at UW one properly says "a + cruft of hackers". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cruft together, Next:[3326]cruftsmanship, Previous:[3327]cruft, + Up:[3328]= C = + + cruft together vt. + + (also `cruft up') To throw together something ugly but temporarily + workable. Like vt. [3329]kluge up, but more pejorative. "There isn't + any program now to reverse all the lines of a file, but I can probably + cruft one together in about 10 minutes." See [3330]hack together, + [3331]hack up, [3332]kluge up, [3333]crufty. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cruftsmanship, Next:[3334]crufty, Previous:[3335]cruft together, + Up:[3336]= C = + + cruftsmanship /kruhfts'm*n-ship / n. + + [from [3337]cruft] The antithesis of craftsmanship. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crufty, Next:[3338]crumb, Previous:[3339]cruftsmanship, + Up:[3340]= C = + + crufty /kruhf'tee/ adj. + + [very common; origin unknown; poss. from `crusty' or `cruddy'] 1. + Poorly built, possibly over-complex. The [3341]canonical example is + "This is standard old crufty [3342]DEC software". In fact, one + fanciful theory of the origin of `crufty' holds that was originally a + mutation of `crusty' applied to DEC software so old that the `s' + characters were tall and skinny, looking more like `f' characters. 2. + Unpleasant, especially to the touch, often with encrusted junk. Like + spilled coffee smeared with peanut butter and catsup. 3. Generally + unpleasant. 4. (sometimes spelled `cruftie') n. A small crufty object + (see [3343]frob); often one that doesn't fit well into the scheme of + things. "A LISP property list is a good place to store crufties (or, + collectively, [3344]random cruft)." + + This term is one of the oldest in the jargon and no one is sure of its + etymology, but it is suggestive that there is a Cruft Hall at Harvard + University which is part of the old physics building; it's said to + have been the physics department's radar lab during WWII. To this day + (early 1993) the windows appear to be full of random techno-junk. MIT + or Lincoln Labs people may well have coined the term as a knock on the + competition. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crumb, Next:[3345]crunch, Previous:[3346]crufty, Up:[3347]= C = + + crumb n. + + Two binary digits; a [3348]quad. Larger than a [3349]bit, smaller than + a [3350]nybble. Considered silly. Syn. [3351]tayste. General + discussion of such terms is under [3352]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:crunch, Next:[3353]cryppie, Previous:[3354]crumb, Up:[3355]= C = + + crunch 1. vi. + + To process, usually in a time-consuming or complicated way. Connotes + an essentially trivial operation that is nonetheless painful to + perform. The pain may be due to the triviality's being embedded in a + loop from 1 to 1,000,000,000. "FORTRAN programs do mostly + [3356]number-crunching." 2. vt. To reduce the size of a file by a + complicated scheme that produces bit configurations completely + unrelated to the original data, such as by a Huffman code. (The file + ends up looking something like a paper document would if somebody + crunched the paper into a wad.) Since such compression usually takes + more computations than simpler methods such as run-length encoding, + the term is doubly appropriate. (This meaning is usually used in the + construction `file crunch(ing)' to distinguish it from + [3357]number-crunching.) See [3358]compress. 3. n. The character #. + Used at XEROX and CMU, among other places. See [3359]ASCII. 4. vt. To + squeeze program source into a minimum-size representation that will + still compile or execute. The term came into being specifically for a + famous program on the BBC micro that crunched BASIC source in order to + make it run more quickly (it was a wholly interpretive BASIC, so the + number of characters mattered). [3360]Obfuscated C Contest entries are + often crunched; see the first example under that entry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cryppie, Next:[3361]CTSS, Previous:[3362]crunch, Up:[3363]= C = + + cryppie /krip'ee/ n. + + A cryptographer. One who hacks or implements cryptographic software or + hardware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:CTSS, Next:[3364]cube, Previous:[3365]cryppie, Up:[3366]= C = + + CTSS /C-T-S-S/ n. + + Compatible Time-Sharing System. An early (1963) experiment in the + design of interactive time-sharing operating systems, ancestral to + [3367]Multics, [3368]Unix, and [3369]ITS. The name [3370]ITS + (Incompatible Time-sharing System) was a hack on CTSS, meant both as a + joke and to express some basic differences in philosophy about the way + I/O services should be presented to user programs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cube, Next:[3371]cubing, Previous:[3372]CTSS, Up:[3373]= C = + + cube n. + + 1. [short for `cubicle'] A module in the open-plan offices used at + many programming shops. "I've got the manuals in my cube." 2. A NeXT + machine (which resembles a matte-black cube). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cubing, Next:[3374]cup holder, Previous:[3375]cube, Up:[3376]= C + = + + cubing vi. + + [parallel with `tubing'] 1. Hacking on an IPSC (Intel Personal + SuperComputer) hypercube. "Louella's gone cubing again!!" 2. Hacking + Rubik's Cube or related puzzles, either physically or mathematically. + 3. An indescribable form of self-torture (see sense 1 or 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cup holder, Next:[3377]cursor dipped in X, Previous:[3378]cubing, + Up:[3379]= C = + + cup holder n. + + The tray of a CD-ROM drive, or by extension the CD drive itself. So + called because of a common tech support legend about the idiot who + called to complain that the cup holder on his computer broke. A joke + program was once distributed around the net called "cupholder.exe", + which when run simply extended the CD drive tray. The humor of this + was of course lost on people whose drive had a slot or a caddy + instead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cursor dipped in X, Next:[3380]cuspy, Previous:[3381]cup holder, + Up:[3382]= C = + + cursor dipped in X n. + + There are a couple of metaphors in English of the form `pen dipped in + X' (perhaps the most common values of X are `acid', `bile', and + `vitriol'). These map over neatly to this hackish usage (the cursor + being what moves, leaving letters behind, when one is composing + on-line). "Talk about a [3383]nastygram! He must've had his cursor + dipped in acid when he wrote that one!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cuspy, Next:[3384]cut a tape, Previous:[3385]cursor dipped in X, + Up:[3386]= C = + + cuspy /kuhs'pee/ adj. + + [WPI: from the [3387]DEC abbreviation CUSP, for `Commonly Used System + Program', i.e., a utility program used by many people] 1. (of a + program) Well-written. 2. Functionally excellent. A program that + performs well and interfaces well to users is cuspy. See [3388]rude. + 3. [NYU] Said of an attractive woman, especially one regarded as + available. Implies a certain curvaceousness. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cut a tape, Next:[3389]cybercrud, Previous:[3390]cuspy, + Up:[3391]= C = + + cut a tape vi. + + To write a software or document distribution on magnetic tape for + shipment. Has nothing to do with physically cutting the medium! Early + versions of this lexicon claimed that one never analogously speaks of + `cutting a disk', but this has since been reported as live usage. + Related slang usages are mainstream business's `cut a check', the + recording industry's `cut a record', and the military's `cut an + order'. + + All of these usages reflect physical processes in obsolete recording + and duplication technologies. The first stage in manufacturing an + old-style vinyl record involved cutting grooves in a stamping die with + a precision lathe. More mundanely, the dominant technology for mass + duplication of paper documents in pre-photocopying days involved + "cutting a stencil", punching away portions of the wax overlay on a + silk screen. More directly, paper tape with holes punched in it was an + important early storage medium. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cybercrud, Next:[3392]cyberpunk, Previous:[3393]cut a tape, + Up:[3394]= C = + + cybercrud /si:'ber-kruhd/ n. + + 1. [coined by Ted Nelson] Obfuscatory tech-talk. Verbiage with a high + [3395]MEGO factor. The computer equivalent of bureaucratese. 2. + Incomprehensible stuff embedded in email. First there were the + "Received" headers that show how mail flows through systems, then MIME + (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions) headers and part boundaries, + and now huge blocks of radix-64 for PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) or PGP + (Pretty Good Privacy) digital signatures and certificates of + authenticity. This stuff all services a purpose and good user + interfaces should hide it, but all too often users are forced to wade + through it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cyberpunk, Next:[3396]cyberspace, Previous:[3397]cybercrud, + Up:[3398]= C = + + cyberpunk /si:'ber-puhnk/ n.,adj. + + [orig. by SF writer Bruce Bethke and/or editor Gardner Dozois] A + subgenre of SF launched in 1982 by William Gibson's epoch-making novel + "Neuromancer" (though its roots go back through Vernor Vinge's "True + Names" (see the [3399]Bibliography in Appendix C) to John Brunner's + 1975 novel "The Shockwave Rider"). Gibson's near-total ignorance of + computers and the present-day hacker culture enabled him to speculate + about the role of computers and hackers in the future in ways hackers + have since found both irritatingly naïve and tremendously stimulating. + Gibson's work was widely imitated, in particular by the short-lived + but innovative "Max Headroom" TV series. See [3400]cyberspace, + [3401]ice, [3402]jack in, [3403]go flatline. + + Since 1990 or so, popular culture has included a movement or fashion + trend that calls itself `cyberpunk', associated especially with the + rave/techno subculture. Hackers have mixed feelings about this. On the + one hand, self-described cyberpunks too often seem to be shallow + trendoids in black leather who have substituted enthusiastic + blathering about technology for actually learning and doing it. + Attitude is no substitute for competence. On the other hand, at least + cyberpunks are excited about the right things and properly respectful + of hacking talent in those who have it. The general consensus is to + tolerate them politely in hopes that they'll attract people who grow + into being true hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cyberspace, Next:[3404]cycle, Previous:[3405]cyberpunk, + Up:[3406]= C = + + cyberspace /si:'br-spays`/ n. + + 1. Notional `information-space' loaded with visual cues and navigable + with brain-computer interfaces called `cyberspace decks'; a + characteristic prop of [3407]cyberpunk SF. Serious efforts to + construct [3408]virtual reality interfaces modeled explicitly on + Gibsonian cyberspace are under way, using more conventional devices + such as glove sensors and binocular TV headsets. Few hackers are + prepared to deny outright the possibility of a cyberspace someday + evolving out of the network (see [3409]the network). 2. The Internet + or [3410]Matrix (sense #2) as a whole, considered as a crude + cyberspace (sense 1). Although this usage became widely popular in the + mainstream press during 1994 when the Internet exploded into public + awareness, it is strongly deprecated among hackers because the + Internet does not meet the high, SF-inspired standards they have for + true cyberspace technology. Thus, this use of the term usually tags a + [3411]wannabee or outsider. Oppose [3412]meatspace. 3. Occasionally, + the metaphoric location of the mind of a person in [3413]hack mode. + Some hackers report experiencing strong eidetic imagery when in hack + mode; interestingly, independent reports from multiple sources suggest + that there are common features to the experience. In particular, the + dominant colors of this subjective `cyberspace' are often gray and + silver, and the imagery often involves constellations of marching + dots, elaborate shifting patterns of lines and angles, or moire + patterns. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cycle, Next:[3414]cycle crunch, Previous:[3415]cyberspace, + Up:[3416]= C = + + cycle + + 1. n. The basic unit of computation. What every hacker wants more of + (noted hacker Bill Gosper described himself as a "cycle junkie"). One + can describe an instruction as taking so many `clock cycles'. Often + the computer can access its memory once on every clock cycle, and so + one speaks also of `memory cycles'. These are technical meanings of + [3417]cycle. The jargon meaning comes from the observation that there + are only so many cycles per second, and when you are sharing a + computer the cycles get divided up among the users. The more cycles + the computer spends working on your program rather than someone + else's, the faster your program will run. That's why every hacker + wants more cycles: so he can spend less time waiting for the computer + to respond. 2. By extension, a notional unit of human thought power, + emphasizing that lots of things compete for the typical hacker's think + time. "I refused to get involved with the Rubik's Cube back when it + was big. Knew I'd burn too many cycles on it if I let myself." 3. vt. + Syn. [3418]bounce (sense 4), [3419]120 reset; from the phrase `cycle + power'. "Cycle the machine again, that serial port's still hung." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cycle crunch, Next:[3420]cycle drought, Previous:[3421]cycle, + Up:[3422]= C = + + cycle crunch n.,obs. + + A situation wherein the number of people trying to use a computer + simultaneously has reached the point where no one can get enough + cycles because they are spread too thin and the system has probably + begun to [3423]thrash. This scenario is an inevitable result of + Parkinson's Law applied to timesharing. Usually the only solution is + to buy more computer. Happily, this has rapidly become easier since + the mid-1980s, so much so that the very term `cycle crunch' now has a + faintly archaic flavor; most hackers now use workstations or personal + computers as opposed to traditional timesharing systems, and are far + more likely to complain of `bandwidth crunch' on their shared networks + rather than cycle crunch. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cycle drought, Next:[3424]cycle of reincarnation, + Previous:[3425]cycle crunch, Up:[3426]= C = + + cycle drought n. + + A scarcity of cycles. It may be due to a [3427]cycle crunch, but it + could also occur because part of the computer is temporarily not + working, leaving fewer cycles to go around. "The [3428]high moby is + [3429]down, so we're running with only half the usual amount of + memory. There will be a cycle drought until it's fixed." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cycle of reincarnation, Next:[3430]cycle server, + Previous:[3431]cycle drought, Up:[3432]= C = + + cycle of reincarnation n. + + See [3433]wheel of reincarnation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cycle server, Next:[3434]cypherpunk, Previous:[3435]cycle of + reincarnation, Up:[3436]= C = + + cycle server n. + + A powerful machine that exists primarily for running large compute-, + disk-, or memory-intensive jobs (more formally called a `compute + server'). Implies that interactive tasks such as editing are done on + other machines on the network, such as workstations. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:cypherpunk, Next:[3437]C|N>K, Previous:[3438]cycle server, + Up:[3439]= C = + + cypherpunk n. + + [from [3440]cyberpunk] Someone interested in the uses of encryption + via electronic ciphers for enhancing personal privacy and guarding + against tyranny by centralized, authoritarian power structures, + especially government. There is an active cypherpunks mailing list at + [3441]cypherpunks-request@toad.com coordinating work on public-key + encryption freeware, privacy, and digital cash. See also + [3442]tentacle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:C|N>K, Next:[3443]D. C. Power Lab, Previous:[3444]cypherpunk, + Up:[3445]= C = + + C|N>K n. + + [Usenet] Coffee through Nose to Keyboard; that is, "I laughed so hard + I [3446]snarfed my coffee onto my keyboard.". Common on + alt.fan.pratchett and [3447]scary devil monastery; recognized + elsewhere. The [3448]Acronymphomania FAQ on alt.fan.pratchett + recognizes variants such as T|N>K = `Tea through Nose to Keyboard' and + C|N>S = `Coffee through Nose to Screen'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= D =, Next:[3449]= E =, Previous:[3450]= C =, Up:[3451]The + Jargon Lexicon + += D = + + * [3452]D. C. Power Lab: + * [3453]daemon: + * [3454]daemon book: + * [3455]dahmum: + * [3456]dancing frog: + * [3457]dangling pointer: + * [3458]dark-side hacker: + * [3459]Datamation: + * [3460]DAU: + * [3461]Dave the Resurrector: + * [3462]day mode: + * [3463]dd: + * [3464]DDT: + * [3465]de-rezz: + * [3466]dead: + * [3467]dead beef attack: + * [3468]dead code: + * [3469]dead link: + * [3470]DEADBEEF: + * [3471]deadlock: + * [3472]deadly embrace: + * [3473]death code: + * [3474]Death Square: + * [3475]Death Star: + * [3476]DEC: + * [3477]DEC: + * [3478]DEC Wars: + * [3479]decay: + * [3480]deckle: + * [3481]DED: + * [3482]deep hack mode: + * [3483]deep magic: + * [3484]deep space: + * [3485]defenestration: + * [3486]defined as: + * [3487]dehose: + * [3488]deletia: + * [3489]deliminator: + * [3490]delint: + * [3491]delta: + * [3492]demented: + * [3493]demigod: + * [3494]demo: + * [3495]demo mode: + * [3496]demoeffect: + * [3497]demogroup: + * [3498]demon: + * [3499]demon dialer: + * [3500]demoparty: + * [3501]demoscene: + * [3502]dentro: + * [3503]depeditate: + * [3504]deprecated: + * [3505]derf: + * [3506]deserves to lose: + * [3507]desk check: + * [3508]despew: + * [3509]Devil Book: + * [3510]/dev/null: + * [3511]dickless workstation: + * [3512]dictionary flame: + * [3513]diddle: + * [3514]die: + * [3515]die horribly: + * [3516]diff: + * [3517]digit: + * [3518]dike: + * [3519]Dilbert: + * [3520]ding: + * [3521]dink: + * [3522]dinosaur: + * [3523]dinosaur pen: + * [3524]dinosaurs mating: + * [3525]dirtball: + * [3526]dirty power: + * [3527]disclaimer: + * [3528]Discordianism: + * [3529]disk farm: + * [3530]display hack: + * [3531]dispress: + * [3532]Dissociated Press: + * [3533]distribution: + * [3534]distro: + * [3535]disusered: + * [3536]do protocol: + * [3537]doc: + * [3538]documentation: + * [3539]dodgy: + * [3540]dogcow: + * [3541]dogfood: + * [3542]dogpile: + * [3543]dogwash: + * [3544]domainist: + * [3545]Don't do that then!: + * [3546]dongle: + * [3547]dongle-disk: + * [3548]donuts: + * [3549]doorstop: + * [3550]DoS attack: + * [3551]dot file: + * [3552]double bucky: + * [3553]doubled sig: + * [3554]down: + * [3555]download: + * [3556]DP: + * [3557]DPB: + * [3558]DPer: + * [3559]Dr. Fred Mbogo: + * [3560]dragon: + * [3561]Dragon Book: + * [3562]drain: + * [3563]dread high-bit disease: + * [3564]Dread Questionmark Disease: + * [3565]DRECNET: + * [3566]driver: + * [3567]droid: + * [3568]drone: + * [3569]drool-proof paper: + * [3570]drop on the floor: + * [3571]drop-ins: + * [3572]drop-outs: + * [3573]drugged: + * [3574]drum: + * [3575]drunk mouse syndrome: + * [3576]dub dub dub: + * [3577]Duff's device: + * [3578]dumb terminal: + * [3579]dumbass attack: + * [3580]dumbed down: + * [3581]dump: + * [3582]dumpster diving: + * [3583]dup killer: + * [3584]dup loop: + * [3585]dusty deck: + * [3586]DWIM: + * [3587]dynner: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:D. C. Power Lab, Next:[3588]daemon, Previous:[3589]C|N>K, + Up:[3590]= D = + + D. C. Power Lab n. + + The former site of [3591]SAIL. Hackers thought this was very funny + because the obvious connection to electrical engineering was + nonexistent -- the lab was named for a Donald C. Power. Compare + [3592]Marginal Hacks. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:daemon, Next:[3593]daemon book, Previous:[3594]D. C. Power Lab, + Up:[3595]= D = + + daemon /day'mn/ or /dee'mn/ n. + + [from the mythological meaning, later rationalized as the acronym + `Disk And Execution MONitor'] A program that is not invoked + explicitly, but lies dormant waiting for some condition(s) to occur. + The idea is that the perpetrator of the condition need not be aware + that a daemon is lurking (though often a program will commit an action + only because it knows that it will implicitly invoke a daemon). For + example, under [3596]ITS writing a file on the [3597]LPT spooler's + directory would invoke the spooling daemon, which would then print the + file. The advantage is that programs wanting (in this example) files + printed need neither compete for access to nor understand any + idiosyncrasies of the [3598]LPT. They simply enter their implicit + requests and let the daemon decide what to do with them. Daemons are + usually spawned automatically by the system, and may either live + forever or be regenerated at intervals. + + Daemon and [3599]demon are often used interchangeably, but seem to + have distinct connotations. The term `daemon' was introduced to + computing by [3600]CTSS people (who pronounced it /dee'mon/) and used + it to refer to what ITS called a [3601]dragon; the prototype was a + program called DAEMON that automatically made tape backups of the file + system. Although the meaning and the pronunciation have drifted, we + think this glossary reflects current (2000) usage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:daemon book, Next:[3602]dahmum, Previous:[3603]daemon, Up:[3604]= + D = + + daemon book n. + + "The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System", + by Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall Kirk McKusick, Michael J. Karels, and + John S. Quarterman (Addison-Wesley Publishers, 1989, ISBN + 0-201-06196-1); or "The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD + Operating System" by Marshall Kirk McKusick, Keith Bostic, Michael J. + Karels and John S. Quarterman (Addison-Wesley Longman, 1996, SBN + 0-201-54979-4) Either of the standard reference books on the internals + of [3605]BSD Unix. So called because the covers have a picture + depicting a little devil (a visual play on [3606]daemon) in sneakers, + holding a pitchfork (referring to one of the characteristic features + of Unix, the fork(2) system call). Also known as the [3607]Devil Book. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dahmum, Next:[3608]dancing frog, Previous:[3609]daemon book, + Up:[3610]= D = + + dahmum /dah'mum/ n. + + [Usenet] The material of which protracted [3611]flame wars, especially + those about operating systems, is composed. Homeomorphic to + [3612]spam. The term `dahmum' is derived from the name of a militant + [3613]OS/2 advocate, and originated when an extensively crossposted + OS/2-versus-[3614]Linux debate was fed through [3615]Dissociated + Press. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dancing frog, Next:[3616]dangling pointer, Previous:[3617]dahmum, + Up:[3618]= D = + + dancing frog n. + + [Vancouver area] A problem that occurs on a computer that will not + reappear while anyone else is watching. From the classic Warner + Brothers cartoon "One Froggy Evening", featuring a dancing and singing + Michigan J. Frog that just croaks when anyone else is around (now the + WB network mascot). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dangling pointer, Next:[3619]dark-side hacker, + Previous:[3620]dancing frog, Up:[3621]= D = + + dangling pointer n. + + [common] A reference that doesn't actually lead anywhere (in C and + some other languages, a pointer that doesn't actually point at + anything valid). Usually this happens because it formerly pointed to + something that has moved or disappeared. Used as jargon in a + generalization of its techspeak meaning; for example, a local phone + number for a person who has since moved to the other coast is a + dangling pointer. Compare [3622]dead link. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dark-side hacker, Next:[3623]Datamation, Previous:[3624]dangling + pointer, Up:[3625]= D = + + dark-side hacker n. + + A criminal or malicious hacker; a [3626]cracker. From George Lucas's + Darth Vader, "seduced by the dark side of the Force". The implication + that hackers form a sort of elite of technological Jedi Knights is + intended. Oppose [3627]samurai. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Datamation, Next:[3628]DAU, Previous:[3629]dark-side hacker, + Up:[3630]= D = + + Datamation /day`t*-may'sh*n/ n. + + A magazine that many hackers assume all [3631]suits read. Used to + question an unbelieved quote, as in "Did you read that in + `Datamation?'" (But see below; this slur may be dated by the time you + read this.) It used to publish something hackishly funny every once in + a while, like the original paper on [3632]COME FROM in 1973, and Ed + Post's "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal" ten years later, but for a + long time after that it was much more exclusively [3633]suit-oriented + and boring. Following a change of editorship in 1994, Datamation is + trying for more of the technical content and irreverent humor that + marked its early days. + + Datamation now has a WWW page at [3634]http://www.datamation.com worth + visiting for its selection of computer humor, including "Real + Programmers Don't Use Pascal" and the `Bastard Operator From Hell' + stories by Simon Travaglia (see [3635]BOFH). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DAU, Next:[3636]Dave the Resurrector, Previous:[3637]Datamation, + Up:[3638]= D = + + DAU /dow/ n. + + [German FidoNet] German acronym for Dümmster Anzunehmender User + (stupidest imaginable user). From the engineering-slang GAU for + Grösster Anzunehmender Unfall, worst assumable accident, esp. of a LNG + tank farm plant or something with similarly disastrous consequences. + In popular German, GAU is used only to refer to worst-case nuclear + acidents such as a core meltdown. See [3639]cretin, [3640]fool, + [3641]loser and [3642]weasel. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dave the Resurrector, Next:[3643]day mode, Previous:[3644]DAU, + Up:[3645]= D = + + Dave the Resurrector n. + + [Usenet; also abbreviated DtR] A [3646]cancelbot that cancels cancels. + Dave the Resurrector originated when some [3647]spam-spewers decided + to try to impede spam-fighting by wholesale cancellation of anti-spam + coordination messages in the news.admin.net-abuse.usenet newsgroup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:day mode, Next:[3648]dd, Previous:[3649]Dave the Resurrector, + Up:[3650]= D = + + day mode n. + + See [3651]phase (sense 1). Used of people only. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dd, Next:[3652]DDT, Previous:[3653]day mode, Up:[3654]= D = + + dd /dee-dee/ vt. + + [Unix: from IBM [3655]JCL] Equivalent to [3656]cat or [3657]BLT. + Originally the name of a Unix copy command with special options + suitable for block-oriented devices; it was often used in heavy-handed + system maintenance, as in "Let's dd the root partition onto a tape, + then use the boot PROM to load it back on to a new disk". The Unix + dd(1) was designed with a weird, distinctly non-Unixy keyword option + syntax reminiscent of IBM System/360 JCL (which had an elaborate DD + `Dataset Definition' specification for I/O devices); though the + command filled a need, the interface design was clearly a prank. The + jargon usage is now very rare outside Unix sites and now nearly + obsolete even there, as dd(1) has been [3658]deprecated for a long + time (though it has no exact replacement). The term has been displaced + by [3659]BLT or simple English `copy'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DDT, Next:[3660]de-rezz, Previous:[3661]dd, Up:[3662]= D = + + DDT /D-D-T/ n. + + [from the insecticide para-dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethene] 1. + Generic term for a program that assists in debugging other programs by + showing individual machine instructions in a readable symbolic form + and letting the user change them. In this sense the term DDT is now + archaic, having been widely displaced by `debugger' or names of + individual programs like adb, sdb, dbx, or gdb. 2. [ITS] Under MIT's + fabled [3663]ITS operating system, DDT (running under the alias + HACTRN, a six-letterism for `Hack Translator') was also used as the + [3664]shell or top level command language used to execute other + programs. 3. Any one of several specific DDTs (sense 1) supported on + early [3665]DEC hardware and CP/M. The PDP-10 Reference Handbook + (1969) contained a footnote on the first page of the documentation for + DDT that illuminates the origin of the term: + + Historical footnote: DDT was developed at MIT for the PDP-1 + computer in 1961. At that time DDT stood for "DEC Debugging Tape". + Since then, the idea of an on-line debugging program has propagated + throughout the computer industry. DDT programs are now available + for all DEC computers. Since media other than tape are now + frequently used, the more descriptive name "Dynamic Debugging + Technique" has been adopted, retaining the DDT abbreviation. + Confusion between DDT-10 and another well known pesticide, + dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (C14-H9-Cl5) should be minimal + since each attacks a different, and apparently mutually exclusive, + class of bugs. + + (The `tape' referred to was, incidentally, not magnetic but paper.) + Sadly, this quotation was removed from later editions of the handbook + after the [3666]suits took over and [3667]DEC became much more + `businesslike'. + + The history above is known to many old-time hackers. But there's more: + Peter Samson, compiler of the original [3668]TMRC lexicon, reports + that he named `DDT' after a similar tool on the TX-0 computer, the + direct ancestor of the PDP-1 built at MIT's Lincoln Lab in 1957. The + debugger on that ground-breaking machine (the first transistorized + computer) rejoiced in the name FLIT (FLexowriter Interrogation Tape). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:de-rezz, Next:[3669]dead, Previous:[3670]DDT, Up:[3671]= D = + + de-rezz /dee-rez'/ + + [from `de-resolve' via the movie "Tron"] (also `derez') 1. vi. To + disappear or dissolve; the image that goes with it is of an object + breaking up into raster lines and static and then dissolving. + Occasionally used of a person who seems to have suddenly `fuzzed out' + mentally rather than physically. Usage: extremely silly, also rare. + This verb was actually invented as fictional hacker jargon, and + adopted in a spirit of irony by real hackers years after the fact. 2. + vt. The Macintosh resource decompiler. On a Macintosh, many program + structures (including the code itself) are managed in small segments + of the program file known as `resources'; `Rez' and `DeRez' are a pair + of utilities for compiling and decompiling resource files. Thus, + decompiling a resource is `derezzing'. Usage: very common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dead, Next:[3672]dead beef attack, Previous:[3673]de-rezz, + Up:[3674]= D = + + dead adj. + + 1. Non-functional; [3675]down; [3676]crashed. Especially used of + hardware. 2. At XEROX PARC, software that is working but not + undergoing continued development and support. 3. Useless; + inaccessible. Antonym: `live'. Compare [3677]dead code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dead beef attack, Next:[3678]dead code, Previous:[3679]dead, + Up:[3680]= D = + + dead beef attack n. + + [cypherpunks list, 1996] An attack on a public-key cryptosystem + consisting of publishing a key having the same ID as another key (thus + making it possible to spoof a user's identity if recipients aren't + careful about verifying keys). In PGP and GPG the key ID is the last + eight hex digits of (for RSA keys) the product of two primes. The + attack was demonstrated by creating a key whose ID was 0xdeadbeef (see + [3681]DEADBEEF). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dead code, Next:[3682]dead link, Previous:[3683]dead beef attack, + Up:[3684]= D = + + dead code n. + + Routines that can never be accessed because all calls to them have + been removed, or code that cannot be reached because it is guarded by + a control structure that provably must always transfer control + somewhere else. The presence of dead code may reveal either logical + errors due to alterations in the program or significant changes in the + assumptions and environment of the program (see also [3685]software + rot); a good compiler should report dead code so a maintainer can + think about what it means. (Sometimes it simply means that an + extremely defensive programmer has inserted [3686]can't happen tests + which really can't happen -- yet.) Syn. [3687]grunge. See also + [3688]dead, and [3689]The Story of Mel. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dead link, Next:[3690]DEADBEEF, Previous:[3691]dead code, + Up:[3692]= D = + + dead link n. + + [very common] A World-Wide-Web URL that no longer points to the + information it was written to reach. Usually this happens because the + document has been moved or deleted. Lots of dead links make a WWW page + frustrating and useless and are the #1 sign of poor page maintainance. + Compare [3693]dangling pointer, [3694]link rot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DEADBEEF, Next:[3695]deadlock, Previous:[3696]dead link, + Up:[3697]= D = + + DEADBEEF /ded-beef/ n. + + The hexadecimal word-fill pattern for freshly allocated memory + (decimal -21524111) under a number of IBM environments, including the + RS/6000. Some modern debugging tools deliberately fill freed memory + with this value as a way of converting [3698]heisenbugs into + [3699]Bohr bugs. As in "Your program is DEADBEEF" (meaning gone, + aborted, flushed from memory); if you start from an odd half-word + boundary, of course, you have BEEFDEAD. See also the anecdote under + [3700]fool and [3701]dead beef attack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deadlock, Next:[3702]deadly embrace, Previous:[3703]DEADBEEF, + Up:[3704]= D = + + deadlock n. + + 1. [techspeak] A situation wherein two or more processes are unable to + proceed because each is waiting for one of the others to do something. + A common example is a program communicating to a server, which may + find itself waiting for output from the server before sending anything + more to it, while the server is similarly waiting for more input from + the controlling program before outputting anything. (It is reported + that this particular flavor of deadlock is sometimes called a + `starvation deadlock', though the term `starvation' is more properly + used for situations where a program can never run simply because it + never gets high enough priority. Another common flavor is + `constipation', in which each process is trying to send stuff to the + other but all buffers are full because nobody is reading anything.) + See [3705]deadly embrace. 2. Also used of deadlock-like interactions + between humans, as when two people meet in a narrow corridor, and each + tries to be polite by moving aside to let the other pass, but they end + up swaying from side to side without making any progress because they + always move the same way at the same time. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deadly embrace, Next:[3706]death code, Previous:[3707]deadlock, + Up:[3708]= D = + + deadly embrace n. + + Same as [3709]deadlock, though usually used only when exactly two + processes are involved. This is the more popular term in Europe, while + [3710]deadlock predominates in the United States. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:death code, Next:[3711]Death Square, Previous:[3712]deadly + embrace, Up:[3713]= D = + + death code n. + + A routine whose job is to set everything in the computer -- registers, + memory, flags, everything -- to zero, including that portion of memory + where it is running; its last act is to stomp on its own "store zero" + instruction. Death code isn't very useful, but writing it is an + interesting hacking challenge on architectures where the instruction + set makes it possible, such as the PDP-8 (it has also been done on the + DG Nova). + + Perhaps the ultimate death code is on the TI 990 series, where all + registers are actually in RAM, and the instruction "store immediate 0" + has the opcode "0". The PC will immediately wrap around core as many + times as it can until a user hits HALT. Any empty memory location is + death code. Worse, the manufacturer recommended use of this + instruction in startup code (which would be in ROM and therefore + survive). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Death Square, Next:[3714]Death Star, Previous:[3715]death code, + Up:[3716]= D = + + Death Square n. + + The corporate logo of Novell, the people who acquired USL after AT&T + let go of it (Novell eventually sold the Unix group to SCO). Coined by + analogy with [3717]Death Star, because many people believed Novell was + bungling the lead in Unix systems exactly as AT&T did for many years. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Death Star, Next:[3718]DEC, Previous:[3719]Death Square, + Up:[3720]= D = + + Death Star n. + + [from the movie "Star Wars"] 1. The AT&T corporate logo, which appears + on computers sold by AT&T and bears an uncanny resemblance to the + Death Star in the movie. This usage is particularly common among + partisans of [3721]BSD Unix, who tend to regard the AT&T versions as + inferior and AT&T as a bad guy. Copies still circulate of a poster + printed by Mt. Xinu showing a starscape with a space fighter labeled + 4.2 BSD streaking away from a broken AT&T logo wreathed in flames. 2. + AT&T's internal magazine, "Focus", uses `death star' to describe an + incorrectly done AT&T logo in which the inner circle in the top left + is dark instead of light -- a frequent result of dark-on-light logo + images. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DEC, Next:[3722]DEC Wars, Previous:[3723]Death Star, Up:[3724]= D + = + + DEC /dek/ n. + + 1. v. Verbal (and only rarely written) shorthand for decrement, i.e. + `decrease by one'. Especially used by assembly programmers, as many + assembly languages have a dec mnemonic. Antonym: [3725]inc. 2. n. + Commonly used abbreviation for Digital Equipment Corporation, later + deprecated by DEC itself in favor of "Digital" and now entirely + obsolete following the buyout by Compaq. Before the [3726]killer micro + revolution of the late 1980s, hackerdom was closely symbiotic with + DEC's pioneering timesharing machines. The first of the group of + cultures described by this lexicon nucleated around the PDP-1 (see + [3727]TMRC). Subsequently, the PDP-6, [3728]PDP-10, [3729]PDP-20, + PDP-11 and [3730]VAX were all foci of large and important hackerdoms, + and DEC machines long dominated the ARPANET and Internet machine + population. DEC was the technological leader of the minicomputer era + (roughly 1967 to 1987), but its failure to embrace microcomputers and + Unix early cost it heavily in profits and prestige after [3731]silicon + got cheap. Nevertheless, the microprocessor design tradition owes a + major debt to the PDP-11 instruction set, and every one of the major + general-purpose microcomputer OSs so far (CP/M, MS-DOS, Unix, OS/2, + Windows NT) was either genetically descended from a DEC OS, or + incubated on DEC hardware, or both. Accordingly, DEC was for many + years still regarded with a certain wry affection even among many + hackers too young to have grown up on DEC machines. + + DEC reclaimed some of its old reputation among techies in the first + half of the 1990s. The success of the Alpha, an innovatively-designed + and very high-performance [3732]killer micro, helped a lot. So did + DEC's newfound receptiveness to Unix and open systems in general. When + Compaq acquired DEC at the end of 1998 there was some concern that + these gains would be lost along with the DEC nameplate, but the merged + company has so far turned out to be culturally dominated by the ex-DEC + side. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DEC Wars, Next:[3733]decay, Previous:[3734]DEC, Up:[3735]= D = + + DEC Wars n. + + A 1983 [3736]Usenet posting by Alan Hastings and Steve Tarr spoofing + the "Star Wars" movies in hackish terms. Some years later, ESR + (disappointed by Hastings and Tarr's failure to exploit a great + premise more thoroughly) posted a 3-times-longer complete rewrite + called [3737]Unix WARS; the two are often confused. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:decay, Next:[3738]deckle, Previous:[3739]DEC Wars, Up:[3740]= D = + + decay n.,vi + + [from nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to + most array-valued expressions in [3741]C; they `decay into' + pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array's first element. This + term is borderline techspeak, but is not used in the official standard + for the language. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deckle, Next:[3742]DED, Previous:[3743]decay, Up:[3744]= D = + + deckle /dek'l/ n. + + [from dec- and [3745]nybble; the original spelling seems to have been + `decle'] Two [3746]nickles; 10 bits. Reported among developers for + Mattel's GI 1600 (the Intellivision games processor), a chip with + 16-bit-wide RAM but 10-bit-wide ROM. See [3747]nybble for other such + terms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DED, Next:[3748]deep hack mode, Previous:[3749]deckle, Up:[3750]= + D = + + DED /D-E-D/ n. + + Dark-Emitting Diode (that is, a burned-out LED). Compare [3751]SED, + [3752]LER, [3753]write-only memory. In the early 1970s both Signetics + and Texas instruments released DED spec sheets as [3754]AFJs + (suggested uses included "as a power-off indicator"). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deep hack mode, Next:[3755]deep magic, Previous:[3756]DED, + Up:[3757]= D = + + deep hack mode n. + + See [3758]hack mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deep magic, Next:[3759]deep space, Previous:[3760]deep hack mode, + Up:[3761]= D = + + deep magic n. + + [poss. from C. S. Lewis's "Narnia" books] An awesomely arcane + technique central to a program or system, esp. one neither generally + published nor available to hackers at large (compare [3762]black art); + one that could only have been composed by a true [3763]wizard. + Compiler optimization techniques and many aspects of [3764]OS design + used to be [3765]deep magic; many techniques in cryptography, signal + processing, graphics, and AI still are. Compare [3766]heavy wizardry. + Esp. found in comments of the form "Deep magic begins here...". + Compare [3767]voodoo programming. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deep space, Next:[3768]defenestration, Previous:[3769]deep magic, + Up:[3770]= D = + + deep space n. + + 1. Describes the notional location of any program that has gone + [3771]off the trolley. Esp. used of programs that just sit there + silently grinding long after either failure or some output is + expected. "Uh oh. I should have gotten a prompt ten seconds ago. The + program's in deep space somewhere." Compare [3772]buzz, + [3773]catatonic, [3774]hyperspace. 2. The metaphorical location of a + human so dazed and/or confused or caught up in some esoteric form of + [3775]bogosity that he or she no longer responds coherently to normal + communication. Compare [3776]page out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:defenestration, Next:[3777]defined as, Previous:[3778]deep space, + Up:[3779]= D = + + defenestration n. + + [mythically from a traditional Czech assasination method, via SF + fandom] 1. Proper karmic retribution for an incorrigible punster. "Oh, + ghod, that was awful!" "Quick! Defenestrate him!" 2. The act of + exiting a window system in order to get better response time from a + full-screen program. This comes from the dictionary meaning of + `defenestrate', which is to throw something out a window. 3. The act + of discarding something under the assumption that it will improve + matters. "I don't have any disk space left." "Well, why don't you + defenestrate that 100 megs worth of old core dumps?" 4. Under a GUI, + the act of dragging something out of a window (onto the screen). + "Next, defenestrate the MugWump icon." 5. The act of completely + removing Micro$oft Windows from a PC in favor of a better OS + (typically Linux). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:defined as, Next:[3780]dehose, Previous:[3781]defenestration, + Up:[3782]= D = + + defined as adj. + + In the role of, usually in an organization-chart sense. "Pete is + currently defined as bug prioritizer." Compare [3783]logical. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dehose, Next:[3784]deletia, Previous:[3785]defined as, Up:[3786]= + D = + + dehose /dee-hohz/ vt. + + To clear a [3787]hosed condition. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deletia, Next:[3788]deliminator, Previous:[3789]dehose, + Up:[3790]= D = + + deletia n. /d*-lee'sha/ + + [USENET; common] In an email reply, material omitted from the quote of + the original. Usually written rather than spoken; often appears as a + pseudo-tag or ellipsis in the body of the reply, as "[deletia]" or + "<deletia>". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deliminator, Next:[3791]delint, Previous:[3792]deletia, + Up:[3793]= D = + + deliminator /de-lim'-in-ay-t*r/ n. + + [portmanteau, delimiter + eliminate] A string or pattern used to + delimit text into fields, but which is itself eliminated from the + resulting list of fields. This jargon seems to have originated among + Perl hackers in connection with the Perl split() function; however, it + has been sighted in live use among Java and even Visual Basic + programmers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:delint, Next:[3794]delta, Previous:[3795]deliminator, Up:[3796]= + D = + + delint /dee-lint/ v. obs. + + To modify code to remove problems detected when [3797]linting. + Confusingly, this process is also referred to as `linting' code. This + term is no longer in general use because ANSI C compilers typically + issue compile-time warnings almost as detailed as lint warnings. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:delta, Next:[3798]demented, Previous:[3799]delint, Up:[3800]= D = + + delta n. + + 1. [techspeak] A quantitative change, especially a small or + incremental one (this use is general in physics and engineering). "I + just doubled the speed of my program!" "What was the delta on program + size?" "About 30 percent." (He doubled the speed of his program, but + increased its size by only 30 percent.) 2. [Unix] A [3801]diff, + especially a [3802]diff stored under the set of version-control tools + called SCCS (Source Code Control System) or RCS (Revision Control + System). 3. n. A small quantity, but not as small as [3803]epsilon. + The jargon usage of [3804]delta and [3805]epsilon stems from the + traditional use of these letters in mathematics for very small + numerical quantities, particularly in `epsilon-delta' proofs in limit + theory (as in the differential calculus). The term [3806]delta is + often used, once [3807]epsilon has been mentioned, to mean a quantity + that is slightly bigger than [3808]epsilon but still very small. "The + cost isn't epsilon, but it's delta" means that the cost isn't totally + negligible, but it is nevertheless very small. Common constructions + include `within delta of --', `within epsilon of --': that is, `close + to' and `even closer to'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demented, Next:[3809]demigod, Previous:[3810]delta, Up:[3811]= D + = + + demented adj. + + Yet another term of disgust used to describe a malfunctioning program. + The connotation in this case is that the program works as designed, + but the design is bad. Said, for example, of a program that generates + large numbers of meaningless error messages, implying that it is on + the brink of imminent collapse. Compare [3812]wonky, + [3813]brain-damaged, [3814]bozotic. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demigod, Next:[3815]demo, Previous:[3816]demented, Up:[3817]= D = + + demigod n. + + A hacker with years of experience, a world-wide reputation, and a + major role in the development of at least one design, tool, or game + used by or known to more than half of the hacker community. To qualify + as a genuine demigod, the person must recognizably identify with the + hacker community and have helped shape it. Major demigods include Ken + Thompson and Dennis Ritchie (co-inventors of [3818]Unix and [3819]C), + Richard M. Stallman (inventor of [3820]EMACS), Larry Wall (inventor of + [3821]Perl), Linus Torvalds (inventor of [3822]Linux), and most + recently James Gosling (inventor of Java, [3823]NeWS, and + [3824]GOSMACS) and Guido van Rossum (inventor of [3825]Python). In + their hearts of hearts, most hackers dream of someday becoming + demigods themselves, and more than one major software project has been + driven to completion by the author's veiled hopes of apotheosis. See + also [3826]net.god, [3827]true-hacker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demo, Next:[3828]demo mode, Previous:[3829]demigod, Up:[3830]= D + = + + demo /de'moh/ + + [short for `demonstration'] 1. v. To demonstrate a product or + prototype. A far more effective way of inducing bugs to manifest than + any number of [3831]test runs, especially when important people are + watching. 2. n. The act of demoing. "I've gotta give a demo of the + drool-proof interface; how does it work again?" 3. n. Esp. as `demo + version', can refer either to an early, barely-functional version of a + program which can be used for demonstration purposes as long as the + operator uses exactly the right commands and skirts its numerous bugs, + deficiencies, and unimplemented portions, or to a special version of a + program (frequently with some features crippled) which is distributed + at little or no cost to the user for enticement purposes. 4. + [[3832]demoscene] A sequence of [3833]demoeffects (usually) combined + with self-composed music and hand-drawn ("pixelated") graphics. These + days (1997) usually built to attend a [3834]compo. Often called + `eurodemos' outside Europe, as most of the [3835]demoscene activity + seems to have gathered in northern Europe and especially Scandinavia. + See also [3836]intro, [3837]dentro. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demo mode, Next:[3838]demoeffect, Previous:[3839]demo, Up:[3840]= + D = + + demo mode n. + + 1. [Sun] The state of being [3841]heads down in order to finish code + in time for a [3842]demo, usually due yesterday. 2. A mode in which + video games sit by themselves running through a portion of the game, + also known as `attract mode'. Some serious [3843]apps have a demo mode + they use as a screen saver, or may go through a demo mode on startup + (for example, the Microsoft Windows opening screen -- which lets you + impress your neighbors without actually having to put up with + [3844]Microsloth Windows). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demoeffect, Next:[3845]demogroup, Previous:[3846]demo mode, + Up:[3847]= D = + + demoeffect n. + + [[3848]demoscene] What among hackers is called a [3849]display hack. + Classical effects include "plasma" (colorful mess), "keftales" + (x*x+y*y and other similar patterns, usually combined with + color-cycling), realtime fractals, realtime 3d graphics, etc. + Historically, demo effects have cheated as much as possible to gain + more speed and more complexity, using low-precision math and masses of + assembler code and building animation realtime are three common + tricks, but use of special hardware to fake effects is a [3850]Good + Thing on the demoscene (though this is becoming less common as + platforms like the Amiga fade away). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demogroup, Next:[3851]demon, Previous:[3852]demoeffect, + Up:[3853]= D = + + demogroup n. + + [[3854]demoscene] A group of [3855]demo (sense 4) composers. Job + titles within a group include coders (the ones who write programs), + graphicians (the ones who painstakingly pixelate the fine art), + musicians (the music composers), [3856]sysops, traders/swappers (the + ones who do the trading and other PR), and organizers (in larger + groups). It is not uncommon for one person to do multiple jobs, but it + has been observed that good coders are rarely good composers and vice + versa. [How odd. Musical talent seems common among Internet/Unix + hackers --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demon, Next:[3857]demon dialer, Previous:[3858]demogroup, + Up:[3859]= D = + + demon n. + + 1. [MIT] A portion of a program that is not invoked explicitly, but + that lies dormant waiting for some condition(s) to occur. See + [3860]daemon. The distinction is that demons are usually processes + within a program, while daemons are usually programs running on an + operating system. 2. [outside MIT] Often used equivalently to + [3861]daemon -- especially in the [3862]Unix world, where the latter + spelling and pronunciation is considered mildly archaic. + + Demons in sense 1 are particularly common in AI programs. For example, + a knowledge-manipulation program might implement inference rules as + demons. Whenever a new piece of knowledge was added, various demons + would activate (which demons depends on the particular piece of data) + and would create additional pieces of knowledge by applying their + respective inference rules to the original piece. These new pieces + could in turn activate more demons as the inferences filtered down + through chains of logic. Meanwhile, the main program could continue + with whatever its primary task was. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demon dialer, Next:[3863]demoparty, Previous:[3864]demon, + Up:[3865]= D = + + demon dialer n. + + A program which repeatedly calls the same telephone number. Demon + dialing may be benign (as when a number of communications programs + contend for legitimate access to a [3866]BBS line) or malign (that is, + used as a prank or denial-of-service attack). This term dates from the + [3867]blue box days of the 1970s and early 1980s and is now + semi-obsolescent among [3868]phreakers; see [3869]war dialer for its + contemporary progeny. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demoparty, Next:[3870]demoscene, Previous:[3871]demon dialer, + Up:[3872]= D = + + demoparty n. + + [[3873]demoscene] Aboveground descendant of the [3874]copyparty, with + emphasis shifted away from software piracy and towards [3875]compos. + Smaller demoparties, for 100 persons or less, are held quite often, + sometimes even once a month, and usually last for one to two days. On + the other end of the scale, huge demo parties are held once a year + (and four of these have grown very large and occur annually - Assembly + in Finland, The Party in Denmark, The Gathering in Norway, and NAID + somewhere in north America). These parties usually last for three to + five days, have room for 3000-5000 people, and have a party network + with connection to the internet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:demoscene, Next:[3876]dentro, Previous:[3877]demoparty, + Up:[3878]= D = + + demoscene /dem'oh-seen/ + + [also `demo scene'] A culture of multimedia hackers located primarily + in Scandinavia and northern Europe. Demoscene folklore recounts that + when old-time [3879]warez d00dz cracked some piece of software they + often added an advertisement of in the beginning, usually containing + colorful [3880]display hacks with greetings to other cracking groups. + The demoscene was born among people who decided building these display + hacks is more interesting than hacking and began to build + self-contained display hacks of considerable elaboration and beauty + (within the culture such a hack is called a [3881]demo). The split + seems to have happened at the end of the 1980s. As more of these + [3882]demogroups emerged, they started to have [3883]compos at copying + parties (see [3884]copyparty), which later evolved to standalone + events (see [3885]demoparty). The demoscene has retained some traits + from the [3886]warez d00dz, including their style of handles and group + names and some of their jargon. + + Traditionally demos were written in assembly language, with lots of + smart tricks, self-modifying code, undocumented op-codes and the like. + Some time around 1995, people started coding demos in C, and a couple + of years after that, they also started using Java. + + Ten years on (in 1998-1999), the demoscene is changing as its original + platforms (C64, Amiga, Spectrum, Atari ST, IBM PC under DOS) die out + and activity shifts towards Windows, Linux, and the Internet. While + deeply underground in the past, demoscene is trying to get into the + mainstream as accepted art form, and one symptom of this is the + commercialization of bigger demoparties. Older demosceneers frown at + this, but the majority think it's a good direction. Many demosceneers + end up working in the computer game industry. Demoscene resource pages + are available at [3887]http://www.oldskool.org/demos/explained/ and + [3888]http://www.scene.org/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dentro, Next:[3889]depeditate, Previous:[3890]demoscene, + Up:[3891]= D = + + dentro /den'troh/ + + [[3892]demoscene] Combination of [3893]demo (sense 4) and [3894]intro. + Other name mixings include intmo, dentmo etc. and are used usually + when the authors are not quite sure whether the program is a + [3895]demo or an [3896]intro. Special-purpose coinages like wedtro + (some member of a group got married), invtro (invitation intro) etc. + have also been sighted. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:depeditate, Next:[3897]deprecated, Previous:[3898]dentro, + Up:[3899]= D = + + depeditate /dee-ped'*-tayt/ n. + + [by (faulty) analogy with `decapitate'] Humorously, to cut off the + feet of. When one is using some computer-aided typesetting tools, + careless placement of text blocks within a page or above a rule can + result in chopped-off letter descenders. Such letters are said to have + been depeditated. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deprecated, Next:[3900]derf, Previous:[3901]depeditate, + Up:[3902]= D = + + deprecated adj. + + Said of a program or feature that is considered obsolescent and in the + process of being phased out, usually in favor of a specified + replacement. Deprecated features can, unfortunately, linger on for + many years. This term appears with distressing frequency in standards + documents when the committees writing the documents realize that large + amounts of extant (and presumably happily working) code depend on the + feature(s) that have passed out of favor. See also [3903]dusty deck. + + [Usage note: don't confuse this word with `depreciate', or the verb + form `deprecate' with `depreciated`. They are different words; see any + dictionary for discussion.] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:derf, Next:[3904]deserves to lose, Previous:[3905]deprecated, + Up:[3906]= D = + + derf /derf/ v.,n. + + [PLATO] The act of exploiting a terminal which someone else has + absentmindedly left logged on, to use that person's account, + especially to post articles intended to make an ass of the victim + you're impersonating. It has been alleged that the term originated as + a reversal of the name of the gentleman who most usually left himself + vulnerable to it, who also happened to be the head of the department + that handled PLATO at the University of Delaware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:deserves to lose, Next:[3907]desk check, Previous:[3908]derf, + Up:[3909]= D = + + deserves to lose adj. + + [common] Said of someone who willfully does the [3910]Wrong Thing; + humorously, if one uses a feature known to be [3911]marginal. What is + meant is that one deserves the consequences of one's [3912]losing + actions. "Boy, anyone who tries to use [3913]mess-dos deserves to + [3914]lose!" ([3915]ITS fans used to say the same thing of [3916]Unix; + many still do.) See also [3917]screw, [3918]chomp, [3919]bagbiter. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:desk check, Next:[3920]despew, Previous:[3921]deserves to lose, + Up:[3922]= D = + + desk check n.,v. + + To [3923]grovel over hardcopy of source code, mentally simulating the + control flow; a method of catching bugs. No longer common practice in + this age of on-screen editing, fast compiles, and sophisticated + debuggers -- though some maintain stoutly that it ought to be. Compare + [3924]eyeball search, [3925]vdiff, [3926]vgrep. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:despew, Next:[3927]Devil Book, Previous:[3928]desk check, + Up:[3929]= D = + + despew /d*-spyoo'/ v. + + [Usenet] To automatically generate a large amount of garbage to the + net, esp. from an automated posting program gone wild. See [3930]ARMM. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Devil Book, Next:[3931]/dev/null, Previous:[3932]despew, + Up:[3933]= D = + + Devil Book n. + + See [3934]daemon book, the term preferred by its authors. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:/dev/null, Next:[3935]dickless workstation, Previous:[3936]Devil + Book, Up:[3937]= D = + + /dev/null /dev-nuhl/ n. + + [from the Unix null device, used as a data sink] A notional `black + hole' in any information space being discussed, used, or referred to. + A controversial posting, for example, might end "Kudos to + rasputin@kremlin.org, flames to /dev/null". See [3938]bit bucket. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dickless workstation, Next:[3939]dictionary flame, + Previous:[3940]/dev/null, Up:[3941]= D = + + dickless workstation n. + + Extremely pejorative hackerism for `diskless workstation', a class of + botches including the Sun 3/50 and other machines designed exclusively + to network with an expensive central disk server. These combine all + the disadvantages of time-sharing with all the disadvantages of + distributed personal computers; typically, they cannot even [3942]boot + themselves without help (in the form of some kind of + [3943]breath-of-life packet) from the server. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dictionary flame, Next:[3944]diddle, Previous:[3945]dickless + workstation, Up:[3946]= D = + + dictionary flame n. + + [Usenet] An attempt to sidetrack a debate away from issues by + insisting on meanings for key terms that presuppose a desired + conclusion or smuggle in an implicit premise. A common tactic of + people who prefer argument over definitions to disputes about reality. + Compare [3947]spelling flame. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:diddle, Next:[3948]die, Previous:[3949]dictionary flame, + Up:[3950]= D = + + diddle + + 1. vt. To work with or modify in a not particularly serious manner. "I + diddled a copy of [3951]ADVENT so it didn't double-space all the + time." "Let's diddle this piece of code and see if the problem goes + away." See [3952]tweak and [3953]twiddle. 2. n. The action or result + of diddling. See also [3954]tweak, [3955]twiddle, [3956]frob. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:die, Next:[3957]die horribly, Previous:[3958]diddle, Up:[3959]= D + = + + die v. + + Syn. [3960]crash. Unlike [3961]crash, which is used primarily of + hardware, this verb is used of both hardware and software. See also + [3962]go flatline, [3963]casters-up mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:die horribly, Next:[3964]diff, Previous:[3965]die, Up:[3966]= D = + + die horribly v. + + The software equivalent of [3967]crash and burn, and the preferred + emphatic form of [3968]die. "The converter choked on an FF in its + input and died horribly". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:diff, Next:[3969]digit, Previous:[3970]die horribly, Up:[3971]= D + = + + diff /dif/ n. + + 1. A change listing, especially giving differences between (and + additions to) source code or documents (the term is often used in the + plural `diffs'). "Send me your diffs for the Jargon File!" Compare + [3972]vdiff. 2. Specifically, such a listing produced by the diff(1) + command, esp. when used as specification input to the patch(1) utility + (which can actually perform the modifications; see [3973]patch). This + is a common method of distributing patches and source updates in the + Unix/C world. 3. v. To compare (whether or not by use of automated + tools on machine-readable files); see also [3974]vdiff, [3975]mod. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:digit, Next:[3976]dike, Previous:[3977]diff, Up:[3978]= D = + + digit n.,obs. + + An employee of Digital Equipment Corporation. See also [3979]VAX, + [3980]VMS, [3981]PDP-10, [3982]TOPS-10, [3983]field circus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dike, Next:[3984]Dilbert, Previous:[3985]digit, Up:[3986]= D = + + dike vt. + + To remove or disable a portion of something, as a wire from a computer + or a subroutine from a program. A standard slogan is "When in doubt, + dike it out". (The implication is that it is usually more effective to + attack software problems by reducing complexity than by increasing + it.) The word `dikes' is widely used among mechanics and engineers to + mean `diagonal cutters', esp. the heavy-duty metal-cutting version, + but may also refer to a kind of wire-cutters used by electronics + techs. To `dike something out' means to use such cutters to remove + something. Indeed, the TMRC Dictionary defined dike as "to attack with + dikes". Among hackers this term has been metaphorically extended to + informational objects such as sections of code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dilbert, Next:[3987]ding, Previous:[3988]dike, Up:[3989]= D = + + Dilbert + + n. Name and title character of a comic strip nationally syndicated in + the U.S. and enormously popular among hackers. Dilbert is an + archetypical engineer-nerd who works at an anonymous high-technology + company; the strips present a lacerating satire of insane working + conditions and idiotic [3990]management practices all too readily + recognized by hackers. Adams, who spent nine years in [3991]cube + 4S700R at Pacific Bell (not [3992]DEC as often reported), often + remarks that he has never been able to come up with a fictional + management blunder that his correspondents didn't quickly either + report to have actually happened or top with a similar but even more + bizarre incident. In 1996 Adams distilled his insights into the + collective psychology of businesses into an even funnier book, "The + Dilbert Principle" (HarperCollins, ISBN 0-887-30787-6). See also + [3993]pointy-haired, [3994]rat dance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ding, Next:[3995]dink, Previous:[3996]Dilbert, Up:[3997]= D = + + ding n.,vi. + + 1. Synonym for [3998]feep. Usage: rare among hackers, but more common + in the [3999]Real World. 2. `dinged': What happens when someone in + authority gives you a minor bitching about something, esp. something + trivial. "I was dinged for having a messy desk." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dink, Next:[4000]dinosaur, Previous:[4001]ding, Up:[4002]= D = + + dink /dink/ adj. + + Said of a machine that has the [4003]bitty box nature; a machine too + small to be worth bothering with -- sometimes the system you're + currently forced to work on. First heard from an MIT hacker working on + a CP/M system with 64K, in reference to any 6502 system, then from + fans of 32-bit architectures about 16-bit machines. "GNUMACS will + never work on that dink machine." Probably derived from mainstream + `dinky', which isn't sufficiently pejorative. See [4004]macdink. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dinosaur, Next:[4005]dinosaur pen, Previous:[4006]dink, + Up:[4007]= D = + + dinosaur n. + + 1. Any hardware requiring raised flooring and special power. Used + especially of old minis and mainframes, in contrast with newer + microprocessor-based machines. In a famous quote from the 1988 Unix + EXPO, Bill Joy compared the liquid-cooled mainframe in the massive IBM + display with a grazing dinosaur "with a truck outside pumping its + bodily fluids through it". IBM was not amused. Compare [4008]big iron; + see also [4009]mainframe. 2. [IBM] A very conservative user; a + [4010]zipperhead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dinosaur pen, Next:[4011]dinosaurs mating, + Previous:[4012]dinosaur, Up:[4013]= D = + + dinosaur pen n. + + A traditional [4014]mainframe computer room complete with raised + flooring, special power, its own ultra-heavy-duty air conditioning, + and a side order of Halon fire extinguishers. See [4015]boa. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dinosaurs mating, Next:[4016]dirtball, Previous:[4017]dinosaur + pen, Up:[4018]= D = + + dinosaurs mating n. + + Said to occur when yet another [4019]big iron merger or buyout occurs; + reflects a perception by hackers that these signal another stage in + the long, slow dying of the [4020]mainframe industry. In its glory + days of the 1960s, it was `IBM and the Seven Dwarves': Burroughs, + Control Data, General Electric, Honeywell, NCR, RCA, and Univac. RCA + and GE sold out early, and it was `IBM and the Bunch' (Burroughs, + Univac, NCR, Control Data, and Honeywell) for a while. Honeywell was + bought out by Bull; Burroughs merged with Univac to form Unisys (in + 1984 -- this was when the phrase `dinosaurs mating' was coined); and + in 1991 AT&T absorbed NCR (but spat it back out a few years later). + Control Data still exists but is no longer in the mainframe business. + More such earth-shaking unions of doomed giants seem inevitable. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dirtball, Next:[4021]dirty power, Previous:[4022]dinosaurs + mating, Up:[4023]= D = + + dirtball n. + + [XEROX PARC] A small, perhaps struggling outsider; not in the major or + even the minor leagues. For example, "Xerox is not a dirtball + company". + + [Outsiders often observe in the PARC culture an institutional + arrogance which usage of this term exemplifies. The brilliance and + scope of PARC's contributions to computer science have been such that + this superior attitude is not much resented. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dirty power, Next:[4024]disclaimer, Previous:[4025]dirtball, + Up:[4026]= D = + + dirty power n. + + Electrical mains voltage that is unfriendly to the delicate innards of + computers. Spikes, [4027]drop-outs, average voltage significantly + higher or lower than nominal, or just plain noise can all cause + problems of varying subtlety and severity (these are collectively + known as [4028]power hits). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:disclaimer, Next:[4029]Discordianism, Previous:[4030]dirty power, + Up:[4031]= D = + + disclaimer n. + + [Usenet] Statement ritually appended to many Usenet postings + (sometimes automatically, by the posting software) reiterating the + fact (which should be obvious, but is easily forgotten) that the + article reflects its author's opinions and not necessarily those of + the organization running the machine through which the article entered + the network. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Discordianism, Next:[4032]disk farm, Previous:[4033]disclaimer, + Up:[4034]= D = + + Discordianism /dis-kor'di-*n-ism/ n. + + The veneration of [4035]Eris, a.k.a. Discordia; widely popular among + hackers. Discordianism was popularized by Robert Shea and Robert Anton + Wilson's novel "Illuminatus!" as a sort of self-subverting Dada-Zen + for Westerners -- it should on no account be taken seriously but is + far more serious than most jokes. Consider, for example, the Fifth + Commandment of the Pentabarf, from "Principia Discordia": "A + Discordian is Prohibited of Believing What he Reads." Discordianism is + usually connected with an elaborate conspiracy theory/joke involving + millennia-long warfare between the anarcho-surrealist partisans of + Eris and a malevolent, authoritarian secret society called the + Illuminati. See [4036]Religion in Appendix B, [4037]Church of the + SubGenius, and [4038]ha ha only serious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:disk farm, Next:[4039]display hack, Previous:[4040]Discordianism, + Up:[4041]= D = + + disk farm n. + + (also [4042]laundromat) A large room or rooms filled with disk drives + (esp. [4043]washing machines). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:display hack, Next:[4044]dispress, Previous:[4045]disk farm, + Up:[4046]= D = + + display hack n. + + A program with the same approximate purpose as a kaleidoscope: to make + pretty pictures. Famous display hacks include [4047]munching squares, + [4048]smoking clover, the BSD Unix rain(6) program, worms(6) on + miscellaneous Unixes, and the [4049]X kaleid(1) program. Display hacks + can also be implemented by creating text files containing numerous + escape sequences for interpretation by a video terminal; one notable + example displayed, on any VT100, a Christmas tree with twinkling + lights and a toy train circling its base. The [4050]hack value of a + display hack is proportional to the esthetic value of the images times + the cleverness of the algorithm divided by the size of the code. Syn. + [4051]psychedelicware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dispress, Next:[4052]Dissociated Press, Previous:[4053]display + hack, Up:[4054]= D = + + dispress vt. + + [contraction of `Dissociated Press' due to eight-character MS-DOS + filenames] To apply the [4055]Dissociated Press algorithm to a block + of text. The resultant output is also referred to as a 'dispression'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dissociated Press, Next:[4056]distribution, + Previous:[4057]dispress, Up:[4058]= D = + + Dissociated Press n. + + [play on `Associated Press'; perhaps inspired by a reference in the + 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon "What's Up, Doc?"] An algorithm for + transforming any text into potentially humorous garbage even more + efficiently than by passing it through a [4059]marketroid. The + algorithm starts by printing any N consecutive words (or letters) in + the text. Then at every step it searches for any random occurrence in + the original text of the last N words (or letters) already printed and + then prints the next word or letter. [4060]EMACS has a handy command + for this. Here is a short example of word-based Dissociated Press + applied to an earlier version of this Jargon File: + + wart: n. A small, crocky [4061]feature that sticks out of an array + (C has no checks for this). This is relatively benign and easy to + spot if the phrase is bent so as to be not worth paying attention + to the medium in question. + + Here is a short example of letter-based Dissociated Press applied to + the same source: + + window sysIWYG: n. A bit was named aften /bee't*/ prefer to use the + other guy's re, especially in every cast a chuckle on neithout + getting into useful informash speech makes removing a featuring a + move or usage actual abstractionsidered interj. Indeed spectace + logic or problem! + + A hackish idle pastime is to apply letter-based Dissociated Press to a + random body of text and [4062]vgrep the output in hopes of finding an + interesting new word. (In the preceding example, `window sysIWYG' and + `informash' show some promise.) Iterated applications of Dissociated + Press usually yield better results. Similar techniques called + `travesty generators' have been employed with considerable satirical + effect to the utterances of Usenet flamers; see [4063]pseudo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:distribution, Next:[4064]distro, Previous:[4065]Dissociated + Press, Up:[4066]= D = + + distribution n. + + 1. A software source tree packaged for distribution; but see + [4067]kit. Since about 1996 unqualified use of this term often implies + `[4068]Linux distribution'. The short for [4069]distro is often used + for this sense. 2. A vague term encompassing mailing lists and Usenet + newsgroups (but not [4070]BBS [4071]fora); any topic-oriented message + channel with multiple recipients. 3. An information-space domain + (usually loosely correlated with geography) to which propagation of a + Usenet message is restricted; a much-underutilized feature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:distro, Next:[4072]disusered, Previous:[4073]distribution, + Up:[4074]= D = + + distro n. + + Synonym for [4075]distribution, sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:disusered, Next:[4076]do protocol, Previous:[4077]distro, + Up:[4078]= D = + + disusered adj. + + [Usenet] Said of a person whose account on a computer has been + removed, esp. for cause rather than through normal attrition. "He got + disusered when they found out he'd been cracking through the school's + Internet access." The verbal form `disuser' is live but less common. + Both usages probably derive from the DISUSER account status flag on + VMS; setting it disables the account. Compare [4079]star out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:do protocol, Next:[4080]doc, Previous:[4081]disusered, Up:[4082]= + D = + + do protocol vi. + + [from network protocol programming] To perform an interaction with + somebody or something that follows a clearly defined procedure. For + example, "Let's do protocol with the check" at a restaurant means to + ask for the check, calculate the tip and everybody's share, collect + money from everybody, generate change as necessary, and pay the bill. + See [4083]protocol. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:doc, Next:[4084]documentation, Previous:[4085]do protocol, + Up:[4086]= D = + + doc /dok/ n. + + Common spoken and written shorthand for `documentation'. Often used in + the plural `docs' and in the construction `doc file' (i.e., + documentation available on-line). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:documentation, Next:[4087]dodgy, Previous:[4088]doc, Up:[4089]= D + = + + documentation n. + + The multiple kilograms of macerated, pounded, steamed, bleached, and + pressed trees that accompany most modern software or hardware products + (see also [4090]tree-killer). Hackers seldom read paper documentation + and (too) often resist writing it; they prefer theirs to be terse and + on-line. A common comment on this predilection is "You can't + [4091]grep dead trees". See [4092]drool-proof paper, [4093]verbiage, + [4094]treeware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dodgy, Next:[4095]dogcow, Previous:[4096]documentation, + Up:[4097]= D = + + dodgy adj. + + Syn. with [4098]flaky. Preferred outside the U.S. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dogcow, Next:[4099]dogfood, Previous:[4100]dodgy, Up:[4101]= D = + + dogcow /dog'kow/ n. + + See [4102]Moof. The dogcow is a semi-legendary creature that lurks in + the depths of the Macintosh Technical Notes Hypercard stack V3.1. The + full story of the dogcow is told in technical note #31 (the particular + dogcow illustrated is properly named `Clarus'). Option-shift-click + will cause it to emit a characteristic `Moof!' or `!fooM' sound. + Getting to tech note 31 is the hard part; to discover how to do that, + one must needs examine the stack script with a hackerly eye. Clue: + [4103]rot13 is involved. A dogcow also appears if you choose `Page + Setup...' with a LaserWriter selected and click on the `Options' + button. It also lurks in other Mac printer drivers, notably those for + the now-discontinued Style Writers. Sadly, Apple has removed the pages + that used to describe the dogcow. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dogfood, Next:[4104]dogpile, Previous:[4105]dogcow, Up:[4106]= D + = + + dogfood n. + + [Microsoft, Netscape] Interim software used internally for testing. + "To eat one's own dogfood" (from which the slang noun derives) means + to use the software one is developing, as part of one's everyday + development environment (the phrase is used outside Microsoft and + Netscape). The practice is normal in the Linux community and + elsewhere, but the term `dogfood' is seldom used as open-source betas + tend to be quite tasty and nourishing. The idea is that developers who + are using their own software will quickly learn what's missing or + broken. Dogfood is typically not even of [4107]beta quality. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dogpile, Next:[4108]dogwash, Previous:[4109]dogfood, Up:[4110]= D + = + + dogpile v. + + [Usenet: prob. fr. mainstream "puppy pile"] When many people post + unfriendly responses in short order to a single posting, they are + sometimes said to "dogpile" or "dogpile on" the person to whom they're + responding. For example, when a religious missionary posts a + simplistic appeal to alt.atheism, he can expect to be dogpiled. It has + been suggested that this derives from U.S, football slang for a tackle + involving three or more people; among hackers, it seems at least as + likely do derive from an `autobiographical' Bugs Bunny cartoon in + which a gang of attacking canines actually yells "Dogpile on the + rabbit!". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dogwash, Next:[4111]domainist, Previous:[4112]dogpile, Up:[4113]= + D = + + dogwash /dog'wosh/ + + [From a quip in the `urgency' field of a very optional software change + request, ca. 1982. It was something like "Urgency: Wash your dog + first".] 1. n. A project of minimal priority, undertaken as an escape + from more serious work. 2. v. To engage in such a project. Many games + and much [4114]freeware get written this way. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:domainist, Next:[4115]Don't do that then!, + Previous:[4116]dogwash, Up:[4117]= D = + + domainist /doh-mayn'ist/ adj. + + 1. [Usenet, by pointed analogy with "sexist", "racist", etc.] Someone + who judges people by the domain of their email addresses; esp. someone + who dismisses anyone who posts from a public internet provider. "What + do you expect from an article posted from aol.com?" 2. Said of an + [4118]Internet address (as opposed to a [4119]bang path) because the + part to the right of the @ specifies a nested series of `domains'; for + example, [4120]esr@snark.thyrsus.com specifies the machine called + snark in the subdomain called thyrsus within the top-level domain + called com. See also [4121]big-endian, sense 2. + + The meaning of this term has drifted. At one time sense 2 was primary. + In elder days it was also used of a site, mailer, or routing program + which knew how to handle domainist addresses; or of a person (esp. a + site admin) who preferred domain addressing, supported a domainist + mailer, or proselytized for domainist addressing and disdained + [4122]bang paths. These senses are now (1996) obsolete, as effectively + all sites have converted. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Don't do that then!, Next:[4123]dongle, Previous:[4124]domainist, + Up:[4125]= D = + + Don't do that then! imp. + + [from an old doctor's office joke about a patient with a trivial + complaint] Stock response to a user complaint. "When I type control-S, + the whole system comes to a halt for thirty seconds." "Don't do that, + then!" (or "So don't do that!"). Compare [4126]RTFM. + + Here's a classic example of "Don't do that then!" from Neil + Stephenson's "In The Beginning Was The Command Line". A friend of his + built a network with a load of Macs and a few high-powered database + servers. He found that from time to time the whole network would lock + up for no apparent reason. The problem was eventually tracked down to + MacOS's cooperative multitasking: when a user held down the mouse + button for too long, the network stack wouldn't get a chance to run... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dongle, Next:[4127]dongle-disk, Previous:[4128]Don't do that + then!, Up:[4129]= D = + + dongle /dong'gl/ n. + + 1. [now obs.] A security or [4130]copy protection device for + proprietary software consisting of a serialized EPROM and some drivers + in a D-25 connector shell, which must be connected to an I/O port of + the computer while the program is run. Programs that use a dongle + query the port at startup and at programmed intervals thereafter, and + terminate if it does not respond with the dongle's programmed + validation code. Thus, users can make as many copies of the program as + they want but must pay for each dongle. The idea was clever, but it + was initially a failure, as users disliked tying up a serial port this + way. By 1993, dongles would typically pass data through the port and + monitor for [4131]magic codes (and combinations of status lines) with + minimal if any interference with devices further down the line -- this + innovation was necessary to allow daisy-chained dongles for multiple + pieces of software. These devices have become rare as the industry has + moved away from copy-protection schemes in general. 2. By extension, + any physical electronic key or transferable ID required for a program + to function. Common variations on this theme have used parallel or + even joystick ports. See [4132]dongle-disk. 3. An adaptor cable mating + a special edge-type connector on a PCMCIA or on-board Ethernet card to + a standard RJ45 Ethernet jack. This usage seems to have surfaced in + 1999 and is now dominant. Laptop owners curse these things because + they're notoriously easy to lose and the vendors commonly charge + extortionate prices for replacements. + + [Note: in early 1992, advertising copy from Rainbow Technologies (a + manufacturer of dongles) included a claim that the word derived from + "Don Gall", allegedly the inventor of the device. The company's + receptionist will cheerfully tell you that the story is a myth + invented for the ad copy. Nevertheless, I expect it to haunt my life + as a lexicographer for at least the next ten years. :-( --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dongle-disk, Next:[4133]donuts, Previous:[4134]dongle, Up:[4135]= + D = + + dongle-disk /don'gl disk/ n. + + A special floppy disk that is required in order to perform some task. + Some contain special coding that allows an application to identify it + uniquely, others are special code that does something that + normally-resident programs don't or can't. (For example, AT&T's "Unix + PC" would only come up in [4136]root mode with a special boot disk.) + Also called a `key disk'. See [4137]dongle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:donuts, Next:[4138]doorstop, Previous:[4139]dongle-disk, + Up:[4140]= D = + + donuts n. obs. + + A collective noun for any set of memory bits. This usage is extremely + archaic and may no longer be live jargon; it dates from the days of + ferrite-[4141]core memories in which each bit was implemented by a + doughnut-shaped magnetic flip-flop. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:doorstop, Next:[4142]DoS attack, Previous:[4143]donuts, + Up:[4144]= D = + + doorstop n. + + Used to describe equipment that is non-functional and halfway expected + to remain so, especially obsolete equipment kept around for political + reasons or ostensibly as a backup. "When we get another Wyse-50 in + here, that ADM 3 will turn into a doorstop." Compare [4145]boat + anchor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DoS attack, Next:[4146]dot file, Previous:[4147]doorstop, + Up:[4148]= D = + + DoS attack // + + [Usenet,common; note that it's unrelated to `DOS' as name of an + operating system] Abbreviation for Denial-Of-Service attack. This + abbreviation is most often used of attempts to shut down newsgroups + with floods of [4149]spam, or to flood network links with large + amounts of traffic, or to flood network links with large amounts of + traffic, often by abusing network broadcast addresses Compare + [4150]slashdot effect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dot file, Next:[4151]double bucky, Previous:[4152]DoS attack, + Up:[4153]= D = + + dot file [Unix] n. + + A file that is not visible by default to normal directory-browsing + tools (on Unix, files named with a leading dot are, by convention, not + normally presented in directory listings). Many programs define one or + more dot files in which startup or configuration information may be + optionally recorded; a user can customize the program's behavior by + creating the appropriate file in the current or home directory. + (Therefore, dot files tend to [4154]creep -- with every nontrivial + application program defining at least one, a user's home directory can + be filled with scores of dot files, of course without the user's + really being aware of it.) See also [4155]profile (sense 1), [4156]rc + file. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:double bucky, Next:[4157]doubled sig, Previous:[4158]dot file, + Up:[4159]= D = + + double bucky adj. + + Using both the CTRL and META keys. "The command to burn all LEDs is + double bucky F." + + This term originated on the Stanford extended-ASCII keyboard, and was + later taken up by users of the [4160]space-cadet keyboard at MIT. A + typical MIT comment was that the Stanford [4161]bucky bits (control + and meta shifting keys) were nice, but there weren't enough of them; + you could type only 512 different characters on a Stanford keyboard. + An obvious way to address this was simply to add more shifting keys, + and this was eventually done; but a keyboard with that many shifting + keys is hard on touch-typists, who don't like to move their hands away + from the home position on the keyboard. It was half-seriously + suggested that the extra shifting keys be implemented as pedals; + typing on such a keyboard would be very much like playing a full pipe + organ. This idea is mentioned in a parody of a very fine song by + Jeffrey Moss called "Rubber Duckie", which was published in "The + Sesame Street Songbook" (Simon and Schuster 1971, ISBN 0-671-21036-X). + These lyrics were written on May 27, 1978, in celebration of the + Stanford keyboard: + Double Bucky + + Double bucky, you're the one! + You make my keyboard lots of fun. + Double bucky, an additional bit or two: + (Vo-vo-de-o!) + Control and meta, side by side, + Augmented ASCII, nine bits wide! + Double bucky! Half a thousand glyphs, plus a few! + Oh, + I sure wish that I + Had a couple of + Bits more! + Perhaps a + Set of pedals to + Make the number of + Bits four: + Double double bucky! + Double bucky, left and right + OR'd together, outta sight! + Double bucky, I'd like a whole word of + Double bucky, I'm happy I heard of + Double bucky, I'd like a whole word of you! + + --- The Great Quux (with apologies to Jeffrey Moss) + + [This, by the way, is an excellent example of computer [4162]filk + --ESR] See also [4163]meta bit, [4164]cokebottle, and [4165]quadruple + bucky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:doubled sig, Next:[4166]down, Previous:[4167]double bucky, + Up:[4168]= D = + + doubled sig [Usenet] n. + + A [4169]sig block that has been included twice in a [4170]Usenet + article or, less commonly, in an electronic mail message. An article + or message with a doubled sig can be caused by improperly configured + software. More often, however, it reveals the author's lack of + experience in electronic communication. See [4171]B1FF, [4172]pseudo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:down, Next:[4173]download, Previous:[4174]doubled sig, Up:[4175]= + D = + + down + + 1. adj. Not operating. "The up escalator is down" is considered a + humorous thing to say (unless of course you were expecting to use it), + and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" + and never refers to what floor the elevator is on. With respect to + computers, this term has passed into the mainstream; the extension to + other kinds of machine is still confined to techies (e.g. boiler + mechanics may speak of a boiler being down). 2. `go down' vi. To stop + functioning; usually said of the [4176]system. The message from the + [4177]console that every hacker hates to hear from the operator is + "System going down in 5 minutes". 3. `take down', `bring down' vt. To + deactivate purposely, usually for repair work or [4178]PM. "I'm taking + the system down to work on that bug in the tape drive." Occasionally + one hears the word `down' by itself used as a verb in this vt. sense. + See [4179]crash; oppose [4180]up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:download, Next:[4181]DP, Previous:[4182]down, Up:[4183]= D = + + download vt. + + To transfer data or (esp.) code from a far-away system (especially a + larger `host' system) over a digital communications link to a nearby + system (especially a smaller `client' system. Oppose [4184]upload. + + Historical use of these terms was at one time associated with + transfers from large timesharing machines to PCs or peripherals + (download) and vice-versa (upload). The modern usage relative to the + speaker (rather than as an indicator of the size and role of the + machines) evolved as machine categories lost most of their former + functional importance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DP, Next:[4185]DPB, Previous:[4186]download, Up:[4187]= D = + + DP /D-P/ n. + + 1. Data Processing. Listed here because, according to hackers, use of + the term marks one immediately as a [4188]suit. See [4189]DPer. 2. + Common abbrev for [4190]Dissociated Press. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DPB, Next:[4191]DPer, Previous:[4192]DP, Up:[4193]= D = + + DPB /d*-pib'/ vt. + + [from the PDP-10 instruction set] To plop something down in the + middle. Usage: silly. "DPB yourself into that couch there." The + connotation would be that the couch is full except for one slot just + big enough for one last person to sit in. DPB means `DePosit Byte', + and was the name of a PDP-10 instruction that inserts some bits into + the middle of some other bits. Hackish usage has been kept alive by + the Common LISP function of the same name. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DPer, Next:[4194]Dr. Fred Mbogo, Previous:[4195]DPB, Up:[4196]= D + = + + DPer /dee-pee-er/ n. + + Data Processor. Hackers are absolutely amazed that [4197]suits use + this term self-referentially. Computers process data, not people! See + [4198]DP. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dr. Fred Mbogo, Next:[4199]dragon, Previous:[4200]DPer, + Up:[4201]= D = + + Dr. Fred Mbogo /*m-boh'goh, dok'tr fred/ n. + + [Stanford] The archetypal man you don't want to see about a problem, + esp. an incompetent professional; a shyster. "Do you know a good eye + doctor?" "Sure, try Mbogo Eye Care and Professional Dry Cleaning." The + name comes from synergy between [4202]bogus and the original Dr. + Mbogo, a witch doctor who was Gomez Addams' physician on the old + "Addams Family" TV show. Interestingly enough, it turns out that under + the rules for Swahili noun classes, `m-' is the characteristic prefix + of "nouns referring to human beings". As such, "mbogo" is quite + plausible as a Swahili coinage for a person having the nature of a + [4203]bogon. Compare [4204]Bloggs Family and [4205]J. Random Hacker; + see also [4206]Fred Foobar and [4207]fred. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dragon, Next:[4208]Dragon Book, Previous:[4209]Dr. Fred Mbogo, + Up:[4210]= D = + + dragon n. + + [MIT] A program similar to a [4211]daemon, except that it is not + invoked at all, but is instead used by the system to perform various + secondary tasks. A typical example would be an accounting program, + which keeps track of who is logged in, accumulates load-average + statistics, etc. Under ITS, many terminals displayed a list of people + logged in, where they were, what they were running, etc., along with + some random picture (such as a unicorn, Snoopy, or the Enterprise), + which was generated by the `name dragon'. Usage: rare outside MIT -- + under Unix and most other OSes this would be called a `background + demon' or [4212]daemon. The best-known Unix example of a dragon is + cron(1). At SAIL, they called this sort of thing a `phantom'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dragon Book, Next:[4213]drain, Previous:[4214]dragon, Up:[4215]= + D = + + Dragon Book n. + + The classic text "Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools", by + Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman (Addison-Wesley 1986; + ISBN 0-201-10088-6), so called because of the cover design featuring a + dragon labeled `complexity of compiler design' and a knight bearing + the lance `LALR parser generator' among his other trappings. This one + is more specifically known as the `Red Dragon Book' (1986); an earlier + edition, sans Sethi and titled "Principles Of Compiler Design" (Alfred + V. Aho and Jeffrey D. Ullman; Addison-Wesley, 1977; ISBN + 0-201-00022-9), was the `Green Dragon Book' (1977). (Also `New Dragon + Book', `Old Dragon Book'.) The horsed knight and the Green Dragon were + warily eying each other at a distance; now the knight is typing + (wearing gauntlets!) at a terminal showing a video-game representation + of the Red Dragon's head while the rest of the beast extends back in + normal space. See also [4216]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drain, Next:[4217]dread high-bit disease, Previous:[4218]Dragon + Book, Up:[4219]= D = + + drain v. + + [IBM] Syn. for [4220]flush (sense 2). Has a connotation of finality + about it; one speaks of draining a device before taking it offline. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dread high-bit disease, Next:[4221]Dread Questionmark Disease, + Previous:[4222]drain, Up:[4223]= D = + + dread high-bit disease n. + + A condition endemic to some now-obsolete computers and peripherals + (including ASR-33 teletypes and PRIME minicomputers) that results in + all characters having their high (0x80) bit forced on. This of course + makes transporting files to other systems much more difficult, not to + mention the problems these machines have talking with true 8-bit + devices. + + This term was originally used specifically of PRIME (a.k.a. PR1ME) + minicomputers. Folklore has it that PRIME adopted the reversed-8-bit + convention in order to save 25 cents per serial line per machine; + PRIME old-timers, on the other hand, claim they inherited the disease + from Honeywell via customer NASA's compatibility requirements and + struggled heroically to cure it. Whoever was responsible, this + probably qualifies as one of the most [4224]cretinous design tradeoffs + ever made. See [4225]meta bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dread Questionmark Disease, Next:[4226]DRECNET, + Previous:[4227]dread high-bit disease, Up:[4228]= D = + + Dread Questionmark Disease + + n. The result of saving HTML from Microsoft Word or some other program + that uses the nonstandard Microsoft variant of Latin-1; the symptom is + that various of those nonstandard characters in positions 128-160 show + up as questionmarks. The usual culprit is the misnamed `smart quotes' + feature in Microsoft Word. For more details (and a program called + `demoroniser' that cleans up the mess) see + [4229]http://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/demoroniser/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DRECNET, Next:[4230]driver, Previous:[4231]Dread Questionmark + Disease, Up:[4232]= D = + + DRECNET /drek'net/ n. + + [from Yiddish/German `dreck', meaning filth] Deliberate distortion of + DECNET, a networking protocol used in the [4233]VMS community. So + called because [4234]DEC helped write the Ethernet specification and + then (either stupidly or as a malignant customer-control tactic) + violated that spec in the design of DRECNET in a way that made it + incompatible. See also [4235]connector conspiracy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:driver, Next:[4236]droid, Previous:[4237]DRECNET, Up:[4238]= D = + + driver n. + + 1. The [4239]main loop of an event-processing program; the code that + gets commands and dispatches them for execution. 2. [techspeak] In + `device driver', code designed to handle a particular peripheral + device such as a magnetic disk or tape unit. 3. In the TeX world and + the computerized typesetting world in general, a program that + translates some device-independent or other common format to something + a real device can actually understand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:droid, Next:[4240]drone, Previous:[4241]driver, Up:[4242]= D = + + droid n. + + [from `android', SF terminology for a humanoid robot of essentially + biological (as opposed to mechanical/electronic) construction] A + person (esp. a low-level bureaucrat or service-business employee) + exhibiting most of the following characteristics: (a) naive trust in + the wisdom of the parent organization or `the system'; (b) a + blind-faith propensity to believe obvious nonsense emitted by + authority figures (or computers!); (c) a rule-governed mentality, one + unwilling or unable to look beyond the `letter of the law' in + exceptional situations; (d) a paralyzing fear of official reprimand or + worse if Procedures are not followed No Matter What; and (e) no + interest in doing anything above or beyond the call of a very + narrowly-interpreted duty, or in particular in fixing that which is + broken; an "It's not my job, man" attitude. + + Typical droid positions include supermarket checkout assistant and + bank clerk; the syndrome is also endemic in low-level government + employees. The implication is that the rules and official procedures + constitute software that the droid is executing; problems arise when + the software has not been properly debugged. The term `droid + mentality' is also used to describe the mindset behind this behavior. + Compare [4243]suit, [4244]marketroid; see [4245]-oid. + + In England there is equivalent mainstream slang; a `jobsworth' is an + obstructive, rule-following bureaucrat, often of the uniformed or + suited variety. Named for the habit of denying a reasonable request by + sucking his teeth and saying "Oh no, guv, sorry I can't help you: + that's more than my job's worth". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drone, Next:[4246]drool-proof paper, Previous:[4247]droid, + Up:[4248]= D = + + drone n. + + Ignorant sales or customer service personnel in computer or + electronics superstores. Characterized by a lack of even superficial + knowledge about the products they sell, yet possessed of the + conviction that they are more competent than their hacker customers. + Usage: "That video board probably sucks, it was recommended by a drone + at Fry's" In the year 2000, their natural habitats include Fry's + Electronics, Best Buy, and CompUSA. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drool-proof paper, Next:[4249]drop on the floor, + Previous:[4250]drone, Up:[4251]= D = + + drool-proof paper n. + + Documentation that has been obsessively [4252]dumbed down, to the + point where only a [4253]cretin could bear to read it, is said to have + succumbed to the `drool-proof paper syndrome' or to have been `written + on drool-proof paper'. For example, this is an actual quote from + Apple's LaserWriter manual: "Do not expose your LaserWriter to open + fire or flame." The SGI Indy manual is said to include the line "Do + not dangle the mouse by the cord or throw it at coworkers.", but this + sounds like parody. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drop on the floor, Next:[4254]drop-ins, + Previous:[4255]drool-proof paper, Up:[4256]= D = + + drop on the floor vt. + + To react to an error condition by silently discarding messages or + other valuable data. "The gateway ran out of memory, so it just + started dropping packets on the floor." Also frequently used of faulty + mail and netnews relay sites that lose messages. See also [4257]black + hole, [4258]bit bucket. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drop-ins, Next:[4259]drop-outs, Previous:[4260]drop on the floor, + Up:[4261]= D = + + drop-ins n. + + [prob. by analogy with [4262]drop-outs] Spurious characters appearing + on a terminal or console as a result of line noise or a system + malfunction of some sort. Esp. used when these are interspersed with + one's own typed input. Compare [4263]drop-outs, sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drop-outs, Next:[4264]drugged, Previous:[4265]drop-ins, + Up:[4266]= D = + + drop-outs n. + + 1. A variety of `power glitch' (see [4267]glitch); momentary 0 voltage + on the electrical mains. 2. Missing characters in typed input due to + software malfunction or system saturation (one cause of such behavior + under Unix when a bad connection to a modem swamps the processor with + spurious character interrupts; see [4268]screaming tty). 3. Mental + glitches; used as a way of describing those occasions when the mind + just seems to shut down for a couple of beats. See [4269]glitch, + [4270]fried. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drugged, Next:[4271]drum, Previous:[4272]drop-outs, Up:[4273]= D + = + + drugged adj. + + (also `on drugs') 1. Conspicuously stupid, heading toward + [4274]brain-damaged. Often accompanied by a pantomime of toking a + joint. 2. Of hardware, very slow relative to normal performance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drum, Next:[4275]drunk mouse syndrome, Previous:[4276]drugged, + Up:[4277]= D = + + drum adj, n. + + Ancient techspeak term referring to slow, cylindrical magnetic media + that were once state-of-the-art storage devices. Under BSD Unix the + disk partition used for swapping is still called /dev/drum; this has + led to considerable humor and not a few straight-faced but utterly + bogus `explanations' getting foisted on [4278]newbies. See also + "[4279]The Story of Mel" in Appendix A. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:drunk mouse syndrome, Next:[4280]dub dub dub, + Previous:[4281]drum, Up:[4282]= D = + + drunk mouse syndrome n. + + (also `mouse on drugs') A malady exhibited by the mouse pointing + device of some computers. The typical symptom is for the mouse cursor + on the screen to move in random directions and not in sync with the + motion of the actual mouse. Can usually be corrected by unplugging the + mouse and plugging it back again. Another recommended fix for optical + mice is to rotate your mouse pad 90 degrees. + + At Xerox PARC in the 1970s, most people kept a can of copier cleaner + (isopropyl alcohol) at their desks. When the steel ball on the mouse + had picked up enough [4283]cruft to be unreliable, the mouse was + doused in cleaner, which restored it for a while. However, this + operation left a fine residue that accelerated the accumulation of + cruft, so the dousings became more and more frequent. Finally, the + mouse was declared `alcoholic' and sent to the clinic to be dried out + in a CFC ultrasonic bath. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dub dub dub, Next:[4284]Duff's device, Previous:[4285]drunk mouse + syndrome, Up:[4286]= D = + + dub dub dub + + [common] Spoken-only shorthand for the "www" (double-u double-u + double-u) in many web host names. Nothing to do with the style of + reggae music called `dub'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Duff's device, Next:[4287]dumb terminal, Previous:[4288]dub dub + dub, Up:[4289]= D = + + Duff's device n. + + The most dramatic use yet seen of [4290]fall through in C, invented by + Tom Duff when he was at Lucasfilm. Trying to [4291]bum all the + instructions he could out of an inner loop that copied data serially + onto an output port, he decided to unroll it. He then realized that + the unrolled version could be implemented by interlacing the + structures of a switch and a loop: + register n = (count + 7) / 8; /* count > 0 assumed */ + + switch (count % 8) + { + case 0: do { *to = *from++; + case 7: *to = *from++; + case 6: *to = *from++; + case 5: *to = *from++; + case 4: *to = *from++; + case 3: *to = *from++; + case 2: *to = *from++; + case 1: *to = *from++; + } while (--n > 0); + } + + Shocking though it appears to all who encounter it for the first time, + the device is actually perfectly valid, legal C. C's default + [4292]fall through in case statements has long been its most + controversial single feature; Duff observed that "This code forms some + sort of argument in that debate, but I'm not sure whether it's for or + against." Duff has discussed the device in detail at + [4293]http://www.lysator.liu.se/c/duffs-device.html. Note that the + omission of postfix ++ from *to was intentional (though confusing). + Duff's device can be used to implement memory copy, but the original + aim was to copy values serially into a magic IO register. + + [For maximal obscurity, the outermost pair of braces above could + actually be removed -- GLS] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dumb terminal, Next:[4294]dumbass attack, Previous:[4295]Duff's + device, Up:[4296]= D = + + dumb terminal n. + + A terminal that is one step above a [4297]glass tty, having a + minimally addressable cursor but no on-screen editing or other + features normally supported by a [4298]smart terminal. Once upon a + time, when glass ttys were common and addressable cursors were + something special, what is now called a dumb terminal could pass for a + smart terminal. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dumbass attack, Next:[4299]dumbed down, Previous:[4300]dumb + terminal, Up:[4301]= D = + + dumbass attack /duhm'as *-tak'/ n. + + [Purdue] Notional cause of a novice's mistake made by the experienced, + especially one made while running as [4302]root under Unix, e.g., + typing rm -r * or mkfs on a mounted file system. Compare [4303]adger. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dumbed down, Next:[4304]dump, Previous:[4305]dumbass attack, + Up:[4306]= D = + + dumbed down adj. + + Simplified, with a strong connotation of oversimplified. Often, a + [4307]marketroid will insist that the interfaces and documentation of + software be dumbed down after the designer has burned untold gallons + of midnight oil making it smart. This creates friction. See + [4308]user-friendly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dump, Next:[4309]dumpster diving, Previous:[4310]dumbed down, + Up:[4311]= D = + + dump n. + + 1. An undigested and voluminous mass of information about a problem or + the state of a system, especially one routed to the slowest available + output device (compare [4312]core dump), and most especially one + consisting of hex or octal [4313]runes describing the byte-by-byte + state of memory, mass storage, or some file. In [4314]elder days, + debugging was generally done by `groveling over' a dump (see + [4315]grovel); increasing use of high-level languages and interactive + debuggers has made such tedium uncommon, and the term `dump' now has a + faintly archaic flavor. 2. A backup. This usage is typical only at + large timesharing installations. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dumpster diving, Next:[4316]dup killer, Previous:[4317]dump, + Up:[4318]= D = + + dumpster diving /dump'-ster di:'-ving/ n. + + 1. The practice of sifting refuse from an office or technical + installation to extract confidential data, especially + security-compromising information (`dumpster' is an Americanism for + what is elsewhere called a `skip'). Back in AT&T's monopoly days, + before paper shredders became common office equipment, phone phreaks + (see [4319]phreaking) used to organize regular dumpster runs against + phone company plants and offices. Discarded and damaged copies of AT&T + internal manuals taught them much. The technique is still rumored to + be a favorite of crackers operating against careless targets. 2. The + practice of raiding the dumpsters behind buildings where producers + and/or consumers of high-tech equipment are located, with the + expectation (usually justified) of finding discarded but + still-valuable equipment to be nursed back to health in some hacker's + den. Experienced dumpster-divers not infrequently accumulate basements + full of moldering (but still potentially useful) [4320]cruft. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dup killer, Next:[4321]dup loop, Previous:[4322]dumpster diving, + Up:[4323]= D = + + dup killer /d[y]oop kill'r/ n. + + [FidoNet] Software that is supposed to detect and delete duplicates of + a message that may have reached the FidoNet system via different + routes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dup loop, Next:[4324]dusty deck, Previous:[4325]dup killer, + Up:[4326]= D = + + dup loop /d[y]oop loop/ (also `dupe loop') n. + + [FidoNet] An infinite stream of duplicated, near-identical messages on + a FidoNet [4327]echo, the only difference being unique or mangled + identification information applied by a faulty or incorrectly + configured system or network gateway, thus rendering [4328]dup killers + ineffective. If such a duplicate message eventually reaches a system + through which it has already passed (with the original identification + information), all systems passed on the way back to that system are + said to be involved in a [4329]dup loop. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dusty deck, Next:[4330]DWIM, Previous:[4331]dup loop, Up:[4332]= + D = + + dusty deck n. + + Old software (especially applications) which one is obliged to remain + compatible with, or to maintain ([4333]DP types call this `legacy + code', a term hackers consider smarmy and excessively reverent). The + term implies that the software in question is a holdover from + card-punch days. Used esp. when referring to old scientific and + [4334]number-crunching software, much of which was written in FORTRAN + and very poorly documented but is believed to be too expensive to + replace. See [4335]fossil; compare [4336]crawling horror. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:DWIM, Next:[4337]dynner, Previous:[4338]dusty deck, Up:[4339]= D + = + + DWIM /dwim/ + + [acronym, `Do What I Mean'] 1. adj. Able to guess, sometimes even + correctly, the result intended when bogus input was provided. 2. n. + obs. The BBNLISP/INTERLISP function that attempted to accomplish this + feat by correcting many of the more common errors. See [4340]hairy. 3. + Occasionally, an interjection hurled at a balky computer, esp. when + one senses one might be tripping over legalisms (see [4341]legalese). + 4. Of a person, someone whose directions are incomprehensible and + vague, but who nevertheless has the expectation that you will solve + the problem using the specific method he/she has in mind. + + Warren Teitelman originally wrote DWIM to fix his typos and spelling + errors, so it was somewhat idiosyncratic to his style, and would often + make hash of anyone else's typos if they were stylistically different. + Some victims of DWIM thus claimed that the acronym stood for `Damn + Warren's Infernal Machine!'. + + In one notorious incident, Warren added a DWIM feature to the command + interpreter used at Xerox PARC. One day another hacker there typed + delete *$ to free up some disk space. (The editor there named backup + files by appending $ to the original file name, so he was trying to + delete any backup files left over from old editing sessions.) It + happened that there weren't any editor backup files, so DWIM helpfully + reported *$ not found, assuming you meant 'delete *'. It then started + to delete all the files on the disk! The hacker managed to stop it + with a [4342]Vulcan nerve pinch after only a half dozen or so files + were lost. + + The disgruntled victim later said he had been sorely tempted to go to + Warren's office, tie Warren down in his chair in front of his + workstation, and then type delete *$ twice. + + DWIM is often suggested in jest as a desired feature for a complex + program; it is also occasionally described as the single instruction + the ideal computer would have. Back when proofs of program correctness + were in vogue, there were also jokes about `DWIMC' (Do What I Mean, + Correctly). A related term, more often seen as a verb, is DTRT (Do The + Right Thing); see [4343]Right Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:dynner, Next:[4344]earthquake, Previous:[4345]DWIM, Up:[4346]= D + = + + dynner /din'r/ n. + + 32 bits, by analogy with [4347]nybble and [4348]byte. Usage: rare and + extremely silly. See also [4349]playte, [4350]tayste, [4351]crumb. + General discussion of such terms is under [4352]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= E =, Next:[4353]= F =, Previous:[4354]= D =, Up:[4355]The + Jargon Lexicon + += E = + + * [4356]earthquake: + * [4357]Easter egg: + * [4358]Easter egging: + * [4359]eat flaming death: + * [4360]EBCDIC: + * [4361]echo: + * [4362]ECP: + * [4363]ed: + * [4364]egosurf: + * [4365]eighty-column mind: + * [4366]El Camino Bignum: + * [4367]elder days: + * [4368]elegant: + * [4369]elephantine: + * [4370]elevator controller: + * [4371]elite: + * [4372]ELIZA effect: + * [4373]elvish: + * [4374]EMACS: + * [4375]email: + * [4376]emoticon: + * [4377]EMP: + * [4378]empire: + * [4379]engine: + * [4380]English: + * [4381]enhancement: + * [4382]ENQ: + * [4383]EOF: + * [4384]EOL: + * [4385]EOU: + * [4386]epoch: + * [4387]epsilon: + * [4388]epsilon squared: + * [4389]era the: + * [4390]Eric Conspiracy: + * [4391]Eris: + * [4392]erotics: + * [4393]error 33: + * [4394]eurodemo: + * [4395]evil: + * [4396]evil and rude: + * [4397]Evil Empire: + * [4398]exa-: + * [4399]examining the entrails: + * [4400]EXCH: + * [4401]excl: + * [4402]EXE: + * [4403]exec: + * [4404]exercise left as an: + * [4405]Exon: + * [4406]Exploder: + * [4407]exploit: + * [4408]external memory: + * [4409]eye candy: + * [4410]eyeball search: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:earthquake, Next:[4411]Easter egg, Previous:[4412]dynner, + Up:[4413]= E = + + earthquake n. + + [IBM] The ultimate real-world shock test for computer hardware. + Hackish sources at IBM deny the rumor that the Bay Area quake of 1989 + was initiated by the company to test quality-assurance procedures at + its California plants. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Easter egg, Next:[4414]Easter egging, Previous:[4415]earthquake, + Up:[4416]= E = + + Easter egg n. + + [from the custom of the Easter Egg hunt observed in the U.S. and many + parts of Europe] 1. A message hidden in the object code of a program + as a joke, intended to be found by persons disassembling or browsing + the code. 2. A message, graphic, or sound effect emitted by a program + (or, on a PC, the BIOS ROM) in response to some undocumented set of + commands or keystrokes, intended as a joke or to display program + credits. One well-known early Easter egg found in a couple of OSes + caused them to respond to the command make love with not war?. Many + personal computers have much more elaborate eggs hidden in ROM, + including lists of the developers' names, political exhortations, + snatches of music, and (in one case) graphics images of the entire + development team. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Easter egging, Next:[4417]eat flaming death, + Previous:[4418]Easter egg, Up:[4419]= E = + + Easter egging n. + + [IBM] The act of replacing unrelated components more or less at random + in hopes that a malfunction will go away. Hackers consider this the + normal operating mode of [4420]field circus techs and do not love them + for it. See also the jokes under [4421]field circus. Compare + [4422]shotgun debugging. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:eat flaming death, Next:[4423]EBCDIC, Previous:[4424]Easter + egging, Up:[4425]= E = + + eat flaming death imp. + + A construction popularized among hackers by the infamous [4426]CPU + Wars comic; supposedly derive from a famously turgid line in a + WWII-era anti-Nazi propaganda comic that ran "Eat flaming death, + non-Aryan mongrels!" or something of the sort (however, it is also + reported that the Firesign Theatre's 1975 album "In The Next World, + You're On Your Own" a character won the right to scream "Eat flaming + death, fascist media pigs" in the middle of Oscar night on a game + show; this may have been an influence). Used in humorously overblown + expressions of hostility. "Eat flaming death, [4427]EBCDIC users!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EBCDIC, Next:[4428]echo, Previous:[4429]eat flaming death, + Up:[4430]= E = + + EBCDIC /eb's*-dik/, /eb'see`dik/, or /eb'k*-dik/ n. + + [abbreviation, Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code] An + alleged character set used on IBM [4431]dinosaurs. It exists in at + least six mutually incompatible versions, all featuring such delights + as non-contiguous letter sequences and the absence of several ASCII + punctuation characters fairly important for modern computer languages + (exactly which characters are absent varies according to which version + of EBCDIC you're looking at). IBM adapted EBCDIC from [4432]punched + card code in the early 1960s and promulgated it as a customer-control + tactic (see [4433]connector conspiracy), spurning the already + established ASCII standard. Today, IBM claims to be an open-systems + company, but IBM's own description of the EBCDIC variants and how to + convert between them is still internally classified top-secret, + burn-before-reading. Hackers blanch at the very name of EBCDIC and + consider it a manifestation of purest [4434]evil. See also [4435]fear + and loathing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:echo, Next:[4436]ECP, Previous:[4437]EBCDIC, Up:[4438]= E = + + echo [FidoNet] n. + + A [4439]topic group on [4440]FidoNet's echomail system. Compare + [4441]newsgroup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ECP, Next:[4442]ed, Previous:[4443]echo, Up:[4444]= E = + + ECP /E-C-P/ n. + + See [4445]spam and [4446]velveeta. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ed, Next:[4447]egosurf, Previous:[4448]ECP, Up:[4449]= E = + + ed n. + + "ed is the standard text editor." Line taken from original the + [4450]Unix manual page on ed, an ancient line-oriented editor that is + by now used only by a few [4451]Real Programmers, and even then only + for batch operations. The original line is sometimes uttered near the + beginning of an emacs vs. vi holy war on [4452]Usenet, with the (vain) + hope to quench the discussion before it really takes off. Often + followed by a standard text describing the many virtues of ed (such as + the small memory [4453]footprint on a Timex Sinclair, and the + consistent (because nearly non-existent) user interface). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:egosurf, Next:[4454]eighty-column mind, Previous:[4455]ed, + Up:[4456]= E = + + egosurf vi. + + To search the net for your name or links to your web pages. Perhaps + connected to long-established SF-fan slang `egoscan', to search for + one's name in a fanzine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:eighty-column mind, Next:[4457]El Camino Bignum, + Previous:[4458]egosurf, Up:[4459]= E = + + eighty-column mind n. + + [IBM] The sort said to be possessed by persons for whom the transition + from [4460]punched card to tape was traumatic (nobody has dared tell + them about disks yet). It is said that these people, including + (according to an old joke) the founder of IBM, will be buried `face + down, 9-edge first' (the 9-edge being the bottom of the card). This + directive is inscribed on IBM's 1402 and 1622 card readers and is + referenced in a famous bit of doggerel called "The Last Bug", the + climactic lines of which are as follows: + He died at the console + Of hunger and thirst. + Next day he was buried, + Face down, 9-edge first. + + The eighty-column mind was thought by most hackers to dominate IBM's + customer base and its thinking. This only began to change in the + mid-1990s when IBM began to reinvent itself after the triumph of the + [4461]killer micro. See [4462]IBM, [4463]fear and loathing, [4464]card + walloper. A copy of "The Last Bug" lives on the the GNU site at + [4465]http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/last.bug.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:El Camino Bignum, Next:[4466]elder days, + Previous:[4467]eighty-column mind, Up:[4468]= E = + + El Camino Bignum /el' k*-mee'noh big'nuhm/ n. + + The road mundanely called El Camino Real, running along San Francisco + peninsula. It originally extended all the way down to Mexico City; + many portions of the old road are still intact. Navigation on the San + Francisco peninsula is usually done relative to El Camino Real, which + defines [4469]logical north and south even though it isn't really + north-south in many places. El Camino Real runs right past Stanford + University and so is familiar to hackers. + + The Spanish word `real' (which has two syllables: /ray-ahl'/) means + `royal'; El Camino Real is `the royal road'. In the FORTRAN language, + a `real' quantity is a number typically precise to seven significant + digits, and a `double precision' quantity is a larger floating-point + number, precise to perhaps fourteen significant digits (other + languages have similar `real' types). + + When a hacker from MIT visited Stanford in 1976, he remarked what a + long road El Camino Real was. Making a pun on `real', he started + calling it `El Camino Double Precision' -- but when the hacker was + told that the road was hundreds of miles long, he renamed it `El + Camino Bignum', and that name has stuck. (See [4470]bignum.) + + [GLS has since let slip that the unnamed hacker in this story was in + fact himself --ESR] + + In recent years, the synonym `El Camino Virtual' has been reported as + an alternate at IBM and Amdahl sites in the Valley. Mathematically + literate hackers in the Valley have also been heard to refer to some + major cross-street intersecting El Camino Real as "El Camino + Imaginary". One popular theory is that the intersection is located + near Moffett Field - where they keep all those complex planes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:elder days, Next:[4471]elegant, Previous:[4472]El Camino Bignum, + Up:[4473]= E = + + elder days n. + + The heroic age of hackerdom (roughly, pre-1980); the era of the + [4474]PDP-10, [4475]TECO, [4476]ITS, and the ARPANET. This term has + been rather consciously adopted from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy epic + "The Lord of the Rings". Compare [4477]Iron Age; see also [4478]elvish + and [4479]Great Worm. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:elegant, Next:[4480]elephantine, Previous:[4481]elder days, + Up:[4482]= E = + + elegant adj. + + [common; from mathematical usage] Combining simplicity, power, and a + certain ineffable grace of design. Higher praise than `clever', + `winning', or even [4483]cuspy. + + The French aviator, adventurer, and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, + probably best known for his classic children's book "The Little + Prince", was also an aircraft designer. He gave us perhaps the best + definition of engineering elegance when he said "A designer knows he + has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but + when there is nothing left to take away." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:elephantine, Next:[4484]elevator controller, + Previous:[4485]elegant, Up:[4486]= E = + + elephantine adj. + + Used of programs or systems that are both conspicuous [4487]hogs + (owing perhaps to poor design founded on [4488]brute force and + ignorance) and exceedingly [4489]hairy in source form. An elephantine + program may be functional and even friendly, but (as in the old joke + about being in bed with an elephant) it's tough to have around all the + same (and, like a pachyderm, difficult to maintain). In extreme cases, + hackers have been known to make trumpeting sounds or perform + expressive proboscatory mime at the mention of the offending program. + Usage: semi-humorous. Compare `has the elephant nature' and the + somewhat more pejorative [4490]monstrosity. See also + [4491]second-system effect and [4492]baroque. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:elevator controller, Next:[4493]elite, + Previous:[4494]elephantine, Up:[4495]= E = + + elevator controller n. + + An archetypal dumb embedded-systems application, like [4496]toaster + (which superseded it). During one period (1983-84) in the + deliberations of ANSI X3J11 (the C standardization committee) this was + the canonical example of a really stupid, memory-limited computation + environment. "You can't require printf(3) to be part of the default + runtime library -- what if you're targeting an elevator controller?" + Elevator controllers became important rhetorical weapons on both sides + of several [4497]holy wars. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:elite, Next:[4498]ELIZA effect, Previous:[4499]elevator + controller, Up:[4500]= E = + + elite adj. + + Clueful. Plugged-in. One of the cognoscenti. Also used as a general + positive adjective. This term is not actually native hacker slang; it + is used primarily by crackers and [4501]warez d00dz, for which reason + hackers use it only with heavy irony. The term used to refer to the + folks allowed in to the "hidden" or "privileged" sections of BBSes in + the early 1980s (which, typically, contained pirated software). + Frequently, early boards would only let you post, or even see, a + certain subset of the sections (or `boards') on a BBS. Those who got + to the frequently legendary `triple super secret' boards were elite. + Misspellings of this term in warez d00dz style abound; the forms + `eleet', and `31337' (among others) have been sighted. + + A true hacker would be more likely to use `wizardly'. Oppose + [4502]lamer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ELIZA effect, Next:[4503]elvish, Previous:[4504]elite, Up:[4505]= + E = + + ELIZA effect /*-li:'z* *-fekt'/ n. + + [AI community] The tendency of humans to attach associations to terms + from prior experience. For example, there is nothing magic about the + symbol + that makes it well-suited to indicate addition; it's just + that people associate it with addition. Using + or `plus' to mean + addition in a computer language is taking advantage of the ELIZA + effect. + + This term comes from the famous ELIZA program by Joseph Weizenbaum, + which simulated a Rogerian psychotherapist by rephrasing many of the + patient's statements as questions and posing them to the patient. It + worked by simple pattern recognition and substitution of key words + into canned phrases. It was so convincing, however, that there are + many anecdotes about people becoming very emotionally caught up in + dealing with ELIZA. All this was due to people's tendency to attach to + words meanings which the computer never put there. The ELIZA effect is + a [4506]Good Thing when writing a programming language, but it can + blind you to serious shortcomings when analyzing an Artificial + Intelligence system. Compare [4507]ad-hockery; see also + [4508]AI-complete. Sources for a clone of the original Eliza are + available at + [4509]ftp://ftp.cc.utexas.edu/pub/AI_ATTIC/Programs/Classic/Eliza/Eliz + a.c. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:elvish, Next:[4510]EMACS, Previous:[4511]ELIZA effect, Up:[4512]= + E = + + elvish n. + + 1. The Tengwar of Feanor, a table of letterforms resembling the + beautiful Celtic half-uncial hand of the "Book of Kells". Invented and + described by J. R. R. Tolkien in "The Lord of The Rings" as an + orthography for his fictional `elvish' languages, this system (which + is both visually and phonetically [4513]elegant) has long fascinated + hackers (who tend to be intrigued by artificial languages in general). + It is traditional for graphics printers, plotters, window systems, and + the like to support a Feanorian typeface as one of their demo items. + See also [4514]elder days. 2. By extension, any odd or unreadable + typeface produced by a graphics device. 3. The typeface mundanely + called `Böcklin', an art-Noveau display font. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EMACS, Next:[4515]email, Previous:[4516]elvish, Up:[4517]= E = + + EMACS /ee'maks/ n. + + [from Editing MACroS] The ne plus ultra of hacker editors, a + programmable text editor with an entire LISP system inside it. It was + originally written by Richard Stallman in [4518]TECO under [4519]ITS + at the MIT AI lab; AI Memo 554 described it as "an advanced, + self-documenting, customizable, extensible real-time display editor". + It has since been reimplemented any number of times, by various + hackers, and versions exist that run under most major operating + systems. Perhaps the most widely used version, also written by + Stallman and now called "[4520]GNU EMACS" or [4521]GNUMACS, runs + principally under Unix. (Its close relative XEmacs is the second most + popular version.) It includes facilities to run compilation + subprocesses and send and receive mail or news; many hackers spend up + to 80% of their [4522]tube time inside it. Other variants include + [4523]GOSMACS, CCA EMACS, UniPress EMACS, Montgomery EMACS, jove, + epsilon, and MicroEMACS. (Though we use the original all-caps spelling + here, it is nowadays very commonly `Emacs'.) + + Some EMACS versions running under window managers iconify as an + overflowing kitchen sink, perhaps to suggest the one feature the + editor does not (yet) include. Indeed, some hackers find EMACS too + [4524]heavyweight and [4525]baroque for their taste, and expand the + name as `Escape Meta Alt Control Shift' to spoof its heavy reliance on + keystrokes decorated with [4526]bucky bits. Other spoof expansions + include `Eight Megabytes And Constantly Swapping' (from when that was + a lot of [4527]core), `Eventually malloc()s All Computer Storage', and + `EMACS Makes A Computer Slow' (see [4528]recursive acronym). See also + [4529]vi. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:email, Next:[4530]emoticon, Previous:[4531]EMACS, Up:[4532]= E = + + email /ee'mayl/ + + (also written `e-mail' and `E-mail') 1. n. Electronic mail + automatically passed through computer networks and/or via modems over + common-carrier lines. Contrast [4533]snail-mail, [4534]paper-net, + [4535]voice-net. See [4536]network address. 2. vt. To send electronic + mail. + + Oddly enough, the word `emailed' is actually listed in the OED; it + means "embossed (with a raised pattern) or perh. arranged in a net or + open work". A use from 1480 is given. The word is probably derived + from French `émaillé' (enameled) and related to Old French + `emmailleüre' (network). A French correspondent tells us that in + modern French, `email' is a hard enamel obtained by heating special + paints in a furnace; an `emailleur' (no final e) is a craftsman who + makes email (he generally paints some objects (like, say, jewelry) and + cooks them in a furnace). + + There are numerous spelling variants of this word. In Internet traffic + up to 1995, `email' predominates, `e-mail' runs a not-too-distant + second, and `E-mail' and `Email' are a distant third and fourth. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:emoticon, Next:[4537]EMP, Previous:[4538]email, Up:[4539]= E = + + emoticon /ee-moh'ti-kon/ n. + + [common] An ASCII glyph used to indicate an emotional state in email + or news. Although originally intended mostly as jokes, emoticons (or + some other explicit humor indication) are virtually required under + certain circumstances in high-volume text-only communication forums + such as Usenet; the lack of verbal and visual cues can otherwise cause + what were intended to be humorous, sarcastic, ironic, or otherwise + non-100%-serious comments to be badly misinterpreted (not always even + by [4540]newbies), resulting in arguments and [4541]flame wars. + + Hundreds of emoticons have been proposed, but only a few are in common + use. These include: + + :-) + `smiley face' (for humor, laughter, friendliness, occasionally + sarcasm) + + :-( + `frowney face' (for sadness, anger, or upset) + + ;-) + `half-smiley' ([4542]ha ha only serious); also known as + `semi-smiley' or `winkey face'. + + :-/ + `wry face' + + (These may become more comprehensible if you tilt your head sideways, + to the left.) + + The first two listed are by far the most frequently encountered. + Hyphenless forms of them are common on CompuServe, GEnie, and BIX; see + also [4543]bixie. On [4544]Usenet, `smiley' is often used as a generic + term synonymous with [4545]emoticon, as well as specifically for the + happy-face emoticon. + + It appears that the emoticon was invented by one Scott Fahlman on the + CMU [4546]bboard systems sometime between early 1981 and mid-1982. He + later wrote: "I wish I had saved the original post, or at least + recorded the date for posterity, but I had no idea that I was starting + something that would soon pollute all the world's communication + channels." [GLS confirms that he remembers this original posting]. + + Note for the [4547]newbie: Overuse of the smiley is a mark of + loserhood! More than one per paragraph is a fairly sure sign that + you've gone over the line. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EMP, Next:[4548]empire, Previous:[4549]emoticon, Up:[4550]= E = + + EMP /E-M-P/ + + See [4551]spam. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:empire, Next:[4552]engine, Previous:[4553]EMP, Up:[4554]= E = + + empire n. + + Any of a family of military simulations derived from a game written by + Peter Langston many years ago. A number of multi-player variants of + varying degrees of sophistication exist, and one single-player version + implemented for both Unix and VMS; the latter is even available as + MS-DOS freeware. All are notoriously addictive. Of various commercial + derivatives the best known is probably "Empire Deluxe" on PCs and + Amigas. + + Modern empire is a real-time wargame played over the internet by up to + 120 players. Typical games last from 24 hours (blitz) to a couple of + months (long term). The amount of sleep you can get while playing is a + function of the rate at which updates occur and the number of + co-rulers of your country. Empire server software is available for + unix-like machines, and clients for Unix and other platforms. A + comprehensive history of the game is available at + [4555]http://www.empire.cx/infopages/History.html. The Empire resource + site is at [4556]http://www.empire.cx/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:engine, Next:[4557]English, Previous:[4558]empire, Up:[4559]= E = + + engine n. + + 1. A piece of hardware that encapsulates some function but can't be + used without some kind of [4560]front end. Today we have, especially, + `print engine': the guts of a laser printer. 2. An analogous piece of + software; notionally, one that does a lot of noisy crunching, such as + a `database engine'. + + The hacker senses of `engine' are actually close to its original, + pre-Industrial-Revolution sense of a skill, clever device, or + instrument (the word is cognate to `ingenuity'). This sense had not + been completely eclipsed by the modern connotation of + power-transducing machinery in Charles Babbage's time, which explains + why he named the stored-program computer that he designed in 1844 the + `Analytical Engine'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:English, Next:[4561]enhancement, Previous:[4562]engine, + Up:[4563]= E = + + English + + 1. n. obs. The source code for a program, which may be in any + language, as opposed to the linkable or executable binary produced + from it by a compiler. The idea behind the term is that to a real + hacker, a program written in his favorite programming language is at + least as readable as English. Usage: mostly by old-time hackers, + though recognizable in context. Today the prefereed shorthand is + sinply [4564]source. 2. The official name of the database language + used by the old Pick Operating System, actually a sort of crufty, + brain-damaged SQL with delusions of grandeur. The name permitted + [4565]marketroids to say "Yes, and you can program our computers in + English!" to ignorant [4566]suits without quite running afoul of the + truth-in-advertising laws. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:enhancement, Next:[4567]ENQ, Previous:[4568]English, Up:[4569]= E + = + + enhancement n. + + Common [4570]marketroid-speak for a bug [4571]fix. This abuse of + language is a popular and time-tested way to turn incompetence into + increased revenue. A hacker being ironic would instead call the fix a + [4572]feature -- or perhaps save some effort by declaring the bug + itself to be a feature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ENQ, Next:[4573]EOF, Previous:[4574]enhancement, Up:[4575]= E = + + ENQ /enkw/ or /enk/ + + [from the ASCII mnemonic ENQuire for 0000101] An on-line convention + for querying someone's availability. After opening a [4576]talk mode + connection to someone apparently in heavy hack mode, one might type + SYN SYN ENQ? (the SYNs representing notional synchronization bytes), + and expect a return of [4577]ACK or [4578]NAK depending on whether or + not the person felt interruptible. Compare [4579]ping, [4580]finger, + and the usage of FOO? listed under [4581]talk mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EOF, Next:[4582]EOL, Previous:[4583]ENQ, Up:[4584]= E = + + EOF /E-O-F/ n. + + [abbreviation, `End Of File'] 1. [techspeak] The [4585]out-of-band + value returned by C's sequential character-input functions (and their + equivalents in other environments) when end of file has been reached. + This value is usually -1 under C libraries postdating V6 Unix, but was + originally 0. DOS hackers think EOF is ^Z, and a few Amiga hackers + think it's ^\. 2. [Unix] The keyboard character (usually control-D, + the ASCII EOT (End Of Transmission) character) that is mapped by the + terminal driver into an end-of-file condition. 3. Used by extension in + non-computer contexts when a human is doing something that can be + modeled as a sequential read and can't go further. "Yeah, I looked for + a list of 360 mnemonics to post as a joke, but I hit EOF pretty fast; + all the library had was a [4586]JCL manual." See also [4587]EOL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EOL, Next:[4588]EOU, Previous:[4589]EOF, Up:[4590]= E = + + EOL /E-O-L/ n. + + [End Of Line] Syn. for [4591]newline, derived perhaps from the + original CDC6600 Pascal. Now rare, but widely recognized and + occasionally used for brevity. Used in the example entry under + [4592]BNF. See also [4593]EOF. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EOU, Next:[4594]epoch, Previous:[4595]EOL, Up:[4596]= E = + + EOU /E-O-U/ n. + + The mnemonic of a mythical ASCII control character (End Of User) that + would make an ASR-33 Teletype explode on receipt. This construction + parodies the numerous obscure delimiter and control characters left in + ASCII from the days when it was associated more with wire-service + teletypes than computers (e.g., FS, GS, RS, US, EM, SUB, ETX, and esp. + EOT). It is worth remembering that ASR-33s were big, noisy mechanical + beasts with a lot of clattering parts; the notion that one might + explode was nowhere near as ridiculous as it might seem to someone + sitting in front of a [4597]tube or flatscreen today. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:epoch, Next:[4598]epsilon, Previous:[4599]EOU, Up:[4600]= E = + + epoch n. + + [Unix: prob. from astronomical timekeeping] The time and date + corresponding to 0 in an operating system's clock and timestamp + values. Under most Unix versions the epoch is 00:00:00 GMT, January 1, + 1970; under VMS, it's 00:00:00 of November 17, 1858 (base date of the + U.S. Naval Observatory's ephemerides); on a Macintosh, it's the + midnight beginning January 1 1904. System time is measured in seconds + or [4601]ticks past the epoch. Weird problems may ensue when the clock + wraps around (see [4602]wrap around), which is not necessarily a rare + event; on systems counting 10 ticks per second, a signed 32-bit count + of ticks is good only for 6.8 years. The 1-tick-per-second clock of + Unix is good only until January 18, 2038, assuming at least some + software continues to consider it signed and that word lengths don't + increase by then. See also [4603]wall time. Microsoft Windows, on the + other hand, has an epoch problem every 49.7 days - but this is seldom + noticed as Windows is almost incapable of staying up continuously for + that long. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:epsilon, Next:[4604]epsilon squared, Previous:[4605]epoch, + Up:[4606]= E = + + epsilon + + [see [4607]delta] 1. n. A small quantity of anything. "The cost is + epsilon." 2. adj. Very small, negligible; less than [4608]marginal. + "We can get this feature for epsilon cost." 3. `within epsilon of': + close enough to be indistinguishable for all practical purposes, even + closer than being `within delta of'. "That's not what I asked for, but + it's within epsilon of what I wanted." Alternatively, it may mean not + close enough, but very little is required to get it there: "My program + is within epsilon of working." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:epsilon squared, Next:[4609]era the, Previous:[4610]epsilon, + Up:[4611]= E = + + epsilon squared n. + + A quantity even smaller than [4612]epsilon, as small in comparison to + epsilon as epsilon is to something normal; completely negligible. If + you buy a supercomputer for a million dollars, the cost of the + thousand-dollar terminal to go with it is [4613]epsilon, and the cost + of the ten-dollar cable to connect them is epsilon squared. Compare + [4614]lost in the underflow, [4615]lost in the noise. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:era the, Next:[4616]Eric Conspiracy, Previous:[4617]epsilon + squared, Up:[4618]= E = + + era n. + + Syn. [4619]epoch. Webster's Unabridged makes these words almost + synonymous, but `era' more often connotes a span of time rather than a + point in time, whereas the reverse is true for [4620]epoch. The + [4621]epoch usage is recommended. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Eric Conspiracy, Next:[4622]Eris, Previous:[4623]era the, + Up:[4624]= E = + + Eric Conspiracy n. + + A shadowy group of mustachioed hackers named Eric first pinpointed as + a sinister conspiracy by an infamous talk.bizarre posting ca. 1987; + this was doubtless influenced by the numerous `Eric' jokes in the + Monty Python oeuvre. There do indeed seem to be considerably more + mustachioed Erics in hackerdom than the frequency of these three + traits can account for unless they are correlated in some arcane way. + Well-known examples include Eric Allman (he of the `Allman style' + described under [4625]indent style) and Erik Fair (co-author of NNTP); + your editor has heard from more than sixty others by email, and the + organization line `Eric Conspiracy Secret Laboratories' now emanates + regularly from more than one site. See the Eric Conspiracy Web Page at + [4626]http://www.ccil.org/~esr/ecsl/ for full details. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Eris, Next:[4627]erotics, Previous:[4628]Eric Conspiracy, + Up:[4629]= E = + + Eris /e'ris/ n. + + The Greek goddess of Chaos, Discord, Confusion, and Things You Know + Not Of; her name was latinized to Discordia and she was worshiped by + that name in Rome. Not a very friendly deity in the Classical + original, she was reinvented as a more benign personification of + creative anarchy starting in 1959 by the adherents of + [4630]Discordianism and has since been a semi-serious subject of + veneration in several `fringe' cultures, including hackerdom. See + [4631]Discordianism, [4632]Church of the SubGenius. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:erotics, Next:[4633]error 33, Previous:[4634]Eris, Up:[4635]= E = + + erotics /ee-ro'tiks/ n. + + [Helsinki University of Technology, Finland] n. English-language + university slang for electronics. Often used by hackers in Helsinki, + maybe because good electronics excites them and makes them warm. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:error 33, Next:[4636]eurodemo, Previous:[4637]erotics, Up:[4638]= + E = + + error 33 [XEROX PARC] n. + + 1. Predicating one research effort upon the success of another. 2. + Allowing your own research effort to be placed on the critical path of + some other project (be it a research effort or not). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:eurodemo, Next:[4639]evil, Previous:[4640]error 33, Up:[4641]= E + = + + eurodemo /yoor'o-dem`-o/ + + a [4642]demo, sense 4 + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:evil, Next:[4643]evil and rude, Previous:[4644]eurodemo, + Up:[4645]= E = + + evil adj. + + As used by hackers, implies that some system, program, person, or + institution is sufficiently maldesigned as to be not worth the bother + of dealing with. Unlike the adjectives in the + [4646]cretinous/[4647]losing/[4648]brain-damaged series, `evil' does + not imply incompetence or bad design, but rather a set of goals or + design criteria fatally incompatible with the speaker's. This usage is + more an esthetic and engineering judgment than a moral one in the + mainstream sense. "We thought about adding a [4649]Blue Glue interface + but decided it was too evil to deal with." "[4650]TECO is neat, but it + can be pretty evil if you're prone to typos." Often pronounced with + the first syllable lengthened, as /eeee'vil/. Compare [4651]evil and + rude. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:evil and rude, Next:[4652]Evil Empire, Previous:[4653]evil, + Up:[4654]= E = + + evil and rude adj. + + Both [4655]evil and [4656]rude, but with the additional connotation + that the rudeness was due to malice rather than incompetence. Thus, + for example: Microsoft's Windows NT is evil because it's a competent + implementation of a bad design; it's rude because it's gratuitously + incompatible with Unix in places where compatibility would have been + as easy and effective to do; but it's evil and rude because the + incompatibilities are apparently there not to fix design bugs in Unix + but rather to lock hapless customers and developers into the Microsoft + way. Hackish evil and rude is close to the mainstream sense of `evil'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Evil Empire, Next:[4657]exa-, Previous:[4658]evil and rude, + Up:[4659]= E = + + Evil Empire n. + + [from Ronald Reagan's famous characterization of the communist Soviet + Union] Formerly [4660]IBM, now [4661]Microsoft. Functionally, the + company most hackers love to hate at any given time. Hackers like to + see themselves as romantic rebels against the Evil Empire, and + frequently adopt this role to the point of ascribing rather more power + and malice to the Empire than it actually has. See also [4662]Borg and + search for [4663]Evil Empire pages on the Web. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:exa-, Next:[4664]examining the entrails, Previous:[4665]Evil + Empire, Up:[4666]= E = + + exa- /ek's*/ pref. + + [SI] See [4667]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:examining the entrails, Next:[4668]EXCH, Previous:[4669]exa-, + Up:[4670]= E = + + examining the entrails n. + + The process of [4671]grovelling through a [4672]core dump or hex image + in an attempt to discover the bug that brought a program or system + down. The reference is to divination from the entrails of a sacrified + animal. Compare [4673]runes, [4674]incantation, [4675]black art, + [4676]desk check. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EXCH, Next:[4677]excl, Previous:[4678]examining the entrails, + Up:[4679]= E = + + EXCH /eks'ch*/ or /eksch/ vt. + + To exchange two things, each for the other; to swap places. If you + point to two people sitting down and say "Exch!", you are asking them + to trade places. EXCH, meaning EXCHange, was originally the name of a + PDP-10 instruction that exchanged the contents of a register and a + memory location. Many newer hackers are probably thinking instead of + the [4680]PostScript exchange operator (which is usually written in + lowercase). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:excl, Next:[4681]EXE, Previous:[4682]EXCH, Up:[4683]= E = + + excl /eks'kl/ n. + + Abbreviation for `exclamation point'. See [4684]bang, [4685]shriek, + [4686]ASCII. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:EXE, Next:[4687]exec, Previous:[4688]excl, Up:[4689]= E = + + EXE /eks'ee/ or /eek'see/ or /E-X-E/ n. + + An executable binary file. Some operating systems (notably MS-DOS, + VMS, and TWENEX) use the extension .EXE to mark such files. This usage + is also occasionally found among Unix programmers even though Unix + executables don't have any required suffix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:exec, Next:[4690]exercise left as an, Previous:[4691]EXE, + Up:[4692]= E = + + exec /eg-zek'/ or /eks'ek/ vt., n. + + 1. [Unix: from `execute'] Synonym for [4693]chain, derives from the + exec(2) call. 2. [from `executive'] obs. The command interpreter for + an [4694]OS (see [4695]shell); term esp. used around mainframes, and + prob. derived from UNIVAC's archaic EXEC 2 and EXEC 8 operating + systems. 3. At IBM and VM/CMS shops, the equivalent of a shell command + file (among VM/CMS users). + + The mainstream `exec' as an abbreviation for (human) executive is not + used. To a hacker, an `exec' is a always a program, never a person. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:exercise left as an, Next:[4696]Exon, Previous:[4697]exec, + Up:[4698]= E = + + exercise, left as an adj. + + [from technical books] Used to complete a proof when one doesn't mind + a [4699]handwave, or to avoid one entirely. The complete phrase is: + "The proof [or `the rest'] is left as an exercise for the reader." + This comment has occasionally been attached to unsolved research + problems by authors possessed of either an evil sense of humor or a + vast faith in the capabilities of their audiences. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Exon, Next:[4700]Exploder, Previous:[4701]exercise left as an, + Up:[4702]= E = + + Exon /eks'on/ excl. + + A generic obscenity that quickly entered wide use on the Internet and + Usenet after [4703]Black Thursday. From the last name of Senator James + Exon (Democrat-Nebraska), primary author of the [4704]CDA. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Exploder, Next:[4705]exploit, Previous:[4706]Exon, Up:[4707]= E = + + Exploder n. + + Used within Microsoft to refer to the Windows Explorer, the interface + component of Windows 95 and WinNT 4. Our spies report that most of the + heavy guns at MS came from a Unix background and use command line + utilities; even they are scornful of the over-gingerbreaded [4708]WIMP + environments that they have been called upon to create. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:exploit, Next:[4709]external memory, Previous:[4710]Exploder, + Up:[4711]= E = + + exploit n. + + [originally cracker slang] 1. A vulnerability in software that can be + used for breaking security or otherwise attacking an Internet host + over the network. The [4712]Ping O' Death is a famous exploit. 2. More + grammatically, a program that exploits an exploit in sense 1, + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:external memory, Next:[4713]eye candy, Previous:[4714]exploit, + Up:[4715]= E = + + external memory n. + + A memo pad, palmtop computer, or written notes. "Hold on while I write + that to external memory". The analogy is with store or DRAM versus + nonvolatile disk storage on computers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:eye candy, Next:[4716]eyeball search, Previous:[4717]external + memory, Up:[4718]= E = + + eye candy /i:' kand`ee/ n. + + [from mainstream slang "ear candy"] A display of some sort that's + presented to [4719]lusers to keep them distracted while the program + performs necessary background tasks. "Give 'em some eye candy while + the back-end [4720]slurps that [4721]BLOB into core." Reported as + mainstream usage among players of graphics-heavy computer games. We're + also told this term is mainstream slang for soft pornography, but that + sense does not appear to be live among hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:eyeball search, Next:[4722]face time, Previous:[4723]eye candy, + Up:[4724]= E = + + eyeball search n.,v. + + To look for something in a mass of code or data with one's own native + optical sensors, as opposed to using some sort of pattern matching + software like [4725]grep or any other automated search tool. Also + called a [4726]vgrep; compare [4727]vdiff, [4728]desk check. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= F =, Next:[4729]= G =, Previous:[4730]= E =, Up:[4731]The + Jargon Lexicon + += F = + + * [4732]face time: + * [4733]factor: + * [4734]fairings: + * [4735]fall over: + * [4736]fall through: + * [4737]fan: + * [4738]fandango on core: + * [4739]FAQ: + * [4740]FAQ list: + * [4741]FAQL: + * [4742]faradize: + * [4743]farkled: + * [4744]farming: + * [4745]fascist: + * [4746]fat electrons: + * [4747]fat-finger: + * [4748]faulty: + * [4749]fd leak: + * [4750]fear and loathing: + * [4751]feature: + * [4752]feature creature: + * [4753]feature creep: + * [4754]feature key: + * [4755]feature shock: + * [4756]featurectomy: + * [4757]feep: + * [4758]feeper: + * [4759]feeping creature: + * [4760]feeping creaturism: + * [4761]feetch feetch: + * [4762]fence: + * [4763]fencepost error: + * [4764]fiber-seeking backhoe: + * [4765]FidoNet: + * [4766]field circus: + * [4767]field servoid: + * [4768]Fight-o-net: + * [4769]File Attach: + * [4770]File Request: + * [4771]file signature: + * [4772]filk: + * [4773]film at 11: + * [4774]filter: + * [4775]Finagle's Law: + * [4776]fine: + * [4777]finger: + * [4778]finger trouble: + * [4779]finger-pointing syndrome: + * [4780]finn: + * [4781]firebottle: + * [4782]firefighting: + * [4783]firehose syndrome: + * [4784]firewall code: + * [4785]firewall machine: + * [4786]fireworks mode: + * [4787]firmware: + * [4788]firmy: + * [4789]fish: + * [4790]FISH queue: + * [4791]FITNR: + * [4792]fix: + * [4793]FIXME: + * [4794]flag: + * [4795]flag day: + * [4796]flaky: + * [4797]flamage: + * [4798]flame: + * [4799]flame bait: + * [4800]flame on: + * [4801]flame war: + * [4802]flamer: + * [4803]flap: + * [4804]flarp: + * [4805]flash crowd: + * [4806]flat: + * [4807]flat-ASCII: + * [4808]flat-file: + * [4809]flatten: + * [4810]flavor: + * [4811]flavorful: + * [4812]flippy: + * [4813]flood: + * [4814]flowchart: + * [4815]flower key: + * [4816]flush: + * [4817]flypage: + * [4818]Flyspeck 3: + * [4819]flytrap: + * [4820]FM: + * [4821]fnord: + * [4822]FOAF: + * [4823]FOD: + * [4824]fold case: + * [4825]followup: + * [4826]fontology: + * [4827]foo: + * [4828]foobar: + * [4829]fool: + * [4830]fool file: + * [4831]Foonly: + * [4832]footprint: + * [4833]for free: + * [4834]for the rest of us: + * [4835]for values of: + * [4836]fora: + * [4837]foreground: + * [4838]fork: + * [4839]fork bomb: + * [4840]forked: + * [4841]Fortrash: + * [4842]fortune cookie: + * [4843]forum: + * [4844]fossil: + * [4845]four-color glossies: + * [4846]frag: + * [4847]fragile: + * [4848]fred: + * [4849]Fred Foobar: + * [4850]frednet: + * [4851]free software: + * [4852]freeware: + * [4853]freeze: + * [4854]fried: + * [4855]frink: + * [4856]friode: + * [4857]fritterware: + * [4858]frob: + * [4859]frobnicate: + * [4860]frobnitz: + * [4861]frog: + * [4862]frogging: + * [4863]front end: + * [4864]frotz: + * [4865]frotzed: + * [4866]frowney: + * [4867]FRS: + * [4868]fry: + * [4869]fscking: + * [4870]FSF: + * [4871]FTP: + * [4872]-fu: + * [4873]FUBAR: + * [4874]fuck me harder: + * [4875]FUD: + * [4876]FUD wars: + * [4877]fudge: + * [4878]fudge factor: + * [4879]fuel up: + * [4880]Full Monty: + * [4881]fum: + * [4882]functino: + * [4883]funky: + * [4884]funny money: + * [4885]furrfu: + * [4886]fuzzball: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:face time, Next:[4887]factor, Previous:[4888]eyeball search, + Up:[4889]= F = + + face time n. + + [common] Time spent interacting with somebody face-to-face (as opposed + to via electronic links). "Oh, yeah, I spent some face time with him + at the last Usenix." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:factor, Next:[4890]fairings, Previous:[4891]face time, Up:[4892]= + F = + + factor n. + + See [4893]coefficient of X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fairings, Next:[4894]fall over, Previous:[4895]factor, Up:[4896]= + F = + + fairings n. /fer'ingz/ + + [FreeBSD; orig. a typo for `fairness'] A term thrown out in discussion + whenever a completely and transparently nonsensical argument in one's + favor(?) seems called for, e,g. at the end of a really long thread for + which the outcome is no longer even cared about since everyone is now + so sick of it; or in rebuttal to another nonsensical argument ("Change + the loader to look for /kernel.pl? What about fairings?") + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fall over, Next:[4897]fall through, Previous:[4898]fairings, + Up:[4899]= F = + + fall over vi. + + [IBM] Yet another synonym for [4900]crash or [4901]lose. `Fall over + hard' equates to [4902]crash and burn. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fall through, Next:[4903]fan, Previous:[4904]fall over, + Up:[4905]= F = + + fall through v. + + (n. `fallthrough', var. `fall-through') 1. To exit a loop by + exhaustion, i.e., by having fulfilled its exit condition rather than + via a break or exception condition that exits from the middle of it. + This usage appears to be really old, dating from the 1940s and 1950s. + 2. To fail a test that would have passed control to a subroutine or + some other distant portion of code. 3. In C, `fall-through' occurs + when the flow of execution in a switch statement reaches a case label + other than by jumping there from the switch header, passing a point + where one would normally expect to find a break. A trivial example: +switch (color) +{ +case GREEN: + do_green(); + break; +case PINK: + do_pink(); + /* FALL THROUGH */ +case RED: + do_red(); + break; +default: + do_blue(); + break; +} + + The variant spelling /* FALL THRU */ is also common. + + The effect of the above code is to do_green() when color is GREEN, + do_red() when color is RED, do_blue() on any other color other than + PINK, and (and this is the important part) do_pink() and then do_red() + when color is PINK. Fall-through is [4906]considered harmful by some, + though there are contexts (such as the coding of state machines) in + which it is natural; it is generally considered good practice to + include a comment highlighting the fall-through where one would + normally expect a break. See also [4907]Duff's device. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fan, Next:[4908]fandango on core, Previous:[4909]fall through, + Up:[4910]= F = + + fan n. + + Without qualification, indicates a fan of science fiction, especially + one who goes to [4911]cons and tends to hang out with other fans. Many + hackers are fans, so this term has been imported from fannish slang; + however, unlike much fannish slang it is recognized by most + non-fannish hackers. Among SF fans the plural is correctly `fen', but + this usage is not automatic to hackers. "Laura reads the stuff + occasionally but isn't really a fan." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fandango on core, Next:[4912]FAQ, Previous:[4913]fan, Up:[4914]= + F = + + fandango on core n. + + [Unix/C hackers, from the Iberian dance] In C, a wild pointer that + runs out of bounds, causing a [4915]core dump, or corrupts the + malloc(3) [4916]arena in such a way as to cause mysterious failures + later on, is sometimes said to have `done a fandango on core'. On + low-end personal machines without an MMU (or Windows boxes, which have + an MMU but use it incompetently), this can corrupt the OS itself, + causing massive lossage. Other frenetic dances such as the cha-cha or + the watusi, may be substituted. See [4917]aliasing bug, + [4918]precedence lossage, [4919]smash the stack, [4920]memory leak, + [4921]memory smash, [4922]overrun screw, [4923]core. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FAQ, Next:[4924]FAQ list, Previous:[4925]fandango on core, + Up:[4926]= F = + + FAQ /F-A-Q/ or /fak/ n. + + [Usenet] 1. A Frequently Asked Question. 2. A compendium of + accumulated lore, posted periodically to high-volume newsgroups in an + attempt to forestall such questions. Some people prefer the term `FAQ + list' or `FAQL' /fa'kl/, reserving `FAQ' for sense 1. + + This lexicon itself serves as a good example of a collection of one + kind of lore, although it is far too big for a regular FAQ posting. + Examples: "What is the proper type of NULL?" and "What's that funny + name for the # character?" are both Frequently Asked Questions. + Several FAQs refer readers to this file. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FAQ list, Next:[4927]FAQL, Previous:[4928]FAQ, Up:[4929]= F = + + FAQ list /F-A-Q list/ or /fak list/ n. + + [common; Usenet] Syn [4930]FAQ, sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FAQL, Next:[4931]faradize, Previous:[4932]FAQ list, Up:[4933]= F + = + + FAQL /fa'kl/ n. + + Syn. [4934]FAQ list. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:faradize, Next:[4935]farkled, Previous:[4936]FAQL, Up:[4937]= F = + + faradize /far'*-di:z/ v. + + [US Geological Survey] To start any hyper-addictive process or trend, + or to continue adding current to such a trend. Telling one user about + a new octo-tetris game you compiled would be a faradizing act -- in + two weeks you might find your entire department playing the faradic + game. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:farkled, Next:[4938]farming, Previous:[4939]faradize, Up:[4940]= + F = + + farkled /far'kld/ adj. + + [DeVry Institute of Technology, Atlanta] Syn. [4941]hosed. Poss. owes + something to Yiddish `farblondjet' and/or the `Farkle Family' skits on + "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In", a popular comedy show of the late + 1960s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:farming, Next:[4942]fascist, Previous:[4943]farkled, Up:[4944]= F + = + + farming n. + + [Adelaide University, Australia] What the heads of a disk drive are + said to do when they plow little furrows in the magnetic media. + Associated with a [4945]crash. Typically used as follows: "Oh no, the + machine has just crashed; I hope the hard drive hasn't gone + [4946]farming again." No longer common; modern drives automatically + park their heads in a safe zone on power-down, so it takes a real + mechanical problem to induce this. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fascist, Next:[4947]fat electrons, Previous:[4948]farming, + Up:[4949]= F = + + fascist adj. + + 1. [common] Said of a computer system with excessive or annoying + security barriers, usage limits, or access policies. The implication + is that said policies are preventing hackers from getting interesting + work done. The variant `fascistic' seems to have been preferred at + MIT, poss. by analogy with `touristic' (see [4950]tourist or under the + influence of German/Yiddish `faschistisch'). 2. In the design of + languages and other software tools, `the fascist alternative' is the + most restrictive and structured way of capturing a particular + function; the implication is that this may be desirable in order to + simplify the implementation or provide tighter error checking. Compare + [4951]bondage-and-discipline language, although that term is global + rather than local. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fat electrons, Next:[4952]fat-finger, Previous:[4953]fascist, + Up:[4954]= F = + + fat electrons n. + + Old-time hacker David Cargill's theory on the causation of computer + glitches. Your typical electric utility draws its line current out of + the big generators with a pair of coil taps located near the top of + the dynamo. When the normal tap brushes get dirty, they take them off + line to clean them up, and use special auxiliary taps on the bottom of + the coil. Now, this is a problem, because when they do that they get + not ordinary or `thin' electrons, but the fat'n'sloppy electrons that + are heavier and so settle to the bottom of the generator. These flow + down ordinary wires just fine, but when they have to turn a sharp + corner (as in an integrated-circuit via), they're apt to get stuck. + This is what causes computer glitches. [Fascinating. Obviously, fat + electrons must gain mass by [4955]bogon absorption --ESR] Compare + [4956]bogon, [4957]magic smoke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fat-finger, Next:[4958]faulty, Previous:[4959]fat electrons, + Up:[4960]= F = + + fat-finger vt. + + 1. To introduce a typo while editing in such a way that the resulting + manglification of a configuration file does something useless, + damaging, or wildly unexpected. "NSI fat-fingered their DNS zone file + and took half the net down again." 2. More generally, any typo that + produces dramatically bad results. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:faulty, Next:[4961]fd leak, Previous:[4962]fat-finger, Up:[4963]= + F = + + faulty adj. + + Non-functional; buggy. Same denotation as [4964]bletcherous, + [4965]losing, q.v., but the connotation is much milder. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fd leak, Next:[4966]fear and loathing, Previous:[4967]faulty, + Up:[4968]= F = + + fd leak /F-D leek/ n. + + A kind of programming bug analogous to a [4969]core leak, in which a + program fails to close file descriptors (`fd's) after file operations + are completed, and thus eventually runs out of them. See [4970]leak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fear and loathing, Next:[4971]feature, Previous:[4972]fd leak, + Up:[4973]= F = + + fear and loathing n. + + [from Hunter S. Thompson] A state inspired by the prospect of dealing + with certain real-world systems and standards that are totally + [4974]brain-damaged but ubiquitous -- Intel 8086s, or [4975]COBOL, or + [4976]EBCDIC, or any [4977]IBM machine bigger than a workstation. + "Ack! They want PCs to be able to talk to the AI machine. Fear and + loathing time!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feature, Next:[4978]feature creature, Previous:[4979]fear and + loathing, Up:[4980]= F = + + feature n. + + 1. [common] A good property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it + was intended or not is immaterial. 2. [common] An intended property or + behavior (as of a program). Whether it is good or not is immaterial + (but if bad, it is also a [4981]misfeature). 3. A surprising property + or behavior; in particular, one that is purposely inconsistent because + it works better that way -- such an inconsistency is therefore a + [4982]feature and not a [4983]bug. This kind of feature is sometimes + called a [4984]miswart; see that entry for a classic example. 4. A + property or behavior that is gratuitous or unnecessary, though perhaps + also impressive or cute. For example, one feature of Common LISP's + format function is the ability to print numbers in two different + Roman-numeral formats (see [4985]bells whistles and gongs). 5. A + property or behavior that was put in to help someone else but that + happens to be in your way. 6. [common] A bug that has been documented. + To call something a feature sometimes means the author of the program + did not consider the particular case, and that the program responded + in a way that was unexpected but not strictly incorrect. A standard + joke is that a bug can be turned into a [4986]feature simply by + documenting it (then theoretically no one can complain about it + because it's in the manual), or even by simply declaring it to be + good. "That's not a bug, that's a feature!" is a common catchphrase. + See also [4987]feetch feetch, [4988]creeping featurism, [4989]wart, + [4990]green lightning. + + The relationship among bugs, features, misfeatures, warts, and + miswarts might be clarified by the following hypothetical exchange + between two hackers on an airliner: + + A: "This seat doesn't recline." + + B: "That's not a bug, that's a feature. There is an emergency exit + door built around the window behind you, and the route has to be kept + clear." + + A: "Oh. Then it's a misfeature; they should have increased the spacing + between rows here." + + B: "Yes. But if they'd increased spacing in only one section it would + have been a wart -- they would've had to make nonstandard-length + ceiling panels to fit over the displaced seats." + + A: "A miswart, actually. If they increased spacing throughout they'd + lose several rows and a chunk out of the profit margin. So unequal + spacing would actually be the Right Thing." + + B: "Indeed." + + `Undocumented feature' is a common, allegedly humorous euphemism for a + [4991]bug. There's a related joke that is sometimes referred to as the + "one-question geek test". You say to someone "I saw a Volkswagen + Beetle today with a vanity license plate that read FEATURE". If he/she + laughs, he/she is a geek (see [4992]computer geek, sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feature creature, Next:[4993]feature creep, + Previous:[4994]feature, Up:[4995]= F = + + feature creature n. + + [poss. fr. slang `creature feature' for a horror movie] 1. One who + loves to add features to designs or programs, perhaps at the expense + of coherence, concision, or [4996]taste. 2. Alternately, a mythical + being that induces otherwise rational programmers to perpetrate such + crocks. See also [4997]feeping creaturism, [4998]creeping featurism. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feature creep, Next:[4999]feature key, Previous:[5000]feature + creature, Up:[5001]= F = + + feature creep n. + + [common] The result of [5002]creeping featurism, as in "Emacs has a + bad case of feature creep". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feature key, Next:[5003]feature shock, Previous:[5004]feature + creep, Up:[5005]= F = + + feature key n. + + [common] The Macintosh key with the cloverleaf graphic on its keytop; + sometimes referred to as `flower', `pretzel', `clover', `propeller', + `beanie' (an apparent reference to the major feature of a propeller + beanie), [5006]splat, `open-apple' or (officially, in Mac + documentation) the `command key'. In French, the term `papillon' + (butterfly) has been reported. The proliferation of terms for this + creature may illustrate one subtle peril of iconic interfaces. + + Many people have been mystified by the cloverleaf-like symbol that + appears on the feature key. Its oldest name is `cross of St. Hannes', + but it occurs in pre-Christian Viking art as a decorative motif. + Throughout Scandinavia today the road agencies use it to mark sites of + historical interest. Apple picked up the symbol from an early Mac + developer who happened to be Swedish. Apple documentation gives the + translation "interesting feature"! + + There is some dispute as to the proper (Swedish) name of this symbol. + It technically stands for the word `sevärdhet' (thing worth seeing); + many of these are old churches. Some Swedes report as an idiom for the + sign the word `kyrka', cognate to English `church' and pronounced + (roughly) /chur'ka/ in modern Swedish. Others say this is nonsense. + Other idioms reported for the sign are `runa' (rune) or `runsten' + /roon'stn/ (runestone), derived from the fact that many of the + interesting features are Viking rune-stones. The term `fornminne' + /foorn'min'*/ (relic of antiquity, ancient monument) is also reported, + especially among those who think that the Mac itself is a relic of + antiquity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feature shock, Next:[5007]featurectomy, Previous:[5008]feature + key, Up:[5009]= F = + + feature shock n. + + [from Alvin Toffler's book title "Future Shock"] A user's (or + programmer's!) confusion when confronted with a package that has too + many features and poor introductory material. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:featurectomy, Next:[5010]feep, Previous:[5011]feature shock, + Up:[5012]= F = + + featurectomy /fee`ch*r-ek't*-mee/ n. + + The act of removing a feature from a program. Featurectomies come in + two flavors, the `righteous' and the `reluctant'. Righteous + featurectomies are performed because the remover believes the program + would be more elegant without the feature, or there is already an + equivalent and better way to achieve the same end. (Doing so is not + quite the same thing as removing a [5013]misfeature.) Reluctant + featurectomies are performed to satisfy some external constraint such + as code size or execution speed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feep, Next:[5014]feeper, Previous:[5015]featurectomy, Up:[5016]= + F = + + feep /feep/ + + 1. n. The soft electronic `bell' sound of a display terminal (except + for a VT-52); a beep (in fact, the microcomputer world seems to prefer + [5017]beep). 2. vi. To cause the display to make a feep sound. ASR-33s + (the original TTYs) do not feep; they have mechanical bells that ring. + Alternate forms: [5018]beep, `bleep', or just about anything suitably + onomatopoeic. (Jeff MacNelly, in his comic strip "Shoe", uses the word + `eep' for sounds made by computer terminals and video games; this is + perhaps the closest written approximation yet.) The term `breedle' was + sometimes heard at SAIL, where the terminal bleepers are not + particularly soft (they sound more like the musical equivalent of a + raspberry or Bronx cheer; for a close approximation, imagine the sound + of a Star Trek communicator's beep lasting for five seconds). The + `feeper' on a VT-52 has been compared to the sound of a '52 Chevy + stripping its gears. See also [5019]ding. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feeper, Next:[5020]feeping creature, Previous:[5021]feep, + Up:[5022]= F = + + feeper /fee'pr/ n. + + The device in a terminal or workstation (usually a loudspeaker of some + kind) that makes the [5023]feep sound. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feeping creature, Next:[5024]feeping creaturism, + Previous:[5025]feeper, Up:[5026]= F = + + feeping creature n. + + [from [5027]feeping creaturism] An unnecessary feature; a bit of + [5028]chrome that, in the speaker's judgment, is the camel's nose for + a whole horde of new features. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feeping creaturism, Next:[5029]feetch feetch, + Previous:[5030]feeping creature, Up:[5031]= F = + + feeping creaturism /fee'ping kree`ch*r-izm/ n. + + A deliberate spoonerism for [5032]creeping featurism, meant to imply + that the system or program in question has become a misshapen creature + of hacks. This term isn't really well defined, but it sounds so neat + that most hackers have said or heard it. It is probably reinforced by + an image of terminals prowling about in the dark making their + customary noises. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:feetch feetch, Next:[5033]fence, Previous:[5034]feeping + creaturism, Up:[5035]= F = + + feetch feetch /feech feech/ interj. + + If someone tells you about some new improvement to a program, you + might respond: "Feetch, feetch!" The meaning of this depends + critically on vocal inflection. With enthusiasm, it means something + like "Boy, that's great! What a great hack!" Grudgingly or with + obvious doubt, it means "I don't know; it sounds like just one more + unnecessary and complicated thing". With a tone of resignation, it + means, "Well, I'd rather keep it simple, but I suppose it has to be + done". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fence, Next:[5036]fencepost error, Previous:[5037]feetch feetch, + Up:[5038]= F = + + fence n. 1. + + A sequence of one or more distinguished ([5039]out-of-band) characters + (or other data items), used to delimit a piece of data intended to be + treated as a unit (the computer-science literature calls this a + `sentinel'). The NUL (ASCII 0000000) character that terminates strings + in C is a fence. Hex FF is also (though slightly less frequently) used + this way. See [5040]zigamorph. 2. An extra data value inserted in an + array or other data structure in order to allow some normal test on + the array's contents also to function as a termination test. For + example, a highly optimized routine for finding a value in an array + might artificially place a copy of the value to be searched for after + the last slot of the array, thus allowing the main search loop to + search for the value without having to check at each pass whether the + end of the array had been reached. 3. [among users of optimizing + compilers] Any technique, usually exploiting knowledge about the + compiler, that blocks certain optimizations. Used when explicit + mechanisms are not available or are overkill. Typically a hack: "I + call a dummy procedure there to force a flush of the optimizer's + register-coloring info" can be expressed by the shorter "That's a + fence procedure". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fencepost error, Next:[5041]fiber-seeking backhoe, + Previous:[5042]fence, Up:[5043]= F = + + fencepost error n. + + 1. [common] A problem with the discrete equivalent of a boundary + condition, often exhibited in programs by iterative loops. From the + following problem: "If you build a fence 100 feet long with posts 10 + feet apart, how many posts do you need?" (Either 9 or 11 is a better + answer than the obvious 10.) For example, suppose you have a long list + or array of items, and want to process items m through n; how many + items are there? The obvious answer is n - m, but that is off by one; + the right answer is n - m + 1. A program that used the `obvious' + formula would have a fencepost error in it. See also [5044]zeroth and + [5045]off-by-one error, and note that not all off-by-one errors are + fencepost errors. The game of Musical Chairs involves a catastrophic + off-by-one error where N people try to sit in N - 1 chairs, but it's + not a fencepost error. Fencepost errors come from counting things + rather than the spaces between them, or vice versa, or by neglecting + to consider whether one should count one or both ends of a row. 2. + [rare] An error induced by unexpected regularities in input values, + which can (for instance) completely thwart a theoretically efficient + binary tree or hash table implementation. (The error here involves the + difference between expected and worst case behaviors of an algorithm.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fiber-seeking backhoe, Next:[5046]FidoNet, + Previous:[5047]fencepost error, Up:[5048]= F = + + fiber-seeking backhoe + + [common among backbone ISP personnel] Any of a genus of large, + disruptive machines which routinely cut critical backbone links, + creating Internet outages and [5049]packet over air problems. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FidoNet, Next:[5050]field circus, Previous:[5051]fiber-seeking + backhoe, Up:[5052]= F = + + FidoNet n. + + A worldwide hobbyist network of personal computers which exchanges + mail, discussion groups, and files. Founded in 1984 and originally + consisting only of IBM PCs and compatibles, FidoNet now includes such + diverse machines as Apple ][s, Ataris, Amigas, and Unix systems. For + years FidoNet actually grew faster than Usenet, but the advent of + cheap Internet access probably means its days are numbered. In early + 1999 Fidonet has approximately 30,000 nodes, down from 38K in 1996. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:field circus, Next:[5053]field servoid, Previous:[5054]FidoNet, + Up:[5055]= F = + + field circus n. + + [a derogatory pun on `field service'] The field service organization + of any hardware manufacturer, but originally [5056]DEC. There is an + entire genre of jokes about field circus engineers: +Q: How can you recognize a field circus engineer + with a flat tire? +A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat. + +Q: How can you recognize a field circus engineer + who is out of gas? +A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat. + +Q: How can you tell it's your field circus engineer? +A: The spare is flat, too. + + [See [5057]Easter egging for additional insight on these jokes.] + + There is also the `Field Circus Cheer' (from the old [5058]plan file + for DEC on MIT-AI): +Maynard! Maynard! +Don't mess with us! +We're mean and we're tough! +If you get us confused +We'll screw up your stuff. + + (DEC's service HQ, still extant under the Compaq regime, is located in + Maynard, Massachusetts.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:field servoid, Next:[5059]Fight-o-net, Previous:[5060]field + circus, Up:[5061]= F = + + field servoid [play on `android'] /fee'ld ser'voyd/ n. + + Representative of a field service organization (see [5062]field + circus). This has many of the implications of [5063]droid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Fight-o-net, Next:[5064]File Attach, Previous:[5065]field + servoid, Up:[5066]= F = + + Fight-o-net n. + + [FidoNet] Deliberate distortion of [5067]FidoNet, often applied after + a flurry of [5068]flamage in a particular [5069]echo, especially the + SYSOP echo or Fidonews (see [5070]'Snooze). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:File Attach, Next:[5071]File Request, Previous:[5072]Fight-o-net, + Up:[5073]= F = + + File Attach [FidoNet] + + 1. n. A file sent along with a mail message from one FidoNet to + another. 2. vt. Sending someone a file by using the File Attach option + in a FidoNet mailer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:File Request, Next:[5074]file signature, Previous:[5075]File + Attach, Up:[5076]= F = + + File Request [FidoNet] + + 1. n. The [5077]FidoNet equivalent of [5078]FTP, in which one FidoNet + system automatically dials another and [5079]snarfs one or more files. + Often abbreviated `FReq'; files are often announced as being + "available for FReq" in the same way that files are announced as being + "available for/by anonymous FTP" on the Internet. 2. vt. The act of + getting a copy of a file by using the File Request option of the + FidoNet mailer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:file signature, Next:[5080]filk, Previous:[5081]File Request, + Up:[5082]= F = + + file signature n. + + A [5083]magic number, sense 3. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:filk, Next:[5084]film at 11, Previous:[5085]file signature, + Up:[5086]= F = + + filk /filk/ n.,v. + + [from SF fandom, where a typo for `folk' was adopted as a new word] A + popular or folk song with lyrics revised or completely new lyrics + and/or music, intended for humorous effect when read, and/or to be + sung late at night at SF conventions. There is a flourishing subgenre + of these called `computer filks', written by hackers and often + containing rather sophisticated technical humor. See [5087]double + bucky for an example. Compare [5088]grilf, [5089]hing, [5090]pr0n, and + [5091]newsfroup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:film at 11, Next:[5092]filter, Previous:[5093]filk, Up:[5094]= F + = + + film at 11 + + [MIT: in parody of TV newscasters] 1. Used in conversation to announce + ordinary events, with a sarcastic implication that these events are + earth-shattering. "[5095]ITS crashes; film at 11." "Bug found in + scheduler; film at 11." 2. Also widely used outside MIT to indicate + that additional information will be available at some future time, + without the implication of anything particularly ordinary about the + referenced event. For example, "The mail file server died this + morning; we found garbage all over the root directory. Film at 11." + would indicate that a major failure had occurred but that the people + working on it have no additional information about it as yet; use of + the phrase in this way suggests gently that the problem is liable to + be fixed more quickly if the people doing the fixing can spend time + doing the fixing rather than responding to questions, the answers to + which will appear on the normal "11:00 news", if people will just be + patient. + + The variant "MPEGs at 11" has recently been cited (MPEG is a + digital-video format.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:filter, Next:[5096]Finagle's Law, Previous:[5097]film at 11, + Up:[5098]= F = + + filter n. + + [very common; orig. [5099]Unix, now also in [5100]MS-DOS] A program + that processes an input data stream into an output data stream in some + well-defined way, and does no I/O to anywhere else except possibly on + error conditions; one designed to be used as a stage in a `pipeline' + (see [5101]plumbing). Compare [5102]sponge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Finagle's Law, Next:[5103]fine, Previous:[5104]filter, Up:[5105]= + F = + + Finagle's Law n. + + The generalized or `folk' version of [5106]Murphy's Law, fully named + "Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives" and usually rendered "Anything + that can go wrong, will". One variant favored among hackers is "The + perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum" (but see also + [5107]Hanlon's Razor). The label `Finagle's Law' was popularized by SF + author Larry Niven in several stories depicting a frontier culture of + asteroid miners; this `Belter' culture professed a religion and/or + running joke involving the worship of the dread god Finagle and his + mad prophet Murphy. Some technical and scientific cultures (e.g., + paleontologists) know it under the name `Sod's Law'; this usage may be + more common in Great Britain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fine, Next:[5108]finger, Previous:[5109]Finagle's Law, Up:[5110]= + F = + + fine adj. + + [WPI] Good, but not good enough to be [5111]cuspy. The word `fine' is + used elsewhere, of course, but without the implicit comparison to the + higher level implied by [5112]cuspy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:finger, Next:[5113]finger trouble, Previous:[5114]fine, + Up:[5115]= F = + + finger + + [WAITS, via BSD Unix] 1. n. A program that displays information about + a particular user or all users logged on the system, or a remote + system. Typically shows full name, last login time, idle time, + terminal line, and terminal location (where applicable). May also + display a [5116]plan file left by the user (see also [5117]Hacking X + for Y). 2. vt. To apply finger to a username. 3. vt. By extension, to + check a human's current state by any means. "Foodp?" "T!" "OK, finger + Lisa and see if she's idle." 4. Any picture (composed of ASCII + characters) depicting `the finger'. Originally a humorous component of + one's plan file to deter the curious fingerer (sense 2), it has + entered the arsenal of some [5118]flamers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:finger trouble, Next:[5119]finger-pointing syndrome, + Previous:[5120]finger, Up:[5121]= F = + + finger trouble n. + + Mistyping, typos, or generalized keyboard incompetence (this is + surprisingly common among hackers, given the amount of time they spend + at keyboards). "I keep putting colons at the end of statements instead + of semicolons", "Finger trouble again, eh?". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:finger-pointing syndrome, Next:[5122]finn, Previous:[5123]finger + trouble, Up:[5124]= F = + + finger-pointing syndrome n. + + All-too-frequent result of bugs, esp. in new or experimental + configurations. The hardware vendor points a finger at the software. + The software vendor points a finger at the hardware. All the poor + users get is the finger. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:finn, Next:[5125]firebottle, Previous:[5126]finger-pointing + syndrome, Up:[5127]= F = + + finn v. + + [IRC] To pull rank on somebody based on the amount of time one has + spent on [5128]IRC. The term derives from the fact that IRC was + originally written in Finland in 1987. There may be some influence + from the `Finn' character in William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel + "Count Zero", who at one point says to another (much younger) + character "I have a pair of shoes older than you are, so shut up!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firebottle, Next:[5129]firefighting, Previous:[5130]finn, + Up:[5131]= F = + + firebottle n.obs. + + A large, primitive, power-hungry active electrical device, similar in + function to a FET but constructed out of glass, metal, and vacuum. + Characterized by high cost, low density, low reliability, + high-temperature operation, and high power dissipation. Sometimes + mistakenly called a `tube' in the U.S. or a `valve' in England; + another hackish term is [5132]glassfet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firefighting, Next:[5133]firehose syndrome, + Previous:[5134]firebottle, Up:[5135]= F = + + firefighting n. + + 1. What sysadmins have to do to correct sudden operational problems. + An opposite of hacking. "Been hacking your new newsreader?" "No, a + power glitch hosed the network and I spent the whole afternoon + fighting fires." 2. The act of throwing lots of manpower and late + nights at a project, esp. to get it out before deadline. See also + [5136]gang bang, [5137]Mongolian Hordes technique; however, the term + `firefighting' connotes that the effort is going into chasing bugs + rather than adding features. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firehose syndrome, Next:[5138]firewall code, + Previous:[5139]firefighting, Up:[5140]= F = + + firehose syndrome n. + + In mainstream folklore it is observed that trying to drink from a + firehose can be a good way to rip your lips off. On computer networks, + the absence or failure of flow control mechanisms can lead to + situations in which the sending system sprays a massive flood of + packets at an unfortunate receiving system, more than it can handle. + Compare [5141]overrun, [5142]buffer overflow. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firewall code, Next:[5143]firewall machine, + Previous:[5144]firehose syndrome, Up:[5145]= F = + + firewall code n. + + 1. The code you put in a system (say, a telephone switch) to make sure + that the users can't do any damage. Since users always want to be able + to do everything but never want to suffer for any mistakes, the + construction of a firewall is a question not only of defensive coding + but also of interface presentation, so that users don't even get + curious about those corners of a system where they can burn + themselves. 2. Any sanity check inserted to catch a [5146]can't happen + error. Wise programmers often change code to fix a bug twice: once to + fix the bug, and once to insert a firewall which would have arrested + the bug before it did quite as much damage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firewall machine, Next:[5147]fireworks mode, + Previous:[5148]firewall code, Up:[5149]= F = + + firewall machine n. + + A dedicated gateway machine with special security precautions on it, + used to service outside network connections and dial-in lines. The + idea is to protect a cluster of more loosely administered machines + hidden behind it from [5150]crackers. The typical firewall is an + inexpensive micro-based Unix box kept clean of critical data, with a + bunch of modems and public network ports on it but just one carefully + watched connection back to the rest of the cluster. The special + precautions may include threat monitoring, callback, and even a + complete [5151]iron box keyable to particular incoming IDs or activity + patterns. Syn. [5152]flytrap, [5153]Venus flytrap. + + [When first coined in the mid-1980s this term was pure jargon. Now + (1999) it is techspeak, and has been retained only as an example of + uptake --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fireworks mode, Next:[5154]firmware, Previous:[5155]firewall + machine, Up:[5156]= F = + + fireworks mode n. + + 1. The mode a machine is sometimes said to be in when it is performing + a [5157]crash and burn operation. 2. There is (or was) a more specific + meaning of this term in the Amiga community. The word fireworks + described the effects of a particularly serious crash which prevented + the video pointer(s) from getting reset at the start of the vertical + blank. This caused the DAC to scroll through the entire contents of + CHIP (video or video+CPU) memory. Since each bit plane would scroll + separately this was quite a spectacular effect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firmware, Next:[5158]firmy, Previous:[5159]fireworks mode, + Up:[5160]= F = + + firmware /ferm'weir/ n. + + Embedded software contained in EPROM or flash memory. It isn't quite + hardware, but at least doesn't have to be loaded from a disk like + regular software. Hacker usage differs from straight techspeak in that + hackers don't normally apply it to stuff that you can't possibly get + at, such as the program that runs a pocket calculator. Instead, it + implies that the firmware could be changed, even if doing so would + mean opening a box and plugging in a new chip. A computer's BIOS is + the classic example, although nowadays there is firmware in disk + controllers, modems, video cards and even CD-ROM drives. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:firmy, Next:[5161]fish, Previous:[5162]firmware, Up:[5163]= F = + + firmy /fer'mee/ n. + + Syn. [5164]stiffy (a 3.5-inch floppy disk). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fish, Next:[5165]FISH queue, Previous:[5166]firmy, Up:[5167]= F = + + fish n. + + [Adelaide University, Australia] 1. Another [5168]metasyntactic + variable. See [5169]foo. Derived originally from the Monty Python skit + in the middle of "The Meaning of Life" entitled "Find the Fish". 2. A + pun for `microfiche'. A microfiche file cabinet may be referred to as + a `fish tank'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FISH queue, Next:[5170]FITNR, Previous:[5171]fish, Up:[5172]= F = + + FISH queue n. + + [acronym, by analogy with FIFO (First In, First Out)] `First In, Still + Here'. A joking way of pointing out that processing of a particular + sequence of events or requests has stopped dead. Also `FISH mode' and + `FISHnet'; the latter may be applied to any network that is running + really slowly or exhibiting extreme flakiness. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FITNR, Next:[5173]fix, Previous:[5174]FISH queue, Up:[5175]= F = + + FITNR // adj. + + [Thinking Machines, Inc.] Fixed In The Next Release. A written-only + notation attached to bug reports. Often wishful thinking. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fix, Next:[5176]FIXME, Previous:[5177]FITNR, Up:[5178]= F = + + fix n.,v. + + What one does when a problem has been reported too many times to be + ignored. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FIXME, Next:[5179]flag, Previous:[5180]fix, Up:[5181]= F = + + FIXME imp. + + [common] A standard tag often put in C comments near a piece of code + that needs work. The point of doing so is that a grep or a similar + pattern-matching tool can find all such places quickly. +/* FIXME: note this is common in [5182]GNU code. */ + + Compare [5183]XXX. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flag, Next:[5184]flag day, Previous:[5185]FIXME, Up:[5186]= F = + + flag n. + + [very common] A variable or quantity that can take on one of two + values; a bit, particularly one that is used to indicate one of two + outcomes or is used to control which of two things is to be done. + "This flag controls whether to clear the screen before printing the + message." "The program status word contains several flag bits." Used + of humans analogously to [5187]bit. See also [5188]hidden flag, + [5189]mode bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flag day, Next:[5190]flaky, Previous:[5191]flag, Up:[5192]= F = + + flag day n. + + A software change that is neither forward- nor backward-compatible, + and which is costly to make and costly to reverse. "Can we install + that without causing a flag day for all users?" This term has nothing + to do with the use of the word [5193]flag to mean a variable that has + two values. It came into use when a massive change was made to the + [5194]Multics timesharing system to convert from the short-lived 1965 + version of the ASCII code to the 1967 version (in draft at the time); + this was scheduled for Flag Day (a U.S. holiday), June 14, 1966. The + actual change moved the code point for the ASCII newline character; + this required that all of the Multics source code, documentation, and + device drivers be changed simultaneously. See also [5195]backward + combatability. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flaky, Next:[5196]flamage, Previous:[5197]flag day, Up:[5198]= F + = + + flaky adj. + + (var sp. `flakey') Subject to frequent [5199]lossage. This use is of + course related to the common slang use of the word to describe a + person as eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable. A system that is flaky + is working, sort of -- enough that you are tempted to try to use it -- + but fails frequently enough that the odds in favor of finishing what + you start are low. Commonwealth hackish prefers [5200]dodgy or + [5201]wonky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flamage, Next:[5202]flame, Previous:[5203]flaky, Up:[5204]= F = + + flamage /flay'm*j/ n. + + [very common] Flaming verbiage, esp. high-noise, low-signal postings + to [5205]Usenet or other electronic [5206]fora. Often in the phrase + `the usual flamage'. `Flaming' is the act itself; `flamage' the + content; a `flame' is a single flaming message. See [5207]flame, also + [5208]dahmum. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flame, Next:[5209]flame bait, Previous:[5210]flamage, Up:[5211]= + F = + + flame + + [at MIT, orig. from the phrase `flaming asshole'] 1. vi. To post an + email message intended to insult and provoke. 2. vi. To speak + incessantly and/or rabidly on some relatively uninteresting subject or + with a patently ridiculous attitude. 3. vt. Either of senses 1 or 2, + directed with hostility at a particular person or people. 4. n. An + instance of flaming. When a discussion degenerates into useless + controversy, one might tell the participants "Now you're just flaming" + or "Stop all that flamage!" to try to get them to cool down (so to + speak). + + The term may have been independently invented at several different + places. It has been reported from MIT, Carleton College and RPI (among + many other places) from as far back as 1969, and from the University + of Virginia in the early 1960s. + + It is possible that the hackish sense of `flame' is much older than + that. The poet Chaucer was also what passed for a wizard hacker in his + time; he wrote a treatise on the astrolabe, the most advanced + computing device of the day. In Chaucer's "Troilus and Cressida", + Cressida laments her inability to grasp the proof of a particular + mathematical theorem; her uncle Pandarus then observes that it's + called "the fleminge of wrecches." This phrase seems to have been + intended in context as "that which puts the wretches to flight" but + was probably just as ambiguous in Middle English as "the flaming of + wretches" would be today. One suspects that Chaucer would feel right + at home on Usenet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flame bait, Next:[5212]flame on, Previous:[5213]flame, Up:[5214]= + F = + + flame bait n. + + [common] A posting intended to trigger a [5215]flame war, or one that + invites flames in reply. See also [5216]troll. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flame on, Next:[5217]flame war, Previous:[5218]flame bait, + Up:[5219]= F = + + flame on vi.,interj. + + 1. To begin to [5220]flame. The punning reference to Marvel Comics's + Human Torch is no longer widely recognized. 2. To continue to flame. + See [5221]rave, [5222]burble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flame war, Next:[5223]flamer, Previous:[5224]flame on, Up:[5225]= + F = + + flame war n. + + [common] (var. `flamewar') An acrimonious dispute, especially when + conducted on a public electronic forum such as [5226]Usenet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flamer, Next:[5227]flap, Previous:[5228]flame war, Up:[5229]= F = + + flamer n. + + [common] One who habitually [5230]flames. Said esp. of obnoxious + [5231]Usenet personalities. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flap, Next:[5232]flarp, Previous:[5233]flamer, Up:[5234]= F = + + flap vt. + + 1. [obs.] To unload a DECtape (so it goes flap, flap, flap...). + Old-time hackers at MIT tell of the days when the disk was device 0 + and DEC microtapes were 1, 2,... and attempting to flap device 0 would + instead start a motor banging inside a cabinet near the disk. 2. By + extension, to unload any magnetic tape. See also [5235]macrotape. + Modern cartridge tapes no longer actually flap, but the usage has + remained. (The term could well be re-applied to DEC's TK50 cartridge + tape drive, a spectacularly misengineered contraption which makes a + loud flapping sound, almost like an old reel-type lawnmower, in one of + its many tape-eating failure modes.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flarp, Next:[5236]flash crowd, Previous:[5237]flap, Up:[5238]= F + = + + flarp /flarp/ n. + + [Rutgers University] Yet another [5239]metasyntactic variable (see + [5240]foo). Among those who use it, it is associated with a legend + that any program not containing the word `flarp' somewhere will not + work. The legend is discreetly silent on the reliability of programs + which do contain the magic word. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flash crowd, Next:[5241]flat, Previous:[5242]flarp, Up:[5243]= F + = + + flash crowd + + Larry Niven's 1973 SF short story "Flash Crowd" predicted that one + consequence of cheap teleportation would be huge crowds materializing + almost instantly at the sites of interesting news stories. Twenty + years later the term passed into common use on the Internet to + describe exponential spikes in website or server usage when one passes + a certain threshold of popular interest (this may also be called + [5244]slashdot effect). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flat, Next:[5245]flat-ASCII, Previous:[5246]flash crowd, + Up:[5247]= F = + + flat adj. + + 1. [common] Lacking any complex internal structure. "That [5248]bitty + box has only a flat filesystem, not a hierarchical one." The verb form + is [5249]flatten. 2. Said of a memory architecture (like that of the + VAX or 680x0) that is one big linear address space (typically with + each possible value of a processor register corresponding to a unique + core address), as opposed to a `segmented' architecture (like that of + the 80x86) in which addresses are composed from a base-register/offset + pair (segmented designs are generally considered [5250]cretinous). + + Note that sense 1 (at least with respect to filesystems) is usually + used pejoratively, while sense 2 is a [5251]Good Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flat-ASCII, Next:[5252]flat-file, Previous:[5253]flat, Up:[5254]= + F = + + flat-ASCII adj. + + [common] Said of a text file that contains only 7-bit ASCII characters + and uses only ASCII-standard control characters (that is, has no + embedded codes specific to a particular text formatter markup + language, or output device, and no [5255]meta-characters). Syn. + [5256]plain-ASCII. Compare [5257]flat-file. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flat-file, Next:[5258]flatten, Previous:[5259]flat-ASCII, + Up:[5260]= F = + + flat-file adj. + + A [5261]flattened representation of some database or tree or network + structure as a single file from which the structure could implicitly + be rebuilt, esp. one in [5262]flat-ASCII form. See also + [5263]sharchive. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flatten, Next:[5264]flavor, Previous:[5265]flat-file, Up:[5266]= + F = + + flatten vt. + + [common] To remove structural information, esp. to filter something + with an implicit tree structure into a simple sequence of leaves; also + tends to imply mapping to [5267]flat-ASCII. "This code flattens an + expression with parentheses into an equivalent [5268]canonical form." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flavor, Next:[5269]flavorful, Previous:[5270]flatten, Up:[5271]= + F = + + flavor n. + + 1. [common] Variety, type, kind. "DDT commands come in two flavors." + "These lights come in two flavors, big red ones and small green ones." + "Linux is a flavor of Unix" See [5272]vanilla. 2. The attribute that + causes something to be [5273]flavorful. Usually used in the phrase + "yields additional flavor". "This convention yields additional flavor + by allowing one to print text either right-side-up or upside-down." + See [5274]vanilla. This usage was certainly reinforced by the + terminology of quantum chromodynamics, in which quarks (the + constituents of, e.g., protons) come in six flavors (up, down, + strange, charm, top, bottom) and three colors (red, blue, green) -- + however, hackish use of `flavor' at MIT predated QCD. 3. The term for + `class' (in the object-oriented sense) in the LISP Machine Flavors + system. Though the Flavors design has been superseded (notably by the + Common LISP CLOS facility), the term `flavor' is still used as a + general synonym for `class' by some LISP hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flavorful, Next:[5275]flippy, Previous:[5276]flavor, Up:[5277]= F + = + + flavorful adj. + + Full of [5278]flavor (sense 2); esthetically pleasing. See + [5279]random and [5280]losing for antonyms. See also the entries for + [5281]taste and [5282]elegant. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flippy, Next:[5283]flood, Previous:[5284]flavorful, Up:[5285]= F + = + + flippy /flip'ee/ n. + + A single-sided floppy disk altered for double-sided use by addition of + a second write-notch, so called because it must be flipped over for + the second side to be accessible. No longer common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flood, Next:[5286]flowchart, Previous:[5287]flippy, Up:[5288]= F + = + + flood v. + + [common] 1. To overwhelm a network channel with mechanically-generated + traffic; especially used of IP, TCP/IP, UDP, or ICMP denial-of-service + attacks. 2. To dump large amounts of text onto an [5289]IRC channel. + This is especially rude when the text is uninteresting and the other + users are trying to carry on a serious conversation. Also used in a + similar sense on Usenet. 3. [Usenet] To post an unusually large number + or volume of files on a related topic. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flowchart, Next:[5290]flower key, Previous:[5291]flood, + Up:[5292]= F = + + flowchart n. + + [techspeak] An archaic form of visual control-flow specification + employing arrows and `speech balloons' of various shapes. Hackers + never use flowcharts, consider them extremely silly, and associate + them with [5293]COBOL programmers, [5294]card wallopers, and other + lower forms of life. This attitude follows from the observations that + flowcharts (at least from a hacker's point of view) are no easier to + read than code, are less precise, and tend to fall out of sync with + the code (so that they either obfuscate it rather than explaining it, + or require extra maintenance effort that doesn't improve the code). + See also [5295]PDL, sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flower key, Next:[5296]flush, Previous:[5297]flowchart, + Up:[5298]= F = + + flower key n. + + [Mac users] See [5299]feature key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flush, Next:[5300]flypage, Previous:[5301]flower key, Up:[5302]= + F = + + flush v. + + 1. [common] To delete something, usually superfluous, or to abort an + operation. "All that nonsense has been flushed." 2. [Unix/C] To force + buffered I/O to disk, as with an fflush(3) call. This is not an abort + or deletion as in sense 1, but a demand for early completion! 3. To + leave at the end of a day's work (as opposed to leaving for a meal). + "I'm going to flush now." "Time to flush." 4. To exclude someone from + an activity, or to ignore a person. + + `Flush' was standard ITS terminology for aborting an output operation; + one spoke of the text that would have been printed, but was not, as + having been flushed. It is speculated that this term arose from a + vivid image of flushing unwanted characters by hosing down the + internal output buffer, washing the characters away before they could + be printed. The Unix/C usage, on the other hand, was propagated by the + fflush(3) call in C's standard I/O library (though it is reported to + have been in use among BLISS programmers at [5303]DEC and on Honeywell + and IBM machines as far back as 1965). Unix/C hackers found the ITS + usage confusing, and vice versa. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flypage, Next:[5304]Flyspeck 3, Previous:[5305]flush, Up:[5306]= + F = + + flypage /fli:'payj/ n. + + (alt. `fly page') A [5307]banner, sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Flyspeck 3, Next:[5308]flytrap, Previous:[5309]flypage, + Up:[5310]= F = + + Flyspeck 3 n. + + Standard name for any font that is so tiny as to be unreadable (by + analogy with names like `Helvetica 10' for 10-point Helvetica). Legal + boilerplate is usually printed in Flyspeck 3. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:flytrap, Next:[5311]FM, Previous:[5312]Flyspeck 3, Up:[5313]= F = + + flytrap n. + + [rare] See [5314]firewall machine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FM, Next:[5315]fnord, Previous:[5316]flytrap, Up:[5317]= F = + + FM /F-M/ n. + + 1. [common] Not `Frequency Modulation' but rather an abbreviation for + `Fucking Manual', the back-formation from [5318]RTFM. Used to refer to + the manual itself in the [5319]RTFM. "Have you seen the Networking FM + lately?" 2. Abbreviation for "Fucking Magic", used in the sense of + [5320]black magic. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fnord, Next:[5321]FOAF, Previous:[5322]FM, Up:[5323]= F = + + fnord n. + + [from the "Illuminatus Trilogy"] 1. A word used in email and news + postings to tag utterances as surrealist mind-play or humor, esp. in + connection with [5324]Discordianism and elaborate conspiracy theories. + "I heard that David Koresh is sharing an apartment in Argentina with + Hitler. (Fnord.)" "Where can I fnord get the Principia Discordia + from?" 2. A [5325]metasyntactic variable, commonly used by hackers + with ties to [5326]Discordianism or the [5327]Church of the SubGenius. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FOAF, Next:[5328]FOD, Previous:[5329]fnord, Up:[5330]= F = + + FOAF // n. + + [Usenet; common] Acronym for `Friend Of A Friend'. The source of an + unverified, possibly untrue story. This term was not originated by + hackers (it is used in Jan Brunvand's books on urban folklore), but is + much better recognized on Usenet and elsewhere than in mainstream + English. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FOD, Next:[5331]fold case, Previous:[5332]FOAF, Up:[5333]= F = + + FOD /fod/ v. + + [Abbreviation for `Finger of Death', originally a spell-name from + fantasy gaming] To terminate with extreme prejudice and with no regard + for other people. From [5334]MUDs where the wizard command `FOD + <player>' results in the immediate and total death of <player>, + usually as punishment for obnoxious behavior. This usage migrated to + other circumstances, such as "I'm going to fod the process that is + burning all the cycles." Compare [5335]gun. + + In aviation, FOD means Foreign Object Damage, e.g., what happens when + a jet engine sucks up a rock on the runway or a bird in flight. Finger + of Death is a distressingly apt description of what this generally + does to the engine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fold case, Next:[5336]followup, Previous:[5337]FOD, Up:[5338]= F + = + + fold case v. + + See [5339]smash case. This term tends to be used more by people who + don't mind that their tools smash case. It also connotes that case is + ignored but case distinctions in data processed by the tool in + question aren't destroyed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:followup, Next:[5340]fontology, Previous:[5341]fold case, + Up:[5342]= F = + + followup n. + + [common] On Usenet, a [5343]posting generated in response to another + posting (as opposed to a [5344]reply, which goes by email rather than + being broadcast). Followups include the ID of the [5345]parent message + in their headers; smart news-readers can use this information to + present Usenet news in `conversation' sequence rather than + order-of-arrival. See [5346]thread. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fontology, Next:[5347]foo, Previous:[5348]followup, Up:[5349]= F + = + + fontology n. + + [XEROX PARC] The body of knowledge dealing with the construction and + use of new fonts (e.g., for window systems and typesetting software). + It has been said that fontology recapitulates file-ogeny. + + [Unfortunately, this reference to the embryological dictum that + "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" is not merely a joke. On the + Macintosh, for example, System 7 has to go through contortions to + compensate for an earlier design error that created a whole different + set of abstractions for fonts parallel to `files' and `folders' --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:foo, Next:[5350]foobar, Previous:[5351]fontology, Up:[5352]= F = + + foo /foo/ + + 1. interj. Term of disgust. 2. [very common] Used very generally as a + sample name for absolutely anything, esp. programs and files (esp. + scratch files). 3. First on the standard list of [5353]metasyntactic + variables used in syntax examples. See also [5354]bar, [5355]baz, + [5356]qux, [5357]quux, [5358]corge, [5359]grault, [5360]garply, + [5361]waldo, [5362]fred, [5363]plugh, [5364]xyzzy, [5365]thud. + + When `foo' is used in connection with `bar' it has generally traced to + the WWII-era Army slang acronym [5366]FUBAR (`Fucked Up Beyond All + Repair'), later modified to [5367]foobar. Early versions of the Jargon + File interpreted this change as a post-war bowdlerization, but it it + now seems more likely that FUBAR was itself a derivative of `foo' + perhaps influenced by German `furchtbar' (terrible) - `foobar' may + actually have been the original form. + + For, it seems, the word `foo' itself had an immediate prewar history + in comic strips and cartoons. The earliest documented uses were in the + "Smokey Stover" comic strip popular in the 1930s, which frequently + included the word "foo". Bill Holman, the author of the strip, filled + it with odd jokes and personal contrivances, including other nonsense + phrases such as "Notary Sojac" and "1506 nix nix". According to the + [5368]Warner Brothers Cartoon Companion Holman claimed to have found + the word "foo" on the bottom of a Chinese figurine. This is plausible; + Chinese statuettes often have apotropaic inscriptions, and this may + have been the Chinese word `fu' (sometimes transliterated `foo'), + which can mean "happiness" when spoken with the proper tone (the + lion-dog guardians flanking the steps of many Chinese restaurants are + properly called "fu dogs"). English speakers' reception of Holman's + `foo' nonsense word was undoubtedly influenced by Yiddish `feh' and + English `fooey' and `fool'. + + Holman's strip featured a firetruck called the Foomobile that rode on + two wheels. The comic strip was tremendously popular in the late + 1930s, and legend has it that a manufacturer in Indiana even produced + an operable version of Holman's Foomobile. According to the + Encyclopedia of American Comics, `Foo' fever swept the U.S., finding + its way into popular songs and generating over 500 `Foo Clubs.' The + fad left `foo' references embedded in popular culture (including a + couple of appearances in Warner Brothers cartoons of 1938-39) but with + their origins rapidly forgotten. + + One place they are known to have remained live is in the U.S. military + during the WWII years. In 1944-45, the term `foo fighters' was in use + by radar operators for the kind of mysterious or spurious trace that + would later be called a UFO (the older term resurfaced in popular + American usage in 1995 via the name of one of the better grunge-rock + bands). Informants connected the term to the Smokey Stover strip. + + The U.S. and British militaries frequently swapped slang terms during + the war (see [5369]kluge and [5370]kludge for another important + example) Period sources reported that `FOO' became a semi-legendary + subject of WWII British-army graffiti more or less equivalent to the + American Kilroy. Where British troops went, the graffito "FOO was + here" or something similar showed up. Several slang dictionaries aver + that FOO probably came from Forward Observation Officer, but this + (like the contemporaneous "FUBAR") was probably a [5371]backronym . + Forty years later, Paul Dickson's excellent book "Words" (Dell, 1982, + ISBN 0-440-52260-7) traced "Foo" to an unspecified British naval + magazine in 1946, quoting as follows: "Mr. Foo is a mysterious Second + World War product, gifted with bitter omniscience and sarcasm." + + Earlier versions of this entry suggested the possibility that hacker + usage actually sprang from "FOO, Lampoons and Parody", the title of a + comic book first issued in September 1958, a joint project of Charles + and Robert Crumb. Though Robert Crumb (then in his mid-teens) later + became one of the most important and influential artists in + underground comics, this venture was hardly a success; indeed, the + brothers later burned most of the existing copies in disgust. The + title FOO was featured in large letters on the front cover. However, + very few copies of this comic actually circulated, and students of + Crumb's `oeuvre' have established that this title was a reference to + the earlier Smokey Stover comics. The Crumbs may also have been + influenced by a short-lived Canadian parody magazine named `Foo' + published in 1951-52. + + An old-time member reports that in the 1959 "Dictionary of the TMRC + Language", compiled at [5372]TMRC, there was an entry that went + something like this: + + FOO: The first syllable of the sacred chant phrase "FOO MANE PADME + HUM." Our first obligation is to keep the foo counters turning. + + (For more about the legendary foo counters, see [5373]TMRC.) This + definition used Bill Holman's nonsense word, only then two decades old + and demonstrably still live in popular culture and slang, to a + [5374]ha ha only serious analogy with esoteric Tibetan Buddhism. + Today's hackers would find it difficult to resist elaborating a joke + like that, and it is not likely 1959's were any less susceptible. + Almost the entire staff of what later became the MIT AI Lab was + involved with TMRC, and the word spread from there. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:foobar, Next:[5375]fool, Previous:[5376]foo, Up:[5377]= F = + + foobar n. + + [very common] Another widely used [5378]metasyntactic variable; see + [5379]foo for etymology. Probably originally propagated through + DECsystem manuals by Digital Equipment Corporation ([5380]DEC) in + 1960s and early 1970s; confirmed sightings there go back to 1972. + Hackers do not generally use this to mean [5381]FUBAR in either the + slang or jargon sense. See also [5382]Fred Foobar. In RFC1639, + "FOOBAR" was made an abbreviation for "FTP Operation Over Big Address + Records", but this was an obvious [5383]backronym. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fool, Next:[5384]fool file, Previous:[5385]foobar, Up:[5386]= F = + + fool n. + + As used by hackers, specifically describes a person who habitually + reasons from obviously or demonstrably incorrect premises and cannot + be persuaded by evidence to do otherwise; it is not generally used in + its other senses, i.e., to describe a person with a native incapacity + to reason correctly, or a clown. Indeed, in hackish experience many + fools are capable of reasoning all too effectively in executing their + errors. See also [5387]cretin, [5388]loser, [5389]fool file. + + The Algol 68-R compiler used to initialize its storage to the + character string "F00LF00LF00LF00L..." because as a pointer or as a + floating point number it caused a crash, and as an integer or a + character string it was very recognizable in a dump. Sadly, one day a + very senior professor at Nottingham University wrote a program that + called him a fool. He proceeded to demonstrate the correctness of this + assertion by lobbying the university (not quite successfully) to + forbid the use of Algol on its computers. See also [5390]DEADBEEF. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fool file, Next:[5391]Foonly, Previous:[5392]fool, Up:[5393]= F = + + fool file n. + + [Usenet] A notional repository of all the most dramatically and + abysmally stupid utterances ever. An entire subgenre of [5394]sig + blocks consists of the header "From the fool file:" followed by some + quote the poster wishes to represent as an immortal gem of dimwittery; + for this usage to be really effective, the quote has to be so + obviously wrong as to be laughable. More than one Usenetter has + achieved an unwanted notoriety by being quoted in this way. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Foonly, Next:[5395]footprint, Previous:[5396]fool file, + Up:[5397]= F = + + Foonly n. + + 1. The [5398]PDP-10 successor that was to have been built by the Super + Foonly project at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory + along with a new operating system. (The name itself came from FOO NLI, + an error message emitted by a PDP-10 assembler at SAIL meaning "FOO is + Not a Legal Identifier". The intention was to leapfrog from the old + [5399]DEC timesharing system SAIL was then running to a new + generation, bypassing TENEX which at that time was the ARPANET + standard. ARPA funding for both the Super Foonly and the new operating + system was cut in 1974. Most of the design team went to DEC and + contributed greatly to the design of the PDP-10 model KL10. 2. The + name of the company formed by Dave Poole, one of the principal Super + Foonly designers, and one of hackerdom's more colorful personalities. + Many people remember the parrot which sat on Poole's shoulder and was + a regular companion. 3. Any of the machines built by Poole's company. + The first was the F-1 (a.k.a. Super Foonly), which was the + computational engine used to create the graphics in the movie "TRON". + The F-1 was the fastest PDP-10 ever built, but only one was ever made. + The effort drained Foonly of its financial resources, and the company + turned towards building smaller, slower, and much less expensive + machines. Unfortunately, these ran not the popular [5400]TOPS-20 but a + TENEX variant called Foonex; this seriously limited their market. + Also, the machines shipped were actually wire-wrapped engineering + prototypes requiring individual attention from more than usually + competent site personnel, and thus had significant reliability + problems. Poole's legendary temper and unwillingness to suffer fools + gladly did not help matters. By the time of the Jupiter project + cancellation in 1983, Foonly's proposal to build another F-1 was + eclipsed by the [5401]Mars, and the company never quite recovered. See + the [5402]Mars entry for the continuation and moral of this story. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:footprint, Next:[5403]for free, Previous:[5404]Foonly, Up:[5405]= + F = + + footprint n. + + 1. The floor or desk area taken up by a piece of hardware. 2. [IBM] + The audit trail (if any) left by a crashed program (often in plural, + `footprints'). See also [5406]toeprint. 3. RAM footprint: The minimum + amount of RAM which an OS or other program takes; this figure gives + one an idea of how much will be left for other applications. How + actively this RAM is used is another matter entirely. Recent + tendencies to featuritis and software bloat can expand the RAM + footprint of an OS to the point of making it nearly unusable in + practice. [This problem is, thankfully, limited to operating systems + so stupid that they don't do virtual memory - ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:for free, Next:[5407]for the rest of us, + Previous:[5408]footprint, Up:[5409]= F = + + for free adj. + + [common] Said of a capability of a programming language or hardware + that is available by its design without needing cleverness to + implement: "In APL, we get the matrix operations for free." "And owing + to the way revisions are stored in this system, you get revision trees + for free." The term usually refers to a serendipitous feature of doing + things a certain way (compare [5410]big win), but it may refer to an + intentional but secondary feature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:for the rest of us, Next:[5411]for values of, Previous:[5412]for + free, Up:[5413]= F = + + for the rest of us adj. + + [from the Mac slogan "The computer for the rest of us"] 1. Used to + describe a [5414]spiffy product whose affordability shames other + comparable products, or (more often) used sarcastically to describe + [5415]spiffy but very overpriced products. 2. Describes a program with + a limited interface, deliberately limited capabilities, + non-orthogonality, inability to compose primitives, or any other + limitation designed to not `confuse' a naive user. This places an + upper bound on how far that user can go before the program begins to + get in the way of the task instead of helping accomplish it. Used in + reference to Macintosh software which doesn't provide obvious + capabilities because it is thought that the poor lusers might not be + able to handle them. Becomes `the rest of them' when used in + third-party reference; thus, "Yes, it is an attractive program, but + it's designed for The Rest Of Them" means a program that superficially + looks neat but has no depth beyond the surface flash. See also + [5416]WIMP environment, [5417]Macintrash, [5418]point-and-drool + interface, [5419]user-friendly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:for values of, Next:[5420]fora, Previous:[5421]for the rest of + us, Up:[5422]= F = + + for values of + + [MIT] A common rhetorical maneuver at MIT is to use any of the + canonical [5423]random numbers as placeholders for variables. "The max + function takes 42 arguments, for arbitrary values of 42." "There are + 69 ways to leave your lover, for 69 = 50." This is especially likely + when the speaker has uttered a random number and realizes that it was + not recognized as such, but even `non-random' numbers are occasionally + used in this fashion. A related joke is that pi equals 3 -- for small + values of pi and large values of 3. + + Historical note: at MIT this usage has traditionally been traced to + the programming language MAD (Michigan Algorithm Decoder), an + Algol-58-like language that was the most common choice among + mainstream (non-hacker) users at MIT in the mid-60s. It inherited from + Algol-58 a control structure FOR VALUES OF X = 3, 7, 99 DO ... that + would repeat the indicated instructions for each value in the list + (unlike the usual FOR that only works for arithmetic sequences of + values). MAD is long extinct, but similar for-constructs still + flourish (e.g., in Unix's shell languages). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fora, Next:[5424]foreground, Previous:[5425]for values of, + Up:[5426]= F = + + fora pl.n. + + Plural of [5427]forum. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:foreground, Next:[5428]fork, Previous:[5429]fora, Up:[5430]= F = + + foreground vt. + + [Unix; common] To bring a task to the top of one's [5431]stack for + immediate processing, and hackers often use it in this sense for + non-computer tasks. "If your presentation is due next week, I guess + I'd better foreground writing up the design document." + + Technically, on a time-sharing system, a task executing in foreground + is one able to accept input from and return output to the user; oppose + [5432]background. Nowadays this term is primarily associated with + [5433]Unix, but it appears first to have been used in this sense on + OS/360. Normally, there is only one foreground task per terminal (or + terminal window); having multiple processes simultaneously reading the + keyboard is a good way to [5434]lose. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fork, Next:[5435]fork bomb, Previous:[5436]foreground, Up:[5437]= + F = + + fork + + In the open-source community, a fork is what occurs when two (or more) + versions of a software package's source code are being developed in + parallel which once shared a common code base, and these multiple + versions of the source code have irreconcilable differences between + them. This should not be confused with a development branch, which may + later be folded back into the original source code base. Nor should it + be confused with what happens when a new distribution of Linux or some + other distribution is created, because that largely assembles pieces + than can and will be used in other distributions without conflict. + + Forking is uncommon; in fact, it is so uncommon that individual + instances loom large in hacker folklore. Notable in this class were + the [5438]http://www.xemacs.org/About/XEmacsVsGNUemacs.html, the + GCC/EGCS fork (later healed by a merger) and the forks among the + FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD operating systems. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fork bomb, Next:[5439]forked, Previous:[5440]fork, Up:[5441]= F = + + fork bomb n. + + [Unix] A particular species of [5442]wabbit that can be written in one + line of C (main() {for(;;)fork();}) or shell ($0 & $0 &) on any Unix + system, or occasionally created by an egregious coding bug. A fork + bomb process `explodes' by recursively spawning copies of itself + (using the Unix system call fork(2)). Eventually it eats all the + process table entries and effectively wedges the system. Fortunately, + fork bombs are relatively easy to spot and kill, so creating one + deliberately seldom accomplishes more than to bring the just wrath of + the gods down upon the perpetrator. See also [5443]logic bomb. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:forked, Next:[5444]Fortrash, Previous:[5445]fork bomb, Up:[5446]= + F = + + forked adj.,vi. + + 1. [common after 1997, esp. in the Linux community] An open-source + software project is said to have forked or be forked when the project + group fissions into two or more parts pursuing separate lines of + development (or, less commonly, when a third party unconnected to the + project group ). Forking is considered a [5447]Bad Thing - not merely + because it implies a lot of wasted effort in the future, but because + forks tend to be accompanied by a great deal of strife and acrimony + between the successor groups over issues of legitimacy, succession, + and design direction. There is serious social pressure against + forking. As a result, major forks (such as the Gnu-Emacs/XEmacs split, + the fissionings of the 386BSD group into three daughter project, and + the short-lived GCC/EGCS split) are rare enough that they are + remembered individually in hacker folklore. 2. [Unix; uncommon; prob. + influenced by a mainstream expletive] Terminally slow, or dead. + Originated when one system was slowed to a snail's pace by an + inadvertent [5448]fork bomb. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Fortrash, Next:[5449]fortune cookie, Previous:[5450]forked, + Up:[5451]= F = + + Fortrash /for'trash/ n. + + Hackerism for the FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslator) language, referring to + its primitive design, gross and irregular syntax, limited control + constructs, and slippery, exception-filled semantics. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fortune cookie, Next:[5452]forum, Previous:[5453]Fortrash, + Up:[5454]= F = + + fortune cookie n. + + [WAITS, via Unix; common] A random quote, item of trivia, joke, or + maxim printed to the user's tty at login time or (less commonly) at + logout time. Items from this lexicon have often been used as fortune + cookies. See [5455]cookie file. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:forum, Next:[5456]fossil, Previous:[5457]fortune cookie, + Up:[5458]= F = + + forum n. + + [Usenet, GEnie, CI$; pl. `fora' or `forums'] Any discussion group + accessible through a dial-in [5459]BBS, a [5460]mailing list, or a + [5461]newsgroup (see [5462]the network). A forum functions much like a + bulletin board; users submit [5463]postings for all to read and + discussion ensues. Contrast real-time chat via [5464]talk mode or + point-to-point personal [5465]email. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fossil, Next:[5466]four-color glossies, Previous:[5467]forum, + Up:[5468]= F = + + fossil n. + + 1. In software, a misfeature that becomes understandable only in + historical context, as a remnant of times past retained so as not to + break compatibility. Example: the retention of octal as default base + for string escapes in [5469]C, in spite of the better match of + hexadecimal to ASCII and modern byte-addressable architectures. See + [5470]dusty deck. 2. More restrictively, a feature with past but no + present utility. Example: the force-all-caps (LCASE) bits in the V7 + and [5471]BSD Unix tty driver, designed for use with monocase + terminals. (In a perversion of the usual backward-compatibility goal, + this functionality has actually been expanded and renamed in some + later [5472]USG Unix releases as the IUCLC and OLCUC bits.) 3. The + FOSSIL (Fido/Opus/Seadog Standard Interface Level) driver + specification for serial-port access to replace the [5473]brain-dead + routines in the IBM PC ROMs. Fossils are used by most MS-DOS [5474]BBS + software in preference to the `supported' ROM routines, which do not + support interrupt-driven operation or setting speeds above 9600; the + use of a semistandard FOSSIL library is preferable to the [5475]bare + metal serial port programming otherwise required. Since the FOSSIL + specification allows additional functionality to be hooked in, drivers + that use the [5476]hook but do not provide serial-port access + themselves are named with a modifier, as in `video fossil'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:four-color glossies, Next:[5477]frag, Previous:[5478]fossil, + Up:[5479]= F = + + four-color glossies n. + + 1. Literature created by [5480]marketroids that allegedly contains + technical specs but which is in fact as superficial as possible + without being totally [5481]content-free. "Forget the four-color + glossies, give me the tech ref manuals." Often applied as an + indication of superficiality even when the material is printed on + ordinary paper in black and white. Four-color-glossy manuals are never + useful for solving a problem. 2. [rare] Applied by extension to manual + pages that don't contain enough information to diagnose why the + program doesn't produce the expected or desired output. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frag, Next:[5482]fragile, Previous:[5483]four-color glossies, + Up:[5484]= F = + + frag n.,v. + + [from Vietnam-era U.S. military slang via the games Doom and Quake] 1. + To kill another player's [5485]avatar in a multiuser game. "I hold the + office Quake record with 40 frags." 2. To completely ruin something. + "Forget that power supply, the lightning strike fragged it. See also + [5486]gib. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fragile, Next:[5487]fred, Previous:[5488]frag, Up:[5489]= F = + + fragile adj. + + Syn [5490]brittle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fred, Next:[5491]Fred Foobar, Previous:[5492]fragile, Up:[5493]= + F = + + fred n. + + 1. The personal name most frequently used as a [5494]metasyntactic + variable (see [5495]foo). Allegedly popular because it's easy for a + non-touch-typist to type on a standard QWERTY keyboard. In Great + Britain, `fred', `jim' and `sheila' are common metasyntactic variables + because their uppercase versions were official names given to the 3 + memory areas that held I/O status registers on the lovingly-remembered + BBC Microcomputer! (It is reported that SHEILA was poked the most + often.) Unlike [5496]J. Random Hacker or `J. Random Loser', the name + `fred' has no positive or negative loading (but see [5497]Dr. Fred + Mbogo). See also [5498]barney. 2. An acronym for `Flipping Ridiculous + Electronic Device'; other F-verbs may be substituted for `flipping'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Fred Foobar, Next:[5499]frednet, Previous:[5500]fred, Up:[5501]= + F = + + Fred Foobar n. + + [5502]J. Random Hacker's cousin. Any typical human being, more or less + synomous with `someone' except that Fred Foobar can be + [5503]backreferenced by name later on. "So Fred Foobar will enter his + phone number into the database, and it'll be archived with the others. + Months later, when Fred searches..." See also [5504]Bloggs Family and + [5505]Dr. Fred Mbogo + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frednet, Next:[5506]free software, Previous:[5507]Fred Foobar, + Up:[5508]= F = + + frednet /fred'net/ n. + + Used to refer to some [5509]random and uncommon protocol encountered + on a network. "We're implementing bridging in our router to solve the + frednet problem." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:free software, Next:[5510]freeware, Previous:[5511]frednet, + Up:[5512]= F = + + free software n. + + As defined by Richard M. Stallman and used by the Free Software + movement, this means software that gives users enough freedom to be + used by the free software community. Specifically, users must be free + to modify the software for their private use, and free to redistribute + it either with or without modifications, either commercially or + noncommercially, either gratis or charging a distribution fee. Free + software has existed since the dawn of computing; Free Software as a + movement began in 1984 with the GNU Project. See also [5513]open + source. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:freeware, Next:[5514]freeze, Previous:[5515]free software, + Up:[5516]= F = + + freeware n. + + [common] Free software, often written by enthusiasts and distributed + by users' groups, or via electronic mail, local bulletin boards, + [5517]Usenet, or other electronic media. At one time, `freeware' was a + trademark of Andrew Fluegelman, the author of the well-known MS-DOS + comm program PC-TALK III. It wasn't enforced after his mysterious + disappearance and presumed death in 1984. See [5518]shareware, + [5519]FRS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:freeze, Next:[5520]fried, Previous:[5521]freeware, Up:[5522]= F = + + freeze v. + + To lock an evolving software distribution or document against changes + so it can be released with some hope of stability. Carries the strong + implication that the item in question will `unfreeze' at some future + date. "OK, fix that bug and we'll freeze for release." + + There are more specific constructions on this term. A `feature + freeze', for example, locks out modifications intended to introduce + new features but still allows bugfixes and completion of existing + features; a `code freeze' connotes no more changes at all. At Sun + Microsystems and elsewhere, one may also hear references to `code + slush' -- that is, an almost-but-not-quite frozen state. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fried, Next:[5523]frink, Previous:[5524]freeze, Up:[5525]= F = + + fried adj. + + 1. [common] Non-working due to hardware failure; burnt out. Especially + used of hardware brought down by a `power glitch' (see [5526]glitch), + [5527]drop-outs, a short, or some other electrical event. (Sometimes + this literally happens to electronic circuits! In particular, + resistors can burn out and transformers can melt down, emitting + noxious smoke -- see [5528]friode, [5529]SED and [5530]LER. However, + this term is also used metaphorically.) Compare [5531]frotzed. 2. + [common] Of people, exhausted. Said particularly of those who continue + to work in such a state. Often used as an explanation or excuse. + "Yeah, I know that fix destroyed the file system, but I was fried when + I put it in." Esp. common in conjunction with `brain': "My brain is + fried today, I'm very short on sleep." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frink, Next:[5532]friode, Previous:[5533]fried, Up:[5534]= F = + + frink /frink/ v. + + The unknown ur-verb, fill in your own meaning. Found esp. on the + Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.lemurs, where it is said that the lemurs know + what `frink' means, but they aren't telling. Compare [5535]gorets. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:friode, Next:[5536]fritterware, Previous:[5537]frink, Up:[5538]= + F = + + friode /fri:'ohd/ n. + + [TMRC] A reversible (that is, fused or blown) diode. Compare + [5539]fried; see also [5540]SED, [5541]LER. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fritterware, Next:[5542]frob, Previous:[5543]friode, Up:[5544]= F + = + + fritterware n. + + An excess of capability that serves no productive end. The canonical + example is font-diddling software on the Mac (see [5545]macdink); the + term describes anything that eats huge amounts of time for quite + marginal gains in function but seduces people into using it anyway. + See also [5546]window shopping. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frob, Next:[5547]frobnicate, Previous:[5548]fritterware, + Up:[5549]= F = + + frob /frob/ 1. n. + + [MIT; very common] The [5550]TMRC definition was "FROB = a protruding + arm or trunnion"; by metaphoric extension, a `frob' is any random + small thing; an object that you can comfortably hold in one hand; + something you can frob (sense 2). See [5551]frobnitz. 2. vt. + Abbreviated form of [5552]frobnicate. 3. [from the [5553]MUD world] A + command on some MUDs that changes a player's experience level (this + can be used to make wizards); also, to request [5554]wizard privileges + on the `professional courtesy' grounds that one is a wizard elsewhere. + The command is actually `frobnicate' but is universally abbreviated to + the shorter form. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frobnicate, Next:[5555]frobnitz, Previous:[5556]frob, Up:[5557]= + F = + + frobnicate /frob'ni-kayt/ vt. + + [Poss. derived from [5558]frobnitz, and usually abbreviated to + [5559]frob, but `frobnicate' is recognized as the official full form.] + To manipulate or adjust, to tweak. One frequently frobs bits or other + 2-state devices. Thus: "Please frob the light switch" (that is, flip + it), but also "Stop frobbing that clasp; you'll break it". One also + sees the construction `to frob a frob'. See [5560]tweak and + [5561]twiddle. + + Usage: frob, twiddle, and tweak sometimes connote points along a + continuum. `Frob' connotes aimless manipulation; `twiddle' connotes + gross manipulation, often a coarse search for a proper setting; + `tweak' connotes fine-tuning. If someone is turning a knob on an + oscilloscope, then if he's carefully adjusting it, he is probably + tweaking it; if he is just turning it but looking at the screen, he is + probably twiddling it; but if he's just doing it because turning a + knob is fun, he's frobbing it. The variant `frobnosticate' has been + recently reported. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frobnitz, Next:[5562]frog, Previous:[5563]frobnicate, Up:[5564]= + F = + + frobnitz /frob'nits/, pl. `frobnitzem' /frob'nit-zm/ or `frobni' + /frob'ni:/ n. + + [TMRC] An unspecified physical object, a widget. Also refers to + electronic black boxes. This rare form is usually abbreviated to + `frotz', or more commonly to [5565]frob. Also used are `frobnule' + (/frob'n[y]ool/) and `frobule' (/frob'yool/). Starting perhaps in + 1979, `frobozz' /fr*-boz'/ (plural: `frobbotzim' /fr*-bot'zm/) has + also become very popular, largely through its exposure as a name via + [5566]Zork. These variants can also be applied to nonphysical objects, + such as data structures. + + Pete Samson, compiler of the original [5567]TMRC lexicon, adds, "Under + the TMRC [railroad] layout were many storage boxes, managed (in 1958) + by David R. Sawyer. Several had fanciful designations written on them, + such as `Frobnitz Coil Oil'. Perhaps DRS intended Frobnitz to be a + proper name, but the name was quickly taken for the thing". This was + almost certainly the origin of the term. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frog, Next:[5568]frogging, Previous:[5569]frobnitz, Up:[5570]= F + = + + frog alt. `phrog' + + 1. interj. Term of disgust (we seem to have a lot of them). 2. Used as + a name for just about anything. See [5571]foo. 3. n. Of things, a + crock. 4. n. Of people, somewhere in between a turkey and a toad. 5. + `froggy': adj. Similar to [5572]bagbiting, but milder. "This froggy + program is taking forever to run!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frogging, Next:[5573]front end, Previous:[5574]frog, Up:[5575]= F + = + + frogging [University of Waterloo] v. + + 1. Partial corruption of a text file or input stream by some bug or + consistent glitch, as opposed to random events like line noise or + media failures. Might occur, for example, if one bit of each incoming + character on a tty were stuck, so that some characters were correct + and others were not. See [5576]terminak for a historical example and + compare [5577]dread high-bit disease. 2. By extension, accidental + display of text in a mode where the output device emits special + symbols or mnemonics rather than conventional ASCII. This often + happens, for example, when using a terminal or comm program on a + device like an IBM PC with a special `high-half' character set and + with the bit-parity assumption wrong. A hacker sufficiently familiar + with ASCII bit patterns might be able to read the display anyway. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:front end, Next:[5578]frotz, Previous:[5579]frogging, Up:[5580]= + F = + + front end n. + + 1. An intermediary computer that does set-up and filtering for another + (usually more powerful but less friendly) machine (a `back end'). 2. + What you're talking to when you have a conversation with someone who + is making replies without paying attention. "Look at the dancing + elephants!" "Uh-huh." "Do you know what I just said?" "Sorry, you were + talking to the front end." 3. Software that provides an interface to + another program `behind' it, which may not be as user-friendly. + Probably from analogy with hardware front-ends (see sense 1) that + interfaced with mainframes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frotz, Next:[5581]frotzed, Previous:[5582]front end, Up:[5583]= F + = + + frotz /frots/ + + 1. n. See [5584]frobnitz. 2. `mumble frotz': An interjection of + mildest disgust. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frotzed, Next:[5585]frowney, Previous:[5586]frotz, Up:[5587]= F = + + frotzed /frotst/ adj. + + [5588]down because of hardware problems. Compare [5589]fried. A + machine that is merely frotzed may be fixable without replacing parts, + but a fried machine is more seriously damaged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:frowney, Next:[5590]FRS, Previous:[5591]frotzed, Up:[5592]= F = + + frowney n. + + (alt. `frowney face') See [5593]emoticon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FRS, Next:[5594]fry, Previous:[5595]frowney, Up:[5596]= F = + + FRS // n.,obs. + + Abbreviation for "Freely Redistributable Software" which entered + general use on the Internet in 1995 after years of low-level confusion + over what exactly to call software written to be passed around and + shared (contending terms including [5597]freeware, [5598]shareware, + and `sourceware' were never universally felt to be satisfactory for + various subtle reasons). The first formal conference on freely + redistributable software was held in Cambridge, Massachussetts, in + February 1996 (sponsored by the Free Software Foundation). The + conference organizers used the FRS abbreviation heavily in its calls + for papers and other literature during 1995. The term was in steady + though not common use until 1998 and the invention of [5599]open + source. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fry, Next:[5600]fscking, Previous:[5601]FRS, Up:[5602]= F = + + fry + + 1. vi. To fail. Said especially of smoke-producing hardware failures. + More generally, to become non-working. Usage: never said of software, + only of hardware and humans. See [5603]fried, [5604]magic smoke. 2. + vt. To cause to fail; to [5605]roach, [5606]toast, or [5607]hose a + piece of hardware. Never used of software or humans, but compare + [5608]fried. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fscking, Next:[5609]FSF, Previous:[5610]fry, Up:[5611]= F = + + fscking /fus'-king/ or /eff'-seek-ing/ adj. + + [Usenet; common] Fucking, in the expletive sense (it refers to the + Unix filesystem-repair command fsck(1), of which it can be said that + if you have to use it at all you are having a bad day). Originated on + [5612]scary devil monastery and the bofh.net newsgroups, but became + much more widespread following the passage of [5613]CDA. Also + occasionally seen in the variant "What the fsck?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FSF, Next:[5614]FTP, Previous:[5615]fscking, Up:[5616]= F = + + FSF /F-S-F/ abbrev. + + Common abbreviation (both spoken and written) for the name of the Free + Software Foundation, a nonprofit educational association formed to + support the [5617]GNU project. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FTP, Next:[5618]-fu, Previous:[5619]FSF, Up:[5620]= F = + + FTP /F-T-P/, not /fit'ip/ + + 1. [techspeak] n. The File Transfer Protocol for transmitting files + between systems on the Internet. 2. vt. To [5621]beam a file using the + File Transfer Protocol. 3. Sometimes used as a generic even for file + transfers not using [5622]FTP. "Lemme get a copy of "Wuthering + Heights" ftp'd from uunet." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:-fu, Next:[5623]FUBAR, Previous:[5624]FTP, Up:[5625]= F = + + -fu + + [common; generalized from `kung-fu'] Combining form denoting expert + practice of a skill. "That's going to take some serious code-fu." + First sighted in connection with the GIMP's remote-scripting facility, + script-fu, in 1998. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FUBAR, Next:[5626]fuck me harder, Previous:[5627]-fu, Up:[5628]= + F = + + FUBAR n. + + The Failed UniBus Address Register in a VAX. A good example of how + jargon can occasionally be snuck past the [5629]suits; see + [5630]foobar, and [5631]foo for a fuller etymology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fuck me harder, Next:[5632]FUD, Previous:[5633]FUBAR, Up:[5634]= + F = + + fuck me harder excl. + + Sometimes uttered in response to egregious misbehavior, esp. in + software, and esp. of misbehaviors which seem unfairly persistent (as + though designed in by the imp of the perverse). Often theatrically + elaborated: "Aiighhh! Fuck me with a piledriver and 16 feet of + curare-tipped wrought-iron fence and no lubricants!" The phrase is + sometimes heard abbreviated `FMH' in polite company. + + [This entry is an extreme example of the hackish habit of coining + elaborate and evocative terms for lossage. Here we see a quite + self-conscious parody of mainstream expletives that has become a + running gag in part of the hacker culture; it illustrates the hackish + tendency to turn any situation, even one of extreme frustration, into + an intellectual game (the point being, in this case, to creatively + produce a long-winded description of the most anatomically absurd + mental image possible -- the short forms implicitly allude to all the + ridiculous long forms ever spoken). Scatological language is actually + relatively uncommon among hackers, and there was some controversy over + whether this entry ought to be included at all. As it reflects a live + usage recognizably peculiar to the hacker culture, we feel it is in + the hackish spirit of truthfulness and opposition to all forms of + censorship to record it here. --ESR & GLS] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FUD, Next:[5635]FUD wars, Previous:[5636]fuck me harder, + Up:[5637]= F = + + FUD /fuhd/ n. + + Defined by Gene Amdahl after he left IBM to found his own company: + "FUD is the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that IBM sales people instill + in the minds of potential customers who might be considering [Amdahl] + products." The idea, of course, was to persuade them to go with safe + IBM gear rather than with competitors' equipment. This implicit + coercion was traditionally accomplished by promising that Good Things + would happen to people who stuck with IBM, but Dark Shadows loomed + over the future of competitors' equipment or software. See [5638]IBM. + After 1990 the term FUD was associated increasingly frequently with + [5639]Microsoft, and has become generalized to refer to any kind of + disinformation used as a competitive weapon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:FUD wars, Next:[5640]fudge, Previous:[5641]FUD, Up:[5642]= F = + + FUD wars /fuhd worz/ n. + + [from [5643]FUD] Political posturing engaged in by hardware and + software vendors ostensibly committed to standardization but actually + willing to fragment the market to protect their own shares. The Unix + International vs. OSF conflict about Unix standards was one + outstanding example; Microsoft vs. Netscape vs. W3C about HTML + standards is another. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fudge, Next:[5644]fudge factor, Previous:[5645]FUD wars, + Up:[5646]= F = + + fudge + + 1. vt. To perform in an incomplete but marginally acceptable way, + particularly with respect to the writing of a program. "I didn't feel + like going through that pain and suffering, so I fudged it -- I'll fix + it later." 2. n. The resulting code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fudge factor, Next:[5647]fuel up, Previous:[5648]fudge, + Up:[5649]= F = + + fudge factor n. + + [common] A value or parameter that is varied in an ad hoc way to + produce the desired result. The terms `tolerance' and [5650]slop are + also used, though these usually indicate a one-sided leeway, such as a + buffer that is made larger than necessary because one isn't sure + exactly how large it needs to be, and it is better to waste a little + space than to lose completely for not having enough. A fudge factor, + on the other hand, can often be tweaked in more than one direction. A + good example is the `fuzz' typically allowed in floating-point + calculations: two numbers being compared for equality must be allowed + to differ by a small amount; if that amount is too small, a + computation may never terminate, while if it is too large, results + will be needlessly inaccurate. Fudge factors are frequently adjusted + incorrectly by programmers who don't fully understand their import. + See also [5651]coefficient of X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fuel up, Next:[5652]Full Monty, Previous:[5653]fudge factor, + Up:[5654]= F = + + fuel up vi. + + To eat or drink hurriedly in order to get back to hacking. "Food-p?" + "Yeah, let's fuel up." "Time for a [5655]great-wall!" See also + [5656]oriental food. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Full Monty, Next:[5657]fum, Previous:[5658]fuel up, Up:[5659]= F + = + + Full Monty n. + + See [5660]monty, sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fum, Next:[5661]functino, Previous:[5662]Full Monty, Up:[5663]= F + = + + fum n. + + [XEROX PARC] At PARC, often the third of the standard + [5664]metasyntactic variables (after [5665]foo and [5666]bar). + Competes with [5667]baz, which is more common outside PARC. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:functino, Next:[5668]funky, Previous:[5669]fum, Up:[5670]= F = + + functino n. + + [uncommon, U.K.; originally a serendipitous typo in 1994] A pointer to + a function in C and C++. By association with sub-atomic particles such + as the neutrino, it accurately conveys an impression of smallness (one + pointer is four bytes on most systems) and speed (hackers can and do + use arrays of functinos to replace a switch() statement). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:funky, Next:[5671]funny money, Previous:[5672]functino, + Up:[5673]= F = + + funky adj. + + Said of something that functions, but in a slightly strange, klugey + way. It does the job and would be difficult to change, so its obvious + non-optimality is left alone. Often used to describe interfaces. The + more bugs something has that nobody has bothered to fix because + workarounds are easier, the funkier it is. [5674]TECO and UUCP are + funky. The Intel i860's exception handling is extraordinarily funky. + Most standards acquire funkiness as they age. "The new mailer is + installed, but is still somewhat funky; if it bounces your mail for no + reason, try resubmitting it." "This UART is pretty funky. The data + ready line is active-high in interrupt mode and active-low in DMA + mode." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:funny money, Next:[5675]furrfu, Previous:[5676]funky, Up:[5677]= + F = + + funny money n. + + 1. Notional `dollar' units of computing time and/or storage handed to + students at the beginning of a computer course; also called `play + money' or `purple money' (in implicit opposition to real or `green' + money). In New Zealand and Germany the odd usage `paper money' has + been recorded; in Germany, the particularly amusing synonym `transfer + ruble' commemmorates the funny money used for trade between COMECON + countries back when the Soviet Bloc still existed. When your funny + money ran out, your account froze and you needed to go to a professor + to get more. Fortunately, the plunging cost of timesharing cycles has + made this less common. The amounts allocated were almost invariably + too small, even for the non-hackers who wanted to slide by with + minimum work. In extreme cases, the practice led to small-scale black + markets in bootlegged computer accounts. 2. By extension, phantom + money or quantity tickets of any kind used as a resource-allocation + hack within a system. Antonym: `real money'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:furrfu, Next:[5678]fuzzball, Previous:[5679]funny money, + Up:[5680]= F = + + furrfu excl. + + [Usenet; written, only rarely spoken] Written-only equivalent of + "Sheesh!"; it is, in fact, "sheesh" modified by [5681]rot13. Evolved + in mid-1992 as a response to notably silly postings repeating urban + myths on the Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban, after some posters + complained that "Sheesh!" as a response to [5682]newbies was being + overused. See also [5683]FOAF. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:fuzzball, Next:[5684]G, Previous:[5685]furrfu, Up:[5686]= F = + + fuzzball n. + + [TCP/IP hackers] A DEC LSI-11 running a particular suite of homebrewed + software written by Dave Mills and assorted co-conspirators, used in + the early 1980s for Internet protocol testbedding and experimentation. + These were used as NSFnet backbone sites in its early 56kb-line days; + a few were still active on the Internet as late as mid-1993, doing odd + jobs such as network time service. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= G =, Next:[5687]= H =, Previous:[5688]= F =, Up:[5689]The + Jargon Lexicon + += G = + + * [5690]G: + * [5691]g-file: + * [5692]gabriel: + * [5693]gag: + * [5694]gang bang: + * [5695]garbage collect: + * [5696]garply: + * [5697]gas: + * [5698]gaseous: + * [5699]Gates's Law: + * [5700]gawble: + * [5701]GC: + * [5702]GCOS: + * [5703]GECOS: + * [5704]gedanken: + * [5705]geef: + * [5706]geek code: + * [5707]geek out: + * [5708]gen: + * [5709]gender mender: + * [5710]General Public Virus: + * [5711]generate: + * [5712]Genius From Mars Technique: + * [5713]gensym: + * [5714]Get a life!: + * [5715]Get a real computer!: + * [5716]GFR: + * [5717]gib: + * [5718]GIFs at 11: + * [5719]gig: + * [5720]giga-: + * [5721]GIGO: + * [5722]gilley: + * [5723]gillion: + * [5724]ginger: + * [5725]GIPS: + * [5726]glark: + * [5727]glass: + * [5728]glass tty: + * [5729]glassfet: + * [5730]glitch: + * [5731]glob: + * [5732]glork: + * [5733]glue: + * [5734]gnarly: + * [5735]GNU: + * [5736]gnubie: + * [5737]GNUMACS: + * [5738]go flatline: + * [5739]go root: + * [5740]go-faster stripes: + * [5741]GoAT: + * [5742]gobble: + * [5743]Godwin's Law: + * [5744]Godzillagram: + * [5745]golden: + * [5746]golf-ball printer: + * [5747]gonk: + * [5748]gonkulator: + * [5749]gonzo: + * [5750]Good Thing: + * [5751]gopher: + * [5752]gopher hole: + * [5753]gorets: + * [5754]gorilla arm: + * [5755]gorp: + * [5756]GOSMACS: + * [5757]Gosperism: + * [5758]gotcha: + * [5759]GPL: + * [5760]GPV: + * [5761]grault: + * [5762]gray goo: + * [5763]Great Renaming: + * [5764]Great Runes: + * [5765]Great Worm: + * [5766]great-wall: + * [5767]Green Book: + * [5768]green bytes: + * [5769]green card: + * [5770]green lightning: + * [5771]green machine: + * [5772]Green's Theorem: + * [5773]greenbar: + * [5774]grep: + * [5775]gribble: + * [5776]grilf: + * [5777]grind: + * [5778]grind crank: + * [5779]gripenet: + * [5780]gritch: + * [5781]grok: + * [5782]gronk: + * [5783]gronk out: + * [5784]gronked: + * [5785]grovel: + * [5786]grue: + * [5787]grunge: + * [5788]gubbish: + * [5789]Guido: + * [5790]guiltware: + * [5791]gumby: + * [5792]gun: + * [5793]gunch: + * [5794]gunpowder chicken: + * [5795]gurfle: + * [5796]guru: + * [5797]guru meditation: + * [5798]gweep: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:G, Next:[5799]g-file, Previous:[5800]fuzzball, Up:[5801]= G = + + G pref.,suff. + + [SI] See [5802]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:g-file, Next:[5803]gabriel, Previous:[5804]G, Up:[5805]= G = + + g-file n. + + [Commodore BBS culture] Any file that is written with the intention of + being read by a human rather than a machine, such as the Jargon File, + documentation, humor files, hacker lore, and technical materials. + + This term survives from the nearly forgotten Commodore 64 underground + and BBS community. In the early 80s, C-Net had emerged as the most + popular C64 BBS software for systems which encouraged messaging (as + opposed to file transfer). There were three main options for files: + Program files (p-files), which served the same function as `doors' in + today's systems, UD files (the user upload/download section), and + g-files. Anything that was meant to be read was included in g-files. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gabriel, Next:[5806]gag, Previous:[5807]g-file, Up:[5808]= G = + + gabriel /gay'bree-*l/ n. + + [for Dick Gabriel, SAIL LISP hacker and volleyball fanatic] An + unnecessary (in the opinion of the opponent) stalling tactic, e.g., + tying one's shoelaces or combing one's hair repeatedly, asking the + time, etc. Also used to refer to the perpetrator of such tactics. + Also, `pulling a Gabriel', `Gabriel mode'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gag, Next:[5809]gang bang, Previous:[5810]gabriel, Up:[5811]= G = + + gag vi. + + Equivalent to [5812]choke, but connotes more disgust. "Hey, this is + FORTRAN code. No wonder the C compiler gagged." See also [5813]barf. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gang bang, Next:[5814]garbage collect, Previous:[5815]gag, + Up:[5816]= G = + + gang bang n. + + The use of large numbers of loosely coupled programmers in an attempt + to wedge a great many features into a product in a short time. Though + there have been memorable gang bangs (e.g., that over-the-weekend + assembler port mentioned in Steven Levy's "Hackers"), most are + perpetrated by large companies trying to meet deadlines; the + inevitable result is enormous buggy masses of code entirely lacking in + [5817]orthogonality. When market-driven managers make a list of all + the features the competition has and assign one programmer to + implement each, the probability of maintaining a coherent (or even + functional) design goes infinitesimal. See also [5818]firefighting, + [5819]Mongolian Hordes technique, [5820]Conway's Law. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:garbage collect, Next:[5821]garply, Previous:[5822]gang bang, + Up:[5823]= G = + + garbage collect vi. + + (also `garbage collection', n.) See [5824]GC. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:garply, Next:[5825]gas, Previous:[5826]garbage collect, + Up:[5827]= G = + + garply /gar'plee/ n. + + [Stanford] Another metasyntactic variable (see [5828]foo); once + popular among SAIL hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gas, Next:[5829]gaseous, Previous:[5830]garply, Up:[5831]= G = + + gas + + [as in `gas chamber'] 1. interj. A term of disgust and hatred, + implying that gas should be dispensed in generous quantities, thereby + exterminating the source of irritation. "Some loser just reloaded the + system for no reason! Gas!" 2. interj. A suggestion that someone or + something ought to be flushed out of mercy. "The system's getting + [5832]wedged every few minutes. Gas!" 3. vt. To [5833]flush (sense 1). + "You should gas that old crufty software." 4. [IBM] n. Dead space in + nonsequentially organized files that was occupied by data that has + since been deleted; the compression operation that removes it is + called `degassing' (by analogy, perhaps, with the use of the same term + in vacuum technology). 5. [IBM] n. Empty space on a disk that has been + clandestinely allocated against future need. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gaseous, Next:[5834]Gates's Law, Previous:[5835]gas, Up:[5836]= G + = + + gaseous adj. + + Deserving of being [5837]gassed. Disseminated by Geoff Goodfellow + while at SRI; became particularly popular after the Moscone-Milk + killings in San Francisco, when it was learned that the defendant Dan + White (a politician who had supported Proposition 7) would get the gas + chamber under Proposition 7 if convicted of first-degree murder (he + was eventually convicted of manslaughter). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Gates's Law, Next:[5838]gawble, Previous:[5839]gaseous, + Up:[5840]= G = + + Gates's Law + + "The speed of software halves every 18 months." This oft-cited law is + an ironic comment on the tendency of software bloat to outpace the + every-18-month doubling in hardware caopacity per dollar predicted by + [5841]Moore's Law. The reference is to Bill Gates; Microsoft is widely + considered among the worst if not the worst of the perpetrators of + bloat. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gawble, Next:[5842]GC, Previous:[5843]Gates's Law, Up:[5844]= G = + + gawble /gaw'bl/ n. + + See [5845]chawmp. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GC, Next:[5846]GCOS, Previous:[5847]gawble, Up:[5848]= G = + + GC /G-C/ + + [from LISP terminology; `Garbage Collect'] 1. vt. To clean up and + throw away useless things. "I think I'll GC the top of my desk today." + When said of files, this is equivalent to [5849]GFR. 2. vt. To + recycle, reclaim, or put to another use. 3. n. An instantiation of the + garbage collector process. + + `Garbage collection' is computer-science techspeak for a particular + class of strategies for dynamically but transparently reallocating + computer memory (i.e., without requiring explicit allocation and + deallocation by higher-level software). One such strategy involves + periodically scanning all the data in memory and determining what is + no longer accessible; useless data items are then discarded so that + the memory they occupy can be recycled and used for another purpose. + Implementations of the LISP language usually use garbage collection. + + In jargon, the full phrase is sometimes heard but the [5850]abbrev GC + is more frequently used because it is shorter. Note that there is an + ambiguity in usage that has to be resolved by context: "I'm going to + garbage-collect my desk" usually means to clean out the drawers, but + it could also mean to throw away or recycle the desk itself. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GCOS, Next:[5851]GECOS, Previous:[5852]GC, Up:[5853]= G = + + GCOS /jee'kohs/ n. + + A [5854]quick-and-dirty [5855]clone of System/360 DOS that emerged + from GE around 1970; originally called GECOS (the General Electric + Comprehensive Operating System). Later kluged to support primitive + timesharing and transaction processing. After the buyout of GE's + computer division by Honeywell, the name was changed to General + Comprehensive Operating System (GCOS). Other OS groups at Honeywell + began referring to it as `God's Chosen Operating System', allegedly in + reaction to the GCOS crowd's uninformed and snotty attitude about the + superiority of their product. All this might be of zero interest, + except for two facts: (1) The GCOS people won the political war, and + this led in the orphaning and eventual death of Honeywell + [5856]Multics, and (2) GECOS/GCOS left one permanent mark on Unix. + Some early Unix systems at Bell Labs used GCOS machines for print + spooling and various other services; the field added to /etc/passwd to + carry GCOS ID information was called the `GECOS field' and survives + today as the pw_gecos member used for the user's full name and other + human-ID information. GCOS later played a major role in keeping + Honeywell a dismal also-ran in the mainframe market, and was itself + mostly ditched for Unix in the late 1980s when Honeywell began to + retire its aging [5857]big iron designs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GECOS, Next:[5858]gedanken, Previous:[5859]GCOS, Up:[5860]= G = + + GECOS /jee'kohs/ n. + + See [5861]GCOS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gedanken, Next:[5862]geef, Previous:[5863]GECOS, Up:[5864]= G = + + gedanken /g*-dahn'kn/ adj. + + Ungrounded; impractical; not well-thought-out; untried; untested. + + `Gedanken' is a German word for `thought'. A thought experiment is one + you carry out in your head. In physics, the term `gedanken experiment' + is used to refer to an experiment that is impractical to carry out, + but useful to consider because it can be reasoned about theoretically. + (A classic gedanken experiment of relativity theory involves thinking + about a man in an elevator accelerating through space.) Gedanken + experiments are very useful in physics, but must be used with care. + It's too easy to idealize away some important aspect of the real world + in constructing the `apparatus'. + + Among hackers, accordingly, the word has a pejorative connotation. It + is typically used of a project, especially one in artificial + intelligence research, that is written up in grand detail (typically + as a Ph.D. thesis) without ever being implemented to any great extent. + Such a project is usually perpetrated by people who aren't very good + hackers or find programming distasteful or are just in a hurry. A + `gedanken thesis' is usually marked by an obvious lack of intuition + about what is programmable and what is not, and about what does and + does not constitute a clear specification of an algorithm. See also + [5865]AI-complete, [5866]DWIM. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:geef, Next:[5867]geek code, Previous:[5868]gedanken, Up:[5869]= G + = + + geef v. + + [ostensibly from `gefingerpoken'] vt. Syn. [5870]mung. See also + [5871]blinkenlights. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:geek code, Next:[5872]geek out, Previous:[5873]geef, Up:[5874]= G + = + + geek code n. + + (also "Code of the Geeks"). A set of codes commonly used in [5875]sig + blocks to broadcast the interests, skills, and aspirations of the + poster. Features a G at the left margin followed by numerous letter + codes, often suffixed with plusses or minuses. Because many net users + are involved in computer science, the most common prefix is `GCS'. To + see a copy of the current code, browse [5876]http://www.geekcode.com. + Here is a sample geek code (that of Robert Hayden, the code's + inventor) from that page: +-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- +Version: 3.1 +GED/J d-- s:++>: a- C++(++++)$ ULUO++ P+>+++ L++ !E---- W+(---) N+++ +o+ K+++ w+(---) O- M+$>++ V-- PS++(+++)>$ PE++(+)>$ Y++ PGP++ t- 5+++ +X++ R+++>$ tv+ b+ DI+++ D+++ G+++++>$ e++$>++++ h r-- y+** +------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ + + The geek code originated in 1993; it was inspired (according to the + inventor) by previous "bear", "smurf" and "twink" + style-and-sexual-preference codes from lesbian and gay + [5877]newsgroups. It has in turn spawned imitators; there is now even + a "Saturn geek code" for owners of the Saturn car. See also + [5878]computer geek. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:geek out, Next:[5879]gen, Previous:[5880]geek code, Up:[5881]= G + = + + geek out vi. + + To temporarily enter techno-nerd mode while in a non-hackish context, + for example at parties held near computer equipment. Especially used + when you need to do or say something highly technical and don't have + time to explain: "Pardon me while I geek out for a moment." See + [5882]computer geek; see also [5883]propeller head. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gen, Next:[5884]gender mender, Previous:[5885]geek out, + Up:[5886]= G = + + gen /jen/ n.,v. + + Short for [5887]generate, used frequently in both spoken and written + contexts. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gender mender, Next:[5888]General Public Virus, + Previous:[5889]gen, Up:[5890]= G = + + gender mender n. + + [common] A cable connector shell with either two male or two female + connectors on it, used to correct the mismatches that result when some + [5891]loser didn't understand the RS232C specification and the + distinction between DTE and DCE. Used esp. for RS-232C parts in either + the original D-25 or the IBM PC's bogus D-9 format. Also called + `gender bender', `gender blender', `sex changer', and even `homosexual + adapter;' however, there appears to be some confusion as to whether a + `male homosexual adapter' has pins on both sides (is doubly male) or + sockets on both sides (connects two males). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:General Public Virus, Next:[5892]generate, Previous:[5893]gender + mender, Up:[5894]= G = + + General Public Virus n. + + Pejorative name for some versions of the [5895]GNU project + [5896]copyleft or General Public License (GPL), which requires that + any tools or [5897]apps incorporating copylefted code must be + source-distributed on the same anti-proprietary terms as GNU stuff. + Thus it is alleged that the copyleft `infects' software generated with + GNU tools, which may in turn infect other software that reuses any of + its code. The Free Software Foundation's official position as of + January 1991 is that copyright law limits the scope of the GPL to + "programs textually incorporating significant amounts of GNU code", + and that the `infection' is not passed on to third parties unless + actual GNU source is transmitted. Nevertheless, widespread suspicion + that the [5898]copyleft language is `boobytrapped' has caused many + developers to avoid using GNU tools and the GPL. Changes in the + language of the version 2.0 GPL did not eliminate this problem. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:generate, Next:[5899]Genius From Mars Technique, + Previous:[5900]General Public Virus, Up:[5901]= G = + + generate vt. + + To produce something according to an algorithm or program or set of + rules, or as a (possibly unintended) side effect of the execution of + an algorithm or program. The opposite of [5902]parse. This term + retains its mechanistic connotations (though often humorously) when + used of human behavior. "The guy is rational most of the time, but + mention nuclear energy around him and he'll generate [5903]infinite + flamage." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Genius From Mars Technique, Next:[5904]gensym, + Previous:[5905]generate, Up:[5906]= G = + + Genius From Mars Technique n. + + [TMRC] A visionary quality which enables one to ignore the standard + approach and come up with a totally unexpected new algorithm. An + attack on a problem from an offbeat angle that no one has ever thought + of before, but that in retrospect makes total sense. Compare + [5907]grok, [5908]zen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gensym, Next:[5909]Get a life!, Previous:[5910]Genius From Mars + Technique, Up:[5911]= G = + + gensym /jen'sim/ + + [from MacLISP for `generated symbol'] 1. v. To invent a new name for + something temporary, in such a way that the name is almost certainly + not in conflict with one already in use. 2. n. The resulting name. The + canonical form of a gensym is `Gnnnn' where nnnn represents a number; + any LISP hacker would recognize G0093 (for example) as a gensym. 3. A + freshly generated data structure with a gensymmed name. Gensymmed + names are useful for storing or uniquely identifying crufties (see + [5912]cruft). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Get a life!, Next:[5913]Get a real computer!, + Previous:[5914]gensym, Up:[5915]= G = + + Get a life! imp. + + Hacker-standard way of suggesting that the person to whom it is + directed has succumbed to terminal geekdom (see [5916]computer geek). + Often heard on [5917]Usenet, esp. as a way of suggesting that the + target is taking some obscure issue of [5918]theology too seriously. + This exhortation was popularized by William Shatner on a 1987 + "Saturday Night Live" episode in a speech that ended "Get a life!", + but some respondents believe it to have been in use before then. It + was certainly in wide use among hackers for years before achieving + mainstream currency via the sitcom "Get A Life" in 1990. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Get a real computer!, Next:[5919]GFR, Previous:[5920]Get a life!, + Up:[5921]= G = + + Get a real computer! imp. + + Typical hacker response to news that somebody is having trouble + getting work done on a system that (a) is single-tasking, (b) has no + hard disk, or (c) has an address space smaller than 16 megabytes. This + is as of early 1996; note that the threshold for `real computer' rises + with time. See [5922]bitty box and [5923]toy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GFR, Next:[5924]gib, Previous:[5925]Get a real computer!, + Up:[5926]= G = + + GFR /G-F-R/ vt. + + [ITS: from `Grim File Reaper', an ITS and LISP Machine utility] To + remove a file or files according to some program-automated or + semi-automatic manual procedure, especially one designed to reclaim + mass storage space or reduce name-space clutter (the original GFR + actually moved files to tape). Often generalized to pieces of data + below file level. "I used to have his phone number, but I guess I + [5927]GFRed it." See also [5928]prowler, [5929]reaper. Compare + [5930]GC, which discards only provably worthless stuff. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gib, Next:[5931]GIFs at 11, Previous:[5932]GFR, Up:[5933]= G = + + gib /jib/ + + 1. vi. To destroy utterly. Like [5934]frag, but much more violent and + final. "There's no trace left. You definitely gibbed that bug". 2. n. + Remnants after total obliteration. + + Originated first by id software in the game Quake. It's short for + giblets (thus pronounced "jib"), and referred to the bloody remains of + slain opponents. Eventually the word was verbed, and leaked into + general usage afterward. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GIFs at 11, Next:[5935]gig, Previous:[5936]gib, Up:[5937]= G = + + GIFs at 11 + + [Fidonet] Fidonet alternative to [5938]film at 11, especially in + echoes (Fidonet topic areas) where uuencoded GIFs are permitted. Other + formats, especially JPEG and MPEG, may be referenced instead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gig, Next:[5939]giga-, Previous:[5940]GIFs at 11, Up:[5941]= G = + + gig /jig/ or /gig/ n. + + [SI] See [5942]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:giga-, Next:[5943]GIGO, Previous:[5944]gig, Up:[5945]= G = + + giga- /ji'ga/ or /gi'ga/ pref. + + [SI] See [5946]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GIGO, Next:[5947]gilley, Previous:[5948]giga-, Up:[5949]= G = + + GIGO /gi:'goh/ [acronym] + + 1. `Garbage In, Garbage Out' -- usually said in response to + [5950]lusers who complain that a program didn't "do the right thing" + when given imperfect input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also + commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to + faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data. 2. `Garbage In, Gospel Out': + this more recent expansion is a sardonic comment on the tendency human + beings have to put excessive trust in `computerized' data. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gilley, Next:[5951]gillion, Previous:[5952]GIGO, Up:[5953]= G = + + gilley n. + + [Usenet] The unit of analogical [5954]bogosity. According to its + originator, the standard for one gilley was "the act of + bogotoficiously comparing the shutting down of 1000 machines for a day + with the killing of one person". The milligilley has been found to + suffice for most normal conversational exchanges. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gillion, Next:[5955]ginger, Previous:[5956]gilley, Up:[5957]= G = + + gillion /gil'y*n/ or /jil'y*n/ n. + + [formed from [5958]giga- by analogy with mega/million and + tera/trillion] 10^9. Same as an American billion or a British + `milliard'. How one pronounces this depends on whether one speaks + [5959]giga- with a hard or soft `g'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ginger, Next:[5960]GIPS, Previous:[5961]gillion, Up:[5962]= G = + + ginger n. + + See [5963]saga. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GIPS, Next:[5964]glark, Previous:[5965]ginger, Up:[5966]= G = + + GIPS /gips/ or /jips/ n. + + [analogy with [5967]MIPS] Giga-Instructions per Second (also possibly + `Gillions of Instructions per Second'; see [5968]gillion). In 1991, + this is used of only a handful of highly parallel machines, but this + is expected to change. Compare [5969]KIPS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glark, Next:[5970]glass, Previous:[5971]GIPS, Up:[5972]= G = + + glark /glark/ vt. + + To figure something out from context. "The System III manuals are + pretty poor, but you can generally glark the meaning from context." + Interestingly, the word was originally `glork'; the context was "This + gubblick contains many nonsklarkish English flutzpahs, but the overall + pluggandisp can be glorked [sic] from context" (David Moser, quoted by + Douglas Hofstadter in his "Metamagical Themas" column in the January + 1981 "Scientific American"). It is conjectured that hacker usage + mutated the verb to `glark' because [5973]glork was already an + established jargon term (some hackers do report using the original + term). Compare [5974]grok, [5975]zen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glass, Next:[5976]glass tty, Previous:[5977]glark, Up:[5978]= G = + + glass n. + + [IBM] Synonym for [5979]silicon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glass tty, Next:[5980]glassfet, Previous:[5981]glass, Up:[5982]= + G = + + glass tty /glas T-T-Y/ or /glas ti'tee/ n. + + A terminal that has a display screen but which, because of hardware or + software limitations, behaves like a teletype or some other printing + terminal, thereby combining the disadvantages of both: like a printing + terminal, it can't do fancy display hacks, and like a display + terminal, it doesn't produce hard copy. An example is the early `dumb' + version of Lear-Siegler ADM 3 (without cursor control). See + [5983]tube, [5984]tty; compare [5985]dumb terminal, [5986]smart + terminal. See "[5987]TV Typewriters" (Appendix A) for an interesting + true story about a glass tty. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glassfet, Next:[5988]glitch, Previous:[5989]glass tty, Up:[5990]= + G = + + glassfet /glas'fet/ n. + + [by analogy with MOSFET, the acronym for `Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor + Field-Effect Transistor'] Syn. [5991]firebottle, a humorous way to + refer to a vacuum tube. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glitch, Next:[5992]glob, Previous:[5993]glassfet, Up:[5994]= G = + + glitch /glich/ + + [very common; from German `glitschig' to slip, via Yiddish `glitshen', + to slide or skid] 1. n. A sudden interruption in electric service, + sanity, continuity, or program function. Sometimes recoverable. An + interruption in electric service is specifically called a `power + glitch' (also [5995]power hit), of grave concern because it usually + crashes all the computers. In jargon, though, a hacker who got to the + middle of a sentence and then forgot how he or she intended to + complete it might say, "Sorry, I just glitched". 2. vi. To commit a + glitch. See [5996]gritch. 3. vt. [Stanford] To scroll a display + screen, esp. several lines at a time. [5997]WAITS terminals used to do + this in order to avoid continuous scrolling, which is distracting to + the eye. 4. obs. Same as [5998]magic cookie, sense 2. + + All these uses of `glitch' derive from the specific technical meaning + the term has in the electronic hardware world, where it is now + techspeak. A glitch can occur when the inputs of a circuit change, and + the outputs change to some [5999]random value for some very brief time + before they settle down to the correct value. If another circuit + inspects the output at just the wrong time, reading the random value, + the results can be very wrong and very hard to debug (a glitch is one + of many causes of electronic [6000]heisenbugs). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glob, Next:[6001]glork, Previous:[6002]glitch, Up:[6003]= G = + + glob /glob/, not /glohb/ v.,n. + + [Unix; common] To expand special characters in a wildcarded name, or + the act of so doing (the action is also called `globbing'). The Unix + conventions for filename wildcarding have become sufficiently + pervasive that many hackers use some of them in written English, + especially in email or news on technical topics. Those commonly + encountered include the following: + + * + wildcard for any string (see also [6004]UN*X) + + ? + wildcard for any single character (generally read this way only + at the beginning or in the middle of a word) + + [] + delimits a wildcard matching any of the enclosed characters + + {} + alternation of comma-separated alternatives; thus, + `foo{baz,qux}' would be read as `foobaz' or `fooqux' + + Some examples: "He said his name was [KC]arl" (expresses ambiguity). + "I don't read talk.politics.*" (any of the talk.politics subgroups on + [6005]Usenet). Other examples are given under the entry for [6006]X. + Note that glob patterns are similar, but not identical, to those used + in [6007]regexps. + + Historical note: The jargon usage derives from glob, the name of a + subprogram that expanded wildcards in archaic pre-Bourne versions of + the Unix shell. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glork, Next:[6008]glue, Previous:[6009]glob, Up:[6010]= G = + + glork /glork/ + + 1. interj. Term of mild surprise, usually tinged with outrage, as when + one attempts to save the results of two hours of editing and finds + that the system has just crashed. 2. Used as a name for just about + anything. See [6011]foo. 3. vt. Similar to [6012]glitch, but usually + used reflexively. "My program just glorked itself." 4. Syn. for + [6013]glark, which see. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:glue, Next:[6014]gnarly, Previous:[6015]glork, Up:[6016]= G = + + glue n. + + Generic term for any interface logic or protocol that connects two + component blocks. For example, [6017]Blue Glue is IBM's SNA protocol, + and hardware designers call anything used to connect large VLSI's or + circuit blocks `glue logic'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gnarly, Next:[6018]GNU, Previous:[6019]glue, Up:[6020]= G = + + gnarly /nar'lee/ adj. + + Both [6021]obscure and [6022]hairy (sense 1). "[6023]Yow! -- the tuned + assembler implementation of BitBlt is really gnarly!" From a similar + but less specific usage in surfer slang. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GNU, Next:[6024]gnubie, Previous:[6025]gnarly, Up:[6026]= G = + + GNU /gnoo/, not /noo/ + + 1. [acronym: `GNU's Not Unix!', see [6027]recursive acronym] A + Unix-workalike development effort of the Free Software Foundation + headed by Richard Stallman [6028]<rms@gnu.org>. GNU EMACS and the GNU + C compiler, two tools designed for this project, have become very + popular in hackerdom and elsewhere. The GNU project was designed + partly to proselytize for RMS's position that information is community + property and all software source should be shared. One of its slogans + is "Help stamp out software hoarding!" Though this remains + controversial (because it implicitly denies any right of designers to + own, assign, and sell the results of their labors), many hackers who + disagree with RMS have nevertheless cooperated to produce large + amounts of high-quality software for free redistribution under the + Free Software Foundation's imprimatur. The GNU project has a web page + at [6029]http://www.gnu.org. See [6030]EMACS, [6031]copyleft, + [6032]General Public Virus, [6033]Linux. 2. Noted Unix hacker John + Gilmore [6034]<gnu@toad.com>, founder of Usenet's anarchic alt.* + hierarchy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gnubie, Next:[6035]GNUMACS, Previous:[6036]GNU, Up:[6037]= G = + + gnubie /noo'bee/ n. + + Written-only variant of [6038]newbie in common use on IRC channels, + which implies specifically someone who is new to the Linux/open + source/free software world. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GNUMACS, Next:[6039]go flatline, Previous:[6040]gnubie, + Up:[6041]= G = + + GNUMACS /gnoo'maks/ n. + + [contraction of `GNU EMACS'] Often-heard abbreviated name for the + [6042]GNU project's flagship tool, [6043]EMACS. Used esp. in contrast + with GOSMACS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:go flatline, Next:[6044]go root, Previous:[6045]GNUMACS, + Up:[6046]= G = + + go flatline v. + + [from cyberpunk SF, refers to flattening of EEG traces upon + brain-death] (also adjectival `flatlined'). 1. To [6047]die, + terminate, or fail, esp. irreversibly. In hacker parlance, this is + used of machines only, human death being considered somewhat too + serious a matter to employ jargon-jokes about. 2. To go completely + quiescent; said of machines undergoing controlled shutdown. "You can + suffer file damage if you shut down Unix but power off before the + system has gone flatline." 3. Of a video tube, to fail by losing + vertical scan, so all one sees is a bright horizontal line bisecting + the screen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:go root, Next:[6048]go-faster stripes, Previous:[6049]go + flatline, Up:[6050]= G = + + go root vi. + + [Unix; common] To temporarily enter [6051]root mode in order to + perform a privileged operation. This use is deprecated in Australia, + where v. `root' is a synonym for "fuck". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:go-faster stripes, Next:[6052]GoAT, Previous:[6053]go root, + Up:[6054]= G = + + go-faster stripes n. + + [UK] Syn. [6055]chrome. Mainstream in some parts of UK. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GoAT, Next:[6056]gobble, Previous:[6057]go-faster stripes, + Up:[6058]= G = + + GoAT // + + [Usenet] Abbreviation: "Go Away, Troll". See [6059]troll. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gobble, Next:[6060]Godwin's Law, Previous:[6061]GoAT, Up:[6062]= + G = + + gobble vt. + + 1. To consume, usu. used with `up'. "The output spy gobbles characters + out of a [6063]tty output buffer." 2. To obtain, usu. used with + `down'. "I guess I'll gobble down a copy of the documentation + tomorrow." See also [6064]snarf. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Godwin's Law, Next:[6065]Godzillagram, Previous:[6066]gobble, + Up:[6067]= G = + + Godwin's Law prov. + + [Usenet] "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a + comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." There is a + tradition in many groups that, once this occurs, that thread is over, + and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever + argument was in progress. Godwin's Law thus practically guarantees the + existence of an upper bound on thread length in those groups. However + there is also a widely- recognized codicil that any intentional + triggering of Godwin's Law in order to invoke its thread-ending + effects will be unsuccessful. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Godzillagram, Next:[6068]golden, Previous:[6069]Godwin's Law, + Up:[6070]= G = + + Godzillagram /god-zil'*-gram/ n. + + [from Japan's national hero] 1. A network packet that in theory is a + broadcast to every machine in the universe. The typical case is an IP + datagram whose destination IP address is [255.255.255.255]. + Fortunately, few gateways are foolish enough to attempt to implement + this case! 2. A network packet of maximum size. An IP Godzillagram has + 65,536 octets. Compare [6071]super source quench, [6072]Christmas tree + packet, [6073]martian. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:golden, Next:[6074]golf-ball printer, + Previous:[6075]Godzillagram, Up:[6076]= G = + + golden adj. + + [prob. from folklore's `golden egg'] When used to describe a magnetic + medium (e.g., `golden disk', `golden tape'), describes one containing + a tested, up-to-spec, ready-to-ship software version. Compare + [6077]platinum-iridium. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:golf-ball printer, Next:[6078]gonk, Previous:[6079]golden, + Up:[6080]= G = + + golf-ball printer n. obs. + + The IBM 2741, a slow but letter-quality printing device and terminal + based on the IBM Selectric typewriter. The `golf ball' was a little + spherical frob bearing reversed embossed images of 88 different + characters arranged on four parallels of latitude; one could change + the font by swapping in a different golf ball. The print element spun + and jerked alarmingly in action and when in motion was sometimes + described as an `infuriated golf ball'. This was the technology that + enabled APL to use a non-EBCDIC, non-ASCII, and in fact completely + non-standard character set. This put it 10 years ahead of its time -- + where it stayed, firmly rooted, for the next 20, until character + displays gave way to programmable bit-mapped devices with the + flexibility to support other character sets. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gonk, Next:[6081]gonkulator, Previous:[6082]golf-ball printer, + Up:[6083]= G = + + gonk /gonk/ vi.,n. + + 1. To prevaricate or to embellish the truth beyond any reasonable + recognition. In German the term is (mythically) `gonken'; in Spanish + the verb becomes `gonkar'. "You're gonking me. That story you just + told me is a bunch of gonk." In German, for example, "Du gonkst mich" + (You're pulling my leg). See also [6084]gonkulator. 2. [British] To + grab some sleep at an odd time; compare [6085]gronk out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gonkulator, Next:[6086]gonzo, Previous:[6087]gonk, Up:[6088]= G = + + gonkulator /gon'kyoo-lay-tr/ n. + + [common; from the 1960s "Hogan's Heroes" TV series] A pretentious + piece of equipment that actually serves no useful purpose. Usually + used to describe one's least favorite piece of computer hardware. See + [6089]gonk. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gonzo, Next:[6090]Good Thing, Previous:[6091]gonkulator, + Up:[6092]= G = + + gonzo /gon'zoh/ adj. + + [from Hunter S. Thompson] 1. With total commitment, total + concentration, and a mad sort of panache. (Thompson's original sense.) + 2. More loosely: Overwhelming; outrageous; over the top; very large, + esp. used of collections of source code, source files, or individual + functions. Has some of the connotations of [6093]moby and [6094]hairy, + but without the implication of obscurity or complexity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Good Thing, Next:[6095]gopher, Previous:[6096]gonzo, Up:[6097]= G + = + + Good Thing n.,adj. + + [very common; often capitalized; always pronounced as if capitalized.] + 1. Self-evidently wonderful to anyone in a position to notice: "A + language that manages dynamic memory automatically for you is a Good + Thing." 2. Something that can't possibly have any ill side-effects and + may save considerable grief later: "Removing the self-modifying code + from that shared library would be a Good Thing." 3. When said of + software tools or libraries, as in "YACC is a Good Thing", + specifically connotes that the thing has drastically reduced a + programmer's work load. Oppose [6098]Bad Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gopher, Next:[6099]gopher hole, Previous:[6100]Good Thing, + Up:[6101]= G = + + gopher n. + + A type of Internet service first floated around 1991 and obsolesced + around 1995 by the World Wide Web. Gopher presents a menuing interface + to a tree or graph of links; the links can be to documents, runnable + programs, or other gopher menus arbitrarily far across the net. + + Some claim that the gopher software, which was originally developed at + the University of Minnesota, was named after the Minnesota Gophers (a + sports team). Others claim the word derives from American slang + `gofer' (from "go for", dialectal "go fer"), one whose job is to run + and fetch things. Finally, observe that gophers dig long tunnels, and + the idea of tunneling through the net to find information was a + defining metaphor for the developers. Probably all three things were + true, but with the first two coming first and the gopher-tunnel + metaphor serendipitously adding flavor and impetus to the project as + it developed out of its concept stage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gopher hole, Next:[6102]gorets, Previous:[6103]gopher, Up:[6104]= + G = + + gopher hole n. + + 1. Any access to a [6105]gopher. 2. [Amateur Packet Radio] The + terrestrial analog of a [6106]wormhole (sense 2), from which this term + was coined. A gopher hole links two amateur packet relays through some + non-ham radio medium. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gorets, Next:[6107]gorilla arm, Previous:[6108]gopher hole, + Up:[6109]= G = + + gorets /gor'ets/ n. + + The unknown ur-noun, fill in your own meaning. Found esp. on the + Usenet newsgroup alt.gorets, which seems to be a running contest to + redefine the word by implication in the funniest and most peculiar + way, with the understanding that no definition is ever final. [A + correspondent from the Former Soviet Union informs me that `gorets' is + Russian for `mountain dweller'. Another from France informs me that + `goret' is archaic French for a young pig --ESR] Compare [6110]frink. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gorilla arm, Next:[6111]gorp, Previous:[6112]gorets, Up:[6113]= G + = + + gorilla arm n. + + The side-effect that destroyed touch-screens as a mainstream input + technology despite a promising start in the early 1980s. It seems the + designers of all those [6114]spiffy touch-menu systems failed to + notice that humans aren't designed to hold their arms in front of + their faces making small motions. After more than a very few + selections, the arm begins to feel sore, cramped, and oversized -- the + operator looks like a gorilla while using the touch screen and feels + like one afterwards. This is now considered a classic cautionary tale + to human-factors designers; "Remember the gorilla arm!" is shorthand + for "How is this going to fly in real use?". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gorp, Next:[6115]GOSMACS, Previous:[6116]gorilla arm, Up:[6117]= + G = + + gorp /gorp/ n. + + [CMU: perhaps from the canonical hiker's food, Good Old Raisins and + Peanuts] Another [6118]metasyntactic variable, like [6119]foo and + [6120]bar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GOSMACS, Next:[6121]Gosperism, Previous:[6122]gorp, Up:[6123]= G + = + + GOSMACS /goz'maks/ n. + + [contraction of `Gosling EMACS'] The first [6124]EMACS-in-C + implementation, predating but now largely eclipsed by [6125]GNUMACS. + Originally freeware; a commercial version was modestly popular as + `UniPress EMACS' during the 1980s. The author, James Gosling, went on + to invent [6126]NeWS and the programming language Java; the latter + earned him [6127]demigod status. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Gosperism, Next:[6128]gotcha, Previous:[6129]GOSMACS, Up:[6130]= + G = + + Gosperism /gos'p*r-izm/ n. + + A hack, invention, or saying due to [6131]elder days arch-hacker R. + William (Bill) Gosper. This notion merits its own term because there + are so many of them. Many of the entries in [6132]HAKMEM are + Gosperisms; see also [6133]life. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gotcha, Next:[6134]GPL, Previous:[6135]Gosperism, Up:[6136]= G = + + gotcha n. + + A [6137]misfeature of a system, especially a programming language or + environment, that tends to breed bugs or mistakes because it both + enticingly easy to invoke and completely unexpected and/or + unreasonable in its outcome. For example, a classic gotcha in [6138]C + is the fact that if (a=b) {code;} is syntactically valid and sometimes + even correct. It puts the value of b into a and then executes code if + a is non-zero. What the programmer probably meant was if (a==b) + {code;}, which executes code if a and b are equal. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GPL, Next:[6139]GPV, Previous:[6140]gotcha, Up:[6141]= G = + + GPL /G-P-L/ n. + + Abbreviation for `General Public License' in widespread use; see + [6142]copyleft, [6143]General Public Virus. Often mis-expanded as `GNU + Public License'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:GPV, Next:[6144]grault, Previous:[6145]GPL, Up:[6146]= G = + + GPV /G-P-V/ n. + + Abbrev. for [6147]General Public Virus in widespread use. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grault, Next:[6148]gray goo, Previous:[6149]GPV, Up:[6150]= G = + + grault /grawlt/ n. + + Yet another [6151]metasyntactic variable, invented by Mike Gallaher + and propagated by the [6152]GOSMACS documentation. See [6153]corge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gray goo, Next:[6154]Great Renaming, Previous:[6155]grault, + Up:[6156]= G = + + gray goo n. + + A hypothetical substance composed of [6157]sagans of sub-micron-sized + self-replicating robots programmed to make copies of themselves out of + whatever is available. The image that goes with the term is one of the + entire biosphere of Earth being eventually converted to robot goo. + This is the simplest of the [6158]nanotechnology disaster scenarios, + easily refuted by arguments from energy requirements and elemental + abundances. Compare [6159]blue goo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Great Renaming, Next:[6160]Great Runes, Previous:[6161]gray goo, + Up:[6162]= G = + + Great Renaming n. + + The [6163]flag day in 1987 on which all of the non-local groups on the + [6164]Usenet had their names changed from the net.- format to the + current multiple-hierarchies scheme. Used esp. in discussing the + history of newsgroup names. "The oldest sources group is + comp.sources.misc; before the Great Renaming, it was net.sources." + There is a [6165]Great Renaming FAQ on the Web. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Great Runes, Next:[6166]Great Worm, Previous:[6167]Great + Renaming, Up:[6168]= G = + + Great Runes n. + + Uppercase-only text or display messages. Some archaic operating + systems still emit these. See also [6169]runes, [6170]smash case, + [6171]fold case. + + There is a widespread legend (repeated by earlier versions of this + entry, though tagged as folklore) that the uppercase-only support of + various old character codes and I/O equipment was chosen by a + religious person in a position of power at the Teletype Company + because supporting both upper and lower cases was too expensive and + supporting lower case only would have made it impossible to spell + `God' correctly. Not true; the upper-case interpretation of + teleprinter codes was well established by 1870, long before Teletype + was even founded. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Great Worm, Next:[6172]great-wall, Previous:[6173]Great Runes, + Up:[6174]= G = + + Great Worm n. + + The 1988 Internet [6175]worm perpetrated by [6176]RTM. This is a play + on Tolkien (compare [6177]elvish, [6178]elder days). In the fantasy + history of his Middle Earth books, there were dragons powerful enough + to lay waste to entire regions; two of these (Scatha and Glaurung) + were known as "the Great Worms". This usage expresses the connotation + that the RTM crack was a sort of devastating watershed event in hacker + history; certainly it did more to make non-hackers nervous about the + Internet than anything before or since. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:great-wall, Next:[6179]Green Book, Previous:[6180]Great Worm, + Up:[6181]= G = + + great-wall vi.,n. + + [from SF fandom] A mass expedition to an oriental restaurant, esp. one + where food is served family-style and shared. There is a common + heuristic about the amount of food to order, expressed as "Get N - 1 + entrees"; the value of N, which is the number of people in the group, + can be inferred from context (see [6182]N). See [6183]oriental food, + [6184]ravs, [6185]stir-fried random. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Green Book, Next:[6186]green bytes, Previous:[6187]great-wall, + Up:[6188]= G = + + Green Book n. + + 1. One of the three standard [6189]PostScript references: "PostScript + Language Program Design", bylined `Adobe Systems' (Addison-Wesley, + 1988; QA76.73.P67P66 ISBN 0-201-14396-8); see also [6190]Red Book, + [6191]Blue Book, and the [6192]White Book (sense 2). 2. Informal name + for one of the three standard references on SmallTalk: "Smalltalk-80: + Bits of History, Words of Advice", by Glenn Krasner (Addison-Wesley, + 1983; QA76.8.S635S58; ISBN 0-201-11669-3) (this, too, is associated + with blue and red books). 3. The "X/Open Compatibility Guide", which + defines an international standard [6193]Unix environment that is a + proper superset of POSIX/SVID; also includes descriptions of a + standard utility toolkit, systems administrations features, and the + like. This grimoire is taken with particular seriousness in Europe. + See [6194]Purple Book. 4. The IEEE 1003.1 POSIX Operating Systems + Interface standard has been dubbed "The Ugly Green Book". 5. Any of + the 1992 standards issued by the CCITT's tenth plenary assembly. These + include, among other things, the X.400 email standard and the Group 1 + through 4 fax standards. See also [6195]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:green bytes, Next:[6196]green card, Previous:[6197]Green Book, + Up:[6198]= G = + + green bytes n. + + (also `green words') 1. Meta-information embedded in a file, such as + the length of the file or its name; as opposed to keeping such + information in a separate description file or record. The term comes + from an IBM user's group meeting (ca. 1962) at which these two + approaches were being debated and the diagram of the file on the + blackboard had the `green bytes' drawn in green. 2. By extension, the + non-data bits in any self-describing format. "A GIF file contains, + among other things, green bytes describing the packing method for the + image." Compare [6199]out-of-band, [6200]zigamorph, [6201]fence (sense + 1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:green card, Next:[6202]green lightning, Previous:[6203]green + bytes, Up:[6204]= G = + + green card n. + + [after the "IBM System/360 Reference Data" card] A summary of an + assembly language, even if the color is not green and not a card. Less + frequently used now because of the decrease in the use of assembly + language. "I'll go get my green card so I can check the addressing + mode for that instruction." + + The original green card became a yellow card when the System/370 was + introduced, and later a yellow booklet. An anecdote from IBM refers to + a scene that took place in a programmers' terminal room at Yorktown in + 1978. A [6205]luser overheard one of the programmers ask another "Do + you have a green card?" The other grunted and passed the first a thick + yellow booklet. At this point the luser turned a delicate shade of + olive and rapidly left the room, never to return. + + In fall 2000 it was reported from Electronic Data Systems that the + green card for 370 machines has been a blue-green booklet since 1989. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:green lightning, Next:[6206]green machine, Previous:[6207]green + card, Up:[6208]= G = + + green lightning n. + + [IBM] 1. Apparently random flashing streaks on the face of 3278-9 + terminals while a new symbol set is being downloaded. This hardware + bug was left deliberately unfixed, as some genius within IBM suggested + it would let the user know that `something is happening'. That, it + certainly does. Later microprocessor-driven IBM color graphics + displays were actually programmed to produce green lightning! 2. + [proposed] Any bug perverted into an alleged feature by adroit + rationalization or marketing. "Motorola calls the CISC cruft in the + 88000 architecture `compatibility logic', but I call it green + lightning". See also [6209]feature (sense 6). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:green machine, Next:[6210]Green's Theorem, Previous:[6211]green + lightning, Up:[6212]= G = + + green machine n. + + A computer or peripheral device that has been designed and built to + military specifications for field equipment (that is, to withstand + mechanical shock, extremes of temperature and humidity, and so forth). + Comes from the olive-drab `uniform' paint used for military equipment. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Green's Theorem, Next:[6213]greenbar, Previous:[6214]green + machine, Up:[6215]= G = + + Green's Theorem prov. + + [TMRC] For any story, in any group of people there will be at least + one person who has not heard the story. A refinement of the theorem + states that there will be exactly one person (if there were more than + one, it wouldn't be as bad to re-tell the story). [The name of this + theorem is a play on a fundamental theorem in calculus. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:greenbar, Next:[6216]grep, Previous:[6217]Green's Theorem, + Up:[6218]= G = + + greenbar n. + + A style of fanfolded continuous-feed paper with alternating green and + white bars on it, especially used in old-style line printers. This + slang almost certainly dates way back to mainframe days. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grep, Next:[6219]gribble, Previous:[6220]greenbar, Up:[6221]= G = + + grep /grep/ vi. + + [from the qed/ed editor idiom g/re/p, where re stands for a regular + expression, to Globally search for the Regular Expression and Print + the lines containing matches to it, via [6222]Unix grep(1)] To rapidly + scan a file or set of files looking for a particular string or pattern + (when browsing through a large set of files, one may speak of + `grepping around'). By extension, to look for something by pattern. + "Grep the bulletin board for the system backup schedule, would you?" + See also [6223]vgrep. + + [It has also been alleged that the source is from the title of a paper + "A General Regular Expression Parser" -ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gribble, Next:[6224]grilf, Previous:[6225]grep, Up:[6226]= G = + + gribble n. + + Random binary data rendered as unreadable text. Noise characters in a + data stream are displayed as gribble. Modems with mismatched bitrates + usually generate gribble (more specifically, [6227]baud barf). Dumping + a binary file to the screen is an excellent source of gribble, and (if + the bell/speaker is active) headaches. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grilf, Next:[6228]grind, Previous:[6229]gribble, Up:[6230]= G = + + grilf // n. + + Girlfriend. Like [6231]newsfroup and [6232]filk, a typo reincarnated + as a new word. Seems to have originated sometime in 1992 on + [6233]Usenet. [A friend tells me there was a Lloyd Biggle SF novel + "Watchers Of The Dark", in which alien species after species goes + insane and begins to chant "Grilf! Grilf!". A human detective + eventually determines that the word means "Liar!" I hope this has + nothing to do with the popularity of the Usenet term. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grind, Next:[6234]grind crank, Previous:[6235]grilf, Up:[6236]= G + = + + grind vt. + + 1. [MIT and Berkeley; now rare] To prettify hardcopy of code, + especially LISP code, by reindenting lines, printing keywords and + comments in distinct fonts (if available), etc. This usage was + associated with the MacLISP community and is now rare; prettyprint was + and is the generic term for such operations. 2. [Unix] To generate the + formatted version of a document from the [6237]nroff, [6238]troff, + [6239]TeX, or Scribe source. 3. [common] To run seemingly + interminably, esp. (but not necessarily) if performing some tedious + and inherently useless task. Similar to [6240]crunch or [6241]grovel. + Grinding has a connotation of using a lot of CPU time, but it is + possible to grind a disk, network, etc. See also [6242]hog. 4. To make + the whole system slow. "Troff really grinds a PDP-11." 5. `grind + grind' excl. Roughly, "Isn't the machine slow today!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grind crank, Next:[6243]gripenet, Previous:[6244]grind, + Up:[6245]= G = + + grind crank n. // + + A mythical accessory to a terminal. A crank on the side of a monitor, + which when operated makes a zizzing noise and causes the computer to + run faster. Usually one does not refer to a grind crank out loud, but + merely makes the appropriate gesture and noise. See [6246]grind. + + Historical note: At least one real machine actually had a grind crank + -- the R1, a research machine built toward the end of the days of the + great vacuum tube computers, in 1959. R1 (also known as `The Rice + Institute Computer' (TRIC) and later as `The Rice University Computer' + (TRUC)) had a single-step/free-run switch for use when debugging + programs. Since single-stepping through a large program was rather + tedious, there was also a crank with a cam and gear arrangement that + repeatedly pushed the single-step button. This allowed one to `crank' + through a lot of code, then slow down to single-step for a bit when + you got near the code of interest, poke at some registers using the + console typewriter, and then keep on cranking. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gripenet, Next:[6247]gritch, Previous:[6248]grind crank, + Up:[6249]= G = + + gripenet n. + + [IBM] A wry (and thoroughly unofficial) name for IBM's internal VNET + system, deriving from its common use by IBMers to voice pointed + criticism of IBM management that would be taboo in more formal + channels. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gritch, Next:[6250]grok, Previous:[6251]gripenet, Up:[6252]= G = + + gritch /grich/ + + [MIT] 1. n. A complaint (often caused by a [6253]glitch). 2. vi. To + complain. Often verb-doubled: "Gritch gritch". 3. A synonym for + [6254]glitch (as verb or noun). + + Interestingly, this word seems to have a separate history from + [6255]glitch, with which it is often confused. Back in the early + 1960s, when `glitch' was strictly a hardware-tech's term of art, the + Burton House dorm at M.I.T. maintained a "Gritch Book", a blank + volume, into which the residents hand-wrote complaints, suggestions, + and witticisms. Previous years' volumes of this tradition were + maintained, dating back to antiquity. The word "gritch" was described + as a portmanteau of "gripe" and "bitch". Thus, sense 3 above is at + least historically incorrect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grok, Next:[6256]gronk, Previous:[6257]gritch, Up:[6258]= G = + + grok /grok/, var. /grohk/ vt. + + [from the novel "Stranger in a Strange Land", by Robert A. Heinlein, + where it is a Martian word meaning literally `to drink' and + metaphorically `to be one with'] The emphatic form is `grok in + fullness'. 1. To understand, usually in a global sense. Connotes + intimate and exhaustive knowledge. Contrast [6259]zen, which is + similar supernal understanding experienced as a single brief flash. + See also [6260]glark. 2. Used of programs, may connote merely + sufficient understanding. "Almost all C compilers grok the void type + these days." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gronk, Next:[6261]gronk out, Previous:[6262]grok, Up:[6263]= G = + + gronk /gronk/ vt. + + [popularized by Johnny Hart's comic strip "B.C." but the word + apparently predates that] 1. To clear the state of a wedged device and + restart it. More severe than `to [6264]frob' (sense 2). 2. [TMRC] To + cut, sever, smash, or similarly disable. 3. The sound made by many + 3.5-inch diskette drives. In particular, the microfloppies on a + Commodore Amiga go "grink, gronk". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gronk out, Next:[6265]gronked, Previous:[6266]gronk, Up:[6267]= G + = + + gronk out vi. + + To cease functioning. Of people, to go home and go to sleep. "I guess + I'll gronk out now; see you all tomorrow." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gronked, Next:[6268]grovel, Previous:[6269]gronk out, Up:[6270]= + G = + + gronked adj. + + 1. Broken. "The teletype scanner was gronked, so we took the system + down." 2. Of people, the condition of feeling very tired or (less + commonly) sick. "I've been chasing that bug for 17 hours now and I am + thoroughly gronked!" Compare [6271]broken, which means about the same + as [6272]gronk used of hardware, but connotes depression or + mental/emotional problems in people. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grovel, Next:[6273]grue, Previous:[6274]gronked, Up:[6275]= G = + + grovel vi. + + 1. To work interminably and without apparent progress. Often used + transitively with `over' or `through'. "The file scavenger has been + groveling through the /usr directories for 10 minutes now." Compare + [6276]grind and [6277]crunch. Emphatic form: `grovel obscenely'. 2. To + examine minutely or in complete detail. "The compiler grovels over the + entire source program before beginning to translate it." "I grovelled + through all the documentation, but I still couldn't find the command I + wanted." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grue, Next:[6278]grunge, Previous:[6279]grovel, Up:[6280]= G = + + grue n. + + [from archaic English verb for `shudder', as with fear] The grue was + originated in the game [6281]Zork (Dave Lebling took the name from + Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" fantasies) and used in several other + [6282]Infocom games as a hint that you should perhaps look for a lamp, + torch or some type of light source. Wandering into a dark area would + cause the game to prompt you, "It is very dark. If you continue you + are likely to be eaten by a grue." If you failed to locate a light + source within the next couple of moves this would indeed be the case. + + The grue, according to scholars of the Great Underground Empire, is a + sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its + favorite diet is either adventurers or enchanters, but its insatiable + appetite is tempered by its extreme fear of light. No grues have ever + been seen by the light of day, and only a few have been observed in + their underground lairs. Of those who have seen grues, few have + survived their fearsome jaws to tell the tale. Grues have sharp claws + and fangs, and an uncontrollable tendency to slaver and gurgle. They + are certainly the most evil-tempered of all creatures; to say they are + touchy is a dangerous understatement. "Sour as a grue" is a common + expression, even among themselves. + + All this folklore is widely known among hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:grunge, Next:[6283]gubbish, Previous:[6284]grue, Up:[6285]= G = + + grunge /gruhnj/ n. + + 1. That which is grungy, or that which makes it so. 2. [Cambridge] + Code which is inaccessible due to changes in other parts of the + program. The preferred term in North America is [6286]dead code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gubbish, Next:[6287]Guido, Previous:[6288]grunge, Up:[6289]= G = + + gubbish /guhb'*sh/ n. + + [a portmanteau of `garbage' and `rubbish'; may have originated with SF + author Philip K. Dick] Garbage; crap; nonsense. "What is all this + gubbish?" The opposite portmanteau `rubbage' is also reported; in + fact, it was British slang during the 19th century and appears in + Dickens. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Guido, Next:[6290]guiltware, Previous:[6291]gubbish, Up:[6292]= G + = + + Guido /gwee'do/ or /khwee'do/ + + Without qualification, Guido van Rossum (author of [6293]Python). Note + that Guido answers to English /gwee'do/ but in Dutch it's /khwee'do/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:guiltware, Next:[6294]gumby, Previous:[6295]Guido, Up:[6296]= G = + + guiltware /gilt'weir/ n. + + 1. A piece of [6297]freeware decorated with a message telling one how + long and hard the author worked on it and intimating that one is a + no-good freeloader if one does not immediately send the poor suffering + martyr gobs of money. 2. A piece of [6298]shareware that works. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gumby, Next:[6299]gun, Previous:[6300]guiltware, Up:[6301]= G = + + gumby /guhm'bee/ n. + + [from a class of Monty Python characters, poss. with some influence + from the 1960s claymation character] 1. An act of minor but + conspicuous stupidity, often in `gumby maneuver' or `pull a gumby'. 2. + [NRL] n. A bureaucrat, or other technical incompetent who impedes the + progress of real work. 3. adj. Relating to things typically associated + with people in sense 2. (e.g. "Ran would be writing code, but Richard + gave him gumby work that's due on Friday", or, "Dammit! Travel screwed + up my plane tickets. I have to go out on gumby patrol.") + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gun, Next:[6302]gunch, Previous:[6303]gumby, Up:[6304]= G = + + gun vt. + + [ITS, now rare: from the :GUN command] To forcibly terminate a program + or job (computer, not career). "Some idiot left a background process + running soaking up half the cycles, so I gunned it." Usage: now rare. + Compare [6305]can, [6306]blammo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gunch, Next:[6307]gunpowder chicken, Previous:[6308]gun, + Up:[6309]= G = + + gunch /guhnch/ vt. + + [TMRC] To push, prod, or poke at a device that has almost (but not + quite) produced the desired result. Implies a threat to [6310]mung. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gunpowder chicken, Next:[6311]gurfle, Previous:[6312]gunch, + Up:[6313]= G = + + gunpowder chicken n. + + Same as [6314]laser chicken. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gurfle, Next:[6315]guru, Previous:[6316]gunpowder chicken, + Up:[6317]= G = + + gurfle /ger'fl/ interj. + + An expression of shocked disbelief. "He said we have to recode this + thing in FORTRAN by next week. Gurfle!" Compare [6318]weeble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:guru, Next:[6319]guru meditation, Previous:[6320]gurfle, + Up:[6321]= G = + + guru n. + + [Unix] An expert. Implies not only [6322]wizard skill but also a + history of being a knowledge resource for others. Less often, used + (with a qualifier) for other experts on other systems, as in `VMS + guru'. See [6323]source of all good bits. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:guru meditation, Next:[6324]gweep, Previous:[6325]guru, + Up:[6326]= G = + + guru meditation n. + + Amiga equivalent of `panic' in Unix (sometimes just called a `guru' or + `guru event'). When the system crashes, a cryptic message of the form + "GURU MEDITATION #XXXXXXXX.YYYYYYYY" may appear, indicating what the + problem was. An Amiga guru can figure things out from the numbers. + Sometimes a [6327]guru event must be followed by a [6328]Vulcan nerve + pinch. + + This term is (no surprise) an in-joke from the earliest days of the + Amiga. An earlier product of the Amiga corporation was a device called + a `Joyboard' which was basically a plastic board built onto a + joystick-like device; it was sold with a skiing game cartridge for the + Atari game machine. It is said that whenever the prototype OS crashed, + the system programmer responsible would calm down by concentrating on + a solution while sitting cross-legged on a Joyboard trying to keep the + board in balance. This position resembled that of a meditating guru. + Sadly, the joke was removed fairly early on (but there's a well-known + patch to restore it in more recent versions). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:gweep, Next:[6329]h, Previous:[6330]guru meditation, Up:[6331]= G + = + + gweep /gweep/ + + [WPI] 1. v. To [6332]hack, usually at night. At WPI, from 1975 + onwards, one who gweeped could often be found at the College Computing + Center punching cards or crashing the [6333]PDP-10 or, later, the + DEC-20. A correspondent who was there at the time opines that the term + was originally onomatopoetic, describing the keyclick sound of the + Datapoint terminals long connected to the PDP-10. The term has + survived the demise of those technologies, however, and was still + alive in early 1999. "I'm going to go gweep for a while. See you in + the morning." "I gweep from 8 PM till 3 AM during the week." 2. n. One + who habitually gweeps in sense 1; a [6334]hacker. "He's a hard-core + gweep, mumbles code in his sleep." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= H =, Next:[6335]= I =, Previous:[6336]= G =, Up:[6337]The + Jargon Lexicon + += H = + + * [6338]h: + * [6339]ha ha only serious: + * [6340]hack: + * [6341]hack attack: + * [6342]hack mode: + * [6343]hack on: + * [6344]hack together: + * [6345]hack up: + * [6346]hack value: + * [6347]hacked off: + * [6348]hacked up: + * [6349]hacker: + * [6350]hacker ethic: + * [6351]hacker humor: + * [6352]Hackers (the movie): + * [6353]hacking run: + * [6354]Hacking X for Y: + * [6355]Hackintosh: + * [6356]hackish: + * [6357]hackishness: + * [6358]hackitude: + * [6359]hair: + * [6360]hairball: + * [6361]hairy: + * [6362]HAKMEM: + * [6363]hakspek: + * [6364]Halloween Documents: + * [6365]hammer: + * [6366]hamster: + * [6367]HAND: + * [6368]hand cruft: + * [6369]hand-hacking: + * [6370]handle: + * [6371]handle: + * [6372]hand-roll: + * [6373]handshaking: + * [6374]handwave: + * [6375]hang: + * [6376]Hanlon's Razor: + * [6377]happily: + * [6378]haque: + * [6379]hard boot: + * [6380]hardcoded: + * [6381]hardwarily: + * [6382]hardwired: + * [6383]has the X nature: + * [6384]hash bucket: + * [6385]hash collision: + * [6386]hat: + * [6387]HCF: + * [6388]heads down: + * [6389]heartbeat: + * [6390]heatseeker: + * [6391]heavy metal: + * [6392]heavy wizardry: + * [6393]heavyweight: + * [6394]heisenbug: + * [6395]Helen Keller mode: + * [6396]hello sailor!: + * [6397]hello wall!: + * [6398]hello world: + * [6399]hex: + * [6400]hexadecimal: + * [6401]hexit: + * [6402]HHOK: + * [6403]HHOS: + * [6404]hidden flag: + * [6405]high bit: + * [6406]high moby: + * [6407]highly: + * [6408]hing: + * [6409]hired gun: + * [6410]hirsute: + * [6411]HLL: + * [6412]hoarding: + * [6413]hobbit: + * [6414]hog: + * [6415]hole: + * [6416]hollised: + * [6417]holy wars: + * [6418]home box: + * [6419]home machine: + * [6420]home page: + * [6421]honey pot: + * [6422]hook: + * [6423]hop: + * [6424]hose: + * [6425]hosed: + * [6426]hot chat: + * [6427]hot spot: + * [6428]hotlink: + * [6429]house wizard: + * [6430]HP-SUX: + * [6431]HTH: + * [6432]huff: + * [6433]humma: + * [6434]hung: + * [6435]hungry puppy: + * [6436]hungus: + * [6437]hyperspace: + * [6438]hysterical reasons: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:h, Next:[6439]ha ha only serious, Previous:[6440]gweep, + Up:[6441]= H = + + h + + [from SF fandom] A method of `marking' common words, i.e., calling + attention to the fact that they are being used in a nonstandard, + ironic, or humorous way. Originated in the fannish catchphrase "Bheer + is the One True Ghod!" from decades ago. H-infix marking of `Ghod' and + other words spread into the 1960s counterculture via underground + comix, and into early hackerdom either from the counterculture or from + SF fandom (the three overlapped heavily at the time). More recently, + the h infix has become an expected feature of benchmark names + (Dhrystone, Rhealstone, etc.); this is probably patterning on the + original Whetstone (the name of a laboratory) but influenced by the + fannish/counterculture h infix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ha ha only serious, Next:[6442]hack, Previous:[6443]h, Up:[6444]= + H = + + ha ha only serious + + [from SF fandom, orig. as mutation of HHOK, `Ha Ha Only Kidding'] A + phrase (often seen abbreviated as HHOS) that aptly captures the flavor + of much hacker discourse. Applied especially to parodies, absurdities, + and ironic jokes that are both intended and perceived to contain a + possibly disquieting amount of truth, or truths that are constructed + on in-joke and self-parody. This lexicon contains many examples of + ha-ha-only-serious in both form and content. Indeed, the entirety of + hacker culture is often perceived as ha-ha-only-serious by hackers + themselves; to take it either too lightly or too seriously marks a + person as an outsider, a [6445]wannabee, or in [6446]larval stage. For + further enlightenment on this subject, consult any Zen master. See + also [6447]hacker humor, and [6448]AI koans. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack, Next:[6449]hack attack, Previous:[6450]ha ha only serious, + Up:[6451]= H = + + hack + + [very common] 1. n. Originally, a quick job that produces what is + needed, but not well. 2. n. An incredibly good, and perhaps very + time-consuming, piece of work that produces exactly what is needed. 3. + vt. To bear emotionally or physically. "I can't hack this heat!" 4. + vt. To work on something (typically a program). In an immediate sense: + "What are you doing?" "I'm hacking TECO." In a general (time-extended) + sense: "What do you do around here?" "I hack TECO." More generally, "I + hack `foo'" is roughly equivalent to "`foo' is my major interest (or + project)". "I hack solid-state physics." See [6452]Hacking X for Y. 5. + vt. To pull a prank on. See sense 2 and [6453]hacker (sense 5). 6. vi. + To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory rather than + goal-directed way. "Whatcha up to?" "Oh, just hacking." 7. n. Short + for [6454]hacker. 8. See [6455]nethack. 9. [MIT] v. To explore the + basements, roof ledges, and steam tunnels of a large, institutional + building, to the dismay of Physical Plant workers and (since this is + usually performed at educational institutions) the Campus Police. This + activity has been found to be eerily similar to playing adventure + games such as Dungeons and Dragons and [6456]Zork. See also + [6457]vadding. + + Constructions on this term abound. They include `happy hacking' (a + farewell), `how's hacking?' (a friendly greeting among hackers) and + `hack, hack' (a fairly content-free but friendly comment, often used + as a temporary farewell). For more on this totipotent term see + "[6458]The Meaning of Hack". See also [6459]neat hack, [6460]real + hack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack attack, Next:[6461]hack mode, Previous:[6462]hack, + Up:[6463]= H = + + hack attack n. + + [poss. by analogy with `Big Mac Attack' from ads for the McDonald's + fast-food chain; the variant `big hack attack' is reported] Nearly + synonymous with [6464]hacking run, though the latter more strongly + implies an all-nighter. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack mode, Next:[6465]hack on, Previous:[6466]hack attack, + Up:[6467]= H = + + hack mode n. + + 1. What one is in when hacking, of course. 2. More specifically, a + Zen-like state of total focus on The Problem that may be achieved when + one is hacking (this is why every good hacker is part mystic). Ability + to enter such concentration at will correlates strongly with + wizardliness; it is one of the most important skills learned during + [6468]larval stage. Sometimes amplified as `deep hack mode'. + + Being yanked out of hack mode (see [6469]priority interrupt) may be + experienced as a physical shock, and the sensation of being in hack + mode is more than a little habituating. The intensity of this + experience is probably by itself sufficient explanation for the + existence of hackers, and explains why many resist being promoted out + of positions where they can code. See also [6470]cyberspace (sense 2). + + Some aspects of hacker etiquette will appear quite odd to an observer + unaware of the high value placed on hack mode. For example, if someone + appears at your door, it is perfectly okay to hold up a hand (without + turning one's eyes away from the screen) to avoid being interrupted. + One may read, type, and interact with the computer for quite some time + before further acknowledging the other's presence (of course, he or + she is reciprocally free to leave without a word). The understanding + is that you might be in [6471]hack mode with a lot of delicate + [6472]state (sense 2) in your head, and you dare not [6473]swap that + context out until you have reached a good point to pause. See also + [6474]juggling eggs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack on, Next:[6475]hack together, Previous:[6476]hack mode, + Up:[6477]= H = + + hack on vt. + + [very common] To [6478]hack; implies that the subject is some + pre-existing hunk of code that one is evolving, as opposed to + something one might [6479]hack up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack together, Next:[6480]hack up, Previous:[6481]hack on, + Up:[6482]= H = + + hack together vt. + + [common] To throw something together so it will work. Unlike `kluge + together' or [6483]cruft together, this does not necessarily have + negative connotations. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack up, Next:[6484]hack value, Previous:[6485]hack together, + Up:[6486]= H = + + hack up vt. + + To [6487]hack, but generally implies that the result is a hack in + sense 1 (a quick hack). Contrast this with [6488]hack on. To `hack up + on' implies a [6489]quick-and-dirty modification to an existing + system. Contrast [6490]hacked up; compare [6491]kluge up, [6492]monkey + up, [6493]cruft together. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hack value, Next:[6494]hacked off, Previous:[6495]hack up, + Up:[6496]= H = + + hack value n. + + Often adduced as the reason or motivation for expending effort toward + a seemingly useless goal, the point being that the accomplished goal + is a hack. For example, MacLISP had features for reading and printing + Roman numerals, which were installed purely for hack value. See + [6497]display hack for one method of computing hack value, but this + cannot really be explained, only experienced. As Louis Armstrong once + said when asked to explain jazz: "Man, if you gotta ask you'll never + know." (Feminists please note Fats Waller's explanation of rhythm: + "Lady, if you got to ask, you ain't got it.") + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hacked off, Next:[6498]hacked up, Previous:[6499]hack value, + Up:[6500]= H = + + hacked off adj. + + [analogous to `pissed off'] Said of system administrators who have + become annoyed, upset, or touchy owing to suspicions that their sites + have been or are going to be victimized by crackers, or used for + inappropriate, technically illegal, or even overtly criminal + activities. For example, having unreadable files in your home + directory called `worm', `lockpick', or `goroot' would probably be an + effective (as well as impressively obvious and stupid) way to get your + sysadmin hacked off at you. + + It has been pointed out that there is precedent for this usage in U.S. + Navy slang, in which officers under discipline are sometimes said to + be "in hack" and one may speak of "hacking off the C.O.". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hacked up, Next:[6501]hacker, Previous:[6502]hacked off, + Up:[6503]= H = + + hacked up adj. + + Sufficiently patched, kluged, and tweaked that the surgical scars are + beginning to crowd out normal tissue (compare [6504]critical mass). + Not all programs that are hacked become `hacked up'; if modifications + are done with some eye to coherence and continued maintainability, the + software may emerge better for the experience. Contrast [6505]hack up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hacker, Next:[6506]hacker ethic, Previous:[6507]hacked up, + Up:[6508]= H = + + hacker n. + + [originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe] 1. A person who + enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to + stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to + learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically + (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just + theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating + [6509]hack value. 4. A person who is good at programming quickly. 5. + An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work + using it or on it; as in `a Unix hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are + correlated, and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An expert or + enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example. + 7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming + or circumventing limitations. 8. [deprecated] A malicious meddler who + tries to discover sensitive information by poking around. Hence + `password hacker', `network hacker'. The correct term for this sense + is [6510]cracker. + + The term `hacker' also tends to connote membership in the global + community defined by the net (see [6511]the network and [6512]Internet + address). For discussion of some of the basics of this culture, see + the [6513]How To Become A Hacker FAQ. It also implies that the person + described is seen to subscribe to some version of the hacker ethic + (see [6514]hacker ethic). + + It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe + oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite (a + meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are + gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in + identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are + not, you'll quickly be labeled [6515]bogus). See also [6516]wannabee. + + This term seems to have been first adopted as a badge in the 1960s by + the hacker culture surrounding TMRC and the MIT AI Lab. We have a + report that it was used in a sense close to this entry's by teenage + radio hams and electronics tinkerers in the mid-1950s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hacker ethic, Next:[6517]hacker humor, Previous:[6518]hacker, + Up:[6519]= H = + + hacker ethic n. + + 1. The belief that information-sharing is a powerful positive good, + and that it is an ethical duty of hackers to share their expertise by + writing open-source and facilitating access to information and to + computing resources wherever possible. 2. The belief that + system-cracking for fun and exploration is ethically OK as long as the + cracker commits no theft, vandalism, or breach of confidentiality. + + Both of these normative ethical principles are widely, but by no means + universally, accepted among hackers. Most hackers subscribe to the + hacker ethic in sense 1, and many act on it by writing and giving away + open-source software. A few go further and assert that all information + should be free and any proprietary control of it is bad; this is the + philosophy behind the [6520]GNU project. + + Sense 2 is more controversial: some people consider the act of + cracking itself to be unethical, like breaking and entering. But the + belief that `ethical' cracking excludes destruction at least moderates + the behavior of people who see themselves as `benign' crackers (see + also [6521]samurai). On this view, it may be one of the highest forms + of hackerly courtesy to (a) break into a system, and then (b) explain + to the sysop, preferably by email from a [6522]superuser account, + exactly how it was done and how the hole can be plugged -- acting as + an unpaid (and unsolicited) [6523]tiger team. + + The most reliable manifestation of either version of the hacker ethic + is that almost all hackers are actively willing to share technical + tricks, software, and (where possible) computing resources with other + hackers. Huge cooperative networks such as [6524]Usenet, [6525]FidoNet + and Internet (see [6526]Internet address) can function without central + control because of this trait; they both rely on and reinforce a sense + of community that may be hackerdom's most valuable intangible asset. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hacker humor, Next:[6527]Hackers (the movie), + Previous:[6528]hacker ethic, Up:[6529]= H = + + hacker humor + + A distinctive style of shared intellectual humor found among hackers, + having the following marked characteristics: + + 1. Fascination with form-vs.-content jokes, paradoxes, and humor + having to do with confusion of metalevels (see [6530]meta). One way to + make a hacker laugh: hold a red index card in front of him/her with + "GREEN" written on it, or vice-versa (note, however, that this is + funny only the first time). + + 2. Elaborate deadpan parodies of large intellectual constructs, such + as specifications (see [6531]write-only memory), standards documents, + language descriptions (see [6532]INTERCAL), and even entire scientific + theories (see [6533]quantum bogodynamics, [6534]computron). + + 3. Jokes that involve screwily precise reasoning from bizarre, + ludicrous, or just grossly counter-intuitive premises. + + 4. Fascination with puns and wordplay. + + 5. A fondness for apparently mindless humor with subversive currents + of intelligence in it -- for example, old Warner Brothers and Rocky & + Bullwinkle cartoons, the Marx brothers, the early B-52s, and Monty + Python's Flying Circus. Humor that combines this trait with elements + of high camp and slapstick is especially favored. + + 6. References to the symbol-object antinomies and associated ideas in + Zen Buddhism and (less often) Taoism. See [6535]has the X nature, + [6536]Discordianism, [6537]zen, [6538]ha ha only serious, [6539]koan, + [6540]AI koans. + + See also [6541]filk, [6542]retrocomputing, and the Portrait of J. + Random Hacker in [6543]Appendix B. If you have an itchy feeling that + all six of these traits are really aspects of one thing that is + incredibly difficult to talk about exactly, you are (a) correct and + (b) responding like a hacker. These traits are also recognizable + (though in a less marked form) throughout [6544]science-fiction + fandom. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Hackers (the movie), Next:[6545]hacking run, + Previous:[6546]hacker humor, Up:[6547]= H = + + Hackers (the movie) n. + + A notable bomb from 1995. Should have been titled "Crackers", because + cracking is what the movie was about. It's understandable that they + didn't however; titles redolent of snack food are probably a tough + sell in Hollywood. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hacking run, Next:[6548]Hacking X for Y, Previous:[6549]Hackers + (the movie), Up:[6550]= H = + + hacking run n. + + [analogy with `bombing run' or `speed run'] A hack session extended + long outside normal working times, especially one longer than 12 + hours. May cause you to `change phase the hard way' (see [6551]phase). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Hacking X for Y, Next:[6552]Hackintosh, Previous:[6553]hacking + run, Up:[6554]= H = + + Hacking X for Y n. + + [ITS] Ritual phrasing of part of the information which ITS made + publicly available about each user. This information (the INQUIR + record) was a sort of form in which the user could fill out various + fields. On display, two of these fields were always combined into a + project description of the form "Hacking X for Y" (e.g., "Hacking + perceptrons for Minsky"). This form of description became traditional + and has since been carried over to other systems with more general + facilities for self-advertisement (such as Unix [6555]plan files). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Hackintosh, Next:[6556]hackish, Previous:[6557]Hacking X for Y, + Up:[6558]= H = + + Hackintosh n. + + 1. An Apple Lisa that has been hacked into emulating a Macintosh (also + called a `Mac XL'). 2. A Macintosh assembled from parts theoretically + belonging to different models in the line. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hackish, Next:[6559]hackishness, Previous:[6560]Hackintosh, + Up:[6561]= H = + + hackish /hak'ish/ adj. + + (also [6562]hackishness n.) 1. Said of something that is or involves a + hack. 2. Of or pertaining to hackers or the hacker subculture. See + also [6563]true-hacker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hackishness, Next:[6564]hackitude, Previous:[6565]hackish, + Up:[6566]= H = + + hackishness n. + + The quality of being or involving a hack. This term is considered + mildly silly. Syn. [6567]hackitude. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hackitude, Next:[6568]hair, Previous:[6569]hackishness, + Up:[6570]= H = + + hackitude n. + + Syn. [6571]hackishness; this word is considered sillier. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hair, Next:[6572]hairball, Previous:[6573]hackitude, Up:[6574]= H + = + + hair n. + + [back-formation from [6575]hairy] The complications that make + something hairy. "Decoding [6576]TECO commands requires a certain + amount of hair." Often seen in the phrase `infinite hair', which + connotes extreme complexity. Also in `hairiferous' (tending to promote + hair growth): "GNUMACS elisp encourages lusers to write complex + editing modes." "Yeah, it's pretty hairiferous all right." (or just: + "Hair squared!") + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hairball, Next:[6577]hairy, Previous:[6578]hair, Up:[6579]= H = + + hairball n. + + 1. [Fidonet] A large batch of messages that a store-and-forward + network is failing to forward when it should. Often used in the phrase + "Fido coughed up a hairball today", meaning that the stuck messages + have just come unstuck, producing a flood of mail where there had + previously been drought. 2. An unmanageably huge mass of source code. + "JWZ thought the Mozilla effort bogged down because the code was a + huge hairball." 3. Any large amount of garbage coming out suddenly. + "Sendmail is coughing up a hairball, so expect some slowness accessing + the Internet." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hairy, Next:[6580]HAKMEM, Previous:[6581]hairball, Up:[6582]= H = + + hairy adj. + + 1. Annoyingly complicated. "[6583]DWIM is incredibly hairy." 2. + Incomprehensible. "[6584]DWIM is incredibly hairy." 3. Of people, + high-powered, authoritative, rare, expert, and/or incomprehensible. + Hard to explain except in context: "He knows this hairy lawyer who + says there's nothing to worry about." See also [6585]hirsute. + + A well-known result in topology called the Brouwer Fixed-Point Theorem + states that any continuous transformation of a 2-sphere into itself + has at least one fixed point. Mathematically literate hackers tend to + associate the term `hairy' with the informal version of this theorem; + "You can't comb a hairy ball smooth." + + The adjective `long-haired' is well-attested to have been in slang use + among scientists and engineers during the early 1950s; it was + equivalent to modern `hairy' senses 1 and 2, and was very likely + ancestral to the hackish use. In fact the noun `long-hair' was at the + time used to describe a person satisfying sense 3. Both senses + probably passed out of use when long hair was adopted as a signature + trait by the 1960s counterculture, leaving hackish `hairy' as a sort + of stunted mutant relic. + + In British mainstream use, "hairy" means "dangerous", and + consequently, in British programming terms, "hairy" may be used to + denote complicated and/or incomprehensible code, but only if that + complexity or incomprehesiveness is also considered dangerous. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HAKMEM, Next:[6586]hakspek, Previous:[6587]hairy, Up:[6588]= H = + + HAKMEM /hak'mem/ n. + + MIT AI Memo 239 (February 1972). A legendary collection of neat + mathematical and programming hacks contributed by many people at MIT + and elsewhere. (The title of the memo really is "HAKMEM", which is a + 6-letterism for `hacks memo'.) Some of them are very useful + techniques, powerful theorems, or interesting unsolved problems, but + most fall into the category of mathematical and computer trivia. Here + is a sampling of the entries (with authors), slightly paraphrased: + + Item 41 (Gene Salamin): There are exactly 23,000 prime numbers less + than 2^(18). + + Item 46 (Rich Schroeppel): The most probable suit distribution in + bridge hands is 4-4-3-2, as compared to 4-3-3-3, which is the most + evenly distributed. This is because the world likes to have unequal + numbers: a thermodynamic effect saying things will not be in the state + of lowest energy, but in the state of lowest disordered energy. + + Item 81 (Rich Schroeppel): Count the magic squares of order 5 (that + is, all the 5-by-5 arrangements of the numbers from 1 to 25 such that + all rows, columns, and diagonals add up to the same number). There are + about 320 million, not counting those that differ only by rotation and + reflection. + + Item 154 (Bill Gosper): The myth that any given programming language + is machine independent is easily exploded by computing the sum of + powers of 2. If the result loops with period = 1 with sign +, you are + on a sign-magnitude machine. If the result loops with period = 1 at + -1, you are on a twos-complement machine. If the result loops with + period greater than 1, including the beginning, you are on a + ones-complement machine. If the result loops with period greater than + 1, not including the beginning, your machine isn't binary -- the + pattern should tell you the base. If you run out of memory, you are on + a string or bignum system. If arithmetic overflow is a fatal error, + some fascist pig with a read-only mind is trying to enforce machine + independence. But the very ability to trap overflow is machine + dependent. By this strategy, consider the universe, or, more + precisely, algebra: Let X = the sum of many powers of 2 = ...111111 + (base 2). Now add X to itself: X + X = ...111110. Thus, 2X = X - 1, so + X = -1. Therefore algebra is run on a machine (the universe) that is + two's-complement. + + Item 174 (Bill Gosper and Stuart Nelson): 21963283741 is the only + number such that if you represent it on the [6589]PDP-10 as both an + integer and a floating-point number, the bit patterns of the two + representations are identical. + + Item 176 (Gosper): The "banana phenomenon" was encountered when + processing a character string by taking the last 3 letters typed out, + searching for a random occurrence of that sequence in the text, taking + the letter following that occurrence, typing it out, and iterating. + This ensures that every 4-letter string output occurs in the original. + The program typed BANANANANANANANA.... We note an ambiguity in the + phrase, "the Nth occurrence of." In one sense, there are five 00's in + 0000000000; in another, there are nine. The editing program TECO finds + five. Thus it finds only the first ANA in BANANA, and is thus + obligated to type N next. By Murphy's Law, there is but one NAN, thus + forcing A, and thus a loop. An option to find overlapped instances + would be useful, although it would require backing up N - 1 characters + before seeking the next N-character string. + + Note: This last item refers to a [6590]Dissociated Press + implementation. See also [6591]banana problem. + + HAKMEM also contains some rather more complicated mathematical and + technical items, but these examples show some of its fun flavor. + + An HTML transcription of the entire document is available at + [6592]http://www.inwap.com/pdp10/hbaker/hakmem/hakmem.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hakspek, Next:[6593]Halloween Documents, Previous:[6594]HAKMEM, + Up:[6595]= H = + + hakspek /hak'speek/ n. + + A shorthand method of spelling found on many British academic bulletin + boards and [6596]talker systems. Syllables and whole words in a + sentence are replaced by single ASCII characters the names of which + are phonetically similar or equivalent, while multiple letters are + usually dropped. Hence, `for' becomes `4'; `two', `too', and `to' + become `2'; `ck' becomes `k'. "Before I see you tomorrow" becomes "b4 + i c u 2moro". First appeared in London about 1986, and was probably + caused by the slowness of available talker systems, which operated on + archaic machines with outdated operating systems and no standard + methods of communication. Has become rarer since. See also [6597]talk + mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Halloween Documents, Next:[6598]hammer, Previous:[6599]hakspek, + Up:[6600]= H = + + Halloween Documents n. + + A pair of Microsoft internal strategy memoranda leaked to ESR in late + 1998 that confirmed everybody's paranoia about the current [6601]Evil + Empire. [6602]These documents praised the technical excellence of + [6603]Linux and outlined a counterstrategy of attempting to lock in + customers by "de-commoditizing" Internet protocols and services. They + were extensively cited on the Internet and in the press and proved so + embarrassing that Microsoft PR barely said a word in public for six + months afterwards. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hammer, Next:[6604]hamster, Previous:[6605]Halloween Documents, + Up:[6606]= H = + + hammer vt. + + Commonwealth hackish syn. for [6607]bang on. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hamster, Next:[6608]HAND, Previous:[6609]hammer, Up:[6610]= H = + + hamster n. + + 1. [Fairchild] A particularly slick little piece of code that does one + thing well; a small, self-contained hack. The image is of a hamster + [6611]happily spinning its exercise wheel. 2. A tailless mouse; that + is, one with an infrared link to a receiver on the machine, as opposed + to the conventional cable. 3. [UK] Any item of hardware made by + Amstrad, a company famous for its cheap plastic PC-almost-compatibles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HAND, Next:[6612]hand cruft, Previous:[6613]hamster, Up:[6614]= H + = + + HAND // + + [Usenet: very common] Abbreviation: Have A Nice Day. Typically used to + close a [6615]Usenet posting, but also used to informally close + emails; often preceded by [6616]HTH. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hand cruft, Next:[6617]hand-hacking, Previous:[6618]HAND, + Up:[6619]= H = + + hand cruft vt. + + [pun on `hand craft'] See [6620]cruft, sense 3. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hand-hacking, Next:[6621]hand-roll, Previous:[6622]hand cruft, + Up:[6623]= H = + + hand-hacking n. + + 1. [rare] The practice of translating [6624]hot spots from an + [6625]HLL into hand-tuned assembler, as opposed to trying to coerce + the compiler into generating better code. Both the term and the + practice are becoming uncommon. See [6626]tune, [6627]bum, [6628]by + hand; syn. with v. [6629]cruft. 2. [common] More generally, manual + construction or patching of data sets that would normally be generated + by a translation utility and interpreted by another program, and + aren't really designed to be read or modified by humans. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hand-roll, Next:[6630]handle, Previous:[6631]hand-hacking, + Up:[6632]= H = + + hand-roll v. + + [from obs. mainstream slang `hand-rolled' in opposition to + `ready-made', referring to cigarettes] To perform a normally automated + software installation or configuration process [6633]by hand; implies + that the normal process failed due to bugs in the configurator or was + defeated by something exceptional in the local environment. "The worst + thing about being a gateway between four different nets is having to + hand-roll a new sendmail configuration every time any of them + upgrades." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:handle, Next:[6634]handshaking, Previous:[6635]hand-roll, + Up:[6636]= H = + + handle n. + + 1. [from CB slang] An electronic pseudonym; a `nom de guerre' intended + to conceal the user's true identity. Network and BBS handles function + as the same sort of simultaneous concealment and display one finds on + Citizen's Band radio, from which the term was adopted. Use of + grandiose handles is characteristic of [6637]warez d00dz, + [6638]crackers, [6639]weenies, [6640]spods, and other lower forms of + network life; true hackers travel on their own reputations rather than + invented legendry. Compare [6641]nick, [6642]screen name. 2. A + [6643]magic cookie, often in the form of a numeric index into some + array somewhere, through which you can manipulate an object like a + file or window. The form `file handle' is especially common. 3. [Mac] + A pointer to a pointer to dynamically-allocated memory; the extra + level of indirection allows on-the-fly memory compaction (to cut down + on fragmentation) or aging out of unused resources, with minimal + impact on the (possibly multiple) parts of the larger program + containing references to the allocated memory. Compare [6644]snap (to + snap a handle would defeat its purpose); see also [6645]aliasing bug, + [6646]dangling pointer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:handshaking, Next:[6647]handwave, Previous:[6648]handle, + Up:[6649]= H = + + handshaking n. + + [very common] Hardware or software activity designed to start or keep + two machines or programs in synchronization as they [6650]do protocol. + Often applied to human activity; thus, a hacker might watch two people + in conversation nodding their heads to indicate that they have heard + each others' points and say "Oh, they're handshaking!". See also + [6651]protocol. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:handwave, Next:[6652]hang, Previous:[6653]handshaking, Up:[6654]= + H = + + handwave + + [poss. from gestures characteristic of stage magicians] 1. v. To gloss + over a complex point; to distract a listener; to support a (possibly + actually valid) point with blatantly faulty logic. 2. n. The act of + handwaving. "Boy, what a handwave!" + + If someone starts a sentence with "Clearly..." or "Obviously..." or + "It is self-evident that...", it is a good bet he is about to handwave + (alternatively, use of these constructions in a sarcastic tone before + a paraphrase of someone else's argument suggests that it is a + handwave). The theory behind this term is that if you wave your hands + at the right moment, the listener may be sufficiently distracted to + not notice that what you have said is [6655]bogus. Failing that, if a + listener does object, you might try to dismiss the objection with a + wave of your hand. + + The use of this word is often accompanied by gestures: both hands up, + palms forward, swinging the hands in a vertical plane pivoting at the + elbows and/or shoulders (depending on the magnitude of the handwave); + alternatively, holding the forearms in one position while rotating the + hands at the wrist to make them flutter. In context, the gestures + alone can suffice as a remark; if a speaker makes an outrageously + unsupported assumption, you might simply wave your hands in this way, + as an accusation, far more eloquent than words could express, that his + logic is faulty. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hang, Next:[6656]Hanlon's Razor, Previous:[6657]handwave, + Up:[6658]= H = + + hang v. + + 1. [very common] To wait for an event that will never occur. "The + system is hanging because it can't read from the crashed drive". See + [6659]wedged, [6660]hung. 2. To wait for some event to occur; to hang + around until something happens. "The program displays a menu and then + hangs until you type a character." Compare [6661]block. 3. To attach a + peripheral device, esp. in the construction `hang off': "We're going + to hang another tape drive off the file server." Implies a device + attached with cables, rather than something that is strictly inside + the machine's chassis. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Hanlon's Razor, Next:[6662]happily, Previous:[6663]hang, + Up:[6664]= H = + + Hanlon's Razor prov. + + A corollary of [6665]Finagle's Law, similar to Occam's Razor, that + reads "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately + explained by stupidity." The derivation of the Hanlon eponym is not + definitely known, but a very similar remark ("You have attributed + conditions to villainy that simply result from stupidity.") appears in + "Logic of Empire", a classic 1941 SF story by Robert A. Heinlein, who + calls it the `devil theory' of sociology. Heinlein's popularity in the + hacker culture makes plausible the supposition that `Hanlon' is + derived from `Heinlein' by phonetic corruption. A similar epigram has + been attributed to William James, but Heinlein more probably got the + idea from Alfred Korzybski and other practitioners of General + Semantics. Quoted here because it seems to be a particular favorite of + hackers, often showing up in [6666]sig blocks, [6667]fortune cookie + files and the login banners of BBS systems and commercial networks. + This probably reflects the hacker's daily experience of environments + created by well-intentioned but short-sighted people. Compare + [6668]Sturgeon's Law, [6669]Ninety-Ninety Rule. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:happily, Next:[6670]haque, Previous:[6671]Hanlon's Razor, + Up:[6672]= H = + + happily adv. + + Of software, used to emphasize that a program is unaware of some + important fact about its environment, either because it has been + fooled into believing a lie, or because it doesn't care. The sense of + `happy' here is not that of elation, but rather that of blissful + ignorance. "The program continues to run, happily unaware that its + output is going to /dev/null." Also used to suggest that a program or + device would really rather be doing something destructive, and is + being given an opportunity to do so. "If you enter an O here instead + of a zero, the program will happily erase all your data." Neverheless, + use of this term implies a basically benign attitude towards the + program: It didn't mean any harm, it was just eager to do its job. + We'd like to be angry at it but we shouldn't, we should try to + understand it instead. The adjective "cheerfully" is often used in + exactly the same way. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:haque, Next:[6673]hard boot, Previous:[6674]happily, Up:[6675]= H + = + + haque /hak/ n. + + [Usenet] Variant spelling of [6676]hack, used only for the noun form + and connoting an [6677]elegant hack. that is a [6678]hack in sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hard boot, Next:[6679]hardcoded, Previous:[6680]haque, Up:[6681]= + H = + + hard boot n. + + See [6682]boot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hardcoded, Next:[6683]hardwarily, Previous:[6684]hard boot, + Up:[6685]= H = + + hardcoded adj. + + 1. [common] Said of data inserted directly into a program, where it + cannot be easily modified, as opposed to data in some [6686]profile, + resource (see [6687]de-rezz sense 2), or environment variable that a + [6688]user or hacker can easily modify. 2. In C, this is esp. applied + to use of a literal instead of a #define macro (see [6689]magic + number). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hardwarily, Next:[6690]hardwired, Previous:[6691]hardcoded, + Up:[6692]= H = + + hardwarily /hard-weir'*-lee/ adv. + + In a way pertaining to hardware. "The system is hardwarily + unreliable." The adjective `hardwary' is not traditionally used, + though it has recently been reported from the U.K. See + [6693]softwarily. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hardwired, Next:[6694]has the X nature, + Previous:[6695]hardwarily, Up:[6696]= H = + + hardwired adj. + + 1. In software, syn. for [6697]hardcoded. 2. By extension, anything + that is not modifiable, especially in the sense of customizable to + one's particular needs or tastes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:has the X nature, Next:[6698]hash bucket, + Previous:[6699]hardwired, Up:[6700]= H = + + has the X nature + + [seems to derive from Zen Buddhist koans of the form "Does an X have + the Buddha-nature?"] adj. Common hacker construction for `is an X', + used for humorous emphasis. "Anyone who can't even use a program with + on-screen help embedded in it truly has the [6701]loser nature!" See + also [6702]the X that can be Y is not the true X. See also [6703]mu. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hash bucket, Next:[6704]hash collision, Previous:[6705]has the X + nature, Up:[6706]= H = + + hash bucket n. + + A notional receptacle, a set of which might be used to apportion data + items for sorting or lookup purposes. When you look up a name in the + phone book (for example), you typically hash it by extracting its + first letter; the hash buckets are the alphabetically ordered letter + sections. This term is used as techspeak with respect to code that + uses actual hash functions; in jargon, it is used for human + associative memory as well. Thus, two things `in the same hash bucket' + are more difficult to discriminate, and may be confused. "If you hash + English words only by length, you get too many common grammar words in + the first couple of hash buckets." Compare [6707]hash collision. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hash collision, Next:[6708]hat, Previous:[6709]hash bucket, + Up:[6710]= H = + + hash collision n. + + [from the techspeak] (var. `hash clash') When used of people, + signifies a confusion in associative memory or imagination, especially + a persistent one (see [6711]thinko). True story: One of us [ESR] was + once on the phone with a friend about to move out to Berkeley. When + asked what he expected Berkeley to be like, the friend replied: "Well, + I have this mental picture of naked women throwing Molotov cocktails, + but I think that's just a collision in my hash tables." Compare + [6712]hash bucket. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hat, Next:[6713]HCF, Previous:[6714]hash collision, Up:[6715]= H + = + + hat n. + + Common (spoken) name for the circumflex (`^', ASCII 1011110) + character. See [6716]ASCII for other synonyms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HCF, Next:[6717]heads down, Previous:[6718]hat, Up:[6719]= H = + + HCF /H-C-F/ n. + + Mnemonic for `Halt and Catch Fire', any of several undocumented and + semi-mythical machine instructions with destructive side-effects, + supposedly included for test purposes on several well-known + architectures going as far back as the IBM 360. The MC6800 + microprocessor was the first for which an HCF opcode became widely + known. This instruction caused the processor to [6720]toggle a subset + of the bus lines as rapidly as it could; in some configurations this + could actually cause lines to burn up. Compare [6721]killer poke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heads down, Next:[6722]heartbeat, Previous:[6723]HCF, Up:[6724]= + H = + + heads down [Sun] adj. + + Concentrating, usually so heavily and for so long that everything + outside the focus area is missed. See also [6725]hack mode and + [6726]larval stage, although this mode is hardly confined to fledgling + hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heartbeat, Next:[6727]heatseeker, Previous:[6728]heads down, + Up:[6729]= H = + + heartbeat n. + + 1. The signal emitted by a Level 2 Ethernet transceiver at the end of + every packet to show that the collision-detection circuit is still + connected. 2. A periodic synchronization signal used by software or + hardware, such as a bus clock or a periodic interrupt. 3. The + `natural' oscillation frequency of a computer's clock crystal, before + frequency division down to the machine's clock rate. 4. A signal + emitted at regular intervals by software to demonstrate that it is + still alive. Sometimes hardware is designed to reboot the machine if + it stops hearing a heartbeat. See also [6730]breath-of-life packet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heatseeker, Next:[6731]heavy metal, Previous:[6732]heartbeat, + Up:[6733]= H = + + heatseeker n. + + [IBM] A customer who can be relied upon to buy, without fail, the + latest version of an existing product (not quite the same as a member + of the [6734]lunatic fringe). A 1993 example of a heatseeker was + someone who, owning a 286 PC and Windows 3.0, went out and bought + Windows 3.1 (which offers no worthwhile benefits unless you have a + 386). If all customers were heatseekers, vast amounts of money could + be made by just fixing some of the bugs in each release (n) and + selling it to them as release (n+1). Microsoft in fact seems to have + mastered this technique. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heavy metal, Next:[6735]heavy wizardry, + Previous:[6736]heatseeker, Up:[6737]= H = + + heavy metal n. + + [Cambridge] Syn. [6738]big iron. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heavy wizardry, Next:[6739]heavyweight, Previous:[6740]heavy + metal, Up:[6741]= H = + + heavy wizardry n. + + Code or designs that trade on a particularly intimate knowledge or + experience of a particular operating system or language or complex + application interface. Distinguished from [6742]deep magic, which + trades more on arcane theoretical knowledge. Writing device drivers is + heavy wizardry; so is interfacing to [6743]X (sense 2) without a + toolkit. Esp. found in source-code comments of the form "Heavy + wizardry begins here". Compare [6744]voodoo programming. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heavyweight, Next:[6745]heisenbug, Previous:[6746]heavy wizardry, + Up:[6747]= H = + + heavyweight adj. + + [common] High-overhead; [6748]baroque; code-intensive; featureful, but + costly. Esp. used of communication protocols, language designs, and + any sort of implementation in which maximum generality and/or ease of + implementation has been pushed at the expense of mundane + considerations such as speed, memory utilization, and startup time. + [6749]EMACS is a heavyweight editor; [6750]X is an extremely + heavyweight window system. This term isn't pejorative, but one + hacker's heavyweight is another's [6751]elephantine and a third's + [6752]monstrosity. Oppose `lightweight'. Usage: now borders on + techspeak, especially in the compound `heavyweight process'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:heisenbug, Next:[6753]Helen Keller mode, + Previous:[6754]heavyweight, Up:[6755]= H = + + heisenbug /hi:'zen-buhg/ n. + + [from Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle in quantum physics] A bug + that disappears or alters its behavior when one attempts to probe or + isolate it. (This usage is not even particularly fanciful; the use of + a debugger sometimes alters a program's operating environment + significantly enough that buggy code, such as that which relies on the + values of uninitialized memory, behaves quite differently.) Antonym of + [6756]Bohr bug; see also [6757]mandelbug, [6758]schroedinbug. In C, + nine out of ten heisenbugs result from uninitialized auto variables, + [6759]fandango on core phenomena (esp. lossage related to corruption + of the malloc [6760]arena) or errors that [6761]smash the stack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Helen Keller mode, Next:[6762]hello sailor!, + Previous:[6763]heisenbug, Up:[6764]= H = + + Helen Keller mode n. + + 1. State of a hardware or software system that is deaf, dumb, and + blind, i.e., accepting no input and generating no output, usually due + to an infinite loop or some other excursion into [6765]deep space. + (Unfair to the real Helen Keller, whose success at learning speech was + triumphant.) See also [6766]go flatline, [6767]catatonic. 2. On IBM + PCs under DOS, refers to a specific failure mode in which a screen + saver has kicked in over an [6768]ill-behaved application which + bypasses the very interrupts the screen saver watches for activity. + Your choices are to try to get from the program's current state + through a successful save-and-exit without being able to see what + you're doing, or to re-boot the machine. This isn't (strictly + speaking) a crash. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hello sailor!, Next:[6769]hello wall!, Previous:[6770]Helen + Keller mode, Up:[6771]= H = + + hello sailor! interj. + + Occasional West Coast equivalent of [6772]hello world; seems to have + originated at SAIL, later associated with the game [6773]Zork (which + also included "hello, aviator" and "hello, implementor"). Originally + from the traditional hooker's greeting to a swabbie fresh off the + boat, of course. The standard response is "Nothing happens here."; of + all the Zork/Dungeon games, only in Infocom's Zork 3 is "Hello, + Sailor" actually useful (excluding the unique situation where + _knowing_ this fact is important in Dungeon...). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hello wall!, Next:[6774]hello world, Previous:[6775]hello + sailor!, Up:[6776]= H = + + hello, wall! excl. + + See [6777]wall. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hello world, Next:[6778]hex, Previous:[6779]hello wall!, + Up:[6780]= H = + + hello world interj. + + 1. The canonical minimal test message in the C/Unix universe. 2. Any + of the minimal programs that emit this message. Traditionally, the + first program a C coder is supposed to write in a new environment is + one that just prints "hello, world" to standard output (and indeed it + is the first example program in [6781]K&R). Environments that generate + an unreasonably large executable for this trivial test or which + require a [6782]hairy compiler-linker invocation to generate it are + considered to [6783]lose (see [6784]X). 3. Greeting uttered by a + hacker making an entrance or requesting information from anyone + present. "Hello, world! Is the LAN back up yet?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hex, Next:[6785]hexadecimal, Previous:[6786]hello world, + Up:[6787]= H = + + hex n. + + 1. Short for [6788]hexadecimal, base 16. 2. A 6-pack of anything + (compare [6789]quad, sense 2). Neither usage has anything to do with + [6790]magic or [6791]black art, though the pun is appreciated and + occasionally used by hackers. True story: As a joke, some hackers once + offered some surplus ICs for sale to be worn as protective amulets + against hostile magic. The chips were, of course, hex inverters. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hexadecimal, Next:[6792]hexit, Previous:[6793]hex, Up:[6794]= H = + + hexadecimal n. + + Base 16. Coined in the early 1960s to replace earlier `sexadecimal', + which was too racy and amusing for stuffy IBM, and later adopted by + the rest of the industry. + + Actually, neither term is etymologically pure. If we take `binary' to + be paradigmatic, the most etymologically correct term for base 10, for + example, is `denary', which comes from `deni' (ten at a time, ten + each), a Latin `distributive' number; the corresponding term for + base-16 would be something like `sendenary'. `Decimal' is from an + ordinal number; the corresponding prefix for 6 would imply something + like `sextidecimal'. The `sexa-' prefix is Latin but incorrect in this + context, and `hexa-' is Greek. The word `octal' is similarly + incorrect; a correct form would be `octaval' (to go with decimal), or + `octonary' (to go with binary). If anyone ever implements a base-3 + computer, computer scientists will be faced with the unprecedented + dilemma of a choice between two correct forms; both `ternary' and + `trinary' have a claim to this throne. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hexit, Next:[6795]HHOK, Previous:[6796]hexadecimal, Up:[6797]= H + = + + hexit /hek'sit/ n. + + A hexadecimal digit (0-9, and A-F or a-f). Used by people who claim + that there are only ten digits, dammit; sixteen-fingered human beings + are rather rare, despite what some keyboard designs might seem to + imply (see [6798]space-cadet keyboard). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HHOK, Next:[6799]HHOS, Previous:[6800]hexit, Up:[6801]= H = + + HHOK + + See [6802]ha ha only serious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HHOS, Next:[6803]hidden flag, Previous:[6804]HHOK, Up:[6805]= H = + + HHOS + + See [6806]ha ha only serious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hidden flag, Next:[6807]high bit, Previous:[6808]HHOS, Up:[6809]= + H = + + hidden flag n. + + [scientific computation] An extra option added to a routine without + changing the calling sequence. For example, instead of adding an + explicit input variable to instruct a routine to give extra diagnostic + output, the programmer might just add a test for some otherwise + meaningless feature of the existing inputs, such as a negative mass. + The use of hidden flags can make a program very hard to debug and + understand, but is all too common wherever programs are hacked on in a + hurry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:high bit, Next:[6810]high moby, Previous:[6811]hidden flag, + Up:[6812]= H = + + high bit n. + + [from `high-order bit'] 1. The most significant bit in a byte. 2. + [common] By extension, the most significant part of something other + than a data byte: "Spare me the whole [6813]saga, just give me the + high bit." See also [6814]meta bit, [6815]hobbit, [6816]dread high-bit + disease, and compare the mainstream slang `bottom line'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:high moby, Next:[6817]highly, Previous:[6818]high bit, Up:[6819]= + H = + + high moby /hi:' mohb'ee/ n. + + The high half of a 512K [6820]PDP-10's physical address space; the + other half was of course the low moby. This usage has been generalized + in a way that has outlasted the [6821]PDP-10; for example, at the 1990 + Washington D.C. Area Science Fiction Conclave (Disclave), when a + miscommunication resulted in two separate wakes being held in + commemoration of the shutdown of MIT's last [6822]ITS machines, the + one on the upper floor was dubbed the `high moby' and the other the + `low moby'. All parties involved [6823]grokked this instantly. See + [6824]moby. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:highly, Next:[6825]hing, Previous:[6826]high moby, Up:[6827]= H = + + highly adv. + + [scientific computation] The preferred modifier for overstating an + understatement. As in: `highly nonoptimal', the worst possible way to + do something; `highly nontrivial', either impossible or requiring a + major research project; `highly nonlinear', completely erratic and + unpredictable; `highly nontechnical', drivel written for [6828]lusers, + oversimplified to the point of being misleading or incorrect (compare + [6829]drool-proof paper). In other computing cultures, postfixing of + [6830]in the extreme might be preferred. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hing, Next:[6831]hired gun, Previous:[6832]highly, Up:[6833]= H = + + hing // n. + + [IRC] Fortuitous typo for `hint', now in wide intentional use among + players of [6834]initgame. Compare [6835]newsfroup, [6836]filk. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hired gun, Next:[6837]hirsute, Previous:[6838]hing, Up:[6839]= H + = + + hired gun n. + + A contract programmer, as opposed to a full-time staff member. All the + connotations of this term suggested by innumerable spaghetti Westerns + are intentional. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hirsute, Next:[6840]HLL, Previous:[6841]hired gun, Up:[6842]= H = + + hirsute adj. + + Occasionally used humorously as a synonym for [6843]hairy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HLL, Next:[6844]hoarding, Previous:[6845]hirsute, Up:[6846]= H = + + HLL /H-L-L/ n. + + [High-Level Language (as opposed to assembler)] Found primarily in + email and news rather than speech. Rarely, the variants `VHLL' and + `MLL' are found. VHLL stands for `Very-High-Level Language' and is + used to describe a [6847]bondage-and-discipline language that the + speaker happens to like; Prolog and Backus's FP are often called + VHLLs. `MLL' stands for `Medium-Level Language' and is sometimes used + half-jokingly to describe [6848]C, alluding to its + `structured-assembler' image. See also [6849]languages of choice. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hoarding, Next:[6850]hobbit, Previous:[6851]HLL, Up:[6852]= H = + + hoarding n. + + See [6853]software hoarding. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hobbit, Next:[6854]hog, Previous:[6855]hoarding, Up:[6856]= H = + + hobbit n. + + 1. [rare] The High Order BIT of a byte; same as the [6857]meta bit or + [6858]high bit. 2. The non-ITS name of [6859]vad@ai.mit.edu + (*Hobbit*), master of lasers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hog, Next:[6860]hole, Previous:[6861]hobbit, Up:[6862]= H = + + hog n.,vt. + + 1. Favored term to describe programs or hardware that seem to eat far + more than their share of a system's resources, esp. those which + noticeably degrade interactive response. Not used of programs that are + simply extremely large or complex or that are merely painfully slow + themselves. More often than not encountered in qualified forms, e.g., + `memory hog', `core hog', `hog the processor', `hog the disk'. "A + controller that never gives up the I/O bus gets killed after the + bus-hog timer expires." 2. Also said of people who use more than their + fair share of resources (particularly disk, where it seems that 10% of + the people use 90% of the disk, no matter how big the disk is or how + many people use it). Of course, once disk hogs fill up one filesystem, + they typically find some other new one to infect, claiming to the + sysadmin that they have an important new project to complete. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hole, Next:[6863]hollised, Previous:[6864]hog, Up:[6865]= H = + + hole n. + + A region in an otherwise [6866]flat entity which is not actually + present. For example, some Unix filesystems can store large files with + holes so that unused regions of the file are never actually stored on + disk. (In techspeak, these are referred to as `sparse' files.) As + another example, the region of memory in IBM PCs reserved for + memory-mapped I/O devices which may not actually be present is called + `the I/O hole', since memory-management systems must skip over this + area when filling user requests for memory. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hollised, Next:[6867]holy wars, Previous:[6868]hole, Up:[6869]= H + = + + hollised /hol'ist/ adj. + + [Usenet: sci.space] To be hollised is to have been ordered by one's + employer not to post any even remotely job-related material to Usenet + (or, by extension, to other Internet media). The original and most + notorious case of this involved one Ken Hollis, a Lockheed employee + and space-program enthusiast who posted publicly available material on + access to Space Shuttle launches to sci.space. He was gagged under + threat of being fired in 1994 at the behest of NASA public-relations + officers. The result was, of course, a huge publicity black eye for + NASA. Nevertheless several other NASA contractor employees were + subsequently hollised for similar activities. Use of this term carries + the strong connotation that the persons doing the gagging are + bureaucratic idiots blinded to their own best interests by territorial + reflexes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:holy wars, Next:[6870]home box, Previous:[6871]hollised, + Up:[6872]= H = + + holy wars n. + + [from [6873]Usenet, but may predate it; common] n. [6874]flame wars + over [6875]religious issues. The paper by Danny Cohen that popularized + the terms [6876]big-endian and [6877]little-endian in connection with + the LSB-first/MSB-first controversy was entitled "On Holy Wars and a + Plea for Peace". + + Great holy wars of the past have included [6878]ITS vs. [6879]Unix, + [6880]Unix vs. [6881]VMS, [6882]BSD Unix vs. [6883]USG Unix, [6884]C + vs. [6885]Pascal, [6886]C vs. FORTRAN, etc. In the year 2000, popular + favorites of the day are KDE vs, GNOME, vim vs. elvis, Linux vs. + [Free|Net|Open]BSD. Hardy perennials include [6887]EMACS vs. [6888]vi, + my personal computer vs. everyone else's personal computer, ad + nauseam. The characteristic that distinguishes holy wars from normal + technical disputes is that in a holy war most of the participants + spend their time trying to pass off personal value choices and + cultural attachments as objective technical evaluations. This happens + precisely because in a true holy war, the actual substantive + differences between the sides are relatively minor. See also + [6889]theology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:home box, Next:[6890]home machine, Previous:[6891]holy wars, + Up:[6892]= H = + + home box n. + + A hacker's personal machine, especially one he or she owns. "Yeah? + Well, my home box runs a full 4.4 BSD, so there!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:home machine, Next:[6893]home page, Previous:[6894]home box, + Up:[6895]= H = + + home machine n. + + 1. Syn. [6896]home box. 2. The machine that receives your email. These + senses might be distinct, for example, for a hacker who owns one + computer at home, but reads email at work. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:home page, Next:[6897]honey pot, Previous:[6898]home machine, + Up:[6899]= H = + + home page n. + + 1. One's personal billboard on the World Wide Web. The term `home + page' is perhaps a bit misleading because home directories and + physical homes in [6900]RL are private, but home pages are designed to + be very public. 2. By extension, a WWW repository for information and + links related to a project or organization. Compare [6901]home box. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:honey pot, Next:[6902]hook, Previous:[6903]home page, Up:[6904]= + H = + + honey pot n. + + A box designed to attract [6905]crackers so that they can be observed + in action. It is usually well isolated from the rest of the network, + but has extensive logging (usually network layer, on a different + machine). Different from an [6906]iron box in that it's purpose is to + attract, not merely observe. Sometimes, it is also a defensive network + security tactic - you set up an easy-to-crack box so that your real + servers don't get messed with. The concept was presented in Cheswick & + Bellovin's book "Firewalls and Internet Security". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hook, Next:[6907]hop, Previous:[6908]honey pot, Up:[6909]= H = + + hook n. + + A software or hardware feature included in order to simplify later + additions or changes by a user. For example, a simple program that + prints numbers might always print them in base 10, but a more flexible + version would let a variable determine what base to use; setting the + variable to 5 would make the program print numbers in base 5. The + variable is a simple hook. An even more flexible program might examine + the variable and treat a value of 16 or less as the base to use, but + treat any other number as the address of a user-supplied routine for + printing a number. This is a [6910]hairy but powerful hook; one can + then write a routine to print numbers as Roman numerals, say, or as + Hebrew characters, and plug it into the program through the hook. + Often the difference between a good program and a superb one is that + the latter has useful hooks in judiciously chosen places. Both may do + the original job about equally well, but the one with the hooks is + much more flexible for future expansion of capabilities ([6911]EMACS, + for example, is all hooks). The term `user exit' is synonymous but + much more formal and less hackish. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hop, Next:[6912]hose, Previous:[6913]hook, Up:[6914]= H = + + hop + + 1. n. [common] One file transmission in a series required to get a + file from point A to point B on a store-and-forward network. On such + networks (including [6915]UUCPNET and [6916]FidoNet), an important + inter-machine metric is the number of hops in the shortest path + between them, which can be more significant than their geographical + separation. See [6917]bang path. 2. v. [rare] To log in to a remote + machine, esp. via rlogin or telnet. "I'll hop over to foovax to FTP + that." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hose, Next:[6918]hosed, Previous:[6919]hop, Up:[6920]= H = + + hose + + 1. vt. [common] To make non-functional or greatly degraded in + performance. "That big ray-tracing program really hoses the system." + See [6921]hosed. 2. n. A narrow channel through which data flows under + pressure. Generally denotes data paths that represent performance + bottlenecks. 3. n. Cabling, especially thick Ethernet cable. This is + sometimes called `bit hose' or `hosery' (play on `hosiery') or + `etherhose'. See also [6922]washing machine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hosed, Next:[6923]hot chat, Previous:[6924]hose, Up:[6925]= H = + + hosed adj. + + Same as [6926]down. Used primarily by Unix hackers. Humorous: also + implies a condition thought to be relatively easy to reverse. Probably + derived from the Canadian slang `hoser' popularized by the Bob and + Doug Mackenzie skits on SCTV, but this usage predated SCTV by years in + hackerdom (it was certainly already live at CMU in the 1970s). See + [6927]hose. It is also widely used of people in the mainstream sense + of `in an extremely unfortunate situation'. + + Once upon a time, a Cray that had been experiencing periodic + difficulties crashed, and it was announced to have been hosed. It was + discovered that the crash was due to the disconnection of some coolant + hoses. The problem was corrected, and users were then assured that + everything was OK because the system had been rehosed. See also + [6928]dehose. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hot chat, Next:[6929]hot spot, Previous:[6930]hosed, Up:[6931]= H + = + + hot chat n. + + Sexually explicit one-on-one chat. See [6932]teledildonics. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hot spot, Next:[6933]hotlink, Previous:[6934]hot chat, Up:[6935]= + H = + + hot spot n. + + 1. [primarily used by C/Unix programmers, but spreading] It is + received wisdom that in most programs, less than 10% of the code eats + 90% of the execution time; if one were to graph instruction visits + versus code addresses, one would typically see a few huge spikes + amidst a lot of low-level noise. Such spikes are called `hot spots' + and are good candidates for heavy optimization or [6936]hand-hacking. + The term is especially used of tight loops and recursions in the + code's central algorithm, as opposed to (say) initial set-up costs or + large but infrequent I/O operations. See [6937]tune, [6938]bum, + [6939]hand-hacking. 2. The active location of a cursor on a bit-map + display. "Put the mouse's hot spot on the `ON' widget and click the + left button." 3. A screen region that is sensitive to mouse gestures, + which trigger some action. World Wide Web pages now provide the + [6940]canonical examples; WWW browsers present hypertext links as hot + spots which, when clicked on, point the browser at another document + (these are specifically called [6941]hotlinks). 4. In a massively + parallel computer with shared memory, the one location that all 10,000 + processors are trying to read or write at once (perhaps because they + are all doing a [6942]busy-wait on the same lock). 5. More generally, + any place in a hardware design that turns into a performance + bottleneck due to resource contention. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hotlink, Next:[6943]house wizard, Previous:[6944]hot spot, + Up:[6945]= H = + + hotlink /hot'link/ n. + + A [6946]hot spot on a World Wide Web page; an area, which, when + clicked or selected, chases a URL. Also spelled `hot link'. Use of + this term focuses on the link's role as an immediate part of your + display, as opposed to the timeless sense of logical connection + suggested by [6947]web pointer. Your screen shows hotlinks but your + document has web pointers, not (in normal usage) the other way around. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:house wizard, Next:[6948]HP-SUX, Previous:[6949]hotlink, + Up:[6950]= H = + + house wizard n. + + [prob. from ad-agency tradetalk, `house freak'] A hacker occupying a + technical-specialist, R&D, or systems position at a commercial shop. A + really effective house wizard can have influence out of all proportion + to his/her ostensible rank and still not have to wear a suit. Used + esp. of Unix wizards. The term `house guru' is equivalent. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HP-SUX, Next:[6951]HTH, Previous:[6952]house wizard, Up:[6953]= H + = + + HP-SUX /H-P suhks/ n. + + Unflattering hackerism for HP-UX, Hewlett-Packard's Unix port, which + features some truly unique bogosities in the filesystem internals and + elsewhere (these occasionally create portability problems). HP-UX is + often referred to as `hockey-pux' inside HP, and one respondent claims + that the proper pronunciation is /H-P ukkkhhhh/ as though one were + about to spit. Another such alternate spelling and pronunciation is + "H-PUX" /H-puhks/. Hackers at HP/Apollo (the former Apollo Computers + which was swallowed by HP in 1989) have been heard to complain that + Mr. Packard should have pushed to have his name first, if for no other + reason than the greater eloquence of the resulting acronym. Compare + [6954]AIDX, [6955]buglix. See also [6956]Nominal Semidestructor, + [6957]Telerat, [6958]ScumOS, [6959]sun-stools, [6960]Slowlaris. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:HTH, Next:[6961]huff, Previous:[6962]HP-SUX, Up:[6963]= H = + + HTH // + + [Usenet: very common] Abbreviation: Hope This Helps (e.g. following a + response to a technical question). Often used just before [6964]HAND. + See also [6965]YHBT. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:huff, Next:[6966]humma, Previous:[6967]HTH, Up:[6968]= H = + + huff v. + + To compress data using a Huffman code. Various programs that use such + methods have been called `HUFF' or some variant thereof. Oppose + [6969]puff. Compare [6970]crunch, [6971]compress. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:humma, Next:[6972]hung, Previous:[6973]huff, Up:[6974]= H = + + humma // excl. + + A filler word used on various `chat' and `talk' programs when you had + nothing to say but felt that it was important to say something. The + word apparently originated (at least with this definition) on the MECC + Timeshare System (MTS, a now-defunct educational time-sharing system + running in Minnesota during the 1970s and the early 1980s) but was + later sighted on early Unix systems. Compare the U.K's [6975]wibble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hung, Next:[6976]hungry puppy, Previous:[6977]humma, Up:[6978]= H + = + + hung adj. + + [from `hung up'; common] Equivalent to [6979]wedged, but more common + at Unix/C sites. Not generally used of people. Syn. with [6980]locked + up, [6981]wedged; compare [6982]hosed. See also [6983]hang. A hung + state is distinguished from [6984]crashed or [6985]down, where the + program or system is also unusable but because it is not running + rather than because it is waiting for something. However, the recovery + from both situations is often the same. It is also distinguished from + the similar but more drastic state [6986]wedged - hung software can be + woken up with easy things like interrupt keys, but wedged will need a + kill -9 or even reboot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hungry puppy, Next:[6987]hungus, Previous:[6988]hung, Up:[6989]= + H = + + hungry puppy n. + + Syn. [6990]slopsucker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hungus, Next:[6991]hyperspace, Previous:[6992]hungry puppy, + Up:[6993]= H = + + hungus /huhng'g*s/ adj. + + [perhaps related to slang `humongous'] Large, unwieldy, usually + unmanageable. "TCP is a hungus piece of code." "This is a hungus set + of modifications." The [6994]Infocom text adventure game "Beyond Zork" + included two monsters called hunguses. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hyperspace, Next:[6995]hysterical reasons, Previous:[6996]hungus, + Up:[6997]= H = + + hyperspace /hi:'per-spays/ n. + + A memory location that is far away from where the program counter + should be pointing, especially a place that is inaccessible because it + is not even mapped in by the virtual-memory system. "Another core dump + -- looks like the program jumped off to hyperspace somehow." (Compare + [6998]jump off into never-never land.) This usage is from the SF + notion of a spaceship jumping `into hyperspace', that is, taking a + shortcut through higher-dimensional space -- in other words, bypassing + this universe. The variant `east hyperspace' is recorded among CMU and + Bliss hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:hysterical reasons, Next:[6999]I didn't change anything!, + Previous:[7000]hyperspace, Up:[7001]= H = + + hysterical reasons n. + + (also `hysterical raisins') A variant on the stock phrase "for + historical reasons", indicating specifically that something must be + done in some stupid way for backwards compatibility, and moreover that + the feature it must be compatible with was the result of a bad design + in the first place. "All IBM PC video adapters have to support MDA + text mode for hysterical reasons." Compare [7002]bug-for-bug + compatible. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= I =, Next:[7003]= J =, Previous:[7004]= H =, Up:[7005]The + Jargon Lexicon + += I = + + * [7006]I didn't change anything!: + * [7007]I see no X here.: + * [7008]IANAL: + * [7009]IBM: + * [7010]IBM discount: + * [7011]ICBM address: + * [7012]ice: + * [7013]ID10T error: + * [7014]idempotent: + * [7015]IDP: + * [7016]If you want X you know where to find it.: + * [7017]ifdef out: + * [7018]IIRC: + * [7019]ill-behaved: + * [7020]IMHO: + * [7021]Imminent Death Of The Net Predicted!: + * [7022]in the extreme: + * [7023]inc: + * [7024]incantation: + * [7025]include: + * [7026]include war: + * [7027]indent style: + * [7028]index of X: + * [7029]infant mortality: + * [7030]infinite: + * [7031]infinite loop: + * [7032]Infinite-Monkey Theorem: + * [7033]infinity: + * [7034]inflate: + * [7035]Infocom: + * [7036]initgame: + * [7037]insanely great: + * [7038]installfest: + * [7039]INTERCAL: + * [7040]interesting: + * [7041]Internet: + * [7042]Internet address: + * [7043]Internet Death Penalty: + * [7044]Internet Exploder: + * [7045]Internet Exploiter: + * [7046]interrupt: + * [7047]interrupt list: + * [7048]interrupts locked out: + * [7049]intro: + * [7050]IRC: + * [7051]iron: + * [7052]Iron Age: + * [7053]iron box: + * [7054]ironmonger: + * [7055]ISO standard cup of tea: + * [7056]ISP: + * [7057]ITS: + * [7058]IWBNI: + * [7059]IYFEG: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:I didn't change anything!, Next:[7060]I see no X here., + Previous:[7061]hysterical reasons, Up:[7062]= I = + + I didn't change anything! interj. + + An aggrieved cry often heard as bugs manifest during a regression + test. The [7063]canonical reply to this assertion is "Then it works + just the same as it did before, doesn't it?" See also [7064]one-line + fix. This is also heard from applications programmers trying to blame + an obvious applications problem on an unrelated systems software + change, for example a divide-by-0 fault after terminals were added to + a network. Usually, their statement is found to be false. Upon close + questioning, they will admit some major restructuring of the program + that shouldn't have broken anything, in their opinion, but which + actually [7065]hosed the code completely. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:I see no X here., Next:[7066]IANAL, Previous:[7067]I didn't + change anything!, Up:[7068]= I = + + I see no X here. + + Hackers (and the interactive computer games they write) traditionally + favor this slightly marked usage over other possible equivalents such + as "There's no X here!" or "X is missing." or "Where's the X?". This + goes back to the original PDP-10 [7069]ADVENT, which would respond in + this wise if you asked it to do something involving an object not + present at your location in the game. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IANAL, Next:[7070]IBM, Previous:[7071]I see no X here., + Up:[7072]= I = + + IANAL // + + [Usenet] Abbreviation, "I Am Not A Lawyer". Usually precedes legal + advice. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IBM, Next:[7073]IBM discount, Previous:[7074]IANAL, Up:[7075]= I + = + + IBM /I-B-M/ + + Inferior But Marketable; It's Better Manually; Insidious Black Magic; + It's Been Malfunctioning; Incontinent Bowel Movement; and a + near-[7076]infinite number of even less complimentary expansions, + including `International Business Machines'. See [7077]TLA. These + abbreviations illustrate the considerable antipathy most hackers long + felt toward the `industry leader' (see [7078]fear and loathing). + + What galled hackers about most IBM machines above the PC level wasn't + so much that they were underpowered and overpriced (though that does + count against them), but that the designs are incredibly archaic, + [7079]crufty, and [7080]elephantine ... and you can't fix them -- + source code is locked up tight, and programming tools are expensive, + hard to find, and bletcherous to use once you've found them. For many + years, before Microsoft, IBM was the company hackers loved to hate. + + But everything changes. In the 1980s IBM had its own troubles with + Microsoft. In the late 1990s IBM re-invented itself as a services + company, began to release open-source software through its AlphaWorks + group, and began shipping [7081]Linux systems and building ties to the + Linux community. To the astonishment of all parties, IBM emerged as a + friend of the hacker community + + This lexicon includes a number of entries attributed to `IBM'; these + derive from some rampantly unofficial jargon lists circulated within + IBM's own beleaguered hacker underground. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IBM discount, Next:[7082]ICBM address, Previous:[7083]IBM, + Up:[7084]= I = + + IBM discount n. + + A price increase. Outside IBM, this derives from the common perception + that IBM products are generally overpriced (see [7085]clone); inside, + it is said to spring from a belief that large numbers of IBM employees + living in an area cause prices to rise. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ICBM address, Next:[7086]ice, Previous:[7087]IBM discount, + Up:[7088]= I = + + ICBM address n. + + (Also `missile address') The form used to register a site with the + Usenet mapping project, back before the day of pervasive Internet, + included a blank for longitude and latitude, preferably to + seconds-of-arc accuracy. This was actually used for generating + geographically-correct maps of Usenet links on a plotter; however, it + became traditional to refer to this as one's `ICBM address' or + `missile address', and some people include it in their [7089]sig block + with that name. (A real missile address would include target + elevation.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ice, Next:[7090]ID10T error, Previous:[7091]ICBM address, + Up:[7092]= I = + + ice n. + + [coined by Usenetter Tom Maddox, popularized by William Gibson's + cyberpunk SF novels: a contrived acronym for `Intrusion Countermeasure + Electronics'] Security software (in Gibson's novels, software that + responds to intrusion by attempting to immobilize or even literally + kill the intruder). Hence, `icebreaker': a program designed for + cracking security on a system. + + Neither term is in serious use yet as of early 1999, but many hackers + find the metaphor attractive, and each may develop a denotation in the + future. In the meantime, the speculative usage could be confused with + `ICE', an acronym for "in-circuit emulator". + + In ironic reference to the speculative usage, however, some hackers + and computer scientists formed ICE (International Cryptographic + Experiment) in 1994. ICE is a consortium to promote uniform + international access to strong cryptography. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ID10T error, Next:[7093]idempotent, Previous:[7094]ice, + Up:[7095]= I = + + ID10T error /I-D-ten-T er'*r/ + + Synonym for [7096]PEBKAC, e.g. "The user is being an idiot". + Tech-support people passing a problem report to someone higher up the + food chain (and presumably better equipped to deal with idiots) may + ask the user to convey that there seems to be an I-D-ten-T error. + Users never twig. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:idempotent, Next:[7097]IDP, Previous:[7098]ID10T error, + Up:[7099]= I = + + idempotent adj. + + [from mathematical techspeak] Acting as if used only once, even if + used multiple times. This term is often used with respect to [7100]C + header files, which contain common definitions and declarations to be + included by several source files. If a header file is ever included + twice during the same compilation (perhaps due to nested #include + files), compilation errors can result unless the header file has + protected itself against multiple inclusion; a header file so + protected is said to be idempotent. The term can also be used to + describe an initialization subroutine that is arranged to perform some + critical action exactly once, even if the routine is called several + times. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IDP, Next:[7101]If you want X you know where to find it., + Previous:[7102]idempotent, Up:[7103]= I = + + IDP /I-D-P/ v.,n. + + [Usenet] Abbreviation for [7104]Internet Death Penalty. Common + (probably now more so than the full form), and frequently verbed. + Compare [7105]UDP. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:If you want X you know where to find it., Next:[7106]ifdef out, + Previous:[7107]IDP, Up:[7108]= I = + + If you want X, you know where to find it. + + There is a legend that Dennis Ritchie, inventor of [7109]C, once + responded to demands for features resembling those of what at the time + was a much more popular language by observing "If you want PL/I, you + know where to find it." Ever since, this has been hackish standard + form for fending off requests to alter a new design to mimic some + older (and, by implication, inferior and [7110]baroque) one. The case + X = [7111]Pascal manifests semi-regularly on Usenet's comp.lang.c + newsgroup. Indeed, the case X = X has been reported in discussions of + graphics software (see [7112]X). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ifdef out, Next:[7113]IIRC, Previous:[7114]If you want X you know + where to find it., Up:[7115]= I = + + ifdef out /if'def owt/ v. + + Syn. for [7116]condition out, specific to [7117]C. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IIRC, Next:[7118]ill-behaved, Previous:[7119]ifdef out, + Up:[7120]= I = + + IIRC // + + Common abbreviation for "If I Recall Correctly". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ill-behaved, Next:[7121]IMHO, Previous:[7122]IIRC, Up:[7123]= I = + + ill-behaved adj. + + 1. [numerical analysis] Said of an algorithm or computational method + that tends to blow up because of accumulated roundoff error or poor + convergence properties. 2. Software that bypasses the defined [7124]OS + interfaces to do things (like screen, keyboard, and disk I/O) itself, + often in a way that depends on the hardware of the machine it is + running on or which is nonportable or incompatible with other pieces + of software. In the IBM PC/MS-DOS world, there is a folk theorem + (nearly true) to the effect that (owing to gross inadequacies and + performance penalties in the OS interface) all interesting + applications are ill-behaved. See also [7125]bare metal. Oppose + [7126]well-behaved, compare [7127]PC-ism. See [7128]mess-dos. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IMHO, Next:[7129]Imminent Death Of The Net Predicted!, + Previous:[7130]ill-behaved, Up:[7131]= I = + + IMHO // abbrev. + + [from SF fandom via Usenet; abbreviation for `In My Humble Opinion'] + "IMHO, mixed-case C names should be avoided, as mistyping something in + the wrong case can cause hard-to-detect errors -- and they look too + Pascalish anyhow." Also seen in variant forms such as IMNSHO (In My + Not-So-Humble Opinion) and IMAO (In My Arrogant Opinion). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Imminent Death Of The Net Predicted!, Next:[7132]in the extreme, + Previous:[7133]IMHO, Up:[7134]= I = + + Imminent Death Of The Net Predicted! prov. + + [Usenet] Since [7135]Usenet first got off the ground in 1980-81, it + has grown exponentially, approximately doubling in size every year. On + the other hand, most people feel the [7136]signal-to-noise ratio of + Usenet has dropped steadily. These trends led, as far back as + mid-1983, to predictions of the imminent collapse (or death) of the + net. Ten years and numerous doublings later, enough of these gloomy + prognostications have been confounded that the phrase "Imminent Death + Of The Net Predicted!" has become a running joke, hauled out any time + someone grumbles about the [7137]S/N ratio or the huge and steadily + increasing volume, or the possible loss of a key node or link, or the + potential for lawsuits when ignoramuses post copyrighted material, + etc., etc., etc. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:in the extreme, Next:[7138]inc, Previous:[7139]Imminent Death Of + The Net Predicted!, Up:[7140]= I = + + in the extreme adj. + + A preferred superlative suffix for many hackish terms. See, for + example, `obscure in the extreme' under [7141]obscure, and compare + [7142]highly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:inc, Next:[7143]incantation, Previous:[7144]in the extreme, + Up:[7145]= I = + + inc /ink/ v. + + Verbal (and only rarely written) shorthand for increment, i.e. + `increase by one'. Especially used by assembly programmers, as many + assembly languages have an inc mnemonic. Antonym: dec (see [7146]DEC). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:incantation, Next:[7147]include, Previous:[7148]inc, Up:[7149]= I + = + + incantation n. + + Any particularly arbitrary or obscure command that one must mutter at + a system to attain a desired result. Not used of passwords or other + explicit security features. Especially used of tricks that are so + poorly documented that they must be learned from a [7150]wizard. "This + compiler normally locates initialized data in the data segment, but if + you [7151]mutter the right incantation they will be forced into text + space." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:include, Next:[7152]include war, Previous:[7153]incantation, + Up:[7154]= I = + + include vt. + + [Usenet] 1. To duplicate a portion (or whole) of another's message + (typically with attribution to the source) in a reply or followup, for + clarifying the context of one's response. See the discussion of + inclusion styles under "Hacker Writing Style". 2. [from [7155]C] + #include <disclaimer.h> has appeared in [7156]sig blocks to refer to a + notional `standard [7157]disclaimer file'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:include war, Next:[7158]indent style, Previous:[7159]include, + Up:[7160]= I = + + include war n. + + Excessive multi-leveled inclusion within a discussion [7161]thread, a + practice that tends to annoy readers. In a forum with high-traffic + newsgroups, such as Usenet, this can lead to [7162]flames and the urge + to start a [7163]kill file. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:indent style, Next:[7164]index of X, Previous:[7165]include war, + Up:[7166]= I = + + indent style n. + + [C, C++, and Java programmers] The rules one uses to indent code in a + readable fashion. There are four major C indent styles, described + below; all have the aim of making it easier for the reader to visually + track the scope of control constructs. They have been inherited by C++ + and Java, which have C-like syntaxes. The significant variable is the + placement of { and } with respect to the statement(s) they enclose and + to the guard or controlling statement (if, else, for, while, or do) on + the block, if any. + + `K&R style' -- Named after Kernighan & Ritchie, because the examples + in [7167]K&R are formatted this way. Also called `kernel style' + because the Unix kernel is written in it, and the `One True Brace + Style' (abbrev. 1TBS) by its partisans. In C code, the body is + typically indented by eight spaces (or one tab) per level, as shown + here. Four spaces are occasionally seen in C, but in C++ and Java four + tends to be the rule rather than the exception. +if (<cond>) { + <body> +} + + `Allman style' -- Named for Eric Allman, a Berkeley hacker who wrote a + lot of the BSD utilities in it (it is sometimes called `BSD style'). + Resembles normal indent style in Pascal and Algol. It is the only + style other than K&R in widespread use among Java programmers. Basic + indent per level shown here is eight spaces, but four (or sometimes + three) spaces are generally preferred by C++ and Java programmers. +if (<cond>) +{ + <body> +} + + `Whitesmiths style' -- popularized by the examples that came with + Whitesmiths C, an early commercial C compiler. Basic indent per level + shown here is eight spaces, but four spaces are occasionally seen. +if (<cond>) + { + <body> + } + + `GNU style' -- Used throughout GNU EMACS and the Free Software + Foundation code, and just about nowhere else. Indents are always four + spaces per level, with { and } halfway between the outer and inner + indent levels. +if (<cond>) + { + <body> + } + + Surveys have shown the Allman and Whitesmiths styles to be the most + common, with about equal mind shares. K&R/1TBS used to be nearly + universal, but is now much less common in C (the opening brace tends + to get lost against the right paren of the guard part in an if or + while, which is a [7168]Bad Thing). Defenders of 1TBS argue that any + putative gain in readability is less important than their style's + relative economy with vertical space, which enables one to see more + code on one's screen at once. + + The Java Language Specification legislates not only the capitalization + of identifiers, but where nouns, adjectives, and verbs should be in + method, class, interface, and variable names (section 6.8). While the + specification stops short of also standardizing on a bracing style, + all source code originating from Sun Laboratories uses the K&R style. + This has set a precedent for Java programmers, which most follow. + + Doubtless these issues will continue to be the subject of [7169]holy + wars. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:index of X, Next:[7170]infant mortality, Previous:[7171]indent + style, Up:[7172]= I = + + index of X n. + + See [7173]coefficient of X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:infant mortality, Next:[7174]infinite, Previous:[7175]index of X, + Up:[7176]= I = + + infant mortality n. + + It is common lore among hackers (and in the electronics industry at + large; this term is possibly techspeak by now) that the chances of + sudden hardware failure drop off exponentially with a machine's time + since first use (that is, until the relatively distant time at which + enough mechanical wear in I/O devices and thermal-cycling stress in + components has accumulated for the machine to start going senile). Up + to half of all chip and wire failures happen within a new system's + first few weeks; such failures are often referred to as `infant + mortality' problems (or, occasionally, as `sudden infant death + syndrome'). See [7177]bathtub curve, [7178]burn-in period. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:infinite, Next:[7179]infinite loop, Previous:[7180]infant + mortality, Up:[7181]= I = + + infinite adj. + + [common] Consisting of a large number of objects; extreme. Used very + loosely as in: "This program produces infinite garbage." "He is an + infinite loser." The word most likely to follow `infinite', though, is + [7182]hair. (It has been pointed out that fractals are an excellent + example of infinite hair.) These uses are abuses of the word's + mathematical meaning. The term `semi-infinite', denoting an + immoderately large amount of some resource, is also heard. "This + compiler is taking a semi-infinite amount of time to optimize my + program." See also [7183]semi. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:infinite loop, Next:[7184]Infinite-Monkey Theorem, + Previous:[7185]infinite, Up:[7186]= I = + + infinite loop n. + + One that never terminates (that is, the machine [7187]spins or + [7188]buzzes forever and goes [7189]catatonic). There is a standard + joke that has been made about each generation's exemplar of the + ultra-fast machine: "The Cray-3 is so fast it can execute an infinite + loop in under 2 seconds!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Infinite-Monkey Theorem, Next:[7190]infinity, + Previous:[7191]infinite loop, Up:[7192]= I = + + Infinite-Monkey Theorem n. + + "If you put an [7193]infinite number of monkeys at typewriters, + eventually one will bash out the script for Hamlet." (One may also + hypothesize a small number of monkeys and a very long period of time.) + This theorem asserts nothing about the intelligence of the one + [7194]random monkey that eventually comes up with the script (and note + that the mob will also type out all the possible incorrect versions of + Hamlet). It may be referred to semi-seriously when justifying a + [7195]brute force method; the implication is that, with enough + resources thrown at it, any technical challenge becomes a + [7196]one-banana problem. This argument gets more respect since + [7197]Linux justified the [7198]bazaar mode of development. + + This theorem was first popularized by the astronomer Sir Arthur + Eddington. It became part of the idiom of techies via the classic SF + short story "Inflexible Logic" by Russell Maloney, and many younger + hackers know it through a reference in Douglas Adams's "Hitchhiker's + Guide to the Galaxy". On 1 April 2000 the usage acquired its own + Internet standard, [7199]http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2795.txt + (Infinite Monkey Protocol Suite). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:infinity, Next:[7200]inflate, Previous:[7201]Infinite-Monkey + Theorem, Up:[7202]= I = + + infinity n. + + 1. The largest value that can be represented in a particular type of + variable (register, memory location, data type, whatever). 2. `minus + infinity': The smallest such value, not necessarily or even usually + the simple negation of plus infinity. In N-bit twos-complement + arithmetic, infinity is 2^(N-1) - 1 but minus infinity is - (2^(N-1)), + not -(2^(N-1) - 1). Note also that this is different from time T + equals minus infinity, which is closer to a mathematician's usage of + infinity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:inflate, Next:[7203]Infocom, Previous:[7204]infinity, Up:[7205]= + I = + + inflate vt. + + To decompress or [7206]puff a file. Rare among Internet hackers, used + primarily by MS-DOS/Windows types. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Infocom, Next:[7207]initgame, Previous:[7208]inflate, Up:[7209]= + I = + + Infocom n. + + A now-legendary games company, active from 1979 to 1989, that + commercialized the MDL parser technology used for [7210]Zork to + produce a line of text adventure games that remain favorites among + hackers. Infocom's games were intelligent, funny, witty, erudite, + irreverent, challenging, satirical, and most thoroughly hackish in + spirit. The physical game packages from Infocom are now prized + collector's items. After being acquired by Activision in 1989 they did + a few more "modern" (e.g. graphics-intensive) games which were less + successful than reissues of their classics. + + The software, thankfully, is still extant; Infocom games were written + in a kind of P-code and distributed with a P-code interpreter core, + and not only freeware emulators for that interpreter but an actual + compiler as well have been written to permit the P-code to be run on + platforms the games never originally graced. In fact, new games + written in this P-code are still bering written. (Emulators that can + run Infocom game ZIPs, and new games, are available at + [7211]ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu:/doc/misc/if-archive/infocom.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:initgame, Next:[7212]insanely great, Previous:[7213]Infocom, + Up:[7214]= I = + + initgame /in-it'gaym/ n. + + [IRC] An [7215]IRC version of the trivia game "Botticelli", in which + one user changes his [7216]nick to the initials of a famous person or + other named entity, and the others on the channel ask yes or no + questions, with the one to guess the person getting to be "it" next. + As a courtesy, the one picking the initials starts by providing a + 4-letter hint of the form sex, nationality, life-status, + reality-status. For example, MAAR means "Male, American, Alive, Real" + (as opposed to "fictional"). Initgame can be surprisingly addictive. + See also [7217]hing. + + [1996 update: a recognizable version of the initgame has become a + staple of some radio talk shows in the U.S. We had it first! - ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:insanely great, Next:[7218]installfest, Previous:[7219]initgame, + Up:[7220]= I = + + insanely great adj. + + [Mac community, from Steve Jobs; also BSD Unix people via Bill Joy] + Something so incredibly [7221]elegant that it is imaginable only to + someone possessing the most puissant of [7222]hacker-natures. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:installfest, Next:[7223]INTERCAL, Previous:[7224]insanely great, + Up:[7225]= I = + + installfest + + [Linux community since c.1998] Common portmanteau word for + "installation festival"; Linux user groups frequently run these. + Computer users are invited to bring their machines to have Linux + installed on their machines. The idea is to get them painlessly over + the biggest hump in migrating to Linux, which is initially installing + and configuring it for the user's machine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:INTERCAL, Next:[7226]interesting, Previous:[7227]installfest, + Up:[7228]= I = + + INTERCAL /in't*r-kal/ n. + + [said by the authors to stand for `Compiler Language With No + Pronounceable Acronym'] A computer language designed by Don Woods and + James Lyons in 1972. INTERCAL is purposely different from all other + computer languages in all ways but one; it is purely a written + language, being totally unspeakable. An excerpt from the INTERCAL + Reference Manual will make the style of the language clear: + + It is a well-known and oft-demonstrated fact that a person whose + work is incomprehensible is held in high esteem. For example, if + one were to state that the simplest way to store a value of 65536 + in a 32-bit INTERCAL variable is: +DO :1 <- #0$#256 + + any sensible programmer would say that that was absurd. Since this + is indeed the simplest method, the programmer would be made to look + foolish in front of his boss, who would of course have happened to + turn up, as bosses are wont to do. The effect would be no less + devastating for the programmer having been correct. + + INTERCAL has many other peculiar features designed to make it even + more unspeakable. The Woods-Lyons implementation was actually used by + many (well, at least several) people at Princeton. The language has + been recently reimplemented as C-INTERCAL and is consequently enjoying + an unprecedented level of unpopularity; there is even an + alt.lang.intercal newsgroup devoted to the study and ... appreciation + of the language on Usenet. + + Inevitably, INTERCAL has a home page on the Web: + [7229]http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/intercal/. An extended version, + implemented in (what else?) [7230]Perl and adding object-oriented + features, is available at [7231]http://dd-sh.assurdo.com/INTERCAL. See + also [7232]Befunge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:interesting, Next:[7233]Internet, Previous:[7234]INTERCAL, + Up:[7235]= I = + + interesting adj. + + In hacker parlance, this word has strong connotations of `annoying', + or `difficult', or both. Hackers relish a challenge, and enjoy + wringing all the irony possible out of the ancient Chinese curse "May + you live in interesting times". Oppose [7236]trivial, + [7237]uninteresting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Internet, Next:[7238]Internet address, + Previous:[7239]interesting, Up:[7240]= I = + + Internet n. + + The mother of all networks. First incarnated beginning in 1969 as the + ARPANET, a U.S. Department of Defense research testbed. Though it has + been widely believed that the goal was to develop a network + architecture for military command-and-control that could survive + disruptions up to and including nuclear war, this is a myth; in fact, + ARPANET was conceived from the start as a way to get most economical + use out of then-scarce large-computer resources. + + As originally imagined, ARPANET's major use would have been to support + what is now called remote login and more sophisticated forms of + distributed computing, but the infant technology of electronic mail + quickly grew to dominate actual usage. Universities, research labs and + defense contractors early discovered the Internet's potential as a + medium of communication between humans and linked up in steadily + increasing numbers, connecting together a quirky mix of academics, + techies, hippies, SF fans, hackers, and anarchists. The roots of this + lexicon lie in those early years. + + Over the next quarter-century the Internet evolved in many ways. The + typical machine/OS combination moved from [7241]DEC [7242]PDP-10s and + [7243]PDP-20s, running [7244]TOPS-10 and [7245]TOPS-20, to PDP-11s and + VAXes and Suns running [7246]Unix, and in the 1990s to Unix on Intel + microcomputers. The Internet's protocols grew more capable, most + notably in the move from NCP/IP to [7247]TCP/IP in 1982 and the + implementation of Domain Name Service in 1983. It was around this time + that people began referring to the collection of interconnected + networks with ARPANET at its core as "the Internet". + + The ARPANET had a fairly strict set of participation guidelines - + connected institutions had to be involved with a DOD-related research + project. By the mid-80s, many of the organizations clamoring to join + didn't fit this profile. In 1986, the National Science Foundation + built NSFnet to open up access to its five regional supercomputing + centers; NSFnet became the backbone of the Internet, replacing the + original ARPANET pipes (which were formally shut down in 1990). + Between 1990 and late 1994 the pieces of NSFnet were sold to major + telecommunications companies until the Internet backbone had gone + completely commercial. + + That year, 1994, was also the year the mainstream culture discovered + the Internet. Once again, the [7248]killer app was not the anticipated + one - rather, what caught the public imagination was the hypertext and + multimedia features of the World Wide Web. Subsequently the Internet + has seen off its only serious challenger (the OSI protocol stack + favored by European telecom monopolies) and is in the process of + absorbing into itself many of the proprietary networks built during + the second wave of wide-area networking after 1980. It is now (1996) a + commonplace even in mainstream media to predict that a + globally-extended Internet will become the key unifying communications + technology of the next century. See also [7249]the network and + [7250]Internet address. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Internet address, Next:[7251]Internet Death Penalty, + Previous:[7252]Internet, Up:[7253]= I = + + Internet address n. + + 1. [techspeak] An absolute network address of the form foo@bar.baz, + where foo is a user name, bar is a [7254]sitename, and baz is a + `domain' name, possibly including periods itself. Contrast with + [7255]bang path; see also [7256]the network and [7257]network address. + All Internet machines and most UUCP sites can now resolve these + addresses, thanks to a large amount of behind-the-scenes magic and + [7258]PD software written since 1980 or so. See also [7259]bang path, + [7260]domainist. 2. More loosely, any network address reachable + through Internet; this includes [7261]bang path addresses and some + internal corporate and government networks. + + Reading Internet addresses is something of an art. Here are the four + most important top-level functional Internet domains followed by a + selection of geographical domains: + + com + commercial organizations + + edu + educational institutions + + gov + U.S. government civilian sites + + mil + U.S. military sites + + Note that most of the sites in the com and edu domains are in the U.S. + or Canada. + + us + sites in the U.S. outside the functional domains + + su + sites in the ex-Soviet Union (see [7262]kremvax). + + uk + sites in the United Kingdom + + Within the us domain, there are subdomains for the fifty states, each + generally with a name identical to the state's postal abbreviation. + Within the uk domain, there is an ac subdomain for academic sites and + a co domain for commercial ones. Other top-level domains may be + divided up in similar ways. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Internet Death Penalty, Next:[7263]Internet Exploder, + Previous:[7264]Internet address, Up:[7265]= I = + + Internet Death Penalty + + [Usenet] (often abbreviated IDP) The ultimate sanction against + [7266]spam-emitting sites - complete shunning at the router level of + all mail and packets, as well as Usenet messages, from the offending + domain(s). Compare [7267]Usenet Death Penalty, with which it is + sometimes confused. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Internet Exploder, Next:[7268]Internet Exploiter, + Previous:[7269]Internet Death Penalty, Up:[7270]= I = + + Internet Exploder + + [very common] Pejorative hackerism for Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" + web browser (also "Internet Exploiter"). Compare [7271]HP-SUX, + [7272]AIDX, [7273]buglix, [7274]Macintrash, [7275]Telerat, + [7276]ScumOS, [7277]sun-stools, [7278]Slowlaris. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Internet Exploiter, Next:[7279]interrupt, Previous:[7280]Internet + Exploder, Up:[7281]= I = + + Internet Exploiter n. + + Another common name-of-insult for Internet Explorer, Microsoft's + overweight Web Browser; more hostile than [7282]Internet Exploder. + Reflects widespread hostility to Microsoft and a sense that it is + seeking to hijack, monopolize, and corrupt the Internet. Compare + [7283]Exploder and the less pejorative [7284]Netscrape. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:interrupt, Next:[7285]interrupt list, Previous:[7286]Internet + Exploiter, Up:[7287]= I = + + interrupt + + 1. [techspeak] n. On a computer, an event that interrupts normal + processing and temporarily diverts flow-of-control through an + "interrupt handler" routine. See also [7288]trap. 2. interj. A request + for attention from a hacker. Often explicitly spoken. "Interrupt -- + have you seen Joe recently?" See [7289]priority interrupt. 3. Under + MS-DOS, nearly synonymous with `system call', because the OS and BIOS + routines are both called using the INT instruction (see + [7290]interrupt list) and because programmers so often have to bypass + the OS (going directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable + performance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:interrupt list, Next:[7291]interrupts locked out, + Previous:[7292]interrupt, Up:[7293]= I = + + interrupt list n. + + [MS-DOS] The list of all known software interrupt calls (both + documented and undocumented) for IBM PCs and compatibles, maintained + and made available for free redistribution by Ralf Brown + [7294]<ralf@cs.cmu.edu>. As of late 1992, it had grown to + approximately two megabytes in length. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:interrupts locked out, Next:[7295]intro, Previous:[7296]interrupt + list, Up:[7297]= I = + + interrupts locked out adj. + + When someone is ignoring you. In a restaurant, after several fruitless + attempts to get the waitress's attention, a hacker might well observe + "She must have interrupts locked out". The synonym `interrupts + disabled' is also common. Variations abound; "to have one's interrupt + mask bit set" and "interrupts masked out" are also heard. See also + [7298]spl. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:intro, Next:[7299]IRC, Previous:[7300]interrupts locked out, + Up:[7301]= I = + + intro n. + + [[7302]demoscene] Introductory [7303]screen of some production. 2. A + short [7304]demo, usually showing just one or two [7305]screens. 3. + Small, usually 64k, 40k or 4k [7306]demo. Sizes are generally dictated + by [7307]compo rules. See also [7308]dentro, [7309]demo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IRC, Next:[7310]iron, Previous:[7311]intro, Up:[7312]= I = + + IRC /I-R-C/ n. + + [Internet Relay Chat] A worldwide "party line" network that allows one + to converse with others in real time. IRC is structured as a network + of Internet servers, each of which accepts connections from client + programs, one per user. The IRC community and the [7313]Usenet and + [7314]MUD communities overlap to some extent, including both hackers + and regular folks who have discovered the wonders of computer + networks. Some Usenet jargon has been adopted on IRC, as have some + conventions such as [7315]emoticons. There is also a vigorous native + jargon, represented in this lexicon by entries marked `[IRC]'. See + also [7316]talk mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:iron, Next:[7317]Iron Age, Previous:[7318]IRC, Up:[7319]= I = + + iron n. + + Hardware, especially older and larger hardware of [7320]mainframe + class with big metal cabinets housing relatively low-density + electronics (but the term is also used of modern supercomputers). + Often in the phrase [7321]big iron. Oppose [7322]silicon. See also + [7323]dinosaur. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Iron Age, Next:[7324]iron box, Previous:[7325]iron, Up:[7326]= I + = + + Iron Age n. + + In the history of computing, 1961-1971 -- the formative era of + commercial [7327]mainframe technology, when ferrite-core + [7328]dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron Age began, ironically + enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer (the PDP-1) and + ended with the introduction of the first commercial microprocessor + (the Intel 4004) in 1971. See also [7329]Stone Age; compare + [7330]elder days. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:iron box, Next:[7331]ironmonger, Previous:[7332]Iron Age, + Up:[7333]= I = + + iron box n. + + [Unix/Internet] A special environment set up to trap a [7334]cracker + logging in over remote connections long enough to be traced. May + include a modified [7335]shell restricting the cracker's movements in + unobvious ways, and `bait' files designed to keep him interested and + logged on. See also [7336]back door, [7337]firewall machine, + [7338]Venus flytrap, and Clifford Stoll's account in "[7339]The + Cuckoo's Egg" of how he made and used one (see the [7340]Bibliography + in Appendix C). Compare [7341]padded cell, [7342]honey pot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ironmonger, Next:[7343]ISO standard cup of tea, + Previous:[7344]iron box, Up:[7345]= I = + + ironmonger n. + + [IBM] A hardware specialist (derogatory). Compare [7346]sandbender, + [7347]polygon pusher. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ISO standard cup of tea, Next:[7348]ISP, + Previous:[7349]ironmonger, Up:[7350]= I = + + ISO standard cup of tea n. + + [South Africa] A cup of tea with milk and one teaspoon of sugar, where + the milk is poured into the cup before the tea. Variations are ISO 0, + with no sugar; ISO 2, with two spoons of sugar; and so on. This may + derive from the "NATO standard" cup of coffee and tea (milk and two + sugars), military slang going back to the late 1950s and parodying + NATO's relentless bureacratic drive to standardize parts across + European and U.S. militaries. + + Like many ISO standards, this one has a faintly alien ring in North + America, where hackers generally shun the decadent British practice of + adulterating perfectly good tea with dairy products and prefer instead + to add a wedge of lemon, if anything. If one were feeling extremely + silly, one might hypothesize an analogous `ANSI standard cup of tea' + and wind up with a political situation distressingly similar to + several that arise in much more serious technical contexts. (Milk and + lemon don't mix very well.) + + [2000 update: There is now, in fact, a `British Standard BS6008: How + to make a standard cup of tea.' - ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ISP, Next:[7351]ITS, Previous:[7352]ISO standard cup of tea, + Up:[7353]= I = + + ISP /I-S-P/ + + Common abbreviation for Internet Service Provider, a kind of company + that barely existed before 1993. ISPs sell Internet access to the mass + market. While the big nationwide commercial BBSs with Internet access + (like America Online, CompuServe, GEnie, Netcom, etc.) are technically + ISPs, the term is usually reserved for local or regional small + providers (often run by hackers turned entrepreneurs) who resell + Internet access cheaply without themselves being information providers + or selling advertising. Compare [7354]NSP. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ITS, Next:[7355]IWBNI, Previous:[7356]ISP, Up:[7357]= I = + + ITS /I-T-S/ n. + + 1. Incompatible Time-sharing System, an influential though highly + idiosyncratic operating system written for PDP-6s and PDP-10s at MIT + and long used at the MIT AI Lab. Much AI-hacker jargon derives from + ITS folklore, and to have been `an ITS hacker' qualifies one instantly + as an old-timer of the most venerable sort. ITS pioneered many + important innovations, including transparent file sharing between + machines and terminal-independent I/O. After about 1982, most actual + work was shifted to newer machines, with the remaining ITS boxes run + essentially as a hobby and service to the hacker community. The + shutdown of the lab's last ITS machine in May 1990 marked the end of + an era and sent old-time hackers into mourning nationwide (see + [7358]high moby). 2. A mythical image of operating-system perfection + worshiped by a bizarre, fervent retro-cult of old-time hackers and + ex-users (see [7359]troglodyte, sense 2). ITS worshipers manage + somehow to continue believing that an OS maintained by + assembly-language hand-hacking that supported only monocase + 6-character filenames in one directory per account remains superior to + today's state of commercial art (their venom against [7360]Unix is + particularly intense). See also [7361]holy wars, [7362]Weenix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IWBNI, Next:[7363]IYFEG, Previous:[7364]ITS, Up:[7365]= I = + + IWBNI // + + Abbreviation for `It Would Be Nice If'. Compare [7366]WIBNI. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:IYFEG, Next:[7367]J. Random, Previous:[7368]IWBNI, Up:[7369]= I = + + IYFEG // + + [Usenet] Abbreviation for `Insert Your Favorite Ethnic Group'. Used as + a meta-name when telling ethnic jokes on the net to avoid offending + anyone. See [7370]JEDR. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= J =, Next:[7371]= K =, Previous:[7372]= I =, Up:[7373]The + Jargon Lexicon + += J = + + * [7374]J. Random: + * [7375]J. Random Hacker: + * [7376]jack in: + * [7377]jaggies: + * [7378]Java: + * [7379]JCL: + * [7380]JEDR: + * [7381]Jeff K.: + * [7382]jello: + * [7383]jiffy: + * [7384]job security: + * [7385]jock: + * [7386]joe code: + * [7387]jolix: + * [7388]juggling eggs: + * [7389]jump off into never-never land: + * [7390]jupiter: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:J. Random, Next:[7391]J. Random Hacker, Previous:[7392]IYFEG, + Up:[7393]= J = + + J. Random /J rand'm/ n. + + [common; generalized from [7394]J. Random Hacker] Arbitrary; ordinary; + any one; any old. `J. Random' is often prefixed to a noun to make a + name out of it. It means roughly `some particular' or `any specific + one'. "Would you let J. Random Loser marry your daughter?" The most + common uses are `J. Random Hacker', `J. Random Loser', and `J. Random + Nerd' ("Should J. Random Loser be allowed to [7395]gun down other + people?"), but it can be used simply as an elaborate version of + [7396]random in any sense. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:J. Random Hacker, Next:[7397]jack in, Previous:[7398]J. Random, + Up:[7399]= J = + + J. Random Hacker /J rand'm hak'r/ n. + + [very common] A mythical figure like the Unknown Soldier; the + archetypal hacker nerd. This term is one of the oldest in the jargon, + apparently going back to MIT in the 1960s. See [7400]random, + [7401]Suzie COBOL. This may originally have been inspired by `J. Fred + Muggs', a show-biz chimpanzee whose name was a household word back in + the early days of [7402]TMRC, and was probably influenced by `J. + Presper Eckert' (one of the co-inventors of the electronic computer). + See also [7403]Fred Foobar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jack in, Next:[7404]jaggies, Previous:[7405]J. Random Hacker, + Up:[7406]= J = + + jack in v. + + To log on to a machine or connect to a network or [7407]BBS, esp. for + purposes of entering a [7408]virtual reality simulation such as a + [7409]MUD or [7410]IRC (leaving is "jacking out"). This term derives + from [7411]cyberpunk SF, in which it was used for the act of plugging + an electrode set into neural sockets in order to interface the brain + directly to a virtual reality. It is primarily used by MUD and IRC + fans and younger hackers on BBS systems. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jaggies, Next:[7412]Java, Previous:[7413]jack in, Up:[7414]= J = + + jaggies /jag'eez/ n. + + The `stairstep' effect observable when an edge (esp. a linear edge of + very shallow or steep slope) is rendered on a pixel device (as opposed + to a vector display). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Java, Next:[7415]JCL, Previous:[7416]jaggies, Up:[7417]= J = + + Java + + An object-oriented language originally developed at Sun by James + Gosling (and known by the name "Oak") with the intention of being the + successor to [7418]C++ (the project was however originally sold to Sun + as an embedded language for use in set-top boxes). After the great + Internet explosion of 1993-1994, Java was hacked into a + byte-interpreted language and became the focus of a relentless hype + campaign by Sun, which touted it as the new language of choice for + distributed applications. + + Java is indeed a stronger and cleaner design than C++ and has been + embraced by many in the hacker community - but it has been a + considerable source of frustration to many others, for reasons ranging + from uneven support on different Web browser platforms, performance + issues, and some notorious deficiencies of some of the standard + toolkits (AWT in particular). [7419]Microsoft's determined attempts to + corrupt the language (which it rightly sees as a threat to its OS + monopoly) have not helped. As of 1999, these issues are still in the + process of being resolved. + + Despite many attractive features and a good design, it is difficult to + find people willing to praise Java who have tried to implement a + complex, real-world system with it (but to be fair it is early days + yet, and no other language has ever been forced to spend its childhood + under the limelight the way Java has). On the other hand, Java has + already been a big [7420]win in academic circles, where it has taken + the place of [7421]Pascal as the preferred tool for teaching the + basics of good programming to the next generation of hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:JCL, Next:[7422]JEDR, Previous:[7423]Java, Up:[7424]= J = + + JCL /J-C-L/ n. + + 1. IBM's supremely [7425]rude Job Control Language. JCL is the script + language used to control the execution of programs in IBM's batch + systems. JCL has a very [7426]fascist syntax, and some versions will, + for example, [7427]barf if two spaces appear where it expects one. + Most programmers confronted with JCL simply copy a working file (or + card deck), changing the file names. Someone who actually understands + and generates unique JCL is regarded with the mixed respect one gives + to someone who memorizes the phone book. It is reported that hackers + at IBM itself sometimes sing "Who's the breeder of the crud that + mangles you and me? I-B-M, J-C-L, M-o-u-s-e" to the tune of the + "Mickey Mouse Club" theme to express their opinion of the beast. 2. A + comparative for any very [7428]rude software that a hacker is expected + to use. "That's as bad as JCL." As with [7429]COBOL, JCL is often used + as an archetype of ugliness even by those who haven't experienced it. + See also [7430]IBM, [7431]fear and loathing. + + A (poorly documented, naturally) shell simulating JCL syntax is + available at the Retrocomputing Museum + [7432]http://www.ccil.org/retro. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:JEDR, Next:[7433]Jeff K., Previous:[7434]JCL, Up:[7435]= J = + + JEDR // n. + + Synonymous with [7436]IYFEG. At one time, people in the Usenet + newsgroup rec.humor.funny tended to use `JEDR' instead of [7437]IYFEG + or `<ethnic>'; this stemmed from a public attempt to suppress the + group once made by a loser with initials JEDR after he was offended by + an ethnic joke posted there. (The practice was [7438]retconned by the + expanding these initials as `Joke Ethnic/Denomination/Race'.) After + much sound and fury JEDR faded away; this term appears to be doing + likewise. JEDR's only permanent effect on the net.culture was to + discredit `sensitivity' arguments for censorship so thoroughly that + more recent attempts to raise them have met with immediate and + near-universal rejection. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Jeff K., Next:[7439]jello, Previous:[7440]JEDR, Up:[7441]= J = + + Jeff K. + + The spiritual successor to [7442]B1FF and the archetype of + [7443]script kiddies. Jeff K. is a sixteen-year-old suburbanite who + fancies himself a "l33t haX0r", although his knowledge of computers + seems to be limited to the procedure for getting Quake up and running. + His Web page [7444]http://www.somethingawful.com/jeffk features a + number of hopelessly naive articles, essays, and rants, all filled + with the kind of misspellings, [7445]studlycaps, and number-for-letter + substitutions endemic to the script kiddie and [7446]warez d00dz + communities. Jeff's offerings, among other things, include hardware + advice (such as "AMD VERSIS PENTIUM" and "HOW TO OVARCLOAK YOUR + COMPUTAR"), his own Quake clan (Clan 40 OUNSCE), and his own comic + strip (Wacky Fun Computar Comic Jokes). + + Like B1FF, Jeff K. is (fortunately) a hoax. Jeff K. was created by + internet game journalist Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka, whose web site + Something Awful (http://www.somethingawful.com) highlights + unintentionally humorous news items and Web sites, as a parody of the + kind of teenage [7447]luser who infests Quake servers, chat rooms, and + other places where computer enthusiasts congregate. He is + well-recognized in the PC game community and his influence has spread + to hacker [7448]fora like Slashdot as well. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jello, Next:[7449]jiffy, Previous:[7450]Jeff K., Up:[7451]= J = + + jello n. + + [Usenet: by analogy with [7452]spam] A message that is both + excessively cross-posted and too frequently posted, as opposed to + [7453]spam (which is merely too frequently posted) or [7454]velveeta + (which is merely excessively cross-posted). This term is widely + recognized but not commonly used; most people refer to both kinds of + abuse or their combination as spam. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jiffy, Next:[7455]job security, Previous:[7456]jello, Up:[7457]= + J = + + jiffy n. + + 1. The duration of one tick of the system clock on your computer (see + [7458]tick). Often one AC cycle time (1/60 second in the U.S. and + Canada, 1/50 most other places), but more recently 1/100 sec has + become common. "The swapper runs every 6 jiffies" means that the + virtual memory management routine is executed once for every 6 ticks + of the clock, or about ten times a second. 2. Confusingly, the term is + sometimes also used for a 1-millisecond [7459]wall time interval. 3. + Even more confusingly, physicists semi-jokingly use `jiffy' to mean + the time required for light to travel one foot in a vacuum, which + turns out to be close to one nanosecond. 4. Indeterminate time from a + few seconds to forever. "I'll do it in a jiffy" means certainly not + now and possibly never. This is a bit contrary to the more widespread + use of the word. Oppose [7460]nano. See also [7461]Real Soon Now. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:job security, Next:[7462]jock, Previous:[7463]jiffy, Up:[7464]= J + = + + job security n. + + When some piece of code is written in a particularly [7465]obscure + fashion, and no good reason (such as time or space optimization) can + be discovered, it is often said that the programmer was attempting to + increase his job security (i.e., by making himself indispensable for + maintenance). This sour joke seldom has to be said in full; if two + hackers are looking over some code together and one points at a + section and says "job security", the other one may just nod. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jock, Next:[7466]joe code, Previous:[7467]job security, + Up:[7468]= J = + + jock n. + + 1. A programmer who is characterized by large and somewhat brute-force + programs. See [7469]brute force. 2. When modified by another noun, + describes a specialist in some particular computing area. The + compounds `compiler jock' and `systems jock' seem to be the + best-established examples. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:joe code, Next:[7470]jolix, Previous:[7471]jock, Up:[7472]= J = + + joe code /joh' kohd`/ n. + + 1. Code that is overly [7473]tense and unmaintainable. "[7474]Perl may + be a handy program, but if you look at the source, it's complete joe + code." 2. Badly written, possibly buggy code. + + Correspondents wishing to remain anonymous have fingered a particular + Joe at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and observed that usage has + drifted slightly; the original sobriquet `Joe code' was intended in + sense 1. + + 1994 update: This term has now generalized to `<name> code', used to + designate code with distinct characteristics traceable to its author. + "This section doesn't check for a NULL return from malloc()! Oh. No + wonder! It's Ed code!". Used most often with a programmer who has left + the shop and thus is a convenient scapegoat for anything that is wrong + with the project. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jolix, Next:[7475]juggling eggs, Previous:[7476]joe code, + Up:[7477]= J = + + jolix /joh'liks/ n.,adj. + + 386BSD, the freeware port of the BSD Net/2 release to the Intel i386 + architecture by Bill Jolitz, Lynne Greer Jolitz, and friends. Used to + differentiate from BSDI's port based on the same source tape, which + used to be called BSD/386 and is now BSD/OS. See [7478]BSD. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:juggling eggs, Next:[7479]jump off into never-never land, + Previous:[7480]jolix, Up:[7481]= J = + + juggling eggs vi. + + Keeping a lot of [7482]state in your head while modifying a program. + "Don't bother me now, I'm juggling eggs", means that an interrupt is + likely to result in the program's being scrambled. In the classic 1975 + first-contact SF novel "The Mote in God's Eye", by Larry Niven and + Jerry Pournelle, an alien describes a very difficult task by saying + "We juggle priceless eggs in variable gravity." See also [7483]hack + mode and [7484]on the gripping hand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jump off into never-never land, Next:[7485]jupiter, + Previous:[7486]juggling eggs, Up:[7487]= J = + + jump off into never-never land v. + + [from J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan"] Same as [7488]branch to Fishkill, + but more common in technical cultures associated with non-IBM + computers that use the term `jump' rather than `branch'. Compare + [7489]hyperspace. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:jupiter, Next:[7490]K, Previous:[7491]jump off into never-never + land, Up:[7492]= J = + + jupiter vt. + + [IRC] To kill an [7493]IRC [7494]bot or user and then take its place + by adopting its [7495]nick so that it cannot reconnect. Named after a + particular IRC user who did this to NickServ, the robot in charge of + preventing people from inadvertently using a nick claimed by another + user. Now commonly shortened to `jupe'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= K =, Next:[7496]= L =, Previous:[7497]= J =, Up:[7498]The + Jargon Lexicon + += K = + + * [7499]K: + * [7500]K&R: + * [7501]k-: + * [7502]kahuna: + * [7503]kamikaze packet: + * [7504]kangaroo code: + * [7505]ken: + * [7506]kernel-of-the-week club: + * [7507]kgbvax: + * [7508]KIBO: + * [7509]kiboze: + * [7510]kibozo: + * [7511]kick: + * [7512]kill file: + * [7513]killer app: + * [7514]killer micro: + * [7515]killer poke: + * [7516]kilo-: + * [7517]KIPS: + * [7518]KISS Principle: + * [7519]kit: + * [7520]klone: + * [7521]kludge: + * [7522]kluge: + * [7523]kluge around: + * [7524]kluge up: + * [7525]Knights of the Lambda Calculus: + * [7526]knobs: + * [7527]Knuth: + * [7528]koan: + * [7529]kremvax: + * [7530]kyrka: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:K, Next:[7531]K&R, Previous:[7532]jupiter, Up:[7533]= K = + + K /K/ n. + + [from [7534]kilo-] A kilobyte. Used both as a spoken word and a + written suffix (like [7535]meg and [7536]gig for megabyte and + gigabyte). See [7537]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:K&R, Next:[7538]k-, Previous:[7539]K, Up:[7540]= K = + + K&R [Kernighan and Ritchie] n. + + Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie's book "The C Programming + Language", esp. the classic and influential first edition + (Prentice-Hall 1978; ISBN 0-13-110163-3). Syn. [7541]White Book, + [7542]Old Testament. See also [7543]New Testament. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:k-, Next:[7544]kahuna, Previous:[7545]K&R, Up:[7546]= K = + + k- pref. + + [rare; poss fr. `kilo-' prefix] Extremely. Rare among hackers, but + quite common among crackers and [7547]warez d00dz in compounds such as + `k-kool' /K'kool'/, `k-rad' /K'rad'/, and `k-awesome' /K'aw`sm/. Also + used to intensify negatives; thus, `k-evil', `k-lame', `k-screwed', + and `k-annoying'. Overuse of this prefix, or use in more formal or + technical contexts, is considered an indicator of [7548]lamer status. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kahuna, Next:[7549]kamikaze packet, Previous:[7550]k-, Up:[7551]= + K = + + kahuna /k*-hoo'n*/ n. + + [IBM: from the Hawaiian title for a shaman] Synonym for [7552]wizard, + [7553]guru. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kamikaze packet, Next:[7554]kangaroo code, Previous:[7555]kahuna, + Up:[7556]= K = + + kamikaze packet n. + + The `official' jargon for what is more commonly called a + [7557]Christmas tree packet. [7558]RFC-1025, "TCP and IP Bake Off" + says: + + 10 points for correctly being able to process a "Kamikaze" packet + (AKA nastygram, christmas tree packet, lamp test segment, et al.). + That is, correctly handle a segment with the maximum combination of + features at once (e.g., a SYN URG PUSH FIN segment with options and + data). + + See also [7559]Chernobyl packet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kangaroo code, Next:[7560]ken, Previous:[7561]kamikaze packet, + Up:[7562]= K = + + kangaroo code n. + + Syn. [7563]spaghetti code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ken, Next:[7564]kernel-of-the-week club, Previous:[7565]kangaroo + code, Up:[7566]= K = + + ken /ken/ n. + + 1. [Unix] Ken Thompson, principal inventor of Unix. In the early days + he used to hand-cut distribution tapes, often with a note that read + "Love, ken". Old-timers still use his first name (sometimes + uncapitalized, because it's a login name and mail address) in + third-person reference; it is widely understood (on Usenet, in + particular) that without a last name `Ken' refers only to Ken + Thompson. Similarly, Dennis without last name means Dennis Ritchie + (and he is often known as dmr). See also [7567]demigod, [7568]Unix. 2. + A flaming user. This was originated by the Software Support group at + Symbolics because the two greatest flamers in the user community were + both named Ken. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kernel-of-the-week club, Next:[7569]kgbvax, Previous:[7570]ken, + Up:[7571]= K = + + kernel-of-the-week club + + The fictional society that [7572]BSD [7573]bigots claim [Linux] users + belong to, alluding to the release-early-release-often style preferred + by the kernel maintainers. See [7574]bazaar. This was almost certainly + inspired by the earlier [7575]bug-of-the-month club. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kgbvax, Next:[7576]KIBO, Previous:[7577]kernel-of-the-week club, + Up:[7578]= K = + + kgbvax /K-G-B'vaks/ n. + + See [7579]kremvax. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:KIBO, Next:[7580]kiboze, Previous:[7581]kgbvax, Up:[7582]= K = + + KIBO /ki:'boh/ + + 1. [acronym] Knowledge In, Bullshit Out. A summary of what happens + whenever valid data is passed through an organization (or person) that + deliberately or accidentally disregards or ignores its significance. + Consider, for example, what an advertising campaign can do with a + product's actual specifications. Compare [7583]GIGO; see also + [7584]SNAFU principle. 2. James Parry <kibo@world.std.com>, a + Usenetter infamous for various surrealist net.pranks and an uncanny, + machine-assisted knack for joining any thread in which his nom de + guerre is mentioned. He has a website at [7585]http://www.kibo.com/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kiboze, Next:[7586]kibozo, Previous:[7587]KIBO, Up:[7588]= K = + + kiboze v. + + [Usenet] To [7589]grep the Usenet news for a string, especially with + the intention of posting a follow-up. This activity was popularised by + Kibo (see [7590]KIBO, sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kibozo, Next:[7591]kick, Previous:[7592]kiboze, Up:[7593]= K = + + kibozo /ki:-boh'zoh/ n. + + [Usenet] One who [7594]kibozes but is not Kibo (see [7595]KIBO, sense + 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kick, Next:[7596]kill file, Previous:[7597]kibozo, Up:[7598]= K = + + kick v. + + 1. [IRC] To cause somebody to be removed from a [7599]IRC channel, an + option only available to channel ops. This is an extreme measure, + often used to combat extreme [7600]flamage or [7601]flooding, but + sometimes used at the [7602]CHOP's whim. Compare [7603]gun. 2. To + reboot a machine or kill a running process. "The server's down, let me + go kick it." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kill file, Next:[7604]killer app, Previous:[7605]kick, Up:[7606]= + K = + + kill file n. + + [Usenet; very common] (alt. `KILL file') Per-user file(s) used by some + [7607]Usenet reading programs (originally Larry Wall's rn(1)) to + discard summarily (without presenting for reading) articles matching + some particularly uninteresting (or unwanted) patterns of subject, + author, or other header lines. Thus to add a person (or subject) to + one's kill file is to arrange for that person to be ignored by one's + newsreader in future. By extension, it may be used for a decision to + ignore the person or subject in other media. See also [7608]plonk. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:killer app, Next:[7609]killer micro, Previous:[7610]kill file, + Up:[7611]= K = + + killer app + + The application that actually makes a sustaining market for a + promising but under-utilized technology. First used in the mid-1980s + to describe Lotus 1-2-3 once it became evident that demand for that + product had been the major driver of the early business market for IBM + PCs. The term was then restrospectively applied to VisiCalc, which had + played a similar role in the success of the Apple II. After 1994 it + became commonplace to describe the World Wide Web as the Internet's + killer app. One of the standard questions asked about each new + personal-computer technology as it emerges has become "what's the + killer app?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:killer micro, Next:[7612]killer poke, Previous:[7613]killer app, + Up:[7614]= K = + + killer micro n. + + [popularized by Eugene Brooks] A microprocessor-based machine that + infringes on mini, mainframe, or supercomputer performance turf. Often + heard in "No one will survive the attack of the killer micros!", the + battle cry of the downsizers. Used esp. of RISC architectures. + + The popularity of the phrase `attack of the killer micros' is + doubtless reinforced by the title of the movie "Attack Of The Killer + Tomatoes" (one of the [7615]canonical examples of + so-bad-it's-wonderful among hackers). This has even more [7616]flavor + now that killer micros have gone on the offensive not just + individually (in workstations) but in hordes (within massively + parallel computers). + + [1996 update: Eugene Brooks was right. Since this term first entered + the Jargon File in 1990, the minicomputer has effectively vanished, + the [7617]mainframe sector is in deep and apparently terminal decline + (with IBM but a shadow of its former self), and even the supercomputer + business has contracted into a smaller niche. It's networked killer + micros as far as the eye can see. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:killer poke, Next:[7618]kilo-, Previous:[7619]killer micro, + Up:[7620]= K = + + killer poke n. + + A recipe for inducing hardware damage on a machine via insertion of + invalid values (see [7621]poke) into a memory-mapped control register; + used esp. of various fairly well-known tricks on [7622]bitty boxes + without hardware memory management (such as the IBM PC and Commodore + PET) that can overload and trash analog electronics in the monitor. + See also [7623]HCF. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kilo-, Next:[7624]KIPS, Previous:[7625]killer poke, Up:[7626]= K + = + + kilo- pref. + + [SI] See [7627]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:KIPS, Next:[7628]KISS Principle, Previous:[7629]kilo-, Up:[7630]= + K = + + KIPS /kips/ n. + + [abbreviation, by analogy with [7631]MIPS using [7632]K] Thousands + (not 1024s) of Instructions Per Second. Usage: rare. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:KISS Principle, Next:[7633]kit, Previous:[7634]KIPS, Up:[7635]= K + = + + KISS Principle /kis' prin'si-pl/ n. + + "Keep It Simple, Stupid". A maxim often invoked when discussing design + to fend off [7636]creeping featurism and control development + complexity. Possibly related to the [7637]marketroid maxim on sales + presentations, "Keep It Short and Simple". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kit, Next:[7638]klone, Previous:[7639]KISS Principle, Up:[7640]= + K = + + kit n. + + [Usenet; poss. fr. [7641]DEC slang for a full software distribution, + as opposed to a patch or upgrade] A source software distribution that + has been packaged in such a way that it can (theoretically) be + unpacked and installed according to a series of steps using only + standard Unix tools, and entirely documented by some reasonable chain + of references from the top-level [7642]README file. The more general + term [7643]distribution may imply that special tools or more stringent + conditions on the host environment are required. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:klone, Next:[7644]kludge, Previous:[7645]kit, Up:[7646]= K = + + klone /klohn/ n. + + See [7647]clone, sense 4. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kludge, Next:[7648]kluge, Previous:[7649]klone, Up:[7650]= K = + + kludge 1. /klooj/ n. + + Incorrect (though regrettably common) spelling of [7651]kluge (US). + These two words have been confused in American usage since the early + 1960s, and widely confounded in Great Britain since the end of World + War II. 2. [TMRC] A [7652]crock that works. (A long-ago "Datamation" + article by Jackson Granholme similarly said: "An ill-assorted + collection of poorly matching parts, forming a distressing whole.") 3. + v. To use a kludge to get around a problem. "I've kludged around it + for now, but I'll fix it up properly later." + + This word appears to have derived from Scots `kludge' or `kludgie' for + a common toilet, via British military slang. It apparently became + confused with U.S. [7653]kluge during or after World War II; some + Britons from that era use both words in definably different ways, but + [7654]kluge is now uncommon in Great Britain. `Kludge' in Commonwealth + hackish differs in meaning from `kluge' in that it lacks the positive + senses; a kludge is something no Commonwealth hacker wants to be + associated too closely with. Also, `kludge' is more widely known in + British mainstream slang than `kluge' is in the U.S. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kluge, Next:[7655]kluge around, Previous:[7656]kludge, Up:[7657]= + K = + + kluge /klooj/ + + [from the German `klug', clever; poss. related to Polish `klucz' (a + key, a hint, a main point)] 1. n. A Rube Goldberg (or Heath Robinson) + device, whether in hardware or software. 2. n. A clever programming + trick intended to solve a particular nasty case in an expedient, if + not clear, manner. Often used to repair bugs. Often involves + [7658]ad-hockery and verges on being a [7659]crock. 3. n. Something + that works for the wrong reason. 4. vt. To insert a kluge into a + program. "I've kluged this routine to get around that weird bug, but + there's probably a better way." 5. [WPI] n. A feature that is + implemented in a [7660]rude manner. + + Nowadays this term is often encountered in the variant spelling + `kludge'. Reports from [7661]old farts are consistent that `kluge' was + the original spelling, reported around computers as far back as the + mid-1950s and, at that time, used exclusively of hardware kluges. In + 1947, the "New York Folklore Quarterly" reported a classic shaggy-dog + story `Murgatroyd the Kluge Maker' then current in the Armed Forces, + in which a `kluge' was a complex and puzzling artifact with a trivial + function. Other sources report that `kluge' was common Navy slang in + the WWII era for any piece of electronics that worked well on shore + but consistently failed at sea. + + However, there is reason to believe this slang use may be a decade + older. Several respondents have connected it to the brand name of a + device called a "Kluge paper feeder", an adjunct to mechanical + printing presses. Legend has it that the Kluge feeder was designed + before small, cheap electric motors and control electronics; it relied + on a fiendishly complex assortment of cams, belts, and linkages to + both power and synchronize all its operations from one motive + driveshaft. It was accordingly temperamental, subject to frequent + breakdowns, and devilishly difficult to repair -- but oh, so clever! + People who tell this story also aver that `Kluge' was the name of a + design engineer. + + There is in fact a Brandtjen & Kluge Inc., an old family business that + manufactures printing equipment - interestingly, their name is + pronounced /kloo'gee/! Henry Brandtjen, president of the firm, told me + (ESR, 1994) that his company was co-founded by his father and an + engineer named Kluge /kloo'gee/, who built and co-designed the + original Kluge automatic feeder in 1919. Mr. Brandtjen claims, + however, that this was a simple device (with only four cams); he says + he has no idea how the myth of its complexity took hold. + + [7662]TMRC and the MIT hacker culture of the early '60s seems to have + developed in a milieu that remembered and still used some WWII + military slang (see also [7663]foobar). It seems likely that `kluge' + came to MIT via alumni of the many military electronics projects that + had been located in Cambridge (many in MIT's venerable Building 20, in + which [7664]TMRC is also located) during the war. + + The variant `kludge' was apparently popularized by the + [7665]Datamation article mentioned above; it was titled "How to Design + a Kludge" (February 1962, pp. 30, 31). This spelling was probably + imported from Great Britain, where [7666]kludge has an independent + history (though this fact was largely unknown to hackers on either + side of the Atlantic before a mid-1993 debate in the Usenet group + alt.folklore.computers over the First and Second Edition versions of + this entry; everybody used to think [7667]kludge was just a mutation + of [7668]kluge). It now appears that the British, having forgotten the + etymology of their own `kludge' when `kluge' crossed the Atlantic, + repaid the U.S. by lobbing the `kludge' orthography in the other + direction and confusing their American cousins' spelling! + + The result of this history is a tangle. Many younger U.S. hackers + pronounce the word as /klooj/ but spell it, incorrectly for its + meaning and pronunciation, as `kludge'. (Phonetically, consider huge, + refuge, centrifuge, and deluge as opposed to sludge, judge, budge, and + fudge. Whatever its failings in other areas, English spelling is + perfectly consistent about this distinction.) British hackers mostly + learned /kluhj/ orally, use it in a restricted negative sense and are + at least consistent. European hackers have mostly learned the word + from written American sources and tend to pronounce it /kluhj/ but use + the wider American meaning! + + Some observers consider this mess appropriate in view of the word's + meaning. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kluge around, Next:[7669]kluge up, Previous:[7670]kluge, + Up:[7671]= K = + + kluge around vt. + + To avoid a bug or difficult condition by inserting a [7672]kluge. + Compare [7673]workaround. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kluge up, Next:[7674]Knights of the Lambda Calculus, + Previous:[7675]kluge around, Up:[7676]= K = + + kluge up vt. + + To lash together a quick hack to perform a task; this is milder than + [7677]cruft together and has some of the connotations of [7678]hack up + (note, however, that the construction `kluge on' corresponding to + [7679]hack on is never used). "I've kluged up this routine to dump the + buffer contents to a safe place." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Knights of the Lambda Calculus, Next:[7680]knobs, + Previous:[7681]kluge up, Up:[7682]= K = + + Knights of the Lambda Calculus n. + + A semi-mythical organization of wizardly LISP and Scheme hackers. The + name refers to a mathematical formalism invented by Alonzo Church, + with which LISP is intimately connected. There is no enrollment list + and the criteria for induction are unclear, but one well-known LISPer + has been known to give out buttons and, in general, the members know + who they are.... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:knobs, Next:[7683]Knuth, Previous:[7684]Knights of the Lambda + Calculus, Up:[7685]= K = + + knobs pl.n. + + Configurable options, even in software and even those you can't adjust + in real time. Anything you can [7686]twiddle is a knob. "Has this PNG + viewer got an alpha knob?" Software may be described as having "knobs + and switches" or occasionally "knobs and lights". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Knuth, Next:[7687]koan, Previous:[7688]knobs, Up:[7689]= K = + + Knuth /ka-nooth'/ n. + + [Donald E. Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming"] Mythically, the + reference that answers all questions about data structures or + algorithms. A safe answer when you do not know: "I think you can find + that in Knuth." Contrast [7690]the literature. See also [7691]bible. + There is a Donald Knuth home page at + [7692]http://www-cs-faculty.Stanford.EDU/~knuth. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:koan, Next:[7693]kremvax, Previous:[7694]Knuth, Up:[7695]= K = + + koan /koh'an/ n. + + A Zen teaching riddle. Classically, koans are attractive paradoxes to + be meditated on; their purpose is to help one to enlightenment by + temporarily jamming normal cognitive processing so that something more + interesting can happen (this practice is associated with Rinzei Zen + Buddhism). Hackers are very fond of the koan form and compose their + own koans for humororous and/or enlightening effect. See [7696]Some AI + Koans, [7697]has the X nature, [7698]hacker humor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kremvax, Next:[7699]kyrka, Previous:[7700]koan, Up:[7701]= K = + + kremvax /krem-vaks/ n. + + [from the then large number of [7702]Usenet [7703]VAXen with names of + the form foovax] Originally, a fictitious Usenet site at the Kremlin, + announced on April 1, 1984 in a posting ostensibly originated there by + Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko. The posting was actually forged by + Piet Beertema as an April Fool's joke. Other fictitious sites + mentioned in the hoax were moskvax and [7704]kgbvax. This was probably + the funniest of the many April Fool's forgeries perpetrated on Usenet + (which has negligible security against them), because the notion that + Usenet might ever penetrate the Iron Curtain seemed so totally absurd + at the time. + + In fact, it was only six years later that the first genuine site in + Moscow, demos.su, joined Usenet. Some readers needed convincing that + the postings from it weren't just another prank. Vadim Antonov, senior + programmer at Demos and the major poster from there up to mid-1991, + was quite aware of all this, referred to it frequently in his own + postings, and at one point twitted some credulous readers by blandly + asserting that he was a hoax! + + Eventually he even arranged to have the domain's gateway site named + kremvax, thus neatly turning fiction into fact and demonstrating that + the hackish sense of humor transcends cultural barriers. [Mr. Antonov + also contributed the Russian-language material for this lexicon. + --ESR] + + In an even more ironic historical footnote, kremvax became an + electronic center of the anti-communist resistance during the bungled + hard-line coup of August 1991. During those three days the Soviet UUCP + network centered on kremvax became the only trustworthy news source + for many places within the USSR. Though the sysops were concentrating + on internal communications, cross-border postings included immediate + transliterations of Boris Yeltsin's decrees condemning the coup and + eyewitness reports of the demonstrations in Moscow's streets. In those + hours, years of speculation that totalitarianism would prove unable to + maintain its grip on politically-loaded information in the age of + computer networking were proved devastatingly accurate -- and the + original kremvax joke became a reality as Yeltsin and the new Russian + revolutionaries of `glasnost' and `perestroika' made kremvax one of + the timeliest means of their outreach to the West. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:kyrka, Next:[7705]lace card, Previous:[7706]kremvax, Up:[7707]= K + = + + kyrka /chur'ka/ n. + + [Swedish] See [7708]feature key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= L =, Next:[7709]= M =, Previous:[7710]= K =, Up:[7711]The + Jargon Lexicon + += L = + + * [7712]lace card: + * [7713]lag: + * [7714]lamer: + * [7715]language lawyer: + * [7716]languages of choice: + * [7717]LART: + * [7718]larval stage: + * [7719]lase: + * [7720]laser chicken: + * [7721]lasherism: + * [7722]laundromat: + * [7723]LDB: + * [7724]leaf site: + * [7725]leak: + * [7726]leaky heap: + * [7727]leapfrog attack: + * [7728]leech: + * [7729]leech mode: + * [7730]legal: + * [7731]legalese: + * [7732]LER: + * [7733]LERP: + * [7734]let the smoke out: + * [7735]letterbomb: + * [7736]lexer: + * [7737]lexiphage: + * [7738]life: + * [7739]Life is hard: + * [7740]light pipe: + * [7741]lightweight: + * [7742]like kicking dead whales down the beach: + * [7743]like nailing jelly to a tree: + * [7744]line 666: + * [7745]line eater the: + * [7746]line noise: + * [7747]line starve: + * [7748]linearithmic: + * [7749]link farm: + * [7750]link rot: + * [7751]link-dead: + * [7752]lint: + * [7753]Lintel: + * [7754]Linus: + * [7755]Linux: + * [7756]lion food: + * [7757]Lions Book: + * [7758]LISP: + * [7759]list-bomb: + * [7760]lithium lick: + * [7761]little-endian: + * [7762]live: + * [7763]live data: + * [7764]Live Free Or Die!: + * [7765]livelock: + * [7766]liveware: + * [7767]lobotomy: + * [7768]locals the: + * [7769]locked and loaded: + * [7770]locked up: + * [7771]logic bomb: + * [7772]logical: + * [7773]loop through: + * [7774]loose bytes: + * [7775]lord high fixer: + * [7776]lose: + * [7777]lose lose: + * [7778]loser: + * [7779]losing: + * [7780]loss: + * [7781]lossage: + * [7782]lost in the noise: + * [7783]lost in the underflow: + * [7784]lots of MIPS but no I/O: + * [7785]low-bandwidth: + * [7786]LPT: + * [7787]Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology: + * [7788]Lumber Cartel: + * [7789]lunatic fringe: + * [7790]lurker: + * [7791]luser: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lace card, Next:[7792]lag, Previous:[7793]kyrka, Up:[7794]= L = + + lace card n. obs. + + A [7795]punched card with all holes punched (also called a `whoopee + card' or `ventilator card'). Card readers tended to jam when they got + to one of these, as the resulting card had too little structural + strength to avoid buckling inside the mechanism. Card punches could + also jam trying to produce these things owing to power-supply + problems. When some practical joker fed a lace card through the + reader, you needed to clear the jam with a `card knife' -- which you + used on the joker first. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lag, Next:[7796]lamer, Previous:[7797]lace card, Up:[7798]= L = + + lag n. + + [MUD, IRC; very common] When used without qualification this is + synomous with [7799]netlag. Curiously, people will often complain "I'm + really lagged" when in fact it is their server or network connection + that is lagging. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lamer, Next:[7800]language lawyer, Previous:[7801]lag, Up:[7802]= + L = + + lamer n. + + [prob. originated in skateboarder slang] 1. Synonym for [7803]luser, + not used much by hackers but common among [7804]warez d00dz, crackers, + and [7805]phreakers. A person who downloads much, but who never + uploads. (Also known as `leecher'). Oppose [7806]elite. Has the same + connotations of self-conscious elitism that use of [7807]luser does + among hackers. 2. Someone who tries to crack a BBS. 3. Someone who + annoys the sysop or other BBS users - for instance, by posting lots of + silly messages, uploading virus-ridden software, frequently dropping + carrier, etc. + + Crackers also use it to refer to cracker [7808]wannabees. In phreak + culture, a lamer is one who scams codes off others rather than doing + cracks or really understanding the fundamental concepts. In + [7809]warez d00dz culture, where the ability to wave around cracked + commercial software within days of (or before) release to the + commercial market is much esteemed, the lamer might try to upload + garbage or shareware or something incredibly old (old in this context + is read as a few years to anything older than 3 days). + + `Lamer' is also much used in the IRC world in a similar sense to the + above. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:language lawyer, Next:[7810]languages of choice, + Previous:[7811]lamer, Up:[7812]= L = + + language lawyer n. + + A person, usually an experienced or senior software engineer, who is + intimately familiar with many or most of the numerous restrictions and + features (both useful and esoteric) applicable to one or more computer + programming languages. A language lawyer is distinguished by the + ability to show you the five sentences scattered through a + 200-plus-page manual that together imply the answer to your question + "if only you had thought to look there". Compare [7813]wizard, + [7814]legal, [7815]legalese. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:languages of choice, Next:[7816]LART, Previous:[7817]language + lawyer, Up:[7818]= L = + + languages of choice n. + + [7819]C, [7820]C++, [7821]LISP, and [7822]Perl. Nearly every hacker + knows one of C or LISP, and most good ones are fluent in both. C++, + despite some serious drawbacks, is generally preferred to other + object-oriented languages (though in 1999 it looks as though + [7823]Java has displaced it in the affections of hackers, if not + everywhere). Since around 1990 Perl has rapidly been gaining favor, + especially as a tool for systems-administration utilities and rapid + prototyping. [7824]Python, Smalltalk and Prolog are also popular in + small but influential communities. + + There is also a rapidly dwindling category of older hackers with + FORTRAN, or even assembler, as their language of choice. They often + prefer to be known as [7825]Real Programmers, and other hackers + consider them a bit odd (see "[7826]The Story of Mel" in Appendix A). + Assembler is generally no longer considered interesting or appropriate + for anything but [7827]HLL implementation, [7828]glue, and a few + time-critical and hardware-specific uses in systems programs. FORTRAN + occupies a shrinking niche in scientific programming. + + Most hackers tend to frown on languages like [7829]Pascal and + [7830]Ada, which don't give them the near-total freedom considered + necessary for hacking (see [7831]bondage-and-discipline language), and + to regard everything even remotely connected with [7832]COBOL or other + traditional [7833]card walloper languages as a total and unmitigated + [7834]loss. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:LART, Next:[7835]larval stage, Previous:[7836]languages of + choice, Up:[7837]= L = + + LART // + + Luser Attitude Readjustment Tool. 1. n. In the collective mythos of + [7838]scary devil monastery, this is an essential item in the toolkit + of every [7839]BOFH. The LART classic is a 2x4 or other large billet + of wood usable as a club, to be applied upside the head of spammers + and other people who cause sysadmins more grief than just naturally + goes with the job. Perennial debates rage on alt.sysadmin.recovery + over what constitutes the truly effective LART; knobkerries, + semiautomatic weapons, flamethrowers, and tactical nukes all have + their partisans. Compare [7840]clue-by-four. 2. v. To use a LART. Some + would add "in malice", but some sysadmins do prefer to gently lart + their users as a first (and sometimes final) warning. 3. interj. + Calling for one's LART, much as a surgeon might call "Scalpel!". 4. + interj. [rare] Used in [7841]flames as a rebuke. "LART! LART! LART!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:larval stage, Next:[7842]lase, Previous:[7843]LART, Up:[7844]= L + = + + larval stage n. + + Describes a period of monomaniacal concentration on coding apparently + passed through by all fledgling hackers. Common symptoms include the + perpetration of more than one 36-hour [7845]hacking run in a given + week; neglect of all other activities including usual basics like + food, sleep, and personal hygiene; and a chronic case of advanced + bleary-eye. Can last from 6 months to 2 years, the apparent median + being around 18 months. A few so afflicted never resume a more + `normal' life, but the ordeal seems to be necessary to produce really + wizardly (as opposed to merely competent) programmers. See also + [7846]wannabee. A less protracted and intense version of larval stage + (typically lasting about a month) may recur when one is learning a new + [7847]OS or programming language. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lase, Next:[7848]laser chicken, Previous:[7849]larval stage, + Up:[7850]= L = + + lase /layz/ vt. + + To print a given document via a laser printer. "OK, let's lase that + sucker and see if all those graphics-macro calls did the right + things." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:laser chicken, Next:[7851]lasherism, Previous:[7852]lase, + Up:[7853]= L = + + laser chicken n. + + Kung Pao Chicken, a standard Chinese dish containing chicken, peanuts, + and hot red peppers in a spicy pepper-oil sauce. Many hackers call it + `laser chicken' for two reasons: It can [7854]zap you just like a + laser, and the sauce has a red color reminiscent of some laser beams. + The dish has also been called `gunpowder chicken'. + + In a variation on this theme, it is reported that some Australian + hackers have redesignated the common dish `lemon chicken' as + `Chernobyl Chicken'. The name is derived from the color of the sauce, + which is considered bright enough to glow in the dark (as, mythically, + do some of the inhabitants of Chernobyl). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lasherism, Next:[7855]laundromat, Previous:[7856]laser chicken, + Up:[7857]= L = + + lasherism n. + + [Harvard] A program that solves a standard problem (such as the Eight + Queens puzzle or implementing the [7858]life algorithm) in a + deliberately nonstandard way. Distinguished from a [7859]crock or + [7860]kluge by the fact that the programmer did it on purpose as a + mental exercise. Such constructions are quite popular in exercises + such as the [7861]Obfuscated C Contest, and occasionally in + [7862]retrocomputing. Lew Lasher was a student at Harvard around 1980 + who became notorious for such behavior. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:laundromat, Next:[7863]LDB, Previous:[7864]lasherism, Up:[7865]= + L = + + laundromat n. + + Syn. [7866]disk farm; see [7867]washing machine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:LDB, Next:[7868]leaf site, Previous:[7869]laundromat, Up:[7870]= + L = + + LDB /l*'d*b/ vt. + + [from the PDP-10 instruction set] To extract from the middle. "LDB me + a slice of cake, please." This usage has been kept alive by Common + LISP's function of the same name. Considered silly. See also + [7871]DPB. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:leaf site, Next:[7872]leak, Previous:[7873]LDB, Up:[7874]= L = + + leaf site n.,obs. + + Before pervasive TCP/IP, this term was used of a machine that merely + originated and read Usenet news or mail, and did not relay any + third-party traffic. It was often uttered in a critical tone; when the + ratio of leaf sites to backbone, rib, and other relay sites got too + high, the network tended to develop bottlenecks. Compare + [7875]backbone site, [7876]rib site. Now that traffic patterns depend + more on the distribution of routers than of host machines this term + has largely fallen out of use. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:leak, Next:[7877]leaky heap, Previous:[7878]leaf site, Up:[7879]= + L = + + leak n. + + With qualifier, one of a class of resource-management bugs that occur + when resources are not freed properly after operations on them are + finished, so they effectively disappear (leak out). This leads to + eventual exhaustion as new allocation requests come in. [7880]memory + leak and [7881]fd leak have their own entries; one might also refer, + to, say, a `window handle leak' in a window system. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:leaky heap, Next:[7882]leapfrog attack, Previous:[7883]leak, + Up:[7884]= L = + + leaky heap n. + + [Cambridge] An [7885]arena with a [7886]memory leak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:leapfrog attack, Next:[7887]leech, Previous:[7888]leaky heap, + Up:[7889]= L = + + leapfrog attack n. + + Use of userid and password information obtained illicitly from one + host (e.g., downloading a file of account IDs and passwords, tapping + TELNET, etc.) to compromise another host. Also, the act of TELNETting + through one or more hosts in order to confuse a trace (a standard + cracker procedure). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:leech, Next:[7890]leech mode, Previous:[7891]leapfrog attack, + Up:[7892]= L = + + leech + + 1. n. (Also `leecher'.) Among BBS types, crackers and [7893]warez + d00dz, one who consumes knowledge without generating new software, + cracks, or techniques. BBS culture specifically defines a leech as + someone who downloads files with few or no uploads in return, and who + does not contribute to the message section. Cracker culture extends + this definition to someone (a [7894]lamer, usually) who constantly + presses informed sources for information and/or assistance, but has + nothing to contribute. 2. v. [common, Toronto area] To instantly fetch + a file (other than a mail attachment) whether by FTP or IRC file req + or any other method. Seems to be a holdover from the early 1990s when + Toronto had a very active BBS and warez scene. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:leech mode, Next:[7895]legal, Previous:[7896]leech, Up:[7897]= L + = + + leech mode n. + + [warez d00dz] "Leech mode" or "leech access" or (simply "leech" as in + "You get leech") is the access mode on a FTP site where one can + download as many files as one wants, without having to upload. Leech + mode is often promised on banner sites, but rarely obtained. See + [7898]ratio site, [7899]banner site. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:legal, Next:[7900]legalese, Previous:[7901]leech mode, Up:[7902]= + L = + + legal adj. + + Loosely used to mean `in accordance with all the relevant rules', esp. + in connection with some set of constraints defined by software. "The + older =+ alternate for += is no longer legal syntax in ANSI C." "This + parser processes each line of legal input the moment it sees the + trailing linefeed." Hackers often model their work as a sort of game + played with the environment in which the objective is to maneuver + through the thicket of `natural laws' to achieve a desired objective. + Their use of `legal' is flavored as much by this game-playing sense as + by the more conventional one having to do with courts and lawyers. + Compare [7903]language lawyer, [7904]legalese. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:legalese, Next:[7905]LER, Previous:[7906]legal, Up:[7907]= L = + + legalese n. + + Dense, pedantic verbiage in a language description, product + specification, or interface standard; text that seems designed to + obfuscate and requires a [7908]language lawyer to [7909]parse it. + Though hackers are not afraid of high information density and + complexity in language (indeed, they rather enjoy both), they share a + deep and abiding loathing for legalese; they associate it with + deception, [7910]suits, and situations in which hackers generally get + the short end of the stick. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:LER, Next:[7911]LERP, Previous:[7912]legalese, Up:[7913]= L = + + LER /L-E-R/ + + n. 1. [TMRC, from `Light-Emitting Diode'] A light-emitting resistor + (that is, one in the process of burning up). Ohm's law was broken. See + also [7914]SED. 2. An incandescent light bulb (the filament emits + light because it's resistively heated). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:LERP, Next:[7915]let the smoke out, Previous:[7916]LER, + Up:[7917]= L = + + LERP /lerp/ vi.,n. + + Quasi-acronym for Linear Interpolation, used as a verb or noun for the + operation. "Bresenham's algorithm lerps incrementally between the two + endpoints of the line." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:let the smoke out, Next:[7918]letterbomb, Previous:[7919]LERP, + Up:[7920]= L = + + let the smoke out v. + + To fry hardware (see [7921]fried). See [7922]magic smoke for a + discussion of the underlying mythology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:letterbomb, Next:[7923]lexer, Previous:[7924]let the smoke out, + Up:[7925]= L = + + letterbomb + + 1. n. A piece of [7926]email containing [7927]live data intended to do + nefarious things to the recipient's machine or terminal. It used to be + possible, for example, to send letterbombs that would lock up some + specific kinds of terminals when they are viewed, so thoroughly that + the user must cycle power (see [7928]cycle, sense 3) to unwedge them. + Under Unix, a letterbomb can also try to get part of its contents + interpreted as a shell command to the mailer. The results of this + could range from silly to tragic; fortunately it has been some years + since any of the standard Unix/Internet mail software was vulnerable + to such an attack (though, as the Melissa virus attack demonstrated in + early 1999, Microsoft systems can have serious problems). See also + [7929]Trojan horse; compare [7930]nastygram. 2. Loosely, a + [7931]mailbomb. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lexer, Next:[7932]lexiphage, Previous:[7933]letterbomb, + Up:[7934]= L = + + lexer /lek'sr/ n. + + Common hacker shorthand for `lexical analyzer', the input-tokenizing + stage in the parser for a language (the part that breaks it into + word-like pieces). "Some C lexers get confused by the old-style + compound ops like =-." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lexiphage, Next:[7935]life, Previous:[7936]lexer, Up:[7937]= L = + + lexiphage /lek'si-fayj`/ n. + + A notorious word [7938]chomper on ITS. See [7939]bagbiter. This + program would draw on a selected victim's bitmapped terminal the words + "THE BAG" in ornate letters, followed a pair of jaws biting pieces of + it off. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:life, Next:[7940]Life is hard, Previous:[7941]lexiphage, + Up:[7942]= L = + + life n. + + 1. A cellular-automata game invented by John Horton Conway and first + introduced publicly by Martin Gardner ("Scientific American", October + 1970); the game's popularity had to wait a few years for computers on + which it could reasonably be played, as it's no fun to simulate the + cells by hand. Many hackers pass through a stage of fascination with + it, and hackers at various places contributed heavily to the + mathematical analysis of this game (most notably Bill Gosper at MIT, + who even implemented life in [7943]TECO!; see [7944]Gosperism). When a + hacker mentions `life', he is much more likely to mean this game than + the magazine, the breakfast cereal, or the human state of existence. + 2. The opposite of [7945]Usenet. As in "[7946]Get a life!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Life is hard, Next:[7947]light pipe, Previous:[7948]life, + Up:[7949]= L = + + Life is hard prov. + + [XEROX PARC] This phrase has two possible interpretations: (1) "While + your suggestion may have some merit, I will behave as though I hadn't + heard it." (2) "While your suggestion has obvious merit, equally + obvious circumstances prevent it from being seriously considered." The + charm of the phrase lies precisely in this subtle but important + ambiguity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:light pipe, Next:[7950]lightweight, Previous:[7951]Life is hard, + Up:[7952]= L = + + light pipe n. + + Fiber optic cable. Oppose [7953]copper. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lightweight, Next:[7954]like kicking dead whales down the beach, + Previous:[7955]light pipe, Up:[7956]= L = + + lightweight adj. + + Opposite of [7957]heavyweight; usually found in combining forms such + as `lightweight process'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:like kicking dead whales down the beach, Next:[7958]like nailing + jelly to a tree, Previous:[7959]lightweight, Up:[7960]= L = + + like kicking dead whales down the beach adj. + + Describes a slow, difficult, and disgusting process. First popularized + by a famous quote about the difficulty of getting work done under one + of IBM's mainframe OSes. "Well, you could write a C compiler in COBOL, + but it would be like kicking dead whales down the beach." See also + [7961]fear and loathing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:like nailing jelly to a tree, Next:[7962]line 666, + Previous:[7963]like kicking dead whales down the beach, Up:[7964]= L = + + like nailing jelly to a tree adj. + + Used to describe a task thought to be impossible, esp. one in which + the difficulty arises from poor specification or inherent slipperiness + in the problem domain. "Trying to display the `prettiest' arrangement + of nodes and arcs that diagrams a given graph is like nailing jelly to + a tree, because nobody's sure what `prettiest' means algorithmically." + + Hacker use of this term may recall mainstream slang originated early + in the 20th century by President Theodore Roosevelt. There is a legend + that, weary of inconclusive talks with Colombia over the right to dig + a canal through its then-province Panama, he remarked, "Negotiating + with those pirates is like trying to nail currant jelly to the wall." + Roosevelt's government subsequently encouraged the anti-Colombian + insurgency that created the nation of Panama. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:line 666, Next:[7965]line eater the, Previous:[7966]like nailing + jelly to a tree, Up:[7967]= L = + + line 666 [from Christian eschatological myth] n. + + The notional line of source at which a program fails for obscure + reasons, implying either that somebody is out to get it (when you are + the programmer), or that it richly deserves to be so gotten (when you + are not). "It works when I trace through it, but seems to crash on + line 666 when I run it." "What happens is that whenever a large batch + comes through, mmdf dies on the Line of the Beast. Probably some twit + hardcoded a buffer size." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:line eater the, Next:[7968]line noise, Previous:[7969]line 666, + Up:[7970]= L = + + line eater, the n. obs. + + [Usenet] 1. A bug in some now-obsolete versions of the netnews + software that used to eat up to BUFSIZ bytes of the article text. The + bug was triggered by having the text of the article start with a space + or tab. This bug was quickly personified as a mythical creature called + the `line eater', and postings often included a dummy line of `line + eater food'. Ironically, line eater `food' not beginning with a space + or tab wasn't actually eaten, since the bug was avoided; but if there + was a space or tab before it, then the line eater would eat the food + and the beginning of the text it was supposed to be protecting. The + practice of `sacrificing to the line eater' continued for some time + after the bug had been [7971]nailed to the wall, and is still + humorously referred to. The bug itself was still occasionally reported + to be lurking in some mail-to-netnews gateways as late as 1991. 2. See + [7972]NSA line eater. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:line noise, Next:[7973]line starve, Previous:[7974]line eater + the, Up:[7975]= L = + + line noise n. + + 1. [techspeak] Spurious characters due to electrical noise in a + communications link, especially an RS-232 serial connection. Line + noise may be induced by poor connections, interference or crosstalk + from other circuits, electrical storms, [7976]cosmic rays, or + (notionally) birds crapping on the phone wires. 2. Any chunk of data + in a file or elsewhere that looks like the results of line noise in + sense 1. 3. Text that is theoretically a readable text or program + source but employs syntax so bizarre that it looks like line noise in + senses 1 or 2. Yes, there are languages this ugly. The canonical + example is [7977]TECO; it is often claimed that "TECO's input syntax + is indistinguishable from line noise." Other non-[7978]WYSIWYG + editors, such as Multics qed and Unix ed, in the hands of a real + hacker, also qualify easily, as do deliberately obfuscated languages + such as [7979]INTERCAL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:line starve, Next:[7980]linearithmic, Previous:[7981]line noise, + Up:[7982]= L = + + line starve + + [MIT] 1. vi. To feed paper through a printer the wrong way by one line + (most printers can't do this). On a display terminal, to move the + cursor up to the previous line of the screen. "To print `X squared', + you just output `X', line starve, `2', line feed." (The line starve + causes the `2' to appear on the line above the `X', and the line feed + gets back to the original line.) 2. n. A character (or character + sequence) that causes a terminal to perform this action. ASCII + 0011010, also called SUB or control-Z, was one common line-starve + character in the days before microcomputers and the X3.64 terminal + standard. Today, the term might be used for the ISO reverse line feed + character 0x8D. Unlike `line feed', `line starve' is not standard + [7983]ASCII terminology. Even among hackers it is considered a bit + silly. 3. [proposed] A sequence such as \c (used in System V echo, as + well as [7984]nroff and [7985]troff) that suppresses a [7986]newline + or other character(s) that would normally be emitted. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:linearithmic, Next:[7987]link farm, Previous:[7988]line starve, + Up:[7989]= L = + + linearithmic adj. + + Of an algorithm, having running time that is O(N log N). Coined as a + portmanteau of `linear' and `logarithmic' in "Algorithms In C" by + Robert Sedgewick (Addison-Wesley 1990, ISBN 0-201-51425-7). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:link farm, Next:[7990]link rot, Previous:[7991]linearithmic, + Up:[7992]= L = + + link farm n. + + [Unix] A directory tree that contains many links to files in a master + directory tree of files. Link farms save space when one is maintaining + several nearly identical copies of the same source tree -- for + example, when the only difference is architecture-dependent object + files. "Let's freeze the source and then rebuild the FROBOZZ-3 and + FROBOZZ-4 link farms." Link farms may also be used to get around + restrictions on the number of -I (include-file directory) arguments on + older C preprocessors. However, they can also get completely out of + hand, becoming the filesystem equivalent of [7993]spaghetti code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:link rot, Next:[7994]link-dead, Previous:[7995]link farm, + Up:[7996]= L = + + link rot n. + + The natural decay of web links as the sites they're connected to + change or die. Compare [7997]bit rot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:link-dead, Next:[7998]lint, Previous:[7999]link rot, Up:[8000]= L + = + + link-dead adj. + + [MUD] The state a player is in when they kill their connection to a + [8001]MUD without leaving it properly. The player is then commonly + left as a statue in the game, and is only removed after a certain + period of time (an hour on most MUDs). Used on [8002]IRC as well, + although it is inappropriate in that context. Compare [8003]netdead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lint, Next:[8004]Lintel, Previous:[8005]link-dead, Up:[8006]= L = + + lint + + [from Unix's lint(1), named for the bits of fluff it supposedly picks + from programs] 1. vt. To examine a program closely for style, language + usage, and portability problems, esp. if in C, esp. if via use of + automated analysis tools, most esp. if the Unix utility lint(1) is + used. This term used to be restricted to use of lint(1) itself, but + (judging by references on Usenet) it has become a shorthand for + [8007]desk check at some non-Unix shops, even in languages other than + C. Also as v. [8008]delint. 2. n. Excess verbiage in a document, as in + "This draft has too much lint". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Lintel, Next:[8009]Linus, Previous:[8010]lint, Up:[8011]= L = + + Lintel n. + + The emerging [8012]Linux/Intel alliance. This term began to be used in + early 1999 after it became clear that the [8013]Wintel alliance was + under increasing strain and Intel started taking stakes in Linux + companies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Linus, Next:[8014]Linux, Previous:[8015]Lintel, Up:[8016]= L = + + Linus /leen'us'/ or /lin'us'/, not /li:'nus/ + + Linus Torvalds, the author of [8017]Linux. Nobody in the hacker + culture has been as readily recognized by first name alone since Ken + (Thompson). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Linux, Next:[8018]lion food, Previous:[8019]Linus, Up:[8020]= L = + + Linux /lee'nuhks/ or /li'nuks/, not /li:'nuhks/ n. + + The free Unix workalike created by Linus Torvalds and friends starting + about 1991. The pronunciation /lee'nuhks/ is preferred because the + name `Linus' has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's family is part of + Finland's 6% ethnic-Swedish minority). This may be the most remarkable + hacker project in history -- an entire clone of Unix for 386, 486 and + Pentium micros, distributed for free with sources over the net (ports + to Alpha and Sparc and many other machines are also in use). + + Linux is what [8021]GNU aimed to be, and it relies on the GNU toolset. + But the Free Software Foundation didn't produce the kernel to go with + that toolset until 1999, which was too late. Other, similar efforts + like FreeBSD and NetBSD have been technically successful but never + caught fire the way Linux has; as this is written in 2000, Linux is + seriously challenging Microsoft's OS dominance. It has already + captured 31% of the Internet-server market and 25% of general business + servers. + + An earlier version of this entry opined "The secret of Linux's success + seems to be that Linus worked much harder early on to keep the + development process open and recruit other hackers, creating a + snowball effect." Truer than we knew. See [8022]bazaar. + + (Some people object that the name `Linux' should be used to refer only + to the kernel, not the entire operating system. This claim is a proxy + for an underlying territorial dispute; people who insist on the term + `GNU/Linux' want the the [8023]FSF to get most of the credit for Linux + because RMS and friends wrote many of its user-level tools. Neither + this theory nor the term `GNU/Linux' has gained more than minority + acceptance). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lion food, Next:[8024]Lions Book, Previous:[8025]Linux, + Up:[8026]= L = + + lion food n. + + [IBM] Middle management or HQ staff (or, by extension, administrative + drones in general). From an old joke about two lions who, escaping + from the zoo, split up to increase their chances but agree to meet + after 2 months. When they finally meet, one is skinny and the other + overweight. The thin one says: "How did you manage? I ate a human just + once and they turned out a small army to chase me -- guns, nets, it + was terrible. Since then I've been reduced to eating mice, insects, + even grass." The fat one replies: "Well, I hid near an IBM office and + ate a manager a day. And nobody even noticed!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Lions Book, Next:[8027]LISP, Previous:[8028]lion food, Up:[8029]= + L = + + Lions Book n. + + "Source Code and Commentary on Unix level 6", by John Lions. The two + parts of this book contained (1) the entire source listing of the Unix + Version 6 kernel, and (2) a commentary on the source discussing the + algorithms. These were circulated internally at the University of New + South Wales beginning 1976-77, and were, for years after, the only + detailed kernel documentation available to anyone outside Bell Labs. + Because Western Electric wished to maintain trade secret status on the + kernel, the Lions Book was only supposed to be distributed to + affiliates of source licensees. In spite of this, it soon spread by + [8030]samizdat to a good many of the early Unix hackers. + + [1996 update: The Lions book lives again! It was put back in print as + ISBN 1-57398-013-7 from Peer-To-Peer Communications, with forewords by + Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson. In a neat bit of reflexivity, the + page before the contents quotes this entry.] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:LISP, Next:[8031]list-bomb, Previous:[8032]Lions Book, Up:[8033]= + L = + + LISP n. + + [from `LISt Processing language', but mythically from `Lots of + Irritating Superfluous Parentheses'] AI's mother tongue, a language + based on the ideas of (a) variable-length lists and trees as + fundamental data types, and (b) the interpretation of code as data and + vice-versa. Invented by John McCarthy at MIT in the late 1950s, it is + actually older than any other [8034]HLL still in use except FORTRAN. + Accordingly, it has undergone considerable adaptive radiation over the + years; modern variants are quite different in detail from the original + LISP 1.5. The dominant HLL among hackers until the early 1980s, LISP + now shares the throne with [8035]C. Its partisans claim it is the only + language that is truly beautiful. See [8036]languages of choice. + + All LISP functions and programs are expressions that return values; + this, together with the high memory utilization of LISPs, gave rise to + Alan Perlis's famous quip (itself a take on an Oscar Wilde quote) that + "LISP programmers know the value of everything and the cost of + nothing". + + One significant application for LISP has been as a proof by example + that most newer languages, such as [8037]COBOL and [8038]Ada, are full + of unnecessary [8039]crocks. When the [8040]Right Thing has already + been done once, there is no justification for [8041]bogosity in newer + languages. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:list-bomb, Next:[8042]lithium lick, Previous:[8043]LISP, + Up:[8044]= L = + + list-bomb v. + + To [8045]mailbomb someone by forging messages causing the victim to + become a subscriber to many mailing lists. This is a self-defeating + tactic; it merely forces mailing list servers to require confirmation + by return message for every subscription. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lithium lick, Next:[8046]little-endian, Previous:[8047]list-bomb, + Up:[8048]= L = + + lithium lick n. + + [NeXT] Steve Jobs. Employees who have gotten too much attention from + their esteemed founder are said to have `lithium lick' when they begin + to show signs of Jobsian fervor and repeat the most recent catch + phrases in normal conversation -- for example, "It just works, right + out of the box!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:little-endian, Next:[8049]live, Previous:[8050]lithium lick, + Up:[8051]= L = + + little-endian adj. + + Describes a computer architecture in which, within a given 16- or + 32-bit word, bytes at lower addresses have lower significance (the + word is stored `little-end-first'). The PDP-11 and VAX families of + computers and Intel microprocessors and a lot of communications and + networking hardware are little-endian. See [8052]big-endian, + [8053]middle-endian, [8054]NUXI problem. The term is sometimes used to + describe the ordering of units other than bytes; most often, bits + within a byte. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:live, Next:[8055]live data, Previous:[8056]little-endian, + Up:[8057]= L = + + live /li:v/ adj.,adv. + + [common] Opposite of `test'. Refers to actual real-world data or a + program working with it. For example, the response to "I think the + record deleter is finished" might be "Is it live yet?" or "Have you + tried it out on live data?" This usage usually carries the connotation + that live data is more fragile and must not be corrupted, or bad + things will happen. So a more appropriate response might be: "Well, + make sure it works perfectly before we throw live data at it." The + implication here is that record deletion is something pretty + significant, and a haywire record-deleter running amok live would + probably cause great harm. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:live data, Next:[8058]Live Free Or Die!, Previous:[8059]live, + Up:[8060]= L = + + live data n. + + 1. Data that is written to be interpreted and takes over program flow + when triggered by some un-obvious operation, such as viewing it. One + use of such hacks is to break security. For example, some smart + terminals have commands that allow one to download strings to program + keys; this can be used to write live data that, when listed to the + terminal, infects it with a security-breaking [8061]virus that is + triggered the next time a hapless user strikes that key. For another, + there are some well-known bugs in [8062]vi that allow certain texts to + send arbitrary commands back to the machine when they are simply + viewed. 2. In C code, data that includes pointers to function + [8063]hooks (executable code). 3. An object, such as a + [8064]trampoline, that is constructed on the fly by a program and + intended to be executed as code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Live Free Or Die!, Next:[8065]livelock, Previous:[8066]live data, + Up:[8067]= L = + + Live Free Or Die! imp. + + 1. The state motto of New Hampshire, which appears on that state's + automobile license plates. 2. A slogan associated with Unix in the + romantic days when Unix aficionados saw themselves as a tiny, + beleaguered underground tilting against the windmills of industry. The + "free" referred specifically to freedom from the [8068]fascist design + philosophies and crufty misfeatures common on competing operating + systems. Armando Stettner, one of the early Unix developers, used to + give out fake license plates bearing this motto under a large Unix, + all in New Hampshire colors of green and white. These are now valued + collector's items. In 1994 [8069]DEC put an inferior imitation of + these in circulation with a red corporate logo added. Compaq (half of + which was once DEC) has continued the practice. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:livelock, Next:[8070]liveware, Previous:[8071]Live Free Or Die!, + Up:[8072]= L = + + livelock /li:v'lok/ n. + + A situation in which some critical stage of a task is unable to finish + because its clients perpetually create more work for it to do after + they have been serviced but before it can clear its queue. Differs + from [8073]deadlock in that the process is not blocked or waiting for + anything, but has a virtually infinite amount of work to do and can + never catch up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:liveware, Next:[8074]lobotomy, Previous:[8075]livelock, + Up:[8076]= L = + + liveware /li:v'weir/ n. + + 1. Synonym for [8077]wetware. Less common. 2. [Cambridge] Vermin. + "Waiter, there's some liveware in my salad..." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lobotomy, Next:[8078]locals the, Previous:[8079]liveware, + Up:[8080]= L = + + lobotomy n. + + 1. What a hacker subjected to formal management training is said to + have undergone. At IBM and elsewhere this term is used by both hackers + and low-level management; the latter doubtless intend it as a joke. 2. + The act of removing the processor from a microcomputer in order to + replace or upgrade it. Some very cheap [8081]clone systems are sold in + `lobotomized' form -- everything but the brain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:locals the, Next:[8082]locked and loaded, + Previous:[8083]lobotomy, Up:[8084]= L = + + locals, the pl.n. + + The users on one's local network (as opposed, say, to people one + reaches via public Internet or UUCP connects). The marked thing about + this usage is how little it has to do with real-space distance. "I + have to do some tweaking on this mail utility before releasing it to + the locals." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:locked and loaded, Next:[8085]locked up, Previous:[8086]locals + the, Up:[8087]= L = + + locked and loaded adj.,obs. + + [from military slang for an M-16 rifle with magazine inserted and + prepared for firing] Said of a removable disk volume properly prepared + for use -- that is, locked into the drive and with the heads loaded. + Ironically, because their heads are `loaded' whenever the power is up, + this description is never used of [8088]Winchester drives (which are + named after a rifle). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:locked up, Next:[8089]logic bomb, Previous:[8090]locked and + loaded, Up:[8091]= L = + + locked up adj. + + Syn. for [8092]hung, [8093]wedged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:logic bomb, Next:[8094]logical, Previous:[8095]locked up, + Up:[8096]= L = + + logic bomb n. + + Code surreptitiously inserted into an application or OS that causes it + to perform some destructive or security-compromising activity whenever + specified conditions are met. Compare [8097]back door. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:logical, Next:[8098]loop through, Previous:[8099]logic bomb, + Up:[8100]= L = + + logical adj. + + [from the technical term `logical device', wherein a physical device + is referred to by an arbitrary `logical' name] Having the role of. If + a person (say, Les Earnest at SAIL) who had long held a certain post + left and were replaced, the replacement would for a while be known as + the `logical' Les Earnest. (This does not imply any judgment on the + replacement.) Compare [8101]virtual. + + At Stanford, `logical' compass directions denote a coordinate system + in which `logical north' is toward San Francisco, `logical west' is + toward the ocean, etc., even though logical north varies between + physical (true) north near San Francisco and physical west near San + Jose. (The best rule of thumb here is that, by definition, El Camino + Real always runs logical north-and-south.) In giving directions, one + might say: "To get to Rincon Tarasco restaurant, get onto [8102]El + Camino Bignum going logical north." Using the word `logical' helps to + prevent the recipient from worrying about that the fact that the sun + is setting almost directly in front of him. The concept is reinforced + by North American highways which are almost, but not quite, + consistently labeled with logical rather than physical directions. A + similar situation exists at MIT: Route 128 (famous for the electronics + industry that has grown up along it) is a 3-quarters circle + surrounding Boston at a radius of 10 miles, terminating near the + coastline at each end. It would be most precise to describe the two + directions along this highway as `clockwise' and `counterclockwise', + but the road signs all say "north" and "south", respectively. A hacker + might describe these directions as `logical north' and `logical + south', to indicate that they are conventional directions not + corresponding to the usual denotation for those words. (If you went + logical south along the entire length of route 128, you would start + out going northwest, curve around to the south, and finish headed due + east, passing along one infamous stretch of pavement that is + simultaneously route 128 south and Interstate 93 north, and is signed + as such!) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:loop through, Next:[8103]loose bytes, Previous:[8104]logical, + Up:[8105]= L = + + loop through vt. + + To process each element of a list of things. "Hold on, I've got to + loop through my paper mail." Derives from the computer-language notion + of an iterative loop; compare `cdr down' (under [8106]cdr), which is + less common among C and Unix programmers. ITS hackers used to say `IRP + over' after an obscure pseudo-op in the MIDAS PDP-10 assembler (the + same IRP op can nowadays be found in Microsoft's assembler). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:loose bytes, Next:[8107]lord high fixer, Previous:[8108]loop + through, Up:[8109]= L = + + loose bytes n. + + Commonwealth hackish term for the padding bytes or [8110]shims many + compilers insert between members of a record or structure to cope with + alignment requirements imposed by the machine architecture. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lord high fixer, Next:[8111]lose, Previous:[8112]loose bytes, + Up:[8113]= L = + + lord high fixer n. + + [primarily British, from Gilbert & Sullivan's `lord high executioner'] + The person in an organization who knows the most about some aspect of + a system. See [8114]wizard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lose, Next:[8115]lose lose, Previous:[8116]lord high fixer, + Up:[8117]= L = + + lose vi. + + 1. [very common] To fail. A program loses when it encounters an + exceptional condition or fails to work in the expected manner. 2. To + be exceptionally unesthetic or crocky. 3. Of people, to be obnoxious + or unusually stupid (as opposed to ignorant). See also [8118]deserves + to lose. 4. n. Refers to something that is [8119]losing, especially in + the phrases "That's a lose!" and "What a lose!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lose lose, Next:[8120]loser, Previous:[8121]lose, Up:[8122]= L = + + lose lose interj. + + A reply to or comment on an undesirable situation. "I accidentally + deleted all my files!" "Lose, lose." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:loser, Next:[8123]losing, Previous:[8124]lose lose, Up:[8125]= L + = + + loser n. + + An unexpectedly bad situation, program, programmer, or person. Someone + who habitually loses. (Even winners can lose occasionally.) Someone + who knows not and knows not that he knows not. Emphatic forms are + `real loser', `total loser', and `complete loser' (but not **`moby + loser', which would be a contradiction in terms). See [8126]luser. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:losing, Next:[8127]loss, Previous:[8128]loser, Up:[8129]= L = + + losing adj. + + Said of anything that is or causes a [8130]lose or [8131]lossage. "The + compiler is losing badly when I try to use templates." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:loss, Next:[8132]lossage, Previous:[8133]losing, Up:[8134]= L = + + loss n. + + Something (not a person) that loses; a situation in which something is + losing. Emphatic forms include `moby loss', and `total loss', + `complete loss'. Common interjections are "What a loss!" and "What a + moby loss!" Note that `moby loss' is OK even though **`moby loser' is + not used; applied to an abstract noun, moby is simply a magnifier, + whereas when applied to a person it implies substance and has positive + connotations. Compare [8135]lossage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lossage, Next:[8136]lost in the noise, Previous:[8137]loss, + Up:[8138]= L = + + lossage /los'*j/ n. + + [very common] The result of a bug or malfunction. This is a mass or + collective noun. "What a loss!" and "What lossage!" are nearly + synonymous. The former is slightly more particular to the speaker's + present circumstances; the latter implies a continuing [8139]lose of + which the speaker is currently a victim. Thus (for example) a + temporary hardware failure is a loss, but bugs in an important tool + (like a compiler) are serious lossage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lost in the noise, Next:[8140]lost in the underflow, + Previous:[8141]lossage, Up:[8142]= L = + + lost in the noise adj. + + Syn. [8143]lost in the underflow. This term is from signal processing, + where signals of very small amplitude cannot be separated from + low-intensity noise in the system. Though popular among hackers, it is + not confined to hackerdom; physicists, engineers, astronomers, and + statisticians all use it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lost in the underflow, Next:[8144]lots of MIPS but no I/O, + Previous:[8145]lost in the noise, Up:[8146]= L = + + lost in the underflow adj. + + Too small to be worth considering; more specifically, small beyond the + limits of accuracy or measurement. This is a reference to `floating + underflow', a condition that can occur when a floating-point + arithmetic processor tries to handle quantities smaller than its limit + of magnitude. It is also a pun on `undertow' (a kind of fast, cold + current that sometimes runs just offshore and can be dangerous to + swimmers). "Well, sure, photon pressure from the stadium lights alters + the path of a thrown baseball, but that effect gets lost in the + underflow." Compare [8147]epsilon, [8148]epsilon squared; see also + [8149]overflow bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lots of MIPS but no I/O, Next:[8150]low-bandwidth, + Previous:[8151]lost in the underflow, Up:[8152]= L = + + lots of MIPS but no I/O adj. + + Used to describe a person who is technically brilliant but can't seem + to communicate with human beings effectively. Technically it describes + a machine that has lots of processing power but is bottlenecked on + input-output (in 1991, the IBM Rios, a.k.a. RS/6000, was a notorious + example). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:low-bandwidth, Next:[8153]LPT, Previous:[8154]lots of MIPS but no + I/O, Up:[8155]= L = + + low-bandwidth adj. + + [from communication theory] Used to indicate a talk that, although not + [8156]content-free, was not terribly informative. "That was a + low-bandwidth talk, but what can you expect for an audience of + [8157]suits!" Compare [8158]zero-content, [8159]bandwidth, + [8160]math-out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:LPT, Next:[8161]Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology, + Previous:[8162]low-bandwidth, Up:[8163]= L = + + LPT /L-P-T/ or /lip'it/ or /lip-it'/ n. + + 1. Line printer (originally Line Printing Terminal). Rare under Unix, + more common among hackers who grew up with ITS, MS-DOS, CP/M and other + operating systems that were strongly influenced by early [8164]DEC + conventions. 2. Local PorT. Used among MS-DOS programmers (and so + expanded in the MS-DOS 5 manual). It seems likely this is a + [8165]backronym. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology, Next:[8166]Lumber + Cartel, Previous:[8167]LPT, Up:[8168]= L = + + Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology prov. + + "There is always one more bug." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Lumber Cartel, Next:[8169]lunatic fringe, + Previous:[8170]Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology, Up:[8171]= L = + + Lumber Cartel n. + + A mythical conspiracy accused by [8172]spam-spewers of funding + anti-spam activism in order to force the direct-mail promotions + industry back onto paper. Hackers, predictably, responded by forming a + "Lumber Cartel" spoofing this paranoid theory; the web page is + [8173]http://come.to/the.lumber.cartel. Members often include the tag + TINLC ("There Is No Lumber Cartel") in their postings; see [8174]TINC, + [8175]backbone cabal and [8176]NANA for explanation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lunatic fringe, Next:[8177]lurker, Previous:[8178]Lumber Cartel, + Up:[8179]= L = + + lunatic fringe n. + + [IBM] Customers who can be relied upon to accept release 1 versions of + software. Compare [8180]heatseeker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:lurker, Next:[8181]luser, Previous:[8182]lunatic fringe, + Up:[8183]= L = + + lurker n. + + One of the `silent majority' in a electronic forum; one who posts + occasionally or not at all but is known to read the group's postings + regularly. This term is not pejorative and indeed is casually used + reflexively: "Oh, I'm just lurking." Often used in `the lurkers', the + hypothetical audience for the group's [8184]flamage-emitting regulars. + When a lurker speaks up for the first time, this is called + `delurking'. + + The creator of the popular science-fiction TV series "Babylon 5" has + ties to SF fandom and the hacker culture. In that series, the use of + the term `lurker' for a homeless or displaced person is a conscious + reference to the jargon term. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:luser, Next:[8185]M, Previous:[8186]lurker, Up:[8187]= L = + + luser /loo'zr/ n. + + [common] A [8188]user; esp. one who is also a [8189]loser. + ([8190]luser and [8191]loser are pronounced identically.) This word + was coined around 1975 at MIT. Under ITS, when you first walked up to + a terminal at MIT and typed Control-Z to get the computer's attention, + it printed out some status information, including how many people were + already using the computer; it might print "14 users", for example. + Someone thought it would be a great joke to patch the system to print + "14 losers" instead. There ensued a great controversy, as some of the + users didn't particularly want to be called losers to their faces + every time they used the computer. For a while several hackers + struggled covertly, each changing the message behind the back of the + others; any time you logged into the computer it was even money + whether it would say "users" or "losers". Finally, someone tried the + compromise "lusers", and it stuck. Later one of the ITS machines + supported luser as a request-for-help command. ITS died the death in + mid-1990, except as a museum piece; the usage lives on, however, and + the term `luser' is often seen in program comments and on Usenet. + Compare [8192]mundane, [8193]muggle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= M =, Next:[8194]= N =, Previous:[8195]= L =, Up:[8196]The + Jargon Lexicon + += M = + + * [8197]M: + * [8198]M$: + * [8199]macdink: + * [8200]machinable: + * [8201]machoflops: + * [8202]Macintoy: + * [8203]Macintrash: + * [8204]macro: + * [8205]macro-: + * [8206]macrology: + * [8207]macrotape: + * [8208]maggotbox: + * [8209]magic: + * [8210]magic cookie: + * [8211]magic number: + * [8212]magic smoke: + * [8213]mail storm: + * [8214]mailbomb: + * [8215]mailing list: + * [8216]main loop: + * [8217]mainframe: + * [8218]management: + * [8219]mandelbug: + * [8220]manged: + * [8221]mangle: + * [8222]mangled name: + * [8223]mangler: + * [8224]manularity: + * [8225]marbles: + * [8226]marginal: + * [8227]Marginal Hacks: + * [8228]marginally: + * [8229]marketroid: + * [8230]Mars: + * [8231]martian: + * [8232]massage: + * [8233]math-out: + * [8234]Matrix: + * [8235]maximum Maytag mode: + * [8236]meatspace: + * [8237]meatware: + * [8238]meeces: + * [8239]meg: + * [8240]mega-: + * [8241]megapenny: + * [8242]MEGO: + * [8243]meltdown network: + * [8244]meme: + * [8245]meme plague: + * [8246]memetics: + * [8247]memory farts: + * [8248]memory leak: + * [8249]memory smash: + * [8250]menuitis: + * [8251]mess-dos: + * [8252]meta: + * [8253]meta bit: + * [8254]metasyntactic variable: + * [8255]MFTL: + * [8256]mickey: + * [8257]mickey mouse program: + * [8258]micro-: + * [8259]MicroDroid: + * [8260]microfloppies: + * [8261]microfortnight: + * [8262]microLenat: + * [8263]microReid: + * [8264]microserf: + * [8265]Microsloth Windows: + * [8266]Microsoft: + * [8267]micros~1: + * [8268]middle-endian: + * [8269]middle-out implementation: + * [8270]milliLampson: + * [8271]minifloppies: + * [8272]MIPS: + * [8273]misbug: + * [8274]misfeature: + * [8275]Missed'em-five: + * [8276]missile address: + * [8277]miswart: + * [8278]MMF: + * [8279]mobo: + * [8280]moby: + * [8281]mockingbird: + * [8282]mod: + * [8283]mode: + * [8284]mode bit: + * [8285]modulo: + * [8286]molly-guard: + * [8287]Mongolian Hordes technique: + * [8288]monkey up: + * [8289]monkey scratch: + * [8290]monstrosity: + * [8291]monty: + * [8292]Moof: + * [8293]Moore's Law: + * [8294]moose call: + * [8295]moria: + * [8296]MOTAS: + * [8297]MOTOS: + * [8298]MOTSS: + * [8299]mouse ahead: + * [8300]mouse around: + * [8301]mouse belt: + * [8302]mouse droppings: + * [8303]mouse elbow: + * [8304]mouso: + * [8305]MS-DOS: + * [8306]mu: + * [8307]MUD: + * [8308]muddie: + * [8309]mudhead: + * [8310]muggle: + * [8311]multician: + * [8312]Multics: + * [8313]multitask: + * [8314]mumblage: + * [8315]mumble: + * [8316]munch: + * [8317]munching: + * [8318]munching squares: + * [8319]munchkin: + * [8320]mundane: + * [8321]mung: + * [8322]munge: + * [8323]Murphy's Law: + * [8324]music: + * [8325]mutter: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:M, Next:[8326]M$, Previous:[8327]luser, Up:[8328]= M = + + M pref. (on units) suff. (on numbers) + + [SI] See [8329]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:M$, Next:[8330]macdink, Previous:[8331]M, Up:[8332]= M = + + M$ + + Common net abbreviation for Microsoft, everybody's least favorite + monopoly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:macdink, Next:[8333]machinable, Previous:[8334]M$, Up:[8335]= M = + + macdink /mak'dink/ vt. + + [from the Apple Macintosh, which is said to encourage such behavior] + To make many incremental and unnecessary cosmetic changes to a program + or file. Often the subject of the macdinking would be better off + without them. "When I left at 11 P.M. last night, he was still + macdinking the slides for his presentation." See also + [8336]fritterware, [8337]window shopping. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:machinable, Next:[8338]machoflops, Previous:[8339]macdink, + Up:[8340]= M = + + machinable adj. + + Machine-readable. Having the [8341]softcopy nature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:machoflops, Next:[8342]Macintoy, Previous:[8343]machinable, + Up:[8344]= M = + + machoflops /mach'oh-flops/ n. + + [pun on `megaflops', a coinage for `millions of FLoating-point + Operations Per Second'] Refers to artificially inflated performance + figures often quoted by computer manufacturers. Real applications are + lucky to get half the quoted speed. See [8345]Your mileage may vary, + [8346]benchmark. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Macintoy, Next:[8347]Macintrash, Previous:[8348]machoflops, + Up:[8349]= M = + + Macintoy /mak'in-toy/ n. + + The Apple Macintosh, considered as a [8350]toy. Less pejorative than + [8351]Macintrash. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Macintrash, Next:[8352]macro, Previous:[8353]Macintoy, Up:[8354]= + M = + + Macintrash /mak'in-trash`/ n. + + The Apple Macintosh, as described by a hacker who doesn't appreciate + being kept away from the real computer by the interface. The term + [8355]maggotbox has been reported in regular use in the Research + Triangle area of North Carolina. Compare [8356]Macintoy. See also + [8357]beige toaster, [8358]WIMP environment, [8359]point-and-drool + interface, [8360]drool-proof paper, [8361]user-friendly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:macro, Next:[8362]macro-, Previous:[8363]Macintrash, Up:[8364]= M + = + + macro /mak'roh/ n. + + [techspeak] A name (possibly followed by a formal [8365]arg list) that + is equated to a text or symbolic expression to which it is to be + expanded (possibly with the substitution of actual arguments) by a + macro expander. This definition can be found in any technical + dictionary; what those won't tell you is how the hackish connotations + of the term have changed over time. + + The term `macro' originated in early assemblers, which encouraged the + use of macros as a structuring and information-hiding device. During + the early 1970s, macro assemblers became ubiquitous, and sometimes + quite as powerful and expensive as [8366]HLLs, only to fall from favor + as improving compiler technology marginalized assembler programming + (see [8367]languages of choice). Nowadays the term is most often used + in connection with the C preprocessor, LISP, or one of several + special-purpose languages built around a macro-expansion facility + (such as TeX or Unix's [nt]roff suite). + + Indeed, the meaning has drifted enough that the collective `macros' is + now sometimes used for code in any special-purpose application control + language (whether or not the language is actually translated by text + expansion), and for macro-like entities such as the `keyboard macros' + supported in some text editors (and PC TSR or Macintosh INIT/CDEV + keyboard enhancers). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:macro-, Next:[8368]macrology, Previous:[8369]macro, Up:[8370]= M + = + + macro- pref. + + Large. Opposite of [8371]micro-. In the mainstream and among other + technical cultures (for example, medical people) this competes with + the prefix [8372]mega-, but hackers tend to restrict the latter to + quantification. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:macrology, Next:[8373]macrotape, Previous:[8374]macro-, + Up:[8375]= M = + + macrology /mak-rol'*-jee/ n. + + 1. Set of usually complex or crufty macros, e.g., as part of a large + system written in [8376]LISP, [8377]TECO, or (less commonly) + assembler. 2. The art and science involved in comprehending a + macrology in sense 1. Sometimes studying the macrology of a system is + not unlike archeology, ecology, or [8378]theology, hence the + sound-alike construction. See also [8379]boxology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:macrotape, Next:[8380]maggotbox, Previous:[8381]macrology, + Up:[8382]= M = + + macrotape /mak'roh-tayp/ n. + + An industry-standard reel of tape. Originally, as opposed to a DEC + microtape; nowadays, as opposed to modern QIC and DDS tapes. Syn. + [8383]round tape. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:maggotbox, Next:[8384]magic, Previous:[8385]macrotape, Up:[8386]= + M = + + maggotbox /mag'*t-boks/ n. + + See [8387]Macintrash. This is even more derogatory. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:magic, Next:[8388]magic cookie, Previous:[8389]maggotbox, + Up:[8390]= M = + + magic + + 1. adj. As yet unexplained, or too complicated to explain; compare + [8391]automagically and (Arthur C.) Clarke's Third Law: "Any + sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." + "TTY echoing is controlled by a large number of magic bits." "This + routine magically computes the parity of an 8-bit byte in three + instructions." 2. adj. Characteristic of something that works although + no one really understands why (this is especially called [8392]black + magic). 3. n. [Stanford] A feature not generally publicized that + allows something otherwise impossible, or a feature formerly in that + category but now unveiled. 4. n. The ultimate goal of all engineering + & development, elegance in the extreme; from the first corollary to + Clarke's Third Law: "Any technology distinguishable from magic is + insufficiently advanced". + + Parodies playing on these senses of the term abound; some have made + their way into serious documentation, as when a MAGIC directive was + described in the Control Card Reference for GCOS c.1978. For more + about hackish `magic', see [8393]Appendix A. Compare [8394]black + magic, [8395]wizardly, [8396]deep magic, [8397]heavy wizardry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:magic cookie, Next:[8398]magic number, Previous:[8399]magic, + Up:[8400]= M = + + magic cookie n. + + [Unix; common] 1. Something passed between routines or programs that + enables the receiver to perform some operation; a capability ticket or + opaque identifier. Especially used of small data objects that contain + data encoded in a strange or intrinsically machine-dependent way. + E.g., on non-Unix OSes with a non-byte-stream model of files, the + result of ftell(3) may be a magic cookie rather than a byte offset; it + can be passed to fseek(3), but not operated on in any meaningful way. + The phrase `it hands you a magic cookie' means it returns a result + whose contents are not defined but which can be passed back to the + same or some other program later. 2. An in-band code for changing + graphic rendition (e.g., inverse video or underlining) or performing + other control functions (see also [8401]cookie). Some older terminals + would leave a blank on the screen corresponding to mode-change magic + cookies; this was also called a [8402]glitch (or occasionally a + `turd'; compare [8403]mouse droppings). See also [8404]cookie. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:magic number, Next:[8405]magic smoke, Previous:[8406]magic + cookie, Up:[8407]= M = + + magic number n. + + [Unix/C; common] 1. In source code, some non-obvious constant whose + value is significant to the operation of a program and that is + inserted inconspicuously in-line ([8408]hardcoded), rather than + expanded in by a symbol set by a commented #define. Magic numbers in + this sense are bad style. 2. A number that encodes critical + information used in an algorithm in some opaque way. The classic + examples of these are the numbers used in hash or CRC functions, or + the coefficients in a linear congruential generator for pseudo-random + numbers. This sense actually predates and was ancestral to the more + commonsense 1. 3. Special data located at the beginning of a binary + data file to indicate its type to a utility. Under Unix, the system + and various applications programs (especially the linker) distinguish + between types of executable file by looking for a magic number. Once + upon a time, these magic numbers were PDP-11 branch instructions that + skipped over header data to the start of executable code; 0407, for + example, was octal for `branch 16 bytes relative'. Many other kinds of + files now have magic numbers somewhere; some magic numbers are, in + fact, strings, like the !<arch> at the beginning of a Unix archive + file or the %! leading PostScript files. Nowadays only a [8409]wizard + knows the spells to create magic numbers. How do you choose a fresh + magic number of your own? Simple -- you pick one at random. See? It's + magic! + + The magic number, on the other hand, is 7+/-2. See "The magical number + seven, plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing + information" by George Miller, in the "Psychological Review" 63:81-97 + (1956). This classic paper established the number of distinct items + (such as numeric digits) that humans can hold in short-term memory. + Among other things, this strongly influenced the interface design of + the phone system. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:magic smoke, Next:[8410]mail storm, Previous:[8411]magic number, + Up:[8412]= M = + + magic smoke n. + + A substance trapped inside IC packages that enables them to function + (also called `blue smoke'; this is similar to the archaic `phlogiston' + hypothesis about combustion). Its existence is demonstrated by what + happens when a chip burns up -- the magic smoke gets let out, so it + doesn't work any more. See [8413]smoke test, [8414]let the smoke out. + + Usenetter Jay Maynard tells the following story: "Once, while hacking + on a dedicated Z80 system, I was testing code by blowing EPROMs and + plugging them in the system, then seeing what happened. One time, I + plugged one in backwards. I only discovered that after I realized that + Intel didn't put power-on lights under the quartz windows on the tops + of their EPROMs -- the die was glowing white-hot. Amazingly, the EPROM + worked fine after I erased it, filled it full of zeros, then erased it + again. For all I know, it's still in service. Of course, this is + because the magic smoke didn't get let out." Compare the original + phrasing of [8415]Murphy's Law. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mail storm, Next:[8416]mailbomb, Previous:[8417]magic smoke, + Up:[8418]= M = + + mail storm n. + + [from [8419]broadcast storm, influenced by `maelstrom'] What often + happens when a machine with an Internet connection and active users + re-connects after extended downtime -- a flood of incoming mail that + brings the machine to its knees. See also [8420]hairball. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mailbomb, Next:[8421]mailing list, Previous:[8422]mail storm, + Up:[8423]= M = + + mailbomb + + (also mail bomb) [Usenet] 1. v. To send, or urge others to send, + massive amounts of [8424]email to a single system or person, esp. with + intent to crash or [8425]spam the recipient's system. Sometimes done + in retaliation for a perceived serious offense. Mailbombing is itself + widely regarded as a serious offense -- it can disrupt email traffic + or other facilities for innocent users on the victim's system, and in + extreme cases, even at upstream sites. 2. n. An automatic procedure + with a similar effect. 3. n. The mail sent. Compare [8426]letterbomb, + [8427]nastygram, [8428]BLOB (sense 2), [8429]list-bomb. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mailing list, Next:[8430]main loop, Previous:[8431]mailbomb, + Up:[8432]= M = + + mailing list n. + + (often shortened in context to `list') 1. An [8433]email address that + is an alias (or [8434]macro, though that word is never used in this + connection) for many other email addresses. Some mailing lists are + simple `reflectors', redirecting mail sent to them to the list of + recipients. Others are filtered by humans or programs of varying + degrees of sophistication; lists filtered by humans are said to be + `moderated'. 2. The people who receive your email when you send it to + such an address. + + Mailing lists are one of the primary forms of hacker interaction, + along with [8435]Usenet. They predate Usenet, having originated with + the first UUCP and ARPANET connections. They are often used for + private information-sharing on topics that would be too specialized + for or inappropriate to public Usenet groups. Though some of these + maintain almost purely technical content (such as the Internet + Engineering Task Force mailing list), others (like the `sf-lovers' + list maintained for many years by Saul Jaffe) are recreational, and + many are purely social. Perhaps the most infamous of the social lists + was the eccentric bandykin distribution; its latter-day progeny, + lectroids and tanstaafl, still include a number of the oddest and most + interesting people in hackerdom. + + Mailing lists are easy to create and (unlike Usenet) don't tie up a + significant amount of machine resources (until they get very large, at + which point they can become interesting torture tests for mail + software). Thus, they are often created temporarily by working groups, + the members of which can then collaborate on a project without ever + needing to meet face-to-face. Much of the material in this lexicon was + criticized and polished on just such a mailing list (called + `jargon-friends'), which included all the co-authors of Steele-1983. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:main loop, Next:[8436]mainframe, Previous:[8437]mailing list, + Up:[8438]= M = + + main loop n. + + The top-level control flow construct in an input- or event-driven + program, the one which receives and acts or dispatches on the + program's input. See also [8439]driver. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mainframe, Next:[8440]management, Previous:[8441]main loop, + Up:[8442]= M = + + mainframe n. + + Term originally referring to the cabinet containing the central + processor unit or `main frame' of a room-filling [8443]Stone Age batch + machine. After the emergence of smaller `minicomputer' designs in the + early 1970s, the traditional [8444]big iron machines were described as + `mainframe computers' and eventually just as mainframes. The term + carries the connotation of a machine designed for batch rather than + interactive use, though possibly with an interactive timesharing + operating system retrofitted onto it; it is especially used of + machines built by IBM, Unisys, and the other great [8445]dinosaurs + surviving from computing's [8446]Stone Age. + + It has been common wisdom among hackers since the late 1980s that the + mainframe architectural tradition is essentially dead (outside of the + tiny market for [8447]number-crunching supercomputers (see + [8448]cray)), having been swamped by the recent huge advances in IC + technology and low-cost personal computing. The wave of failures, + takeovers, and mergers among traditional mainframe makers in the early + 1990s bore this out. The biggest mainframer of all, IBM, was compelled + to re-invent itself as a huge systems-consulting house. (See + [8449]dinosaurs mating and [8450]killer micro). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:management, Next:[8451]mandelbug, Previous:[8452]mainframe, + Up:[8453]= M = + + management n. + + 1. Corporate power elites distinguished primarily by their distance + from actual productive work and their chronic failure to manage (see + also [8454]suit). Spoken derisively, as in "Management decided that + ...". 2. Mythically, a vast bureaucracy responsible for all the + world's minor irritations. Hackers' satirical public notices are often + signed `The Mgt'; this derives from the "Illuminatus" novels (see the + [8455]Bibliography in Appendix C). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mandelbug, Next:[8456]manged, Previous:[8457]management, + Up:[8458]= M = + + mandelbug /man'del-buhg/ n. + + [from the Mandelbrot set] A bug whose underlying causes are so complex + and obscure as to make its behavior appear chaotic or even + non-deterministic. This term implies that the speaker thinks it is a + [8459]Bohr bug, rather than a [8460]heisenbug. See also + [8461]schroedinbug. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:manged, Next:[8462]mangle, Previous:[8463]mandelbug, Up:[8464]= M + = + + manged /mahnjd/ n. + + [probably from the French `manger' or Italian `mangiare', to eat; + perhaps influenced by English `mange', `mangy'] adj. Refers to + anything that is mangled or damaged, usually beyond repair. "The disk + was manged after the electrical storm." Compare [8465]mung. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mangle, Next:[8466]mangled name, Previous:[8467]manged, + Up:[8468]= M = + + mangle vt. + + 1. Used similarly to [8469]mung or [8470]scribble, but more violent in + its connotations; something that is mangled has been irreversibly and + totally trashed. 2. To produce the [8471]mangled name corresponding to + a C++ declaration. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mangled name, Next:[8472]mangler, Previous:[8473]mangle, + Up:[8474]= M = + + mangled name n. + + A name, appearing in a C++ object file, that is a coded representation + of the object declaration as it appears in the source. Mangled names + are used because C++ allows multiple objects to have the same name, as + long as they are distinguishable in some other way, such as by having + different parameter types. Thus, the internal name must have that + additional information embedded in it, using the limited character set + allowed by most linkers. For instance, one popular compiler encodes + the standard library function declaration "memchr(const + void*,int,unsigned int)" as "@memchr$qpxviui". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mangler, Next:[8475]manularity, Previous:[8476]mangled name, + Up:[8477]= M = + + mangler n. + + [DEC] A manager. Compare [8478]management. Note that [8479]system + mangler is somewhat different in connotation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:manularity, Next:[8480]marbles, Previous:[8481]mangler, + Up:[8482]= M = + + manularity /man`yoo-la'ri-tee/ n. + + [prob. fr. techspeak `manual' + `granularity'] A notional measure of + the manual labor required for some task, particularly one of the sort + that automation is supposed to eliminate. "Composing English on paper + has much higher manularity than using a text editor, especially in the + revising stage." Hackers tend to consider manularity a symptom of + primitive methods; in fact, a true hacker confronted with an apparent + requirement to do a computing task [8483]by hand will inevitably seize + the opportunity to build another tool (see [8484]toolsmith). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:marbles, Next:[8485]marginal, Previous:[8486]manularity, + Up:[8487]= M = + + marbles pl.n. + + [from mainstream "lost all his/her marbles"] The minimum needed to + build your way further up some hierarchy of tools or abstractions. + After a bad system crash, you need to determine if the machine has + enough marbles to come up on its own, or enough marbles to allow a + rebuild from backups, or if you need to rebuild from scratch. "This + compiler doesn't even have enough marbles to compile [8488]hello + world." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:marginal, Next:[8489]Marginal Hacks, Previous:[8490]marbles, + Up:[8491]= M = + + marginal adj. + + [common] 1. [techspeak] An extremely small change. "A marginal + increase in [8492]core can decrease [8493]GC time drastically." In + everyday terms, this means that it is a lot easier to clean off your + desk if you have a spare place to put some of the junk while you sort + through it. 2. Of little merit. "This proposed new feature seems + rather marginal to me." 3. Of extremely small probability of + [8494]winning. "The power supply was rather marginal anyway; no wonder + it fried." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Marginal Hacks, Next:[8495]marginally, Previous:[8496]marginal, + Up:[8497]= M = + + Marginal Hacks n. + + Margaret Jacks Hall, a building into which the Stanford AI Lab was + moved near the beginning of the 1980s (from the [8498]D. C. Power + Lab). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:marginally, Next:[8499]marketroid, Previous:[8500]Marginal Hacks, + Up:[8501]= M = + + marginally adv. + + Slightly. "The ravs here are only marginally better than at Small + Eating Place." See [8502]epsilon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:marketroid, Next:[8503]Mars, Previous:[8504]marginally, + Up:[8505]= M = + + marketroid /mar'k*-troyd/ n. + + alt. `marketing slime', `marketeer', `marketing droid', `marketdroid'. + A member of a company's marketing department, esp. one who promises + users that the next version of a product will have features that are + not actually scheduled for inclusion, are extremely difficult to + implement, and/or are in violation of the laws of physics; and/or one + who describes existing features (and misfeatures) in ebullient, + buzzword-laden adspeak. Derogatory. Compare [8506]droid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Mars, Next:[8507]martian, Previous:[8508]marketroid, Up:[8509]= M + = + + Mars n. + + A legendary tragic failure, the archetypal Hacker Dream Gone Wrong. + Mars was the code name for a family of PDP-10 compatible computers + built by Systems Concepts (now, The SC Group): the multi-processor + SC-30M, the small uniprocessor SC-25M, and the never-built + superprocessor SC-40M. These machines were marvels of engineering + design; although not much slower than the unique [8510]Foonly F-1, + they were physically smaller and consumed less power than the much + slower [8511]DEC KS10 or Foonly F-2, F-3, or F-4 machines. They were + also completely compatible with the DEC KL10, and ran all KL10 + binaries (including the operating system) with no modifications at + about 2-3 times faster than a KL10. + + When DEC cancelled the Jupiter project in 1983, Systems Concepts + should have made a bundle selling their machine into shops with a lot + of software investment in PDP-10s, and in fact their spring 1984 + announcement generated a great deal of excitement in the PDP-10 world. + TOPS-10 was running on the Mars by the summer of 1984, and TOPS-20 by + early fall. Unfortunately, the hackers running Systems Concepts were + much better at designing machines than at mass producing or selling + them; the company allowed itself to be sidetracked by a bout of + perfectionism into continually improving the design, and lost + credibility as delivery dates continued to slip. They also overpriced + the product ridiculously; they believed they were competing with the + KL10 and VAX 8600 and failed to reckon with the likes of Sun + Microsystems and other hungry startups building workstations with + power comparable to the KL10 at a fraction of the price. By the time + SC shipped the first SC-30M to Stanford in late 1985, most customers + had already made the traumatic decision to abandon the PDP-10, usually + for VMS or Unix boxes. Most of the Mars computers built ended up being + purchased by CompuServe. + + This tale and the related saga of [8512]Foonly hold a lesson for + hackers: if you want to play in the [8513]Real World, you need to + learn Real World moves. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:martian, Next:[8514]massage, Previous:[8515]Mars, Up:[8516]= M = + + martian n. + + A packet sent on a TCP/IP network with a source address of the test + loopback interface [127.0.0.1]. This means that it will come back + labeled with a source address that is clearly not of this earth. "The + domain server is getting lots of packets from Mars. Does that gateway + have a martian filter?" Compare [8517]Christmas tree packet, + [8518]Godzillagram. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:massage, Next:[8519]math-out, Previous:[8520]martian, Up:[8521]= + M = + + massage vt. + + [common] Vague term used to describe `smooth' transformations of a + data set into a different form, esp. transformations that do not lose + information. Connotes less pain than [8522]munch or [8523]crunch. "He + wrote a program that massages X bitmap files into GIF format." Compare + [8524]slurp. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:math-out, Next:[8525]Matrix, Previous:[8526]massage, Up:[8527]= M + = + + math-out n. + + [poss. from `white-out' (the blizzard variety)] A paper or + presentation so encrusted with mathematical or other formal notation + as to be incomprehensible. This may be a device for concealing the + fact that it is actually [8528]content-free. See also [8529]numbers, + [8530]social science number. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Matrix, Next:[8531]maximum Maytag mode, Previous:[8532]math-out, + Up:[8533]= M = + + Matrix n. + + [FidoNet] 1. What the Opus BBS software and sysops call [8534]FidoNet. + 2. Fanciful term for a [8535]cyberspace expected to emerge from + current networking experiments (see [8536]the network). The name of + the rather good 1999 [8537]cypherpunk movie "The Matrix" played on + this sense, which however had been established for years before. 3. + The totality of present-day computer networks (popularized in this + sense by John Quarterman; rare outside academic literature). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:maximum Maytag mode, Next:[8538]meatspace, Previous:[8539]Matrix, + Up:[8540]= M = + + maximum Maytag mode n. + + What a [8541]washing machine or, by extension, any disk drive is in + when it's being used so heavily that it's shaking like an old Maytag + with an unbalanced load. If prolonged for any length of time, can lead + to disks becoming [8542]walking drives. In 1999 it's been some years + since hard disks were large enough to do this, but the same phenomenon + has recently been reported with 24X CD-ROM drives. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meatspace, Next:[8543]meatware, Previous:[8544]maximum Maytag + mode, Up:[8545]= M = + + meatspace /meet'spays/ n. + + The physical world, where the meat lives - as opposed to + [8546]cyberspace. Hackers are actually more willing to use this term + than `cyberspace', because it's not speculative - we already have a + running meatspace implementation (the universe). Compare [8547]RL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meatware, Next:[8548]meeces, Previous:[8549]meatspace, Up:[8550]= + M = + + meatware n. + + Synonym for [8551]wetware. Less common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meeces, Next:[8552]meg, Previous:[8553]meatware, Up:[8554]= M = + + meeces /mees'*z/ n. + + [TMRC] Occasional furry visitors who are not [8555]urchins. [That is, + mice. This may no longer be in live use; it clearly derives from the + refrain of the early-1960s cartoon character Mr. Jinx: "I hate meeces + to pieces!" -- ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meg, Next:[8556]mega-, Previous:[8557]meeces, Up:[8558]= M = + + meg /meg/ n. + + See [8559]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mega-, Next:[8560]megapenny, Previous:[8561]meg, Up:[8562]= M = + + mega- /me'g*/ pref. + + [SI] See [8563]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:megapenny, Next:[8564]MEGO, Previous:[8565]mega-, Up:[8566]= M = + + megapenny /meg'*-pen`ee/ n. + + $10,000 (1 cent * 10^6). Used semi-humorously as a unit in comparing + computer cost and performance figures. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MEGO, Next:[8567]meltdown network, Previous:[8568]megapenny, + Up:[8569]= M = + + MEGO /me'goh/ or /mee'goh/ + + [`My Eyes Glaze Over', often `Mine Eyes Glazeth (sic) Over', + attributed to the futurologist Herman Kahn] Also `MEGO factor'. 1. n. + A [8570]handwave intended to confuse the listener and hopefully induce + agreement because the listener does not want to admit to not + understanding what is going on. MEGO is usually directed at senior + management by engineers and contains a high proportion of [8571]TLAs. + 2. excl. An appropriate response to MEGO tactics. 3. Among + non-hackers, often refers not to behavior that causes the eyes to + glaze, but to the eye-glazing reaction itself, which may be triggered + by the mere threat of technical detail as effectively as by an actual + excess of it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meltdown network, Next:[8572]meme, Previous:[8573]MEGO, + Up:[8574]= M = + + meltdown, network n. + + See [8575]network meltdown. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meme, Next:[8576]meme plague, Previous:[8577]meltdown network, + Up:[8578]= M = + + meme /meem/ n. + + [coined by analogy with `gene', by Richard Dawkins] An idea considered + as a [8579]replicator, esp. with the connotation that memes parasitize + people into propagating them much as viruses do. Used esp. in the + phrase `meme complex' denoting a group of mutually supporting memes + that form an organized belief system, such as a religion. This lexicon + is an (epidemiological) vector of the `hacker subculture' meme + complex; each entry might be considered a meme. However, `meme' is + often misused to mean `meme complex'. Use of the term connotes + acceptance of the idea that in humans (and presumably other tool- and + language-using sophonts) cultural evolution by selection of adaptive + ideas has superseded biological evolution by selection of hereditary + traits. Hackers find this idea congenial for tolerably obvious + reasons. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meme plague, Next:[8580]memetics, Previous:[8581]meme, Up:[8582]= + M = + + meme plague n. + + The spread of a successful but pernicious [8583]meme, esp. one that + parasitizes the victims into giving their all to propagate it. + Astrology, BASIC, and the other guy's religion are often considered to + be examples. This usage is given point by the historical fact that + `joiner' ideologies like Naziism or various forms of millennarian + Christianity have exhibited plague-like cycles of exponential growth + followed by collapses to small reservoir populations. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:memetics, Next:[8584]memory farts, Previous:[8585]meme plague, + Up:[8586]= M = + + memetics /me-met'iks/ n. + + [from [8587]meme] The study of memes. As of early 1999, this is still + an extremely informal and speculative endeavor, though the first steps + towards at least statistical rigor have been made by H. Keith Henson + and others. Memetics is a popular topic for speculation among hackers, + who like to see themselves as the architects of the new information + ecologies in which memes live and replicate. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:memory farts, Next:[8588]memory leak, Previous:[8589]memetics, + Up:[8590]= M = + + memory farts n. + + The flatulent sounds that some DOS box BIOSes (most notably AMI's) + make when checking memory on bootup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:memory leak, Next:[8591]memory smash, Previous:[8592]memory + farts, Up:[8593]= M = + + memory leak n. + + An error in a program's dynamic-store allocation logic that causes it + to fail to reclaim discarded memory, leading to eventual collapse due + to memory exhaustion. Also (esp. at CMU) called [8594]core leak. These + problems were severe on older machines with small, fixed-size address + spaces, and special "leak detection" tools were commonly written to + root them out. With the advent of virtual memory, it is unfortunately + easier to be sloppy about wasting a bit of memory (although when you + run out of memory on a VM machine, it means you've got a real leak!). + See [8595]aliasing bug, [8596]fandango on core, [8597]smash the stack, + [8598]precedence lossage, [8599]overrun screw, [8600]leaky heap, + [8601]leak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:memory smash, Next:[8602]menuitis, Previous:[8603]memory leak, + Up:[8604]= M = + + memory smash n. + + [XEROX PARC] Writing through a pointer that doesn't point to what you + think it does. This occasionally reduces your machine to a rubble of + bits. Note that this is subtly different from (and more general than) + related terms such as a [8605]memory leak or [8606]fandango on core + because it doesn't imply an allocation error or overrun condition. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:menuitis, Next:[8607]mess-dos, Previous:[8608]memory smash, + Up:[8609]= M = + + menuitis /men`yoo-i:'tis/ n. + + Notional disease suffered by software with an obsessively + simple-minded menu interface and no escape. Hackers find this + intensely irritating and much prefer the flexibility of command-line + or language-style interfaces, especially those customizable via macros + or a special-purpose language in which one can encode useful hacks. + See [8610]user-obsequious, [8611]drool-proof paper, [8612]WIMP + environment, [8613]for the rest of us. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mess-dos, Next:[8614]meta, Previous:[8615]menuitis, Up:[8616]= M + = + + mess-dos /mes-dos/ n. + + [semi-obsolescent now that DOS is] Derisory term for MS-DOS. Often + followed by the ritual banishing "Just say No!" See [8617]MS-DOS. Most + hackers (even many MS-DOS hackers) loathed MS-DOS for its + single-tasking nature, its limits on application size, its nasty + primitive interface, and its ties to IBMness and Microsoftness (see + [8618]fear and loathing). Also `mess-loss', `messy-dos', `mess-dog', + `mess-dross', `mush-dos', and various combinations thereof. In Ireland + and the U.K. it is even sometimes called `Domestos' after a brand of + toilet cleanser. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meta, Next:[8619]meta bit, Previous:[8620]mess-dos, Up:[8621]= M + = + + meta /me't*/ or /may't*/ or (Commonwealth) /mee't*/ adj.,pref. + + [from analytic philosophy] One level of description up. A + metasyntactic variable is a variable in notation used to describe + syntax, and meta-language is language used to describe language. This + is difficult to explain briefly, but much hacker humor turns on + deliberate confusion between meta-levels. See [8622]hacker humor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:meta bit, Next:[8623]metasyntactic variable, Previous:[8624]meta, + Up:[8625]= M = + + meta bit n. + + The top bit of an 8-bit character, which is on in character values + 128-255. Also called [8626]high bit, [8627]alt bit, or (rarely) + [8628]hobbit. Some terminals and consoles (see [8629]space-cadet + keyboard) have a META shift key. Others (including, mirabile dictu, + keyboards on IBM PC-class machines) have an ALT key. See also + [8630]bucky bits. + + Historical note: although in modern usage shaped by a universe of + 8-bit bytes the meta bit is invariably hex 80 (octal 0200), things + were different on earlier machines with 36-bit words and 9-bit bytes. + The MIT and Stanford keyboards (see [8631]space-cadet keyboard) + generated hex 100 (octal 400) from their meta keys. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:metasyntactic variable, Next:[8632]MFTL, Previous:[8633]meta bit, + Up:[8634]= M = + + metasyntactic variable n. + + A name used in examples and understood to stand for whatever thing is + under discussion, or any random member of a class of things under + discussion. The word [8635]foo is the [8636]canonical example. To + avoid confusion, hackers never (well, hardly ever) use `foo' or other + words like it as permanent names for anything. In filenames, a common + convention is that any filename beginning with a + metasyntactic-variable name is a [8637]scratch file that may be + deleted at any time. + + Metasyntactic variables are so called because (1) they are variables + in the metalanguage used to talk about programs etc; (2) they are + variables whose values are often variables (as in usages usages like + "the value of f(foo,bar) is the sum of foo and bar"). However, it has + been plausibly suggested that the real reason for the term + "metasyntactic variable" is that it sounds good. + + To some extent, the list of one's preferred metasyntactic variables is + a cultural signature. They occur both in series (used for related + groups of variables or objects) and as singletons. Here are a few + common signatures: + + [8638]foo, [8639]bar, [8640]baz, [8641]quux, quuux, quuuux...: + MIT/Stanford usage, now found everywhere (thanks largely to + early versions of this lexicon!). At MIT (but not at Stanford), + [8642]baz dropped out of use for a while in the 1970s and '80s. + A common recent mutation of this sequence inserts [8643]qux + before [8644]quux. + + bazola, ztesch: + Stanford (from mid-'70s on). + + [8645]foo, [8646]bar, thud, grunt: + This series was popular at CMU. Other CMU-associated variables + include [8647]gorp. + + [8648]foo, [8649]bar, fum: + This series is reported to be common at XEROX PARC. + + [8650]fred, jim, sheila, [8651]barney: + See the entry for [8652]fred. These tend to be Britishisms. + + [8653]corge, [8654]grault, [8655]flarp: + Popular at Rutgers University and among [8656]GOSMACS hackers. + + zxc, spqr, wombat: + Cambridge University (England). + + shme + Berkeley, GeoWorks, Ingres. Pronounced /shme/ with a short /e/. + + foo, bar, baz, bongo + Yale, late 1970s. + + spam + [8657]Python programmers. + + snork + Brown University, early 1970s. + + [8658]foo, [8659]bar, zot + Helsinki University of Technology, Finland. + + blarg, wibble + New Zealand. + + toto, titi, tata, tutu + France. + + pippo, pluto, paperino + Italy. Pippo /pee'po/ and Paperino /pa-per-ee'-no/ are the + Italian names for Goofy and Donald Duck. + + aap, noot, mies + The Netherlands. These are the first words a child used to + learn to spell on a Dutch spelling board. + + oogle, foogle, boogle; zork, gork, bork + These two series (which may be continued with other initial + consonents) are reportedly common in England, and said to go + back to Lewis Carroll. + + Of all these, only `foo' and `bar' are universal (and [8660]baz nearly + so). The compounds [8661]foobar and `foobaz' also enjoy very wide + currency. + + Some jargon terms are also used as metasyntactic names; [8662]barf and + [8663]mumble, for example. See also [8664]Commonwealth Hackish for + discussion of numerous metasyntactic variables found in Great Britain + and the Commonwealth. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MFTL, Next:[8665]mickey, Previous:[8666]metasyntactic variable, + Up:[8667]= M = + + MFTL /M-F-T-L/ + + [abbreviation: `My Favorite Toy Language'] 1. adj. Describes a talk on + a programming language design that is heavy on the syntax (with lots + of BNF), sometimes even talks about semantics (e.g., type systems), + but rarely, if ever, has any content (see [8668]content-free). More + broadly applied to talks -- even when the topic is not a programming + language -- in which the subject matter is gone into in unnecessary + and meticulous detail at the sacrifice of any conceptual content. + "Well, it was a typical MFTL talk". 2. n. Describes a language about + which the developers are passionate (often to the point of proselytic + zeal) but no one else cares about. Applied to the language by those + outside the originating group. "He cornered me about type resolution + in his MFTL." + + The first great goal in the mind of the designer of an MFTL is usually + to write a compiler for it, then bootstrap the design away from + contamination by lesser languages by writing a compiler for it in + itself. Thus, the standard put-down question at an MFTL talk is "Has + it been used for anything besides its own compiler?" On the other + hand, a (compiled) language that cannot even be used to write its own + compiler is beneath contempt. (The qualification has become necessary + because of the increasing popularity of interpreted languages like + [8669]Perl and [8670]Python. See [8671]break-even point. + + (On a related note, Doug McIlroy once proposed a test of the + generality and utility of a language and the operating system under + which it is compiled: "Is the output of a FORTRAN program acceptable + as input to the FORTRAN compiler?" In other words, can you write + programs that write programs? (See [8672]toolsmith.) Alarming numbers + of (language, OS) pairs fail this test, particularly when the language + is FORTRAN; aficionados are quick to point out that [8673]Unix (even + using FORTRAN) passes it handily. That the test could ever be failed + is only surprising to those who have had the good fortune to have + worked only under modern systems which lack OS-supported and -imposed + "file types".) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mickey, Next:[8674]mickey mouse program, Previous:[8675]MFTL, + Up:[8676]= M = + + mickey n. + + The resolution unit of mouse movement. It has been suggested that the + `disney' will become a benchmark unit for animation graphics + performance. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mickey mouse program, Next:[8677]micro-, Previous:[8678]mickey, + Up:[8679]= M = + + mickey mouse program n. + + North American equivalent of a [8680]noddy (that is, trivial) program. + Doesn't necessarily have the belittling connotations of mainstream + slang "Oh, that's just mickey mouse stuff!"; sometimes trivial + programs can be very useful. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:micro-, Next:[8681]MicroDroid, Previous:[8682]mickey mouse + program, Up:[8683]= M = + + micro- pref. + + 1. Very small; this is the root of its use as a quantifier prefix. 2. + A quantifier prefix, calling for multiplication by 10^(-6) (see + [8684]quantifiers). Neither of these uses is peculiar to hackers, but + hackers tend to fling them both around rather more freely than is + countenanced in standard English. It is recorded, for example, that + one CS professor used to characterize the standard length of his + lectures as a microcentury -- that is, about 52.6 minutes (see also + [8685]attoparsec, [8686]nanoacre, and especially + [8687]microfortnight). 3. Personal or human-scale -- that is, capable + of being maintained or comprehended or manipulated by one human being. + This sense is generalized from `microcomputer', and is esp. used in + contrast with `macro-' (the corresponding Greek prefix meaning + `large'). 4. Local as opposed to global (or [8688]macro-). Thus a + hacker might say that buying a smaller car to reduce pollution only + solves a microproblem; the macroproblem of getting to work might be + better solved by using mass transit, moving to within walking + distance, or (best of all) telecommuting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MicroDroid, Next:[8689]microfloppies, Previous:[8690]micro-, + Up:[8691]= M = + + MicroDroid n. + + [Usenet] A Microsoft employee, esp. one who posts to various + operating-system advocacy newsgroups. MicroDroids post follow-ups to + any messages critical of Microsoft's operating systems, and often end + up sounding like visiting fundamentalist missionaries. See also + [8692]astroturfing; compare [8693]microserf. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:microfloppies, Next:[8694]microfortnight, + Previous:[8695]MicroDroid, Up:[8696]= M = + + microfloppies n. + + 3.5-inch floppies, as opposed to 5.25-inch [8697]vanilla or + mini-floppies and the now-obsolete 8-inch variety. This term may be + headed for obsolescence as 5.25-inchers pass out of use, only to be + revived if anybody floats a sub-3-inch floppy standard. See + [8698]stiffy, [8699]minifloppies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:microfortnight, Next:[8700]microLenat, + Previous:[8701]microfloppies, Up:[8702]= M = + + microfortnight n. + + 1/1000000 of the fundamental unit of time in the + Furlong/Firkin/Fortnight system of measurement; 1.2096 sec. (A furlong + is 1/8th of a mile; a firkin is 1/4th of a barrel; the mass unit of + the system is taken to be a firkin of water). The VMS operating system + has a lot of tuning parameters that you can set with the SYSGEN + utility, and one of these is TIMEPROMPTWAIT, the time the system will + wait for an operator to set the correct date and time at boot if it + realizes that the current value is bogus. This time is specified in + microfortnights! + + Multiple uses of the millifortnight (about 20 minutes) and + [8703]nanofortnight have also been reported. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:microLenat, Next:[8704]microReid, Previous:[8705]microfortnight, + Up:[8706]= M = + + microLenat /mi:`-kroh-len'-*t/ n. + + The unit of [8707]bogosity. consensus is that this is the largest unit + practical for everyday use. The microLenat, originally invented by + David Jefferson, was promulgated as an attack against noted computer + scientist Doug Lenat by a [8708]tenured graduate student at CMU. Doug + had failed the student on an important exam because the student gave + only "AI is bogus" as his answer to the questions. The slur is + generally considered unmerited, but it has become a running gag + nevertheless. Some of Doug's friends argue that of course a microLenat + is bogus, since it is only one millionth of a Lenat. Others have + suggested that the unit should be redesignated after the grad student, + as the microReid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:microReid, Next:[8709]microserf, Previous:[8710]microLenat, + Up:[8711]= M = + + microReid /mi:'kroh-reed/ n. + + See [8712]microLenat. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:microserf, Next:[8713]Microsloth Windows, + Previous:[8714]microReid, Up:[8715]= M = + + microserf /mi:'kro-s*rf/ + + [popularized, though not originated, by Douglas Copeland's book + "Microserfs"] A programmer at [8716]Microsoft, especially a low-level + coder with little chance of fame or fortune. Compare [8717]MicroDroid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Microsloth Windows, Next:[8718]Microsoft, + Previous:[8719]microserf, Up:[8720]= M = + + Microsloth Windows /mi:'kroh-sloth` win'dohz/ n. + + (Variants combine {Microshift, Macroshaft, Microsuck} with {Windoze, + WinDOS}. Hackerism(s) for `Microsoft Windows'. A thirty-two bit + extension and graphical shell to a sixteen bit patch to an eight bit + operating system originally coded for a four bit microprocessor which + was written by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of + competition. Also just called `Windoze', with the implication that you + can fall asleep waiting for it to do anything; the latter term is + extremely common on Usenet. See [8721]Black Screen of Death and + [8722]Blue Screen of Death; compare [8723]X, [8724]sun-stools. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Microsoft, Next:[8725]micros~1, Previous:[8726]Microsloth + Windows, Up:[8727]= M = + + Microsoft + + The new [8728]Evil Empire (the old one was [8729]IBM). The basic + complaints are, as formerly with IBM, that (a) their system designs + are horrible botches, (b) we can't get [8730]source to fix them, and + (c) they throw their weight around a lot. See also [8731]Halloween + Documents. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:micros~1, Next:[8732]middle-endian, Previous:[8733]Microsoft, + Up:[8734]= M = + + micros~1 + + An abbreviation of the full name [8735]Microsoft resembling the rather + [8736]bogus way Windows 9x's VFAT filesystem truncates long file names + to fit in the MS-DOS 8+3 scheme (the real filename is stored + elsewhere). If other files start with the same prefix, they'll be + called micros~2 and so on, causing lots of problems with backups and + other routine system-administration problems. During the US Antitrust + trial against Microsoft the names Micros~1 ans Micros~2 were suggested + for the two companies that would exist after a break-up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:middle-endian, Next:[8737]middle-out implementation, + Previous:[8738]micros~1, Up:[8739]= M = + + middle-endian adj. + + Not [8740]big-endian or [8741]little-endian. Used of perverse byte + orders such as 3-4-1-2 or 2-1-4-3, occasionally found in the + packed-decimal formats of minicomputer manufacturers who shall remain + nameless. See [8742]NUXI problem. Non-US hackers use this term to + describe the American mm/dd/yy style of writing dates (Europeans write + little-endian dd/mm/yy, and Japanese use big-endian yy/mm/dd for + Western dates). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:middle-out implementation, Next:[8743]milliLampson, + Previous:[8744]middle-endian, Up:[8745]= M = + + middle-out implementation + + See [8746]bottom-up implementation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:milliLampson, Next:[8747]minifloppies, Previous:[8748]middle-out + implementation, Up:[8749]= M = + + milliLampson /mil'*-lamp`sn/ n. + + A unit of talking speed, abbreviated mL. Most people run about 200 + milliLampsons. The eponymous Butler Lampson (a CS theorist and systems + implementor highly regarded among hackers) goes at 1000. A few people + speak faster. This unit is sometimes used to compare the (sometimes + widely disparate) rates at which people can generate ideas and + actually emit them in speech. For example, noted computer architect C. + Gordon Bell (designer of the PDP-11) is said, with some awe, to think + at about 1200 mL but only talk at about 300; he is frequently reduced + to fragments of sentences as his mouth tries to keep up with his + speeding brain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:minifloppies, Next:[8750]MIPS, Previous:[8751]milliLampson, + Up:[8752]= M = + + minifloppies n.,obs. + + 5.25-inch floppy disks, as opposed to 3.5-inch or [8753]microfloppies + and the long-obsolescent 8-inch variety (if there is ever a smaller + size, they will undoubtedly be tagged `nanofloppies'). At one time, + this term was a trademark of Shugart Associates for their SA-400 + minifloppy drive. Nobody paid any attention. See [8754]stiffy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MIPS, Next:[8755]misbug, Previous:[8756]minifloppies, Up:[8757]= + M = + + MIPS /mips/ n. + + [abbreviation] 1. A measure of computing speed; formally, `Million + Instructions Per Second' (that's 10^6 per second, not 2^(20)!); often + rendered by hackers as `Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed' or + in other unflattering ways, such as `Meaningless Information Provided + by Salesmen'. This joke expresses an attitude nearly universal among + hackers about the value of most [8758]benchmark claims, said attitude + being one of the great cultural divides between hackers and + [8759]marketroids (see also [8760]BogoMIPS). The singular is sometimes + `1 MIP' even though this is clearly etymologically wrong. See also + [8761]KIPS and [8762]GIPS. 2. Computers, especially large computers, + considered abstractly as sources of [8763]computrons. "This is just a + workstation; the heavy MIPS are hidden in the basement." 3. The + corporate name of a particular RISC-chip company; among other things, + they designed the processor chips used in [8764]DEC's 3100 workstation + series. 4. Acronym for `Meaningless Information per Second' (a joke, + prob. from sense 1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:misbug, Next:[8765]misfeature, Previous:[8766]MIPS, Up:[8767]= M + = + + misbug /mis-buhg/ n. + + [MIT; rare (like its referent)] An unintended property of a program + that turns out to be useful; something that should have been a + [8768]bug but turns out to be a [8769]feature. Compare [8770]green + lightning. See [8771]miswart. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:misfeature, Next:[8772]Missed'em-five, Previous:[8773]misbug, + Up:[8774]= M = + + misfeature /mis-fee'chr/ or /mis'fee`chr/ n. + + [common] A feature that eventually causes lossage, possibly because it + is not adequate for a new situation that has evolved. Since it results + from a deliberate and properly implemented feature, a misfeature is + not a bug. Nor is it a simple unforeseen side effect; the term implies + that the feature in question was carefully planned, but its long-term + consequences were not accurately or adequately predicted (which is + quite different from not having thought ahead at all). A misfeature + can be a particularly stubborn problem to resolve, because fixing it + usually involves a substantial philosophical change to the structure + of the system involved. + + Many misfeatures (especially in user-interface design) arise because + the designers/implementors mistake their personal tastes for laws of + nature. Often a former feature becomes a misfeature because trade-offs + were made whose parameters subsequently change (possibly only in the + judgment of the implementors). "Well, yeah, it is kind of a misfeature + that file names are limited to six characters, but the original + implementors wanted to save directory space and we're stuck with it + for now." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Missed'em-five, Next:[8775]missile address, + Previous:[8776]misfeature, Up:[8777]= M = + + Missed'em-five n. + + Pejorative hackerism for AT&T System V Unix, generally used by + [8778]BSD partisans in a bigoted mood. (The synonym `SysVile' is also + encountered.) See [8779]software bloat, [8780]Berzerkeley. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:missile address, Next:[8781]miswart, + Previous:[8782]Missed'em-five, Up:[8783]= M = + + missile address n. + + See [8784]ICBM address. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:miswart, Next:[8785]MMF, Previous:[8786]missile address, + Up:[8787]= M = + + miswart /mis-wort/ n. + + [from [8788]wart by analogy with [8789]misbug] A [8790]feature that + superficially appears to be a [8791]wart but has been determined to be + the [8792]Right Thing. For example, in some versions of the + [8793]EMACS text editor, the `transpose characters' command exchanges + the character under the cursor with the one before it on the screen, + except when the cursor is at the end of a line, in which case the two + characters before the cursor are exchanged. While this behavior is + perhaps surprising, and certainly inconsistent, it has been found + through extensive experimentation to be what most users want. This + feature is a miswart. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MMF, Next:[8794]mobo, Previous:[8795]miswart, Up:[8796]= M = + + MMF // + + [Usenet; common] Abbreviation: "Make Money Fast". Refers to any kind + of scheme which promises participants large profits with little or no + risk or effort. Typically, it is a some kind of multi-level marketing + operation which involves recruiting more members, or an illegal + pyramid scam. The term is also used to refer to any kind of spam which + promotes this. For more information, see the [8797]Make Money Fast + Myth Page. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mobo, Next:[8798]moby, Previous:[8799]MMF, Up:[8800]= M = + + mobo /moh'bo/ + + Written and (rarely) spoken contraction of "motherboard" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:moby, Next:[8801]mockingbird, Previous:[8802]mobo, Up:[8803]= M = + + moby /moh'bee/ + + [MIT: seems to have been in use among model railroad fans years ago. + Derived from Melville's "Moby Dick" (some say from `Moby Pickle'). Now + common.] 1. adj. Large, immense, complex, impressive. "A Saturn V + rocket is a truly moby frob." "Some MIT undergrads pulled off a moby + hack at the Harvard-Yale game." (See [8804]Appendix A for discussion.) + 2. n. obs. The maximum address space of a machine (see below). For a + 680[234]0 or VAX or most modern 32-bit architectures, it is + 4,294,967,296 8-bit bytes (4 gigabytes). 3. A title of address (never + of third-person reference), usually used to show admiration, respect, + and/or friendliness to a competent hacker. "Greetings, moby Dave. + How's that address-book thing for the Mac going?" 4. adj. In + backgammon, doubles on the dice, as in `moby sixes', `moby ones', etc. + Compare this with [8805]bignum (sense 3): double sixes are both + bignums and moby sixes, but moby ones are not bignums (the use of + `moby' to describe double ones is sarcastic). Standard emphatic forms: + `Moby foo', `moby win', `moby loss'. `Foby moo': a spoonerism due to + Richard Greenblatt. 5. The largest available unit of something which + is available in discrete increments. Thus, ordering a "moby Coke" at + the local fast-food joint is not just a request for a large Coke, it's + an explicit request for the largest size they sell. + + This term entered hackerdom with the Fabritek 256K memory added to the + MIT AI PDP-6 machine, which was considered unimaginably huge when it + was installed in the 1960s (at a time when a more typical memory size + for a timesharing system was 72 kilobytes). Thus, a moby is + classically 256K 36-bit words, the size of a PDP-6 or PDP-10 moby. + Back when address registers were narrow the term was more generally + useful, because when a computer had virtual memory mapping, it might + actually have more physical memory attached to it than any one program + could access directly. One could then say "This computer has 6 mobies" + meaning that the ratio of physical memory to address space is 6, + without having to say specifically how much memory there actually is. + That in turn implied that the computer could timeshare six + `full-sized' programs without having to swap programs between memory + and disk. + + Nowadays the low cost of processor logic means that address spaces are + usually larger than the most physical memory you can cram onto a + machine, so most systems have much less than one theoretical `native' + moby of [8806]core. Also, more modern memory-management techniques + (esp. paging) make the `moby count' less significant. However, there + is one series of widely-used chips for which the term could stand to + be revived -- the Intel 8088 and 80286 with their incredibly + [8807]brain-damaged segmented-memory designs. On these, a `moby' would + be the 1-megabyte address span of a segment/offset pair (by + coincidence, a PDP-10 moby was exactly 1 megabyte of 9-bit bytes). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mockingbird, Next:[8808]mod, Previous:[8809]moby, Up:[8810]= M = + + mockingbird n. + + Software that intercepts communications (especially login + transactions) between users and hosts and provides system-like + responses to the users while saving their responses (especially + account IDs and passwords). A special case of [8811]Trojan horse. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mod, Next:[8812]mode, Previous:[8813]mockingbird, Up:[8814]= M = + + mod vt.,n. + + [very common] 1. Short for `modify' or `modification'. Very commonly + used -- in fact the full terms are considered markers that one is + being formal. The plural `mods' is used esp. with reference to bug + fixes or minor design changes in hardware or software, most esp. with + respect to [8815]patch sets or a [8816]diff. 2. Short for [8817]modulo + but used only for its techspeak sense. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mode, Next:[8818]mode bit, Previous:[8819]mod, Up:[8820]= M = + + mode n. + + [common] A general state, usually used with an adjective describing + the state. Use of the word `mode' rather than `state' implies that the + state is extended over time, and probably also that some activity + characteristic of that state is being carried out. "No time to hack; + I'm in thesis mode." In its jargon sense, `mode' is most often + attributed to people, though it is sometimes applied to programs and + inanimate objects. In particular, see [8821]hack mode, [8822]day mode, + [8823]night mode, [8824]demo mode, [8825]fireworks mode, and + [8826]yoyo mode; also [8827]talk mode. + + One also often hears the verbs `enable' and `disable' used in + connection with jargon modes. Thus, for example, a sillier way of + saying "I'm going to crash" is "I'm going to enable crash mode now". + One might also hear a request to "disable flame mode, please". + + In a usage much closer to techspeak, a mode is a special state that + certain user interfaces must pass into in order to perform certain + functions. For example, in order to insert characters into a document + in the Unix editor vi, one must type the "i" key, which invokes the + "Insert" command. The effect of this command is to put vi into "insert + mode", in which typing the "i" key has a quite different effect (to + wit, it inserts an "i" into the document). One must then hit another + special key, "ESC", in order to leave "insert mode". Nowadays, modeful + interfaces are generally considered [8828]losing but survive in quite + a few widely used tools built in less enlightened times. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mode bit, Next:[8829]modulo, Previous:[8830]mode, Up:[8831]= M = + + mode bit n. + + [common] A [8832]flag, usually in hardware, that selects between two + (usually quite different) modes of operation. The connotations are + different from [8833]flag bit in that mode bits are mainly written + during a boot or set-up phase, are seldom explicitly read, and seldom + change over the lifetime of an ordinary program. The classic example + was the EBCDIC-vs.-ASCII bit (#12) of the Program Status Word of the + IBM 360. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:modulo, Next:[8834]molly-guard, Previous:[8835]mode bit, + Up:[8836]= M = + + modulo /mod'yu-loh/ prep. + + Except for. An overgeneralization of mathematical terminology; one can + consider saying that 4 equals 22 except for the 9s (4 = 22 mod 9). + "Well, LISP seems to work okay now, modulo that [8837]GC bug." "I feel + fine today modulo a slight headache." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:molly-guard, Next:[8838]Mongolian Hordes technique, + Previous:[8839]modulo, Up:[8840]= M = + + molly-guard /mol'ee-gard/ n. + + [University of Illinois] A shield to prevent tripping of some + [8841]Big Red Switch by clumsy or ignorant hands. Originally used of + the plexiglass covers improvised for the BRS on an IBM 4341 after a + programmer's toddler daughter (named Molly) frobbed it twice in one + day. Later generalized to covers over stop/reset switches on disk + drives and networking equipment. In hardware catalogues, you'll see + the much less interesting description "guarded button". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Mongolian Hordes technique, Next:[8842]monkey up, + Previous:[8843]molly-guard, Up:[8844]= M = + + Mongolian Hordes technique n. + + [poss. from the Sixties counterculture expression `Mongolian + clusterfuck' for a public orgy] Development by [8845]gang bang. + Implies that large numbers of inexperienced programmers are being put + on a job better performed by a few skilled ones (but see + [8846]bazaar). Also called `Chinese Army technique'; see also + [8847]Brooks's Law. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:monkey up, Next:[8848]monkey scratch, Previous:[8849]Mongolian + Hordes technique, Up:[8850]= M = + + monkey up vt. + + To hack together hardware for a particular task, especially a one-shot + job. Connotes an extremely [8851]crufty and consciously temporary + solution. Compare [8852]hack up, [8853]kluge up, [8854]cruft together. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:monkey scratch, Next:[8855]monstrosity, Previous:[8856]monkey up, + Up:[8857]= M = + + monkey, scratch n. + + See [8858]scratch monkey. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:monstrosity, Next:[8859]monty, Previous:[8860]monkey scratch, + Up:[8861]= M = + + monstrosity + + 1. n. A ridiculously [8862]elephantine program or system, esp. one + that is buggy or only marginally functional. 2. adj. The quality of + being monstrous (see `Overgeneralization' in the discussion of + jargonification). See also [8863]baroque. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:monty, Next:[8864]Moof, Previous:[8865]monstrosity, Up:[8866]= M + = + + monty /mon'tee/ n. + + 1. [US Geological Survey] A program with a ludicrously complex user + interface written to perform extremely trivial tasks. An example would + be a menu-driven, button clicking, pulldown, pop-up windows program + for listing directories. The original monty was an infamous + weather-reporting program, Monty the Amazing Weather Man, written at + the USGS. Monty had a widget-packed X-window interface with over 200 + buttons; and all monty actually did was [8867]FTP files off the + network. 2. [Great Britain; commonly capitalized as `Monty' or as `the + Full Monty'] 16 megabytes of memory, when fitted to an IBM-PC or + compatible. A standard PC-compatible using the AT- or ISA-bus with a + normal BIOS cannot access more than 16 megabytes of RAM. Generally + used of a PC, Unix workstation, etc. to mean `fully populated with' + memory, disk-space or some other desirable resource. This usage may be + related to a TV commercial for Del Monte fruit juice, in which one of + the characters insisted on "the full Del Monte"; but see the World + Wide Words article [8868]"The Full Monty" for discussion of the rather + complex etymology that may lie behind this. Compare American + [8869]moby. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Moof, Next:[8870]Moore's Law, Previous:[8871]monty, Up:[8872]= M + = + + Moof /moof/ + + [Macintosh users] 1. n. The call of a semi-legendary creature, + properly called the [8873]dogcow. (Some previous versions of this + entry claimed, incorrectly, that Moof was the name of the creature.) + 2. adj. Used to flag software that's a hack, something untested and on + the edge. On one Apple CD-ROM, certain folders such as "Tools & Apps + (Moof!)" and "Development Platforms (Moof!)", are so marked to + indicate that they contain software not fully tested or sanctioned by + the powers that be. When you open these folders you cross the boundary + into hackerland. 3. v. On the Microsoft Network, the term `moof' has + gained popularity as a verb meaning `to be suddenly disconnected by + the system'. One might say "I got moofed". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Moore's Law, Next:[8874]moose call, Previous:[8875]Moof, + Up:[8876]= M = + + Moore's Law /morz law/ prov. + + The observation that the logic density of silicon integrated circuits + has closely followed the curve (bits per square inch) = 2^(t - 1962) + where t is time in years; that is, the amount of information storable + on a given amount of silicon has roughly doubled every year since the + technology was invented. This relation, first uttered in 1964 by + semiconductor engineer Gordon Moore (who co-founded Intel four years + later) held until the late 1970s, at which point the doubling period + slowed to 18 months. The doubling period remained at that value + through time of writing (late 1999). Moore's Law is apparently + self-fulfilling. The implication is that somebody, somewhere is going + to be able to build a better chip than you if you rest on your + laurels, so you'd better start pushing hard on the problem. See also + [8877]Parkinson's Law of Data and [8878]Gates's Law. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:moose call, Next:[8879]moria, Previous:[8880]Moore's Law, + Up:[8881]= M = + + moose call n. + + See [8882]whalesong. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:moria, Next:[8883]MOTAS, Previous:[8884]moose call, Up:[8885]= M + = + + moria /mor'ee-*/ n. + + Like [8886]nethack and [8887]rogue, one of the large PD + Dungeons-and-Dragons-like simulation games, available for a wide range + of machines and operating systems. The name is from Tolkien's Mines of + Moria; compare [8888]elder days, [8889]elvish. The game is extremely + addictive and a major consumer of time better used for hacking. See + also [8890]nethack, [8891]rogue, [8892]Angband. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MOTAS, Next:[8893]MOTOS, Previous:[8894]moria, Up:[8895]= M = + + MOTAS /moh-tahz/ n. + + [Usenet: Member Of The Appropriate Sex, after [8896]MOTOS and + [8897]MOTSS] A potential or (less often) actual sex partner. See also + [8898]SO. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MOTOS, Next:[8899]MOTSS, Previous:[8900]MOTAS, Up:[8901]= M = + + MOTOS /moh-tohs/ n. + + [acronym from the 1970 U.S. census forms via Usenet: Member Of The + Opposite Sex] A potential or (less often) actual sex partner. See + [8902]MOTAS, [8903]MOTSS, [8904]SO. Less common than MOTSS or + [8905]MOTAS, which has largely displaced it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MOTSS, Next:[8906]mouse ahead, Previous:[8907]MOTOS, Up:[8908]= M + = + + MOTSS /mots/ or /M-O-T-S-S/ n. + + [from the 1970 U.S. census forms via Usenet] Member Of The Same Sex, + esp. one considered as a possible sexual partner. The gay-issues + newsgroup on Usenet is called soc.motss. See [8909]MOTOS and + [8910]MOTAS, which derive from it. See also [8911]SO. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mouse ahead, Next:[8912]mouse around, Previous:[8913]MOTSS, + Up:[8914]= M = + + mouse ahead vi. + + Point-and-click analog of `type ahead'. To manipulate a computer's + pointing device (almost always a mouse in this usage, but not + necessarily) and its selection or command buttons before a computer + program is ready to accept such input, in anticipation of the program + accepting the input. Handling this properly is rare, but it can help + make a [8915]WIMP environment much more usable, assuming the users are + familiar with the behavior of the user interface. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mouse around, Next:[8916]mouse belt, Previous:[8917]mouse ahead, + Up:[8918]= M = + + mouse around vi. + + To explore public portions of a large system, esp. a network such as + Internet via [8919]FTP or [8920]TELNET, looking for interesting stuff + to [8921]snarf. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mouse belt, Next:[8922]mouse droppings, Previous:[8923]mouse + around, Up:[8924]= M = + + mouse belt n. + + See [8925]rat belt. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mouse droppings, Next:[8926]mouse elbow, Previous:[8927]mouse + belt, Up:[8928]= M = + + mouse droppings n. + + [MS-DOS] Pixels (usually single) that are not properly restored when + the mouse pointer moves away from a particular location on the screen, + producing the appearance that the mouse pointer has left droppings + behind. The major causes for this problem are programs that write to + the screen memory corresponding to the mouse pointer's current + location without hiding the mouse pointer first, and mouse drivers + that do not quite support the graphics mode in use. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mouse elbow, Next:[8929]mouso, Previous:[8930]mouse droppings, + Up:[8931]= M = + + mouse elbow n. + + A tennis-elbow-like fatigue syndrome resulting from excessive use of a + [8932]WIMP environment. Similarly, `mouse shoulder'; GLS reports that + he used to get this a lot before he taught himself to be + ambimoustrous. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mouso, Next:[8933]MS-DOS, Previous:[8934]mouse elbow, Up:[8935]= + M = + + mouso /mow'soh/ n. + + [by analogy with `typo'] An error in mouse usage resulting in an + inappropriate selection or graphic garbage on the screen. Compare + [8936]thinko, [8937]braino. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MS-DOS, Next:[8938]mu, Previous:[8939]mouso, Up:[8940]= M = + + MS-DOS /M-S-dos/ n. + + [MicroSoft Disk Operating System] A [8941]clone of [8942]CP/M for the + 8088 crufted together in 6 weeks by hacker Tim Paterson at Seattle + Computer Products, who called the original QDOS (Quick and Dirty + Operating System) and is said to have regretted it ever since. + Microsoft licensed QDOS order to have something to demo for IBM on + time, and the rest is history. Numerous features, including vaguely + Unix-like but rather broken support for subdirectories, I/O + redirection, and pipelines, were hacked into Microsoft's 2.0 and + subsequent versions; as a result, there are two or more incompatible + versions of many system calls, and MS-DOS programmers can never agree + on basic things like what character to use as an option switch or + whether to be case-sensitive. The resulting appalling mess is now the + highest-unit-volume OS in history. Often known simply as DOS, which + annoys people familiar with other similarly abbreviated operating + systems (the name goes back to the mid-1960s, when it was attached to + IBM's first disk operating system for the 360). The name further + annoys those who know what the term [8943]operating system does (or + ought to) connote; DOS is more properly a set of relatively simple + interrupt services. Some people like to pronounce DOS like "dose", as + in "I don't work on dose, man!", or to compare it to a dose of + brain-damaging drugs (a slogan button in wide circulation among + hackers exhorts: "MS-DOS: Just say No!"). See [8944]mess-dos, + [8945]ill-behaved. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mu, Next:[8946]MUD, Previous:[8947]MS-DOS, Up:[8948]= M = + + mu /moo/ + + The correct answer to the classic trick question "Have you stopped + beating your wife yet?". Assuming that you have no wife or you have + never beaten your wife, the answer "yes" is wrong because it implies + that you used to beat your wife and then stopped, but "no" is worse + because it suggests that you have one and are still beating her. + According to various Discordians and Douglas Hofstadter the correct + answer is usually "mu", a Japanese word alleged to mean "Your question + cannot be answered because it depends on incorrect assumptions". + Hackers tend to be sensitive to logical inadequacies in language, and + many have adopted this suggestion with enthusiasm. The word `mu' is + actually from Chinese, meaning `nothing'; it is used in mainstream + Japanese in that sense. Native speakers do not recognize the + Discordian question-denying use, which almost certainly derives from + overgeneralization of the answer in the following well-known Rinzai + Zen [8949]koan: + + A monk asked Joshu, "Does a dog have the Buddha nature?" Joshu + retorted, "Mu!" + + See also [8950]has the X nature, [8951]Some AI Koans, and Douglas + Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" (pointer + in the [8952]Bibliography in Appendix C. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:MUD, Next:[8953]muddie, Previous:[8954]mu, Up:[8955]= M = + + MUD /muhd/ n. + + [acronym, Multi-User Dungeon; alt. Multi-User Dimension] 1. A class of + [8956]virtual reality experiments accessible via the Internet. These + are real-time chat forums with structure; they have multiple + `locations' like an adventure game, and may include combat, traps, + puzzles, magic, a simple economic system, and the capability for + characters to build more structure onto the database that represents + the existing world. 2. vi. To play a MUD. The acronym MUD is often + lowercased and/or verbed; thus, one may speak of `going mudding', etc. + + Historically, MUDs (and their more recent progeny with names of MU- + form) derive from a hack by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw on the + University of Essex's DEC-10 in the early 1980s; descendants of that + game still exist today and are sometimes generically called + BartleMUDs. There is a widespread myth (repeated, unfortunately, by + earlier versions of this lexicon) that the name MUD was trademarked to + the commercial MUD run by Bartle on British Telecom (the motto: "You + haven't lived 'til you've died on MUD!"); however, this is false -- + Richard Bartle explicitly placed `MUD' in the public domain in 1985. + BT was upset at this, as they had already printed trademark claims on + some maps and posters, which were released and created the myth. + + Students on the European academic networks quickly improved on the MUD + concept, spawning several new MUDs (VAXMUD, AberMUD, LPMUD). Many of + these had associated bulletin-board systems for social interaction. + Because these had an image as `research' they often survived + administrative hostility to BBSs in general. This, together with the + fact that Usenet feeds were often spotty and difficult to get in the + U.K., made the MUDs major foci of hackish social interaction there. + + AberMUD and other variants crossed the Atlantic around 1988 and + quickly gained popularity in the U.S.; they became nuclei for large + hacker communities with only loose ties to traditional hackerdom (some + observers see parallels with the growth of Usenet in the early 1980s). + The second wave of MUDs (TinyMUD and variants) tended to emphasize + social interaction, puzzles, and cooperative world-building as opposed + to combat and competition (in writing, these social MUDs are sometimes + referred to as `MU*', with `MUD' implicitly reserved for the more + game-oriented ones). By 1991, over 50% of MUD sites were of a third + major variety, LPMUD, which synthesizes the combat/puzzle aspects of + AberMUD and older systems with the extensibility of TinyMud. In 1996 + the cutting edge of the technology is Pavel Curtis's MOO, even more + extensible using a built-in object-oriented language. The trend toward + greater programmability and flexibility will doubtless continue. + + The state of the art in MUD design is still moving very rapidly, with + new simulation designs appearing (seemingly) every month. Around 1991 + there was an unsuccessful movement to deprecate the term [8957]MUD + itself, as newer designs exhibit an exploding variety of names + corresponding to the different simulation styles being explored. It + survived. See also [8958]bonk/oif, [8959]FOD, [8960]link-dead, + [8961]mudhead, [8962]talk mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:muddie, Next:[8963]mudhead, Previous:[8964]MUD, Up:[8965]= M = + + muddie n. + + Syn. [8966]mudhead. More common in Great Britain, possibly because + system administrators there like to mutter "bloody muddies" when + annoyed at the species. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mudhead, Next:[8967]muggle, Previous:[8968]muddie, Up:[8969]= M = + + mudhead n. + + Commonly used to refer to a [8970]MUD player who eats, sleeps, and + breathes MUD. Mudheads have been known to fail their degrees, drop + out, etc., with the consolation, however, that they made wizard level. + When encountered in person, on a MUD, or in a chat system, all a + mudhead will talk about is three topics: the tactic, character, or + wizard that is supposedly always unfairly stopping him/her from + becoming a wizard or beating a favorite MUD; why the specific game + he/she has experience with is so much better than any other; and the + MUD he or she is writing or going to write because his/her design + ideas are so much better than in any existing MUD. See also + [8971]wannabee. + + To the anthropologically literate, this term may recall the Zuni/Hopi + legend of the mudheads or `koyemshi', mythical half-formed children of + an unnatural union. Figures representing them act as clowns in Zuni + sacred ceremonies. Others may recall the `High School Madness' + sequence from the Firesign Theatre album "Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand + Me the Pliers", in which there is a character named "Mudhead". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:muggle, Next:[8972]multician, Previous:[8973]mudhead, Up:[8974]= + M = + + muggle + + [from J.K. Rowling's `Harry Potter' books, 1998] A non-[8975]wizard. + Not as disparaging as [8976]luser; implies vague pity rather than + contempt. In the universe of Rowling's enormously (and deservedly) + popular children's series, muggles and wizards inhabit the same modern + world, but each group is ignorant of the commonplaces of the others' + existence - most muggles are unaware that wizards exist, and wizards + (used to magical ways of doing everything) are perplexed and + fascinated by muggle artifacts. + + In retrospect it seems completely inevitable that hackers would adopt + this metaphor, and in hacker usage it readily forms compounds such as + `muggle-friendly'. Compare [8977]luser, [8978]mundane. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:multician, Next:[8979]Multics, Previous:[8980]muggle, Up:[8981]= + M = + + multician /muhl-ti'shn/ n. + + [coined at Honeywell, ca. 1970] Competent user of [8982]Multics. + Perhaps oddly, no one has ever promoted the analogous `Unician'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Multics, Next:[8983]multitask, Previous:[8984]multician, + Up:[8985]= M = + + Multics /muhl'tiks/ n. + + [from "MULTiplexed Information and Computing Service"] An early + time-sharing [8986]operating system co-designed by a consortium + including MIT, GE, and Bell Laboratories as a successor to [8987]CTSS. + The design was first presented in 1965, planned for operation in 1967, + first operational in 1969, and took several more years to achieve + respectable performance and stability. + + Multics was very innovative for its time -- among other things, it + provided a hierarchical file system with access control on individual + files and introduced the idea of treating all devices uniformly as + special files. It was also the first OS to run on a symmetric + multiprocessor, and the only general-purpose system to be awarded a B2 + security rating by the NSA (see [8988]Orange Book). + + Bell Labs left the development effort in 1969 after judging that + [8989]second-system effect had bloated Multics to the point of + practical unusability. Honeywell commercialized Multics in 1972 after + buying out GE's computer group, but it was never very successful: at + its peak in the 1980s, there were between 75 and 100 Multics sites, + each a multi-million dollar mainframe. + + One of the former Multics developers from Bell Labs was Ken Thompson, + and [8990]Unix deliberately carried through and extended many of + Multics' design ideas; indeed, Thompson described the very name `Unix' + as `a weak pun on Multics'. For this and other reasons, aspects of the + Multics design remain a topic of occasional debate among hackers. See + also [8991]brain-damaged and [8992]GCOS. + + MIT ended its development association with Multics in 1977. Honeywell + sold its computer business to Bull in the mid 80s, and development on + Multics was stopped in 1988. Four Multics sites were known to be still + in use as late as 1998. There is a Multics page at + [8993]http://www.stratus.com/pub/vos/multics/tvv/multics.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:multitask, Next:[8994]mumblage, Previous:[8995]Multics, + Up:[8996]= M = + + multitask n. + + Often used of humans in the same meaning it has for computers, to + describe a person doing several things at once (but see [8997]thrash). + The term `multiplex', from communications technology (meaning to + handle more than one channel at the same time), is used similarly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mumblage, Next:[8998]mumble, Previous:[8999]multitask, Up:[9000]= + M = + + mumblage /muhm'bl*j/ n. + + The topic of one's mumbling (see [9001]mumble). "All that mumblage" is + used like "all that stuff" when it is not quite clear how the subject + of discussion works, or like "all that crap" when `mumble' is being + used as an implicit replacement for pejoratives. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mumble, Next:[9002]munch, Previous:[9003]mumblage, Up:[9004]= M = + + mumble interj. + + 1. Said when the correct response is too complicated to enunciate, or + the speaker has not thought it out. Often prefaces a longer answer, or + indicates a general reluctance to get into a long discussion. "Don't + you think that we could improve LISP performance by using a hybrid + reference-count transaction garbage collector, if the cache is big + enough and there are some extra cache bits for the microcode to use?" + "Well, mumble ... I'll have to think about it." 2. [MIT] Expression of + not-quite-articulated agreement, often used as an informal vote of + consensus in a meeting: "So, shall we dike out the COBOL emulation?" + "Mumble!" 3. Sometimes used as an expression of disagreement + (distinguished from sense 2 by tone of voice and other cues). "I think + we should buy a [9005]VAX." "Mumble!" Common variant: `mumble frotz' + (see [9006]frotz; interestingly, one does not say `mumble frobnitz' + even though `frotz' is short for `frobnitz'). 4. Yet another + [9007]metasyntactic variable, like [9008]foo. 5. When used as a + question ("Mumble?") means "I didn't understand you". 6. Sometimes + used in `public' contexts on-line as a placefiller for things one is + barred from giving details about. For example, a poster with + pre-released hardware in his machine might say "Yup, my machine now + has an extra 16M of memory, thanks to the card I'm testing for + Mumbleco." 7. A conversational wild card used to designate something + one doesn't want to bother spelling out, but which can be + [9009]glarked from context. Compare [9010]blurgle. 8. [XEROX PARC] A + colloquialism used to suggest that further discussion would be + fruitless. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:munch, Next:[9011]munching, Previous:[9012]mumble, Up:[9013]= M = + + munch vt. + + [often confused with [9014]mung, q.v.] To transform information in a + serial fashion, often requiring large amounts of computation. To trace + down a data structure. Related to [9015]crunch and nearly synonymous + with [9016]grovel, but connotes less pain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:munching, Next:[9017]munching squares, Previous:[9018]munch, + Up:[9019]= M = + + munching n. + + Exploration of security holes of someone else's computer for thrills, + notoriety, or to annoy the system manager. Compare [9020]cracker. See + also [9021]hacked off. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:munching squares, Next:[9022]munchkin, Previous:[9023]munching, + Up:[9024]= M = + + munching squares n. + + A [9025]display hack dating back to the PDP-1 (ca. 1962, reportedly + discovered by Jackson Wright), which employs a trivial computation + (repeatedly plotting the graph Y = X XOR T for successive values of T + -- see [9026]HAKMEM items 146-148) to produce an impressive display of + moving and growing squares that devour the screen. The initial value + of T is treated as a parameter, which, when well-chosen, can produce + amazing effects. Some of these, later (re)discovered on the LISP + machine, have been christened `munching triangles' (try AND for XOR + and toggling points instead of plotting them), `munching w's', and + `munching mazes'. More generally, suppose a graphics program produces + an impressive and ever-changing display of some basic form, foo, on a + display terminal, and does it using a relatively simple program; then + the program (or the resulting display) is likely to be referred to as + `munching foos'. [This is a good example of the use of the word + [9027]foo as a [9028]metasyntactic variable.] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:munchkin, Next:[9029]mundane, Previous:[9030]munching squares, + Up:[9031]= M = + + munchkin /muhnch'kin/ n. + + [from the squeaky-voiced little people in L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard + of Oz"] A teenage-or-younger micro enthusiast hacking BASIC or + something else equally constricted. A term of mild derision -- + munchkins are annoying but some grow up to be hackers after passing + through a [9032]larval stage. The term [9033]urchin is also used. See + also [9034]wannabee, [9035]bitty box. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mundane, Next:[9036]mung, Previous:[9037]munchkin, Up:[9038]= M = + + mundane n. + + [from SF fandom] 1. A person who is not in science fiction fandom. 2. + A person who is not in the computer industry. In this sense, most + often an adjectival modifier as in "in my mundane life...." See also + [9039]Real World, [9040]muggle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mung, Next:[9041]munge, Previous:[9042]mundane, Up:[9043]= M = + + mung /muhng/ vt. + + [in 1960 at MIT, `Mash Until No Good'; sometime after that the + derivation from the [9044]recursive acronym `Mung Until No Good' + became standard; but see [9045]munge] 1. To make changes to a file, + esp. large-scale and irrevocable changes. See [9046]BLT. 2. To + destroy, usually accidentally, occasionally maliciously. The system + only mungs things maliciously; this is a consequence of + [9047]Finagle's Law. See [9048]scribble, [9049]mangle, [9050]trash, + [9051]nuke. Reports from [9052]Usenet suggest that the pronunciation + /muhnj/ is now usual in speech, but the spelling `mung' is still + common in program comments (compare the widespread confusion over the + proper spelling of [9053]kluge). 3. The kind of beans the sprouts of + which are used in Chinese food. (That's their real name! Mung beans! + Really!) + + Like many early hacker terms, this one seems to have originated at + [9054]TMRC; it was already in use there in 1958. Peter Samson + (compiler of the original TMRC lexicon) thinks it may originally have + been onomatopoeic for the sound of a relay spring (contact) being + twanged. However, it is known that during the World Wars, `mung' was + U.S. army slang for the ersatz creamed chipped beef better known as + `SOS', and it seems quite likely that the word in fact goes back to + Scots-dialect [9055]munge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:munge, Next:[9056]Murphy's Law, Previous:[9057]mung, Up:[9058]= M + = + + munge /muhnj/ vt. + + 1. [derogatory] To imperfectly transform information. 2. A + comprehensive rewrite of a routine, data structure or the whole + program. 3. To modify data in some way the speaker doesn't need to go + into right now or cannot describe succinctly (compare [9059]mumble). + 4. To add [9060]spamblock to an email address. + + This term is often confused with [9061]mung, which probably was + derived from it. However, it also appears the word `munge' was in + common use in Scotland in the 1940s, and in Yorkshire in the 1950s, as + a verb, meaning to munch up into a masticated mess, and as a noun, + meaning the result of munging something up (the parallel with the + [9062]kluge/[9063]kludge pair is amusing). The OED reports `munge' as + an archaic verb nmeaning "to wipe (a person's nose)". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Murphy's Law, Next:[9064]music, Previous:[9065]munge, Up:[9066]= + M = + + Murphy's Law prov. + + The correct, original Murphy's Law reads: "If there are two or more + ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a + catastrophe, then someone will do it." This is a principle of + defensive design, cited here because it is usually given in mutant + forms less descriptive of the challenges of design for [9067]lusers. + For example, you don't make a two-pin plug symmetrical and then label + it `THIS WAY UP'; if it matters which way it is plugged in, then you + make the design asymmetrical (see also the anecdote under [9068]magic + smoke). + + Edward A. Murphy, Jr. was one of the engineers on the rocket-sled + experiments that were done by the U.S. Air Force in 1949 to test human + acceleration tolerances (USAF project MX981). One experiment involved + a set of 16 accelerometers mounted to different parts of the subject's + body. There were two ways each sensor could be glued to its mount, and + somebody methodically installed all 16 the wrong way around. Murphy + then made the original form of his pronouncement, which the test + subject (Major John Paul Stapp) quoted at a news conference a few days + later. + + Within months `Murphy's Law' had spread to various technical cultures + connected to aerospace engineering. Before too many years had gone by + variants had passed into the popular imagination, changing as they + went. Most of these are variants on "Anything that can go wrong, + will"; this is correctly referred to as [9069]Finagle's Law. The + memetic drift apparent in these mutants clearly demonstrates Murphy's + Law acting on itself! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:music, Next:[9070]mutter, Previous:[9071]Murphy's Law, Up:[9072]= + M = + + music n. + + A common extracurricular interest of hackers (compare + [9073]science-fiction fandom, [9074]oriental food; see also + [9075]filk). Hackish folklore has long claimed that musical and + programming abilities are closely related, and there has been at least + one large-scale statistical study that supports this. Hackers, as a + rule, like music and often develop musical appreciation in unusual and + interesting directions. Folk music is very big in hacker circles; so + is electronic music, and the sort of elaborate instrumental jazz/rock + that used to be called `progressive' and isn't recorded much any more. + The hacker's musical range tends to be wide; many can listen with + equal appreciation to (say) Talking Heads, Yes, Gentle Giant, Pat + Metheny, Scott Joplin, Tangerine Dream, Dream Theater, King Sunny Ade, + The Pretenders, Screaming Trees, or the Brandenburg Concerti. It is + also apparently true that hackerdom includes a much higher + concentration of talented amateur musicians than one would expect from + a similar-sized control group of [9076]mundane types. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:mutter, Next:[9077]N, Previous:[9078]music, Up:[9079]= M = + + mutter vt. + + To quietly enter a command not meant for the ears, eyes, or fingers of + ordinary mortals. Often used in `mutter an [9080]incantation'. See + also [9081]wizard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= N =, Next:[9082]= O =, Previous:[9083]= M =, Up:[9084]The + Jargon Lexicon + += N = + + * [9085]N: + * [9086]nadger: + * [9087]nagware: + * [9088]nailed to the wall: + * [9089]nailing jelly: + * [9090]naive: + * [9091]naive user: + * [9092]NAK: + * [9093]NANA: + * [9094]nano: + * [9095]nano-: + * [9096]nanoacre: + * [9097]nanobot: + * [9098]nanocomputer: + * [9099]nanofortnight: + * [9100]nanotechnology: + * [9101]nasal demons: + * [9102]nastygram: + * [9103]Nathan Hale: + * [9104]nature: + * [9105]neat hack: + * [9106]neats vs. scruffies: + * [9107]neep-neep: + * [9108]neophilia: + * [9109]nerd: + * [9110]nerd knob: + * [9111]net.-: + * [9112]net.god: + * [9113]net.personality: + * [9114]net.police: + * [9115]NetBOLLIX: + * [9116]netburp: + * [9117]netdead: + * [9118]nethack: + * [9119]netiquette: + * [9120]netlag: + * [9121]netnews: + * [9122]netrock: + * [9123]Netscrape: + * [9124]netsplit: + * [9125]netter: + * [9126]network address: + * [9127]network meltdown: + * [9128]New Jersey: + * [9129]New Testament: + * [9130]newbie: + * [9131]newgroup wars: + * [9132]newline: + * [9133]NeWS: + * [9134]newsfroup: + * [9135]newsgroup: + * [9136]nick: + * [9137]nickle: + * [9138]night mode: + * [9139]Nightmare File System: + * [9140]NIL: + * [9141]Ninety-Ninety Rule: + * [9142]nipple mouse: + * [9143]NMI: + * [9144]no-op: + * [9145]noddy: + * [9146]node: + * [9147]Nominal Semidestructor: + * [9148]non-optimal solution: + * [9149]nonlinear: + * [9150]nontrivial: + * [9151]not ready for prime time: + * [9152]notwork: + * [9153]NP-: + * [9154]nroff: + * [9155]NSA line eater: + * [9156]NSP: + * [9157]nude: + * [9158]nugry: + * [9159]nuke: + * [9160]number-crunching: + * [9161]numbers: + * [9162]NUXI problem: + * [9163]nybble: + * [9164]nyetwork: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:N, Next:[9165]nadger, Previous:[9166]mutter, Up:[9167]= N = + + N /N/ quant. + + 1. A large and indeterminate number of objects: "There were N bugs in + that crock!" Also used in its original sense of a variable name: "This + crock has N bugs, as N goes to infinity." (The true number of bugs is + always at least N + 1; see [9168]Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic + Entomology.) 2. A variable whose value is inherited from the current + context. For example, when a meal is being ordered at a restaurant, N + may be understood to mean however many people there are at the table. + From the remark "We'd like to order N wonton soups and a family dinner + for N - 1" you can deduce that one person at the table wants to eat + only soup, even though you don't know how many people there are (see + [9169]great-wall). 3. `Nth': adj. The ordinal counterpart of N, senses + 1 and 2. "Now for the Nth and last time..." In the specific context + "Nth-year grad student", N is generally assumed to be at least 4, and + is usually 5 or more (see [9170]tenured graduate student). See also + [9171]random numbers, [9172]two-to-the-N. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nadger, Next:[9173]nagware, Previous:[9174]N, Up:[9175]= N = + + nadger /nad'jr/ v. + + [UK, from rude slang noun `nadgers' for testicles; compare American & + British `bollixed'] Of software or hardware (not people), to twiddle + some object in a hidden manner, generally so that it conforms better + to some format. For instance, string printing routines on 8-bit + processors often take the string text from the instruction stream, + thus a print call looks like jsr print:"Hello world". The print + routine has to `nadger' the saved instruction pointer so that the + processor doesn't try to execute the text as instructions when the + subroutine returns. See [9176]adger. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nagware, Next:[9177]nailed to the wall, Previous:[9178]nadger, + Up:[9179]= N = + + nagware /nag'weir/ n. + + [Usenet] The variety of [9180]shareware that displays a large screen + at the beginning or end reminding you to register, typically requiring + some sort of keystroke to continue so that you can't use the software + in batch mode. Compare [9181]annoyware, [9182]crippleware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nailed to the wall, Next:[9183]nailing jelly, + Previous:[9184]nagware, Up:[9185]= N = + + nailed to the wall adj. + + [like a trophy] Said of a bug finally eliminated after protracted, and + even heroic, effort. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nailing jelly, Next:[9186]naive, Previous:[9187]nailed to the + wall, Up:[9188]= N = + + nailing jelly vi. + + See [9189]like nailing jelly to a tree. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:naive, Next:[9190]naive user, Previous:[9191]nailing jelly, + Up:[9192]= N = + + naive adj. + + 1. Untutored in the perversities of some particular program or system; + one who still tries to do things in an intuitive way, rather than the + right way (in really good designs these coincide, but most designs + aren't `really good' in the appropriate sense). This trait is + completely unrelated to general maturity or competence, or even + competence at any other specific program. It is a sad commentary on + the primitive state of computing that the natural opposite of this + term is often claimed to be `experienced user' but is really more like + `cynical user'. 2. Said of an algorithm that doesn't take advantage of + some superior but advanced technique, e.g., the [9193]bubble sort. It + may imply naivete on the part of the programmer, although there are + situations where a naive algorithm is preferred, because it is more + important to keep the code comprehensible than to go for maximum + performance. "I know the linear search is naive, but in this case the + list typically only has half a dozen items." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:naive user, Next:[9194]NAK, Previous:[9195]naive, Up:[9196]= N = + + naive user n. + + A [9197]luser. Tends to imply someone who is ignorant mainly owing to + inexperience. When this is applied to someone who has experience, + there is a definite implication of stupidity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NAK, Next:[9198]NANA, Previous:[9199]naive user, Up:[9200]= N = + + NAK /nak/ interj. + + [from the ASCII mnemonic for 0010101] 1. On-line joke answer to + [9201]ACK?: "I'm not here." 2. On-line answer to a request for chat: + "I'm not available." 3. Used to politely interrupt someone to tell + them you don't understand their point or that they have suddenly + stopped making sense. See [9202]ACK, sense 3. "And then, after we + recode the project in COBOL...." "Nak, Nak, Nak! I thought I heard you + say COBOL!" 4. A negative answer. "OK if I boot the server?" "NAK!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NANA, Next:[9203]nano, Previous:[9204]NAK, Up:[9205]= N = + + NANA // + + [Usenet] The newsgroups news.admin.net-abuse.*, devoted to fighting + [9206]spam and network abuse. Each individual newsgroup is often + referred to by adding a letter to NANA. For example, NANAU would refer + to news.admin.net-abuse.usenet. + + When spam began to be a serious problem around 1995, and a loose + network of anti-spammers formed to combat it, spammers immediately + accused them of being the [9207]backbone cabal, or the Cabal reborn. + Though this was not true, spam-fighters ironically accepted the label + and the tag line "There is No Cabal" reappeared (later, and now + commonly, abbreviated to "TINC"). Nowadays "the Cabal" is generally + understood to refer to the NANA regulars. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nano, Next:[9208]nano-, Previous:[9209]NANA, Up:[9210]= N = + + nano /nan'oh/ n. + + [CMU: from `nanosecond'] A brief period of time. "Be with you in a + nano" means you really will be free shortly, i.e., implies what + mainstream people mean by "in a jiffy" (whereas the hackish use of + `jiffy' is quite different -- see [9211]jiffy). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nano-, Next:[9212]nanoacre, Previous:[9213]nano, Up:[9214]= N = + + nano- pref. + + [SI: the next quantifier below [9215]micro-; meaning * 10^(-9)] + Smaller than [9216]micro-, and used in the same rather loose and + connotative way. Thus, one has [9217]nanotechnology (coined by hacker + K. Eric Drexler) by analogy with `microtechnology'; and a few machine + architectures have a `nanocode' level below `microcode'. Tom Duff at + Bell Labs has also pointed out that "Pi seconds is a nanocentury". See + also [9218]quantifiers, [9219]pico-, [9220]nanoacre, [9221]nanobot, + [9222]nanocomputer, [9223]nanofortnight. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nanoacre, Next:[9224]nanobot, Previous:[9225]nano-, Up:[9226]= N + = + + nanoacre /nan'oh-ay`kr/ n. + + A unit (about 2 mm square) of real estate on a VLSI chip. The term + gets its giggle value from the fact that VLSI nanoacres have costs in + the same range as real acres once one figures in design and + fabrication-setup costs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nanobot, Next:[9227]nanocomputer, Previous:[9228]nanoacre, + Up:[9229]= N = + + nanobot /nan'oh-bot/ n. + + A robot of microscopic proportions, presumably built by means of + [9230]nanotechnology. As yet, only used informally (and + speculatively!). Also called a `nanoagent'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nanocomputer, Next:[9231]nanofortnight, Previous:[9232]nanobot, + Up:[9233]= N = + + nanocomputer /nan'oh-k*m-pyoo'tr/ n. + + A computer with molecular-sized switching elements. Designs for + mechanical nanocomputers which use single-molecule sliding rods for + their logic have been proposed. The controller for a [9234]nanobot + would be a nanocomputer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nanofortnight, Next:[9235]nanotechnology, + Previous:[9236]nanocomputer, Up:[9237]= N = + + nanofortnight n. + + [Adelaide University] 1 fortnight * 10^(-9), or about 1.2 msec. This + unit was used largely by students doing undergraduate practicals. See + [9238]microfortnight, [9239]attoparsec, and [9240]micro-. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nanotechnology, Next:[9241]nasal demons, + Previous:[9242]nanofortnight, Up:[9243]= N = + + nanotechnology /nan'-oh-tek-no`l*-jee/ n. + + A hypothetical fabrication technology in which objects are designed + and built with the individual specification and placement of each + separate atom. The first unequivocal nanofabrication experiments took + place in 1990, for example with the deposition of individual xenon + atoms on a nickel substrate to spell the logo of a certain very large + computer company. Nanotechnology has been a hot topic in the hacker + subculture ever since the term was coined by K. Eric Drexler in his + book "Engines of Creation" (Anchor/Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-19973-2), + where he predicted that nanotechnology could give rise to replicating + assemblers, permitting an exponential growth of productivity and + personal wealth (there's an authorized transcription at + [9244]http://www.foresight.org/EOC/index.html.). See also [9245]blue + goo, [9246]gray goo, [9247]nanobot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nasal demons, Next:[9248]nastygram, + Previous:[9249]nanotechnology, Up:[9250]= N = + + nasal demons n. + + Recognized shorthand on the Usenet group comp.std.c for any unexpected + behavior of a C compiler on encountering an undefined construct. + During a discussion on that group in early 1992, a regular remarked + "When the compiler encounters [a given undefined construct] it is + legal for it to make demons fly out of your nose" (the implication is + that the compiler may choose any arbitrarily bizarre way to interpret + the code without violating the ANSI C standard). Someone else followed + up with a reference to "nasal demons", which quickly became + established. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nastygram, Next:[9251]Nathan Hale, Previous:[9252]nasal demons, + Up:[9253]= N = + + nastygram /nas'tee-gram/ n. + + 1. A protocol packet or item of email (the latter is also called a + [9254]letterbomb) that takes advantage of misfeatures or security + holes on the target system to do untoward things. 2. Disapproving + mail, esp. from a [9255]net.god, pursuant to a violation of + [9256]netiquette or a complaint about failure to correct some mail- or + news-transmission problem. Compare [9257]shitogram, [9258]mailbomb. 3. + A status report from an unhappy, and probably picky, customer. "What'd + Corporate say in today's nastygram?" 4. [deprecated] An error reply by + mail from a [9259]daemon; in particular, a [9260]bounce message. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Nathan Hale, Next:[9261]nature, Previous:[9262]nastygram, + Up:[9263]= N = + + Nathan Hale n. + + An asterisk (see also [9264]splat, [9265]ASCII). Oh, you want an + etymology? Notionally, from "I regret that I have only one asterisk + for my country!", a misquote of the famous remark uttered by Nathan + Hale just before he was hanged. Hale was a (failed) spy for the rebels + in the American War of Independence. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nature, Next:[9266]neat hack, Previous:[9267]Nathan Hale, + Up:[9268]= N = + + nature n. + + See [9269]has the X nature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:neat hack, Next:[9270]neats vs. scruffies, Previous:[9271]nature, + Up:[9272]= N = + + neat hack n. + + [very common] 1. A clever technique. 2. A brilliant practical joke, + where neatness is correlated with cleverness, harmlessness, and + surprise value. Example: the Caltech Rose Bowl card display switch + (see [9273]Appendix A for discussion). See also [9274]hack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:neats vs. scruffies, Next:[9275]neep-neep, Previous:[9276]neat + hack, Up:[9277]= N = + + neats vs. scruffies n. + + The label used to refer to one of the continuing [9278]holy wars in AI + research. This conflict tangles together two separate issues. One is + the relationship between human reasoning and AI; `neats' tend to try + to build systems that `reason' in some way identifiably similar to the + way humans report themselves as doing, while `scruffies' profess not + to care whether an algorithm resembles human reasoning in the least as + long as it works. More importantly, neats tend to believe that logic + is king, while scruffies favor looser, more ad-hoc methods driven by + empirical knowledge. To a neat, scruffy methods appear promiscuous, + successful only by accident, and not productive of insights about how + intelligence actually works; to a scruffy, neat methods appear to be + hung up on formalism and irrelevant to the hard-to-capture `common + sense' of living intelligences. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:neep-neep, Next:[9279]neophilia, Previous:[9280]neats vs. + scruffies, Up:[9281]= N = + + neep-neep /neep neep/ n. + + [onomatopoeic, widely spread through SF fandom but reported to have + originated at Caltech in the 1970s] One who is fascinated by + computers. Less specific than [9282]hacker, as it need not imply more + skill than is required to boot games on a PC. The derived noun + `neeping' applies specifically to the long conversations about + computers that tend to develop in the corners at most SF-convention + parties (the term `neepery' is also in wide use). Fandom has a related + proverb to the effect that "Hacking is a conversational black hole!". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:neophilia, Next:[9283]nerd, Previous:[9284]neep-neep, Up:[9285]= + N = + + neophilia /nee`oh-fil'-ee-*/ n. + + The trait of being excited and pleased by novelty. Common among most + hackers, SF fans, and members of several other connected leading-edge + subcultures, including the pro-technology `Whole Earth' wing of the + ecology movement, space activists, many members of Mensa, and the + Discordian/neo-pagan underground. All these groups overlap heavily and + (where evidence is available) seem to share characteristic hacker + tropisms for science fiction, [9286]music, and [9287]oriental food. + The opposite tendency is `neophobia'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nerd, Next:[9288]nerd knob, Previous:[9289]neophilia, Up:[9290]= + N = + + nerd n. + + 1. [mainstream slang] Pejorative applied to anyone with an + above-average IQ and few gifts at small talk and ordinary social + rituals. 2. [jargon] Term of praise applied (in conscious ironic + reference to sense 1) to someone who knows what's really important and + interesting and doesn't care to be distracted by trivial chatter and + silly status games. Compare the two senses of [9291]computer geek. + + The word itself appears to derive from the lines "And then, just to + show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo / And Bring Back an It-Kutch, a Preep + and a Proo, / A Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker, too!" in the Dr. + Seuss book "If I Ran the Zoo" (1950). (The spellings `nurd' and + `gnurd' also used to be current at MIT, where `nurd' is reported from + as far back as 1957.) How it developed its mainstream meaning is + unclear, but sense 1 seems to have entered mass culture in the early + 1970s (there are reports that in the mid-1960s it meant roughly + "annoying misfit" without the connotation of intelligence). + + An IEEE Spectrum article (4/95, page 16) once derived `nerd' in its + variant form `knurd' from the word `drunk' backwards, but this bears + all the hallmarks of a bogus folk etymology. + + Hackers developed sense 2 in self-defense perhaps ten years later, and + some actually wear "Nerd Pride" buttons, only half as a joke. At MIT + one can find not only buttons but (what else?) pocket protectors + bearing the slogan and the MIT seal. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nerd knob, Next:[9292]net.-, Previous:[9293]nerd, Up:[9294]= N = + + nerd knob n. + + [Cisco] a command in a complex piece of software which is more likely + to be used by an extremely experienced user to tweak a setting of one + sort or another - a setting which the average user may not even know + exists. Nerd knobs tend to be toggles, turning on or off a particular, + specific, narrowly defined behavior. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:net.-, Next:[9295]net.god, Previous:[9296]nerd knob, Up:[9297]= N + = + + net.- /net dot/ pref. + + [Usenet] Prefix used to describe people and events related to Usenet. + From the time before the [9298]Great Renaming, when most non-local + newsgroups had names beginning `net.'. Includes [9299]net.gods, + `net.goddesses' (various charismatic net.women with circles of on-line + admirers), `net.lurkers' (see [9300]lurker), `net.person', + `net.parties' (a synonym for [9301]boink, sense 2), and many similar + constructs. See also [9302]net.police. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:net.god, Next:[9303]net.personality, Previous:[9304]net.-, + Up:[9305]= N = + + net.god /net god/ n. + + Accolade referring to anyone who satisfies some combination of the + following conditions: has been visible on Usenet for more than 5 + years, ran one of the original backbone sites, moderated an important + newsgroup, wrote news software, or knows Gene, Mark, Rick, Mel, Henry, + Chuq, and Greg personally. See [9306]demigod. Net.goddesses such as + Rissa or the Slime Sisters have (so far) been distinguished more by + personality than by authority. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:net.personality, Next:[9307]net.police, Previous:[9308]net.god, + Up:[9309]= N = + + net.personality /net per`sn-al'-*-tee/ n. + + Someone who has made a name for him or herself on [9310]Usenet, + through either longevity or attention-getting posts, but doesn't meet + the other requirements of [9311]net.godhood. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:net.police, Next:[9312]NetBOLLIX, Previous:[9313]net.personality, + Up:[9314]= N = + + net.police /net-p*-lees'/ n. + + (var. `net.cops') Those Usenet readers who feel it is their + responsibility to pounce on and [9315]flame any posting which they + regard as offensive or in violation of their understanding of + [9316]netiquette. Generally used sarcastically or pejoratively. Also + spelled `net police'. See also [9317]net.-, [9318]code police. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NetBOLLIX, Next:[9319]netburp, Previous:[9320]net.police, + Up:[9321]= N = + + NetBOLLIX n. + + [from bollix: to bungle, or British `bollocks'] [9322]IBM's NetBIOS, + an extremely [9323]brain-damaged network protocol that, like + [9324]Blue Glue, is used at commercial shops that don't know any + better. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netburp, Next:[9325]netdead, Previous:[9326]NetBOLLIX, Up:[9327]= + N = + + netburp n. + + [IRC] When [9328]netlag gets really bad, and delays between servers + exceed a certain threshhold, the [9329]IRC network effectively becomes + partitioned for a period of time, and large numbers of people seem to + be signing off at the same time and then signing back on again when + things get better. An instance of this is called a `netburp' (or, + sometimes, [9330]netsplit). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netdead, Next:[9331]nethack, Previous:[9332]netburp, Up:[9333]= N + = + + netdead n. + + [IRC] The state of someone who signs off [9334]IRC, perhaps during a + [9335]netburp, and doesn't sign back on until later. In the interim, + he is "dead to the net". Compare [9336]link-dead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nethack, Next:[9337]netiquette, Previous:[9338]netdead, + Up:[9339]= N = + + nethack /net'hak/ n. + + [Unix] A dungeon game similar to [9340]rogue but more elaborate, + distributed in C source over [9341]Usenet and very popular at Unix + sites and on PC-class machines (nethack is probably the most widely + distributed of the freeware dungeon games). The earliest versions, + written by Jay Fenlason and later considerably enhanced by Andries + Brouwer, were simply called `hack'. The name changed when maintenance + was taken over by a group of hackers originally organized by Mike + Stephenson. There is now an official site one at + [9342]http://www.nethack.org/. See also [9343]moria, [9344]rogue, + [9345]Angband. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netiquette, Next:[9346]netlag, Previous:[9347]nethack, Up:[9348]= + N = + + netiquette /net'ee-ket/ or /net'i-ket/ n. + + [portmanteau, network + etiquette] The conventions of politeness + recognized on [9349]Usenet, such as avoidance of cross-posting to + inappropriate groups and refraining from commercial pluggery outside + the biz groups. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netlag, Next:[9350]netnews, Previous:[9351]netiquette, Up:[9352]= + N = + + netlag n. + + [IRC, MUD] A condition that occurs when the delays in the [9353]IRC + network or on a [9354]MUD become severe enough that servers briefly + lose and then reestablish contact, causing messages to be delivered in + bursts, often with delays of up to a minute. (Note that this term has + nothing to do with mainstream "jet lag", a condition which hackers + tend not to be much bothered by.) Often shortened to just `lag'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netnews, Next:[9355]netrock, Previous:[9356]netlag, Up:[9357]= N + = + + netnews /net'n[y]ooz/ n. + + 1. The software that makes [9358]Usenet run. 2. The content of Usenet. + "I read netnews right after my mail most mornings." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netrock, Next:[9359]Netscrape, Previous:[9360]netnews, Up:[9361]= + N = + + netrock /net'rok/ n. + + [IBM] A [9362]flame; used esp. on VNET, IBM's internal corporate + network. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Netscrape, Next:[9363]netsplit, Previous:[9364]netrock, + Up:[9365]= N = + + Netscrape n. + + [sometimes elaborated to `Netscrape Fornicator', also `Nutscrape'] + Standard name-of-insult for Netscape Navigator/Communicator, + Netscape's overweight Web browser. Compare [9366]Internet Exploiter. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netsplit, Next:[9367]netter, Previous:[9368]Netscrape, Up:[9369]= + N = + + netsplit n. + + Syn. [9370]netburp. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:netter, Next:[9371]network address, Previous:[9372]netsplit, + Up:[9373]= N = + + netter n. + + 1. Loosely, anyone with a [9374]network address. 2. More specifically, + a [9375]Usenet regular. Most often found in the plural. "If you post + that in a technical group, you're going to be flamed by angry netters + for the rest of time!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:network address, Next:[9376]network meltdown, + Previous:[9377]netter, Up:[9378]= N = + + network address n. + + (also `net address') As used by hackers, means an address on `the' + network (see [9379]the network; this used to include [9380]bang path + addresses but now almost always implies an [9381]Internet address). + Net addresses are often used in email text as a more concise + substitute for personal names; indeed, hackers may come to know each + other quite well by network names without ever learning each others' + `legal' monikers. Indeed, display of a network address (e.g on + business cards) used to function as an important hacker identification + signal, like lodge pins among Masons or tie-dyed T-shirts among + Grateful Dead fans. In the day of pervasive Internet this is less + true, but you can still be fairly sure that anyone with a network + address handwritten on his or her convention badge is a hacker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:network meltdown, Next:[9382]New Jersey, Previous:[9383]network + address, Up:[9384]= N = + + network meltdown n. + + A state of complete network overload; the network equivalent of + [9385]thrashing. This may be induced by a [9386]Chernobyl packet. See + also [9387]broadcast storm, [9388]kamikaze packet. + + Network meltdown is often a result of network designs that are + optimized for a steady state of moderate load and don't cope well with + the very jagged, bursty usage patterns of the real world. One amusing + instance of this is triggered by the popular and very bloody + shoot-'em-up game Doom on the PC. When used in multiplayer mode over a + network, the game uses broadcast packets to inform other machines when + bullets are fired. This causes problems with weapons like the chain + gun which fire rapidly -- it can blast the network into a meltdown + state just as easily as it shreds opposing monsters. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:New Jersey, Next:[9389]New Testament, Previous:[9390]network + meltdown, Up:[9391]= N = + + New Jersey adj. + + [primarily Stanford/Silicon Valley] Brain-damaged or of poor design. + This refers to the allegedly wretched quality of such software as C, + C++, and Unix (which originated at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New + Jersey). "This compiler bites the bag, but what can you expect from a + compiler designed in New Jersey?" Compare [9392]Berkeley Quality + Software. See also [9393]Unix conspiracy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:New Testament, Next:[9394]newbie, Previous:[9395]New Jersey, + Up:[9396]= N = + + New Testament n. + + [C programmers] The second edition of K&R's "The C Programming + Language" (Prentice-Hall, 1988; ISBN 0-13-110362-8), describing ANSI + Standard C. See [9397]K&R; this version is also called `K&R2'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:newbie, Next:[9398]newgroup wars, Previous:[9399]New Testament, + Up:[9400]= N = + + newbie /n[y]oo'bee/ n. + + [verry common; orig. from British public-school and military slang + variant of `new boy'] A Usenet neophyte. This term surfaced in the + [9401]newsgroup talk.bizarre but is now in wide use (the combination + "clueless newbie" is especially common). Criteria for being considered + a newbie vary wildly; a person can be called a newbie in one newsgroup + while remaining a respected regular in another. The label `newbie' is + sometimes applied as a serious insult to a person who has been around + Usenet for a long time but who carefully hides all evidence of having + a clue. See [9402]B1FF; see also [9403]gnubie. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:newgroup wars, Next:[9404]newline, Previous:[9405]newbie, + Up:[9406]= N = + + newgroup wars /n[y]oo'groop worz/ n. + + [Usenet] The salvos of dueling newgroup and rmgroup messages sometimes + exchanged by persons on opposite sides of a dispute over whether a + [9407]newsgroup should be created net-wide, or (even more frequently) + whether an obsolete one should be removed. These usually settle out + within a week or two as it becomes clear whether the group has a + natural constituency (usually, it doesn't). At times, especially in + the completely anarchic alt hierarchy, the names of newsgroups + themselves become a form of comment or humor; e.g., the group + alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork which originated as a birthday joke + for a Muppets fan, or any number of specialized abuse groups named + after particularly notorious [9408]flamers, e.g., alt.weemba. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:newline, Next:[9409]NeWS, Previous:[9410]newgroup wars, + Up:[9411]= N = + + newline /n[y]oo'li:n/ n. + + 1. [techspeak, primarily Unix] The ASCII LF character (0001010), used + under [9412]Unix as a text line terminator. Though the term `newline' + appears in ASCII standards, it never caught on in the general + computing world before Unix. 2. More generally, any magic character, + character sequence, or operation (like Pascal's writeln procedure) + required to terminate a text record or separate lines. See [9413]crlf, + [9414]terpri. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NeWS, Next:[9415]newsfroup, Previous:[9416]newline, Up:[9417]= N + = + + NeWS /nee'wis/, /n[y]oo'is/ or /n[y]ooz/ n. + + [acronym; the `Network Window System'] The road not taken in window + systems, an elegant [9418]PostScript-based environment that would + almost certainly have won the standards war with [9419]X if it hadn't + been [9420]proprietary to Sun Microsystems. There is a lesson here + that too many software vendors haven't yet heeded. Many hackers insist + on the two-syllable pronunciations above as a way of distinguishing + NeWS from Usenet news (the [9421]netnews software). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:newsfroup, Next:[9422]newsgroup, Previous:[9423]NeWS, Up:[9424]= + N = + + newsfroup // n. + + [Usenet] Silly synonym for [9425]newsgroup, originally a typo but now + in regular use on Usenet's talk.bizarre, and other lunatic-fringe + groups. Compare [9426]hing, [9427]grilf, [9428]pr0n and [9429]filk. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:newsgroup, Next:[9430]nick, Previous:[9431]newsfroup, Up:[9432]= + N = + + newsgroup n. + + [Usenet] One of [9433]Usenet's huge collection of topic groups or + [9434]fora. Usenet groups can be `unmoderated' (anyone can post) or + `moderated' (submissions are automatically directed to a moderator, + who edits or filters and then posts the results). Some newsgroups have + parallel [9435]mailing lists for Internet people with no netnews + access, with postings to the group automatically propagated to the + list and vice versa. Some moderated groups (especially those which are + actually gatewayed Internet mailing lists) are distributed as + `digests', with groups of postings periodically collected into a + single large posting with an index. + + Among the best-known are comp.lang.c (the C-language forum), comp.arch + (on computer architectures), comp.unix.wizards (for Unix wizards), + rec.arts.sf.written and siblings (for science-fiction fans), and + talk.politics.misc (miscellaneous political discussions and + [9436]flamage). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nick, Next:[9437]nickle, Previous:[9438]newsgroup, Up:[9439]= N = + + nick n. + + [IRC; very common] Short for nickname. On [9440]IRC, every user must + pick a nick, which is sometimes the same as the user's real name or + login name, but is often more fanciful. Compare [9441]handle, + [9442]screen name. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nickle, Next:[9443]night mode, Previous:[9444]nick, Up:[9445]= N + = + + nickle /ni'kl/ n. + + [from `nickel', common name for the U.S. 5-cent coin] A [9446]nybble + + 1; 5 bits. Reported among developers for Mattel's GI 1600 (the + Intellivision games processor), a chip with 16-bit-wide RAM but + 10-bit-wide ROM. See also [9447]deckle, and [9448]nybble for names of + other bit units. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:night mode, Next:[9449]Nightmare File System, + Previous:[9450]nickle, Up:[9451]= N = + + night mode n. + + See [9452]phase (of people). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Nightmare File System, Next:[9453]NIL, Previous:[9454]night mode, + Up:[9455]= N = + + Nightmare File System n. + + Pejorative hackerism for Sun's Network File System (NFS). In any + nontrivial network of Suns where there is a lot of NFS cross-mounting, + when one Sun goes down, the others often freeze up. Some machine tries + to access the down one, and (getting no response) repeats + indefinitely. This causes it to appear dead to some messages (what is + actually happening is that it is locked up in what should have been a + brief excursion to a higher [9456]spl level). Then another machine + tries to reach either the down machine or the pseudo-down machine, and + itself becomes pseudo-down. The first machine to discover the down one + is now trying both to access the down one and to respond to the + pseudo-down one, so it is even harder to reach. This situation + snowballs very quickly, and soon the entire network of machines is + frozen -- worst of all, the user can't even abort the file access that + started the problem! Many of NFS's problems are excused by partisans + as being an inevitable result of its statelessness, which is held to + be a great feature (critics, of course, call it a great + [9457]misfeature). (ITS partisans are apt to cite this as proof of + Unix's alleged bogosity; ITS had a working NFS-like shared file system + with none of these problems in the early 1970s.) See also + [9458]broadcast storm. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NIL, Next:[9459]Ninety-Ninety Rule, Previous:[9460]Nightmare File + System, Up:[9461]= N = + + NIL /nil/ + + No. Used in reply to a question, particularly one asked using the `-P' + convention. Most hackers assume this derives simply from LISP + terminology for `false' (see also [9462]T), but NIL as a negative + reply was well-established among radio hams decades before the advent + of LISP. The historical connection between early hackerdom and the ham + radio world was strong enough that this may have been an influence. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Ninety-Ninety Rule, Next:[9463]nipple mouse, Previous:[9464]NIL, + Up:[9465]= N = + + Ninety-Ninety Rule n. + + "The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the + development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other + 90% of the development time." Attributed to Tom Cargill of Bell Labs, + and popularized by Jon Bentley's September 1985 "Bumper-Sticker + Computer Science" column in "Communications of the ACM". It was there + called the "Rule of Credibility", a name which seems not to have + stuck. Other maxims in the same vein include the law attributed to the + early British computer scientist Douglas Hartree: "The time from now + until the completion of the project tends to become constant." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nipple mouse, Next:[9466]NMI, Previous:[9467]Ninety-Ninety Rule, + Up:[9468]= N = + + nipple mouse n. + + Var. `clit mouse, clitoris' Common term for the pointing device used + on IBM ThinkPads and a few other laptop computers. The device, which + sits between the `g' and `h' keys on the keyboard, indeed resembles a + rubber nipple intended to be tweaked by a forefinger. Many hackers + consider these superior to the glide pads found on most laptops, which + are harder to control precisely. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NMI, Next:[9469]no-op, Previous:[9470]nipple mouse, Up:[9471]= N + = + + NMI /N-M-I/ n. + + Non-Maskable Interrupt. An IRQ 7 on the PDP-11 or 680[01234]0; the NMI + line on an 80[1234]86. In contrast with a [9472]priority interrupt + (which might be ignored, although that is unlikely), an NMI is never + ignored. Except, that is, on [9473]clone boxes, where NMI is often + ignored on the motherboard because flaky hardware can generate many + spurious ones. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:no-op, Next:[9474]noddy, Previous:[9475]NMI, Up:[9476]= N = + + no-op /noh'op/ n.,v. + + alt. NOP /nop/ [no operation] 1. A machine instruction that does + nothing (sometimes used in assembler-level programming as filler for + data or patch areas, or to overwrite code to be removed in binaries). + 2. A person who contributes nothing to a project, or has nothing going + on upstairs, or both. As in "He's a no-op." 3. Any operation or + sequence of operations with no effect, such as circling the block + without finding a parking space, or putting money into a vending + machine and having it fall immediately into the coin-return box, or + asking someone for help and being told to go away. "Oh, well, that was + a no-op." Hot-and-sour soup (see [9477]great-wall) that is + insufficiently either is `no-op soup'; so is wonton soup if everybody + else is having hot-and-sour. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:noddy, Next:[9478]node, Previous:[9479]no-op, Up:[9480]= N = + + noddy /nod'ee/ adj. + + [UK: from the children's books] 1. Small and un-useful, but + demonstrating a point. Noddy programs are often written by people + learning a new language or system. The archetypal noddy program is + [9481]hello world. Noddy code may be used to demonstrate a feature or + bug of a compiler. May be used of real hardware or software to imply + that it isn't worth using. "This editor's a bit noddy." 2. A program + that is more or less instant to produce. In this use, the term does + not necessarily connote uselessness, but describes a [9482]hack + sufficiently trivial that it can be written and debugged while + carrying on (and during the space of) a normal conversation. "I'll + just throw together a noddy [9483]awk script to dump all the first + fields." In North America this might be called a [9484]mickey mouse + program. See [9485]toy program. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:node, Next:[9486]Nominal Semidestructor, Previous:[9487]noddy, + Up:[9488]= N = + + node n. + + 1. [Internet, UUCP] A host machine on the network. 2. [MS-DOS BBSes] A + dial-in line on a BBS. Thus an MS-DOS [9489]sysop might say that his + BBS has 4 nodes even though it has a single machine and no Internet + link, confusing an Internet hacker no end. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Nominal Semidestructor, Next:[9490]non-optimal solution, + Previous:[9491]node, Up:[9492]= N = + + Nominal Semidestructor n. + + Soundalike slang for `National Semiconductor', found among other + places in the Networking/2 networking sources. During the late 1970s + to mid-1980s this company marketed a series of microprocessors + including the NS16000 and NS32000 and several variants. At one point + early in the great microprocessor race, the specs on these chips made + them look like serious competition for the rising Intel 80x86 and + Motorola 680x0 series. Unfortunately, the actual parts were + notoriously flaky and never implemented the full instruction set + promised in their literature, apparently because the company couldn't + get any of the mask steppings to work as designed. They eventually + sank without trace, joining the Zilog Z8000 and a few even more + obscure also-rans in the graveyard of forgotten microprocessors. + Compare [9493]HP-SUX, [9494]AIDX, [9495]buglix, [9496]Macintrash, + [9497]Telerat, [9498]ScumOS, [9499]sun-stools, [9500]Slowlaris, + [9501]Internet Exploder. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:non-optimal solution, Next:[9502]nonlinear, + Previous:[9503]Nominal Semidestructor, Up:[9504]= N = + + non-optimal solution n. + + (also `sub-optimal solution') An astoundingly stupid way to do + something. This term is generally used in deadpan sarcasm, as its + impact is greatest when the person speaking looks completely serious. + Compare [9505]stunning. See also [9506]Bad Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nonlinear, Next:[9507]nontrivial, Previous:[9508]non-optimal + solution, Up:[9509]= N = + + nonlinear adj. + + [scientific computation] 1. Behaving in an erratic and unpredictable + fashion; unstable. When used to describe the behavior of a machine or + program, it suggests that said machine or program is being forced to + run far outside of design specifications. This behavior may be induced + by unreasonable inputs, or may be triggered when a more mundane bug + sends the computation far off from its expected course. 2. When + describing the behavior of a person, suggests a tantrum or a + [9510]flame. "When you talk to Bob, don't mention the drug problem or + he'll go nonlinear for hours." In this context, `go nonlinear' + connotes `blow up out of proportion' (proportion connotes linearity). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nontrivial, Next:[9511]not ready for prime time, + Previous:[9512]nonlinear, Up:[9513]= N = + + nontrivial adj. + + Requiring real thought or significant computing power. Often used as + an understated way of saying that a problem is quite difficult or + impractical, or even entirely unsolvable ("Proving P=NP is + nontrivial"). The preferred emphatic form is `decidedly nontrivial'. + See [9514]trivial, [9515]uninteresting, [9516]interesting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:not ready for prime time, Next:[9517]notwork, + Previous:[9518]nontrivial, Up:[9519]= N = + + not ready for prime time adj. + + Usable, but only just so; not very robust; for internal use only. Said + of a program or device. Often connotes that the thing will be made + more solid [9520]Real Soon Now. This term comes from the ensemble name + of the original cast of "Saturday Night Live", the "Not Ready for + Prime Time Players". It has extra flavor for hackers because of the + special (though now semi-obsolescent) meaning of [9521]prime time. + Compare [9522]beta. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:notwork, Next:[9523]NP-, Previous:[9524]not ready for prime time, + Up:[9525]= N = + + notwork /not'werk/ n. + + A network, when it is acting [9526]flaky or is [9527]down. Compare + [9528]nyetwork. Said at IBM to have originally referred to a + particular period of flakiness on IBM's VNET corporate network ca. + 1988; but there are independent reports of the term from elsewhere. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NP-, Next:[9529]nroff, Previous:[9530]notwork, Up:[9531]= N = + + NP- /N-P/ pref. + + Extremely. Used to modify adjectives describing a level or quality of + difficulty; the connotation is often `more so than it should be' This + is generalized from the computer-science terms `NP-hard' and + `NP-complete'; NP-complete problems all seem to be very hard, but so + far no one has found a proof that they are. NP is the set of + Nondeterministic-Polynomial algorithms, those that can be completed by + a nondeterministic Turing machine in an amount of time that is a + polynomial function of the size of the input; a solution for one + NP-complete problem would solve all the others. "Coding a BitBlt + implementation to perform correctly in every case is NP-annoying." + + Note, however, that strictly speaking this usage is misleading; there + are plenty of easy problems in class NP. NP-complete problems are hard + not because they are in class NP, but because they are the hardest + problems in class NP. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nroff, Next:[9532]NSA line eater, Previous:[9533]NP-, Up:[9534]= + N = + + nroff /N'rof/ + + n. [Unix, from "new roff" (see [9535]troff)] A companion program to + the Unix typesetter [9536]troff, accepting identical input but + preparing output for terminals and line printers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NSA line eater, Next:[9537]NSP, Previous:[9538]nroff, Up:[9539]= + N = + + NSA line eater n. + + The National Security Agency trawling program sometimes assumed to be + reading the net for the U.S. Government's spooks. Most hackers used to + think it was mythical but believed in acting as though existed just in + case. since the mid-1990s it has gradually become known that the NSA + actually does this, quite illegaly, through its Echelon program. + + The standard countermeasure is to put loaded phrases like `KGB', + `Uzi', `nuclear materials', `Palestine', `cocaine', and + `assassination' in their [9540]sig blocks in a (probably futile) + attempt to confuse and overload the creature. The [9541]GNU version of + [9542]EMACS actually has a command that randomly inserts a bunch of + insidious anarcho-verbiage into your edited text. + + As far back as the 1970s there was a mainstream variant of this myth + involving a `Trunk Line Monitor', which supposedly used speech + recognition to extract words from telephone trunks. This is much + harder than noticing keywords in email, and most of the people who + originally propagated it had no idea of then-current technology or the + storage, signal-processing, or speech recognition needs of such a + project. On the basis of mass-storage costs alone it would have been + cheaper to hire 50 high-school students and just let them listen in. + Twenty years and several orders of technological magnitude later, + however, there are clear indications that the NSA has actually + deployed such filtering (again, very much against U.S. law). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NSP, Next:[9543]nude, Previous:[9544]NSA line eater, Up:[9545]= N + = + + NSP /N-S-P/ n. + + Common abbreviation for `Network Service Provider', one of the big + national or regional companies that maintains a portion of the + Internet backbone and resells connectivity to [9546]ISPs. In 1996, + major NSPs include ANS, MCI, UUNET, and Sprint. An Internet + wholesaler. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nude, Next:[9547]nugry, Previous:[9548]NSP, Up:[9549]= N = + + nude adj. + + Said of machines delivered without an operating system (compare + [9550]bare metal). "We ordered 50 systems, but they all arrived nude, + so we had to spend a an extra weekend with the installation disks." + This usage is a recent innovation reflecting the fact that most IBM-PC + clones are now delivered with an operating system pre-installed at the + factory. Other kinds of hardware are still normally delivered without + OS, so this term is particular to PC support groups. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nugry, Next:[9551]nuke, Previous:[9552]nude, Up:[9553]= N = + + nugry /n[y]oo'gree/ + + [Usenet, 'newbie' + '-gry'] `. n. A [9554]newbie who posts a [9555]FAQ + in the rec.puzzles newsgroup, especially if it is a variant of the + notorious and unanswerable "What, besides `angry' and `hungry', is the + third common English word that ends in -GRY?". In the newsgroup, the + canonical answer is of course `nugry' itself. Plural is `nusgry' + /n[y]oos'gree/. 2. adj. Having the qualities of a nugry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nuke, Next:[9556]number-crunching, Previous:[9557]nugry, + Up:[9558]= N = + + nuke /n[y]ook/ vt. + + [common] 1. To intentionally delete the entire contents of a given + directory or storage volume. "On Unix, rm -r /usr will nuke everything + in the usr filesystem." Never used for accidental deletion; contrast + [9559]blow away. 2. Syn. for [9560]dike, applied to smaller things + such as files, features, or code sections. Often used to express a + final verdict. "What do you want me to do with that 80-meg + [9561]wallpaper file?" "Nuke it." 3. Used of processes as well as + files; nuke is a frequent verbal alias for kill -9 on Unix. 4. On IBM + PCs, a bug that results in [9562]fandango on core can trash the + operating system, including the FAT (the in-core copy of the disk + block chaining information). This can utterly scramble attached disks, + which are then said to have been `nuked'. This term is also used of + analogous lossages on Macintoshes and other micros without memory + protection. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:number-crunching, Next:[9563]numbers, Previous:[9564]nuke, + Up:[9565]= N = + + number-crunching n. + + [common] Computations of a numerical nature, esp. those that make + extensive use of floating-point numbers. The only thing [9566]Fortrash + is good for. This term is in widespread informal use outside hackerdom + and even in mainstream slang, but has additional hackish connotations: + namely, that the computations are mindless and involve massive use of + [9567]brute force. This is not always [9568]evil, esp. if it involves + ray tracing or fractals or some other use that makes [9569]pretty + pictures, esp. if such pictures can be used as [9570]wallpaper. See + also [9571]crunch. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:numbers, Next:[9572]NUXI problem, + Previous:[9573]number-crunching, Up:[9574]= N = + + numbers n. + + [scientific computation] Output of a computation that may not be + significant results but at least indicate that the program is running. + May be used to placate management, grant sponsors, etc. `Making + numbers' means running a program because output -- any output, not + necessarily meaningful output -- is needed as a demonstration of + progress. See [9575]pretty pictures, [9576]math-out, [9577]social + science number. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:NUXI problem, Next:[9578]nybble, Previous:[9579]numbers, + Up:[9580]= N = + + NUXI problem /nuk'see pro'bl*m/ n. + + Refers to the problem of transferring data between machines with + differing byte-order. The string `UNIX' might look like `NUXI' on a + machine with a different `byte sex' (e.g., when transferring data from + a [9581]little-endian to a [9582]big-endian, or vice-versa). See also + [9583]middle-endian, [9584]swab, and [9585]bytesexual. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nybble, Next:[9586]nyetwork, Previous:[9587]NUXI problem, + Up:[9588]= N = + + nybble /nib'l/ (alt. `nibble') n. + + [from v. `nibble' by analogy with `bite' => `byte'] Four bits; one + [9589]hex digit; a half-byte. Though `byte' is now techspeak, this + useful relative is still jargon. Compare [9590]byte; see also + [9591]bit. The more mundane spelling "nibble" is also commonly used. + Apparently the `nybble' spelling is uncommon in Commonwealth Hackish, + as British orthography would suggest the pronunciation /ni:'bl/. + + Following `bit', `byte' and `nybble' there have been quite a few + analogical attempts to construct unambiguous terms for bit blocks of + other sizes. All of these are strictly jargon, not techspeak, and not + very common jargon at that (most hackers would recognize them in + context but not use them spontaneously). We collect them here for + reference together with the ambiguous techspeak terms `word', + `half-word' and `double word'; some (indicated) have substantial + information separate entries. + + 2 bits: + [9592]crumb, [9593]quad, [9594]quarter, tayste, tydbit + + 4 bits: + nybble + + 5 bits: + [9595]nickle + + 10 bits: + [9596]deckle + + 16 bits: + playte, [9597]chawmp (on a 32-bit machine), word (on a 16-bit + machine), half-word (on a 32-bit machine). + + 18 bits: + [9598]chawmp (on a 36-bit machine), half-word (on a 36-bit + machine) + + 32 bits: + dynner, [9599]gawble (on a 32-bit machine), word (on a 32-bit + machine), longword (on a 16-bit machine). + + 36: + word (on a 36-bit machine) + + 48 bits: + [9600]gawble (under circumstances that remain obscure) + + 64 bits + double word (on a 32-bit machine) + + The fundamental motivation for most of these jargon terms (aside from + the normal hackerly enjoyment of punning wordplay) is the extreme + ambiguity of the term `word' and its derivatives. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:nyetwork, Next:[9601]Ob-, Previous:[9602]nybble, Up:[9603]= N = + + nyetwork /nyet'werk/ n. + + [from Russian `nyet' = no] A network, when it is acting [9604]flaky or + is [9605]down. Compare [9606]notwork. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= O =, Next:[9607]= P =, Previous:[9608]= N =, Up:[9609]The + Jargon Lexicon + += O = + + * [9610]Ob-: + * [9611]Obfuscated C Contest: + * [9612]obi-wan error: + * [9613]Objectionable-C: + * [9614]obscure: + * [9615]octal forty: + * [9616]off the trolley: + * [9617]off-by-one error: + * [9618]offline: + * [9619]ogg: + * [9620]-oid: + * [9621]old fart: + * [9622]Old Testament: + * [9623]on the gripping hand: + * [9624]one-banana problem: + * [9625]one-line fix: + * [9626]one-liner wars: + * [9627]ooblick: + * [9628]op: + * [9629]open: + * [9630]open source: + * [9631]open switch: + * [9632]operating system: + * [9633]optical diff: + * [9634]optical grep: + * [9635]optimism: + * [9636]Oracle the: + * [9637]Orange Book: + * [9638]oriental food: + * [9639]orphan: + * [9640]orphaned i-node: + * [9641]orthogonal: + * [9642]OS: + * [9643]OS/2: + * [9644]OSS: + * [9645]OSU: + * [9646]OTOH: + * [9647]out-of-band: + * [9648]overclock: + * [9649]overflow bit: + * [9650]overflow pdl: + * [9651]overrun: + * [9652]overrun screw: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Ob-, Next:[9653]Obfuscated C Contest, Previous:[9654]nyetwork, + Up:[9655]= O = + + Ob- /ob/ pref. + + Obligatory. A piece of [9656]netiquette acknowledging that the author + has been straying from the newsgroup's charter topic. For example, if + a posting in alt.sex is a response to a part of someone else's posting + that has nothing particularly to do with sex, the author may append + `ObSex' (or `Obsex') and toss off a question or vignette about some + unusual erotic act. It is considered a sign of great [9657]winnitude + when one's Obs are more interesting than other people's whole + postings. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Obfuscated C Contest, Next:[9658]obi-wan error, + Previous:[9659]Ob-, Up:[9660]= O = + + Obfuscated C Contest n. + + (in full, the `International Obfuscated C Code Contest', or IOCCC) An + annual contest run since 1984 over Usenet by Landon Curt Noll and + friends. The overall winner is whoever produces the most unreadable, + creative, and bizarre (but working) C program; various other prizes + are awarded at the judges' whim. C's terse syntax and + macro-preprocessor facilities give contestants a lot of maneuvering + room. The winning programs often manage to be simultaneously (a) + funny, (b) breathtaking works of art, and (c) horrible examples of how + not to code in C. + + This relatively short and sweet entry might help convey the flavor of + obfuscated C: +/* + * HELLO WORLD program + * by Jack Applin and Robert Heckendorn, 1985 + * (Note: depends on being able to modify elements of argv[], + * which is not guaranteed by ANSI and often not possible.) + */ +main(v,c)char**c;{for(v[c++]="Hello, world!\n)"; +(!!c)[*c]&&(v--||--c&&execlp(*c,*c,c[!!c]+!!c,!c)); +**c=!c)write(!!*c,*c,!!**c);} + + Here's another good one: +/* + * Program to compute an approximation of pi + * by Brian Westley, 1988 + * (requires pcc macro concatenation; try gcc -traditional-cpp) + */ + +#define _ -F<00||--F-OO--; +int F=00,OO=00; +main(){F_OO();printf("%1.3f\n",4.*-F/OO/OO);}F_OO() +{ + _-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ +_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ +_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ +_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ +_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ + _-_-_-_ +} + + Note that this program works by computing its own area. For more + digits, write a bigger program. See also [9661]hello world. + + The IOCCC has an official home page at [9662]http://www.ioccc.org. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:obi-wan error, Next:[9663]Objectionable-C, + Previous:[9664]Obfuscated C Contest, Up:[9665]= O = + + obi-wan error /oh'bee-won` er'*r/ n. + + [RPI, from `off-by-one' and the Obi-Wan Kenobi character in "Star + Wars"] A loop of some sort in which the index is off by 1. Common when + the index should have started from 0 but instead started from 1. A + kind of [9666]off-by-one error. See also [9667]zeroth. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Objectionable-C, Next:[9668]obscure, Previous:[9669]obi-wan + error, Up:[9670]= O = + + Objectionable-C n. + + Hackish take on "Objective-C", the name of an object-oriented dialect + of C in competition with the better-known C++ (it is used to write + native applications on the NeXT machine). Objectionable-C uses a + Smalltalk-like syntax, but lacks the flexibility of Smalltalk method + calls, and (like many such efforts) comes frustratingly close to + attaining the [9671]Right Thing without actually doing so. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:obscure, Next:[9672]octal forty, Previous:[9673]Objectionable-C, + Up:[9674]= O = + + obscure adj. + + Used in an exaggeration of its normal meaning, to imply total + incomprehensibility. "The reason for that last crash is obscure." "The + find(1) command's syntax is obscure!" The phrase `moderately obscure' + implies that something could be figured out but probably isn't worth + the trouble. The construction `obscure in the extreme' is the + preferred emphatic form. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:octal forty, Next:[9675]off the trolley, Previous:[9676]obscure, + Up:[9677]= O = + + octal forty /ok'tl for'tee/ n. + + Hackish way of saying "I'm drawing a blank." Octal 40 is the + [9678]ASCII space character, 0100000; by an odd coincidence, [9679]hex + 40 (01000000) is the [9680]EBCDIC space character. See [9681]wall. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:off the trolley, Next:[9682]off-by-one error, + Previous:[9683]octal forty, Up:[9684]= O = + + off the trolley adj. + + Describes the behavior of a program that malfunctions and goes + catatonic, but doesn't actually [9685]crash or abort. See + [9686]glitch, [9687]bug, [9688]deep space, [9689]wedged. + + This term is much older than computing, and is (uncommon) slang + elsewhere. A trolley is the small wheel that trolls, or runs against, + the heavy wire that carries the current to run a streetcar. It's at + the end of the long pole (the trolley pole) that reaches from the roof + of the streetcar to the overhead line. When the trolley stops making + contact with the wire (from passing through a switch, going over bumpy + track, or whatever), the streetcar comes to a halt, (usually) without + crashing. The streetcar is then said to be off the trolley, or off the + wire. Later on, trolley came to mean the streetcar itself. Since + streetcars became common in the 1890s, the term is more than 100 years + old. Nowadays, trolleys are only seen on historic streetcars, since + modern streetcars use pantographs to contact the wire. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:off-by-one error, Next:[9690]offline, Previous:[9691]off the + trolley, Up:[9692]= O = + + off-by-one error n. + + [common] Exceedingly common error induced in many ways, such as by + starting at 0 when you should have started at 1 or vice-versa, or by + writing < N instead of <= N or vice-versa. Also applied to giving + something to the person next to the one who should have gotten it. + Often confounded with [9693]fencepost error, which is properly a + particular subtype of it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:offline, Next:[9694]ogg, Previous:[9695]off-by-one error, + Up:[9696]= O = + + offline adv. + + Not now or not here. "Let's take this discussion offline." + Specifically used on [9697]Usenet to suggest that a discussion be + moved off a public newsgroup to email. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ogg, Next:[9698]-oid, Previous:[9699]offline, Up:[9700]= O = + + ogg /og/ v. + + [CMU] 1. In the multi-player space combat game Netrek, to execute + kamikaze attacks against enemy ships which are carrying armies or + occupying strategic positions. Named during a game in which one of the + players repeatedly used the tactic while playing Orion ship G, showing + up in the player list as "Og". This trick has been roundly denounced + by those who would return to the good old days when the tactic of + dogfighting was dominant, but as Sun Tzu wrote, "What is of supreme + importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy, not his tactics." + However, the traditional answer to the newbie question "What does ogg + mean?" is just "Pick up some armies and I'll show you." 2. In other + games, to forcefully attack an opponent with the expectation that the + resources expended will be renewed faster than the opponent will be + able to regain his previous advantage. Taken more seriously as a + tactic since it has gained a simple name. 3. To do anything + forcefully, possibly without consideration of the drain on future + resources. "I guess I'd better go ogg the problem set that's due + tomorrow." "Whoops! I looked down at the map for a sec and almost + ogged that oncoming car." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:-oid, Next:[9701]old fart, Previous:[9702]ogg, Up:[9703]= O = + + -oid suff. + + [from Greek suffix -oid = `in the image of'] 1. Used as in mainstream + slang English to indicate a poor imitation, a counterfeit, or some + otherwise slightly bogus resemblance. Hackers will happily use it with + all sorts of non-Greco/Latin stem words that wouldn't keep company + with it in mainstream English. For example, "He's a nerdoid" means + that he superficially resembles a nerd but can't make the grade; a + `modemoid' might be a 300-baud box (Real Modems run at 28.8 or up); a + `computeroid' might be any [9704]bitty box. The word `keyboid' could + be used to describe a [9705]chiclet keyboard, but would have to be + written; spoken, it would confuse the listener as to the speaker's + city of origin. 2. More specifically, an indicator for `resembling an + android' which in the past has been confined to science-fiction fans + and hackers. It too has recently (in 1991) started to go mainstream + (most notably in the term `trendoid' for victims of terminal hipness). + This is probably traceable to the popularization of the term + [9706]droid in "Star Wars" and its sequels. (See also [9707]windoid.) + + Coinages in both forms have been common in science fiction for at + least fifty years, and hackers (who are often SF fans) have probably + been making `-oid' jargon for almost that long [though GLS and I can + personally confirm only that they were already common in the mid-1970s + --ESR]. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:old fart, Next:[9708]Old Testament, Previous:[9709]-oid, + Up:[9710]= O = + + old fart n. + + Tribal elder. A title self-assumed with remarkable frequency by (esp.) + Usenetters who have been programming for more than about 25 years; + often appears in [9711]sig blocks attached to Jargon File + contributions of great archeological significance. This is a term of + insult in the second or third person but one of pride in first person. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Old Testament, Next:[9712]on the gripping hand, + Previous:[9713]old fart, Up:[9714]= O = + + Old Testament n. + + [C programmers] The first edition of [9715]K&R, the sacred text + describing [9716]Classic C. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:on the gripping hand, Next:[9717]one-banana problem, + Previous:[9718]Old Testament, Up:[9719]= O = + + on the gripping hand + + In the progression that starts "On the one hand..." and continues "On + the other hand..." mainstream English may add "on the third hand..." + even though most people don't have three hands. Among hackers, it is + just as likely to be "on the gripping hand". This metaphor supplied + the title of Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle's 1993 SF novel "The + Gripping Hand" which involved a species of hostile aliens with three + arms (the same species, in fact, referenced in [9720]juggling eggs). + As with [9721]TANSTAAFL and [9722]con, this usage one of the + naturalized imports from SF fandom frequently observed among hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:one-banana problem, Next:[9723]one-line fix, Previous:[9724]on + the gripping hand, Up:[9725]= O = + + one-banana problem n. + + At mainframe shops, where the computers have operators for routine + administrivia, the programmers and hardware people tend to look down + on the operators and claim that a trained monkey could do their job. + It is frequently observed that the incentives that would be offered + said monkeys can be used as a scale to describe the difficulty of a + task. A one-banana problem is simple; hence, "It's only a one-banana + job at the most; what's taking them so long?" + + At IBM, folklore divides the world into one-, two-, and three-banana + problems. Other cultures have different hierarchies and may divide + them more finely; at ICL, for example, five grapes (a bunch) equals a + banana. Their upper limit for the in-house [9726]sysapes is said to be + two bananas and three grapes (another source claims it's three bananas + and one grape, but observes "However, this is subject to local + variations, cosmic rays and ISO"). At a complication level any higher + than that, one asks the manufacturers to send someone around to check + things. + + See also [9727]Infinite-Monkey Theorem. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:one-line fix, Next:[9728]one-liner wars, + Previous:[9729]one-banana problem, Up:[9730]= O = + + one-line fix n. + + Used (often sarcastically) of a change to a program that is thought to + be trivial or insignificant right up to the moment it crashes the + system. Usually `cured' by another one-line fix. See also [9731]I + didn't change anything! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:one-liner wars, Next:[9732]ooblick, Previous:[9733]one-line fix, + Up:[9734]= O = + + one-liner wars n. + + A game popular among hackers who code in the language APL (see + [9735]write-only language and [9736]line noise). The objective is to + see who can code the most interesting and/or useful routine in one + line of operators chosen from APL's exceedingly [9737]hairy primitive + set. A similar amusement was practiced among [9738]TECO hackers and is + now popular among [9739]Perl aficionados. + + Ken Iverson, the inventor of APL, has been credited with a one-liner + that, given a number N, produces a list of the prime numbers from 1 to + N inclusive. It looks like this: + + (2 = 0 +.= T o.| T) / T <- iN + + where `o' is the APL null character, the assignment arrow is a single + character, and `i' represents the APL iota. + + Here's a [9740]Perl program that prints primes: + perl -wle '(1 x $_) !~ /^(11+)\1+$/ && print while ++ $_' + + In the Perl world this game is sometimes called Perl Golf because the + player with the fewest (key)strokes wins. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ooblick, Next:[9741]op, Previous:[9742]one-liner wars, Up:[9743]= + O = + + ooblick /oo'blik/ n. + + [from the Dr. Seuss title "Bartholomew and the Oobleck"; the spelling + `oobleck' is still current in the mainstream] A bizarre semi-liquid + sludge made from cornstarch and water. Enjoyed among hackers who make + batches during playtime at parties for its amusing and extremely + non-Newtonian behavior; it pours and splatters, but resists rapid + motion like a solid and will even crack when hit by a hammer. Often + found near lasers. + + Here is a field-tested ooblick recipe contributed by GLS: + + 1 cup cornstarch + 1 cup baking soda + 3/4 cup water + N drops of food coloring + + This recipe isn't quite as non-Newtonian as a pure cornstarch ooblick, + but has an appropriately slimy feel. + + Some, however, insist that the notion of an ooblick recipe is far too + mechanical, and that it is best to add the water in small increments + so that the various mixed states the cornstarch goes through as it + becomes ooblick can be grokked in fullness by many hands. For optional + ingredients of this experience, see the "[9744]Ceremonial Chemicals" + section of Appendix B. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:op, Next:[9745]open, Previous:[9746]ooblick, Up:[9747]= O = + + op /op/ n. + + 1. In England and Ireland, common verbal abbreviation for `operator', + as in system operator. Less common in the U.S., where [9748]sysop + seems to be preferred. 2. [IRC] Someone who is endowed with privileges + on [9749]IRC, not limited to a particular channel. These are generally + people who are in charge of the IRC server at their particular site. + Sometimes used interchangeably with [9750]CHOP. Compare [9751]sysop. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:open, Next:[9752]open source, Previous:[9753]op, Up:[9754]= O = + + open n. + + Abbreviation for `open (or left) parenthesis' -- used when necessary + to eliminate oral ambiguity. To read aloud the LISP form (DEFUN FOO + (X) (PLUS X 1)) one might say: "Open defun foo, open eks close, open, + plus eks one, close close." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:open source, Next:[9755]open switch, Previous:[9756]open, + Up:[9757]= O = + + open source n. + + [common; also adj. `open-source'] Term coined in March 1998 following + the Mozilla release to describe software distributed in source under + licenses guaranteeing anybody rights to freely use, modify, and + redistribute, the code. The intent was to be able to sell the hackers' + ways of doing software to industry and the mainstream by avoid the + negative connotations (to [9758]suits) of the term "[9759]free + software". For discussion of the followon tactics and their + consequences, see the [9760]Open Source Initiative site. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:open switch, Next:[9761]operating system, Previous:[9762]open + source, Up:[9763]= O = + + open switch n. + + [IBM: prob. from railroading] An unresolved question, issue, or + problem. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:operating system, Next:[9764]optical diff, Previous:[9765]open + switch, Up:[9766]= O = + + operating system n. + + [techspeak] (Often abbreviated `OS') The foundation software of a + machine; that which schedules tasks, allocates storage, and presents a + default interface to the user between applications. The facilities an + operating system provides and its general design philosophy exert an + extremely strong influence on programming style and on the technical + cultures that grow up around its host machines. Hacker folklore has + been shaped primarily by the [9767]Unix, [9768]ITS, [9769]TOPS-10, + [9770]TOPS-20/[9771]TWENEX, [9772]WAITS, [9773]CP/M, [9774]MS-DOS, and + [9775]Multics operating systems (most importantly by ITS and Unix). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:optical diff, Next:[9776]optical grep, Previous:[9777]operating + system, Up:[9778]= O = + + optical diff n. + + See [9779]vdiff. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:optical grep, Next:[9780]optimism, Previous:[9781]optical diff, + Up:[9782]= O = + + optical grep n. + + See [9783]vgrep. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:optimism, Next:[9784]Oracle the, Previous:[9785]optical grep, + Up:[9786]= O = + + optimism n. + + What a programmer is full of after fixing the last bug and before + discovering the next last bug. Fred Brooks's book "The Mythical + Man-Month" (See "Brooks's Law") contains the following paragraph that + describes this extremely well: + + All programmers are optimists. Perhaps this modern sorcery + especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and fairy + godmothers. Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations drive away + all but those who habitually focus on the end goal. Perhaps it is + merely that computers are young, programmers are younger, and the + young are always optimists. But however the selection process + works, the result is indisputable: "This time it will surely run," + or "I just found the last bug.". + + See also [9787]Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Oracle the, Next:[9788]Orange Book, Previous:[9789]optimism, + Up:[9790]= O = + + Oracle, the + + The all-knowing, all-wise Internet Oracle rec.humor.oracle), or one of + the foreign language derivatives of same. Newbies frequently confuse + the Oracle with Oracle, a database vendor. As a result, the + unmoderated rec.humor.oracle.d is frequently crossposted to by the + clueless, looking for advice on SQL. As more than one person has said + in similar situations, "Don't people bother to look at the newsgroup + description line anymore?" (To which the standard response is, "Did + people ever read it in the first place?") + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Orange Book, Next:[9791]oriental food, Previous:[9792]Oracle the, + Up:[9793]= O = + + Orange Book n. + + The U.S. Government's standards document "Trusted Computer System + Evaluation Criteria, DOD standard 5200.28-STD, December, 1985" which + characterize secure computing architectures and defines levels A1 + (most secure) through D (least). Modern Unixes are roughly C2. See + also [9794]crayola books, [9795]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:oriental food, Next:[9796]orphan, Previous:[9797]Orange Book, + Up:[9798]= O = + + oriental food n. + + Hackers display an intense tropism towards oriental cuisine, + especially Chinese, and especially of the spicier varieties such as + Szechuan and Hunan. This phenomenon (which has also been observed in + subcultures that overlap heavily with hackerdom, most notably + science-fiction fandom) has never been satisfactorily explained, but + is sufficiently intense that one can assume the target of a hackish + dinner expedition to be the best local Chinese place and be right at + least three times out of four. See also [9799]ravs, [9800]great-wall, + [9801]stir-fried random, [9802]laser chicken, [9803]Yu-Shiang Whole + Fish. Thai, Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese cuisines are also quite + popular. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:orphan, Next:[9804]orphaned i-node, Previous:[9805]oriental food, + Up:[9806]= O = + + orphan n. + + [Unix] A process whose parent has died; one inherited by init(1). + Compare [9807]zombie. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:orphaned i-node, Next:[9808]orthogonal, Previous:[9809]orphan, + Up:[9810]= O = + + orphaned i-node /or'f*nd i:'nohd/ n. + + [Unix] 1. [techspeak] A file that retains storage but no longer + appears in the directories of a filesystem. 2. By extension, a + pejorative for any person no longer serving a useful function within + some organization, esp. [9811]lion food without subordinates. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:orthogonal, Next:[9812]OS, Previous:[9813]orphaned i-node, + Up:[9814]= O = + + orthogonal adj. + + [from mathematics] Mutually independent; well separated; sometimes, + irrelevant to. Used in a generalization of its mathematical meaning to + describe sets of primitives or capabilities that, like a vector basis + in geometry, span the entire `capability space' of the system and are + in some sense non-overlapping or mutually independent. For example, in + architectures such as the PDP-11 or VAX where all or nearly all + registers can be used interchangeably in any role with respect to any + instruction, the register set is said to be orthogonal. Or, in logic, + the set of operators `not' and `or' is orthogonal, but the set `nand', + `or', and `not' is not (because any one of these can be expressed in + terms of the others). Also used in comments on human discourse: "This + may be orthogonal to the discussion, but...." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:OS, Next:[9815]OS/2, Previous:[9816]orthogonal, Up:[9817]= O = + + OS /O-S/ + + 1. [Operating System] n. An abbreviation heavily used in email, + occasionally in speech. 2. n. obs. On ITS, an output spy. See + "[9818]OS and JEDGAR" in Appendix A. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:OS/2, Next:[9819]OSS, Previous:[9820]OS, Up:[9821]= O = + + OS/2 /O S too/ n. + + The anointed successor to MS-DOS for Intel 286- and 386-based micros; + proof that IBM/Microsoft couldn't get it right the second time, + either. Often called `Half-an-OS'. Mentioning it is usually good for a + cheap laugh among hackers -- the design was so [9822]baroque, and the + implementation of 1.x so bad, that 3 years after introduction you + could still count the major [9823]apps shipping for it on the fingers + of two hands -- in unary. The 2.x versions are said to have improved + somewhat, and informed hackers now rate them superior to Microsoft + Windows (an endorsement which, however, could easily be construed as + damning with faint praise). See [9824]monstrosity, [9825]cretinous, + [9826]second-system effect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:OSS, Next:[9827]OSU, Previous:[9828]OS/2, Up:[9829]= O = + + OSS + + Written-only acronym for "Open Source Software" (see [9830]open + source. This is a rather ugly [9831]TLA, and the principals in the + open-source movement don't use it, but it has (perhaps inevitably) + spread through the trade press like kudzu. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:OSU, Next:[9832]OTOH, Previous:[9833]OSS, Up:[9834]= O = + + OSU /O-S-U/ n. obs. + + [TMRC] Acronym for Officially Sanctioned User; a user who is + recognized as such by the computer authorities and allowed to use the + computer above the objections of the security monitor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:OTOH, Next:[9835]out-of-band, Previous:[9836]OSU, Up:[9837]= O = + + OTOH // + + [Usenet; very common] On The Other Hand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:out-of-band, Next:[9838]overclock, Previous:[9839]OTOH, + Up:[9840]= O = + + out-of-band adj. + + [from telecommunications and network theory] 1. In software, describes + values of a function which are not in its `natural' range of return + values, but are rather signals that some kind of exception has + occurred. Many C functions, for example, return a nonnegative integral + value, but indicate failure with an out-of-band return value of -1. + Compare [9841]hidden flag, [9842]green bytes, [9843]fence. 2. Also + sometimes used to describe what communications people call `shift + characters', such as the ESC that leads control sequences for many + terminals, or the level shift indicators in the old 5-bit Baudot + codes. 3. In personal communication, using methods other than email, + such as telephones or [9844]snail-mail. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:overclock, Next:[9845]overflow bit, Previous:[9846]out-of-band, + Up:[9847]= O = + + overclock /oh'vr-klok'/ vt. + + To operate a CPU or other digital logic device at a rate higher than + it was designed for, under the assumption that the manufacturer put + some [9848]slop into the specification to account for manufacturing + tolerances. Overclocking something can result in intermittent + [9849]crashes, and can even burn things out, since power dissipation + is directly proportional to [9850]clock frequency. People who make a + hobby of this are sometimes called "overclockers"; they are thrilled + that they can run their 450MHz CPU at 500MHz, even though they can + only tell the difference by running a [9851]benchmark program. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:overflow bit, Next:[9852]overflow pdl, Previous:[9853]overclock, + Up:[9854]= O = + + overflow bit n. + + 1. [techspeak] A [9855]flag on some processors indicating an attempt + to calculate a result too large for a register to hold. 2. More + generally, an indication of any kind of capacity overload condition. + "Well, the [9856]Ada description was [9857]baroque all right, but I + could hack it OK until they got to the exception handling ... that set + my overflow bit." 3. The hypothetical bit that will be set if a hacker + doesn't get to make a trip to the Room of Porcelain Fixtures: "I'd + better process an internal interrupt before the overflow bit gets + set." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:overflow pdl, Next:[9858]overrun, Previous:[9859]overflow bit, + Up:[9860]= O = + + overflow pdl n. + + [MIT] The place where you put things when your [9861]PDL is full. If + you don't have one and too many things get pushed, you forget + something. The overflow pdl for a person's memory might be a memo pad. + This usage inspired the following doggerel: + + Hey, diddle, diddle + The overflow pdl + To get a little more stack; + If that's not enough + Then you lose it all, + And have to pop all the way back. + -The Great Quux + + The term `pdl' (see [9862]PDL) seems to be primarily an MITism; + outside MIT this term is replaced by `overflow [9863]stack' (but that + wouldn't rhyme with `diddle'). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:overrun, Next:[9864]overrun screw, Previous:[9865]overflow pdl, + Up:[9866]= O = + + overrun n. + + 1. [techspeak] Term for a frequent consequence of data arriving faster + than it can be consumed, esp. in serial line communications. For + example, at 9600 baud there is almost exactly one character per + millisecond, so if a [9867]silo can hold only two characters and the + machine takes longer than 2 msec to get to service the interrupt, at + least one character will be lost. 2. Also applied to non-serial-I/O + communications. "I forgot to pay my electric bill due to mail + overrun." "Sorry, I got four phone calls in 3 minutes last night and + lost your message to overrun." When [9868]thrashing at tasks, the next + person to make a request might be told "Overrun!" Compare + [9869]firehose syndrome. 3. More loosely, may refer to a [9870]buffer + overflow not necessarily related to processing time (as in + [9871]overrun screw). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:overrun screw, Next:[9872]P-mail, Previous:[9873]overrun, + Up:[9874]= O = + + overrun screw n. + + [C programming] A variety of [9875]fandango on core produced by + scribbling past the end of an array (C implementations typically have + no checks for this error). This is relatively benign and easy to spot + if the array is static; if it is auto, the result may be to + [9876]smash the stack -- often resulting in [9877]heisenbugs of the + most diabolical subtlety. The term `overrun screw' is used esp. of + scribbles beyond the end of arrays allocated with malloc(3); this + typically trashes the allocation header for the next block in the + [9878]arena, producing massive lossage within malloc and often a core + dump on the next operation to use stdio(3) or malloc(3) itself. See + [9879]spam, [9880]overrun; see also [9881]memory leak, [9882]memory + smash, [9883]aliasing bug, [9884]precedence lossage, [9885]fandango on + core, [9886]secondary damage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= P =, Next:[9887]= Q =, Previous:[9888]= O =, Up:[9889]The + Jargon Lexicon + += P = + + * [9890]P-mail: + * [9891]P.O.D.: + * [9892]packet over air: + * [9893]padded cell: + * [9894]page in: + * [9895]page out: + * [9896]pain in the net: + * [9897]Pangloss parity: + * [9898]paper-net: + * [9899]param: + * [9900]PARC: + * [9901]parent message: + * [9902]parity errors: + * [9903]Parkinson's Law of Data: + * [9904]parm: + * [9905]parse: + * [9906]Pascal: + * [9907]pastie: + * [9908]patch: + * [9909]patch pumpkin: + * [9910]patch space: + * [9911]path: + * [9912]pathological: + * [9913]payware: + * [9914]PBD: + * [9915]PC-ism: + * [9916]PD: + * [9917]PDL: + * [9918]PDP-10: + * [9919]PDP-20: + * [9920]PEBKAC: + * [9921]peek: + * [9922]pencil and paper: + * [9923]Pentagram Pro: + * [9924]Pentium: + * [9925]peon: + * [9926]percent-S: + * [9927]perf: + * [9928]perfect programmer syndrome: + * [9929]Perl: + * [9930]person of no account: + * [9931]pessimal: + * [9932]pessimizing compiler: + * [9933]peta-: + * [9934]PETSCII: + * [9935]PFY: + * [9936]phage: + * [9937]phase: + * [9938]phase of the moon: + * [9939]phase-wrapping: + * [9940]PHB: + * [9941]phreaker: + * [9942]phreaking: + * [9943]pico-: + * [9944]pig-tail: + * [9945]pilot error: + * [9946]ping: + * [9947]Ping O' Death: + * [9948]ping storm: + * [9949]pink wire: + * [9950]pipe: + * [9951]pistol: + * [9952]pixel sort: + * [9953]pizza box: + * [9954]plaid screen: + * [9955]plain-ASCII: + * [9956]plan file: + * [9957]platinum-iridium: + * [9958]playpen: + * [9959]playte: + * [9960]plingnet: + * [9961]plokta: + * [9962]plonk: + * [9963]plug-and-pray: + * [9964]plugh: + * [9965]plumbing: + * [9966]PM: + * [9967]pnambic: + * [9968]pod: + * [9969]point-and-drool interface: + * [9970]pointy hat: + * [9971]pointy-haired: + * [9972]poke: + * [9973]poll: + * [9974]polygon pusher: + * [9975]POM: + * [9976]pop: + * [9977]POPJ: + * [9978]poser: + * [9979]post: + * [9980]postcardware: + * [9981]posting: + * [9982]postmaster: + * [9983]PostScript: + * [9984]pound on: + * [9985]power cycle: + * [9986]power hit: + * [9987]PPN: + * [9988]pr0n: + * [9989]precedence lossage: + * [9990]prepend: + * [9991]prestidigitization: + * [9992]pretty pictures: + * [9993]prettyprint: + * [9994]pretzel key: + * [9995]priesthood: + * [9996]prime time: + * [9997]print: + * [9998]printing discussion: + * [9999]priority interrupt: + * [10000]profile: + * [10001]progasm: + * [10002]proggy: + * [10003]proglet: + * [10004]program: + * [10005]Programmer's Cheer: + * [10006]programming: + * [10007]programming fluid: + * [10008]propeller head: + * [10009]propeller key: + * [10010]proprietary: + * [10011]protocol: + * [10012]provocative maintenance: + * [10013]prowler: + * [10014]pseudo: + * [10015]pseudoprime: + * [10016]pseudosuit: + * [10017]psychedelicware: + * [10018]psyton: + * [10019]pubic directory: + * [10020]puff: + * [10021]pumpkin holder: + * [10022]pumpking: + * [10023]punched card: + * [10024]punt: + * [10025]Purple Book: + * [10026]purple wire: + * [10027]push: + * [10028]Python: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:P-mail, Next:[10029]P.O.D., Previous:[10030]overrun screw, + Up:[10031]= P = + + P-mail n. + + [rare] Physical mail, as opposed to [10032]email. Synonymous with + [10033]snail-mail, but much less common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:P.O.D., Next:[10034]packet over air, Previous:[10035]P-mail, + Up:[10036]= P = + + P.O.D. /P-O-D/ + + [rare] Acronym for `Piece Of Data' (as opposed to a code section). See + also [10037]pod. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:packet over air, Next:[10038]padded cell, Previous:[10039]P.O.D., + Up:[10040]= P = + + packet over air + + [common among backbone ISPs] The protocol notionally being used by + Internet data attempting to traverse a physical gap or break in the + network, such as might be caused by a [10041]fiber-seeking backhoe. "I + see why you're dropping packets. You seem to have a packet over air + problem. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:padded cell, Next:[10042]page in, Previous:[10043]packet over + air, Up:[10044]= P = + + padded cell n. + + Where you put [10045]lusers so they can't hurt anything. A program + that limits a luser to a carefully restricted subset of the + capabilities of the host system (for example, the rsh(1) utility on + USG Unix). Note that this is different from an [10046]iron box because + it is overt and not aimed at enforcing security so much as protecting + others (and the luser) from the consequences of the luser's boundless + naivete (see [10047]naive). Also `padded cell environment'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:page in, Next:[10048]page out, Previous:[10049]padded cell, + Up:[10050]= P = + + page in v. + + [MIT] 1. To become aware of one's surroundings again after having + paged out (see [10051]page out). Usually confined to the sarcastic + comment: "Eric pages in, [10052]film at 11!" 2. Syn. `swap in'; see + [10053]swap. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:page out, Next:[10054]pain in the net, Previous:[10055]page in, + Up:[10056]= P = + + page out vi. + + [MIT] 1. To become unaware of one's surroundings temporarily, due to + daydreaming or preoccupation. "Can you repeat that? I paged out for a + minute." See [10057]page in. Compare [10058]glitch, [10059]thinko. 2. + Syn. `swap out'; see [10060]swap. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pain in the net, Next:[10061]Pangloss parity, + Previous:[10062]page out, Up:[10063]= P = + + pain in the net n. + + A [10064]flamer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Pangloss parity, Next:[10065]paper-net, Previous:[10066]pain in + the net, Up:[10067]= P = + + Pangloss parity n. + + [from Dr. Pangloss, the eternal optimist in Voltaire's "Candide"] In + corporate DP shops, a common condition of severe but equally shared + [10068]lossage resulting from the theory that as long as everyone in + the organization has the exactly the same model of obsolete computer, + everything will be fine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:paper-net, Next:[10069]param, Previous:[10070]Pangloss parity, + Up:[10071]= P = + + paper-net n. + + Hackish way of referring to the postal service, analogizing it to a + very slow, low-reliability network. Usenet [10072]sig blocks sometimes + include a "Paper-Net:" header just before the sender's postal address; + common variants of this are "Papernet" and "P-Net". Note that the + standard [10073]netiquette guidelines discourage this practice as a + waste of bandwidth, since netters are quite unlikely to casually use + postal addresses. Compare [10074]voice-net, [10075]snail-mail, + [10076]P-mail. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:param, Next:[10077]PARC, Previous:[10078]paper-net, Up:[10079]= P + = + + param /p*-ram'/ n. + + [common] Shorthand for `parameter'. See also [10080]parm; compare + [10081]arg, [10082]var. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PARC, Next:[10083]parent message, Previous:[10084]param, + Up:[10085]= P = + + PARC n. + + See [10086]XEROX PARC. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:parent message, Next:[10087]parity errors, Previous:[10088]PARC, + Up:[10089]= P = + + parent message n. + + What a [10090]followup follows up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:parity errors, Next:[10091]Parkinson's Law of Data, + Previous:[10092]parent message, Up:[10093]= P = + + parity errors pl.n. + + Little lapses of attention or (in more severe cases) consciousness, + usually brought on by having spent all night and most of the next day + hacking. "I need to go home and crash; I'm starting to get a lot of + parity errors." Derives from a relatively common but nearly always + correctable transient error in memory hardware. It predates RAM; in + fact, this term is reported to have already have been in use in its + jargoin sense back in the 1960s when magnetic cores ruled. Parity + errors can also afflict mass storage and serial communication lines; + this is more serious because not always correctable. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Parkinson's Law of Data, Next:[10094]parm, Previous:[10095]parity + errors, Up:[10096]= P = + + Parkinson's Law of Data prov. + + "Data expands to fill the space available for storage"; buying more + memory encourages the use of more memory-intensive techniques. It has + been observed since the mid-1980s that the memory usage of evolving + systems tends to double roughly once every 18 months. Fortunately, + memory density available for constant dollars also tends to about + double once every 18 months (see [10097]Moore's Law); unfortunately, + the laws of physics guarantee that the latter cannot continue + indefinitely. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:parm, Next:[10098]parse, Previous:[10099]Parkinson's Law of Data, + Up:[10100]= P = + + parm /parm/ n. + + Further-compressed form of [10101]param. This term is an IBMism, and + written use is almost unknown outside IBM shops; spoken /parm/ is more + widely distributed, but the synonym [10102]arg is favored among + hackers. Compare [10103]arg, [10104]var. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:parse, Next:[10105]Pascal, Previous:[10106]parm, Up:[10107]= P = + + parse [from linguistic terminology] vt. + + 1. To determine the syntactic structure of a sentence or other + utterance (close to the standard English meaning). "That was the one I + saw you." "I can't parse that." 2. More generally, to understand or + comprehend. "It's very simple; you just kretch the glims and then aos + the zotz." "I can't parse that." 3. Of fish, to have to remove the + bones yourself. "I object to parsing fish", means "I don't want to get + a whole fish, but a sliced one is okay". A `parsed fish' has been + deboned. There is some controversy over whether `unparsed' should mean + `bony', or also mean `deboned'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Pascal, Next:[10108]pastie, Previous:[10109]parse, Up:[10110]= P + = + + Pascal n. + + An Algol-descended language designed by Niklaus Wirth on the CDC 6600 + around 1967-68 as an instructional tool for elementary programming. + This language, designed primarily to keep students from shooting + themselves in the foot and thus extremely restrictive from a + general-purpose-programming point of view, was later promoted as a + general-purpose tool and, in fact, became the ancestor of a large + family of languages including Modula-2 and [10111]Ada (see also + [10112]bondage-and-discipline language). The hackish point of view on + Pascal was probably best summed up by a devastating (and, in its + deadpan way, screamingly funny) 1981 paper by Brian Kernighan (of + [10113]K&R fame) entitled "Why Pascal is Not My Favorite Programming + Language", which was turned down by the technical journals but + circulated widely via photocopies. It was eventually published in + "Comparing and Assessing Programming Languages", edited by Alan Feuer + and Narain Gehani (Prentice-Hall, 1984). Part of his discussion is + worth repeating here, because its criticisms are still apposite to + Pascal itself after ten years of improvement and could also stand as + an indictment of many other bondage-and-discipline languages. At the + end of a summary of the case against Pascal, Kernighan wrote: + + 9. There is no escape + + This last point is perhaps the most important. The language is + inadequate but circumscribed, because there is no way to escape its + limitations. There are no casts to disable the type-checking when + necessary. There is no way to replace the defective run-time + environment with a sensible one, unless one controls the compiler + that defines the "standard procedures". The language is closed. + + People who use Pascal for serious programming fall into a fatal + trap. Because the language is impotent, it must be extended. But + each group extends Pascal in its own direction, to make it look + like whatever language they really want. Extensions for separate + compilation, FORTRAN-like COMMON, string data types, internal + static variables, initialization, octal numbers, bit operators, + etc., all add to the utility of the language for one group but + destroy its portability to others. + + I feel that it is a mistake to use Pascal for anything much beyond + its original target. In its pure form, Pascal is a toy language, + suitable for teaching but not for real programming. + + Pascal has since been almost entirely displaced (by [10114]C) from the + niches it had acquired in serious applications and systems + programming, but retains some popularity as a hobbyist language in the + MS-DOS and Macintosh worlds. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pastie, Next:[10115]patch, Previous:[10116]Pascal, Up:[10117]= P + = + + pastie /pay'stee/ n. + + An adhesive-backed label designed to be attached to a key on a + keyboard to indicate some non-standard character which can be accessed + through that key. Pasties are likely to be used in APL environments, + where almost every key is associated with a special character. A + pastie on the R key, for example, might remind the user that it is + used to generate the rho character. The term properly refers to + nipple-concealing devices formerly worn by strippers in concession to + indecent-exposure laws; compare [10118]tits on a keyboard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:patch, Next:[10119]patch pumpkin, Previous:[10120]pastie, + Up:[10121]= P = + + patch + + 1. n. A temporary addition to a piece of code, usually as a + [10122]quick-and-dirty remedy to an existing bug or misfeature. A + patch may or may not work, and may or may not eventually be + incorporated permanently into the program. Distinguished from a + [10123]diff or [10124]mod by the fact that a patch is generated by + more primitive means than the rest of the program; the classical + examples are instructions modified by using the front panel switches, + and changes made directly to the binary executable of a program + originally written in an [10125]HLL. Compare [10126]one-line fix. 2. + vt. To insert a patch into a piece of code. 3. [in the Unix world] n. + A [10127]diff (sense 2). 4. A set of modifications to binaries to be + applied by a patching program. IBM operating systems often receive + updates to the operating system in the form of absolute hexadecimal + patches. If you have modified your OS, you have to disassemble these + back to the source. The patches might later be corrected by other + patches on top of them (patches were said to "grow scar tissue"). The + result was often a convoluted [10128]patch space and headaches galore. + 5. [Unix] the patch(1) program, written by Larry Wall, which + automatically applies a patch (sense 3) to a set of source code. + + There is a classic story of a [10129]tiger team penetrating a secure + military computer that illustrates the danger inherent in binary + patches (or, indeed, any patches that you can't -- or don't -- inspect + and examine before installing). They couldn't find any [10130]trap + doors or any way to penetrate security of IBM's OS, so they made a + site visit to an IBM office (remember, these were official military + types who were purportedly on official business), swiped some IBM + stationery, and created a fake patch. The patch was actually the + trapdoor they needed. The patch was distributed at about the right + time for an IBM patch, had official stationery and all accompanying + documentation, and was dutifully installed. The installation manager + very shortly thereafter learned something about proper procedures. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:patch pumpkin, Next:[10131]patch space, Previous:[10132]patch, + Up:[10133]= P = + + patch pumpkin n. + + [Perl hackers] A notional token passed around among the members of a + project. Possession of the patch pumpkin means one has the exclusive + authority to make changes on the project's master source tree. The + implicit assumption is that `pumpkin holder' status is temporary and + rotates periodically among senior project members. + + This term comes from the Perl development community, but has been + sighted elsewhere. It derives from a stuffed-toy pumpkin that was + passed around at a development shop years ago as the access control + for a shared backup-tape drive. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:patch space, Next:[10134]path, Previous:[10135]patch pumpkin, + Up:[10136]= P = + + patch space n. + + An unused block of bits left in a binary so that it can later be + modified by insertion of machine-language instructions there + (typically, the patch space is modified to contain new code, and the + superseded code is patched to contain a jump or call to the patch + space). The near-universal use of compilers and interpreters has made + this term rare; it is now primarily historical outside IBM shops. See + [10137]patch (sense 4), [10138]zap (sense 4), [10139]hook. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:path, Next:[10140]pathological, Previous:[10141]patch space, + Up:[10142]= P = + + path n. + + 1. A [10143]bang path or explicitly routed [10144]Internet address; a + node-by-node specification of a link between two machines. Though + these are now obsolete as a form of addressing, they still show up in + diagnostics and trace headers ocvcasionally (e.g. in NNTP headers). 2. + [Unix] A filename, fully specified relative to the root directory (as + opposed to relative to the current directory; the latter is sometimes + called a `relative path'). This is also called a `pathname'. 3. [Unix + and MS-DOS] The `search path', an environment variable specifying the + directories in which the [10145]shell (COMMAND.COM, under MS-DOS) + should look for commands. Other, similar constructs abound under Unix + (for example, the C preprocessor has a `search path' it uses in + looking for #include files). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pathological, Next:[10146]payware, Previous:[10147]path, + Up:[10148]= P = + + pathological adj. + + 1. [scientific computation] Used of a data set that is grossly + atypical of normal expected input, esp. one that exposes a weakness or + bug in whatever algorithm one is using. An algorithm that can be + broken by pathological inputs may still be useful if such inputs are + very unlikely to occur in practice. 2. When used of test input, + implies that it was purposefully engineered as a worst case. The + implication in both senses is that the data is spectacularly + ill-conditioned or that someone had to explicitly set out to break the + algorithm in order to come up with such a crazy example. 3. Also said + of an unlikely collection of circumstances. "If the network is down + and comes up halfway through the execution of that command by root, + the system may just crash." "Yes, but that's a pathological case." + Often used to dismiss the case from discussion, with the implication + that the consequences are acceptable, since they will happen so + infrequently (if at all) that it doesn't seem worth going to the extra + trouble to handle that case (see sense 1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:payware, Next:[10149]PBD, Previous:[10150]pathological, + Up:[10151]= P = + + payware /pay'weir/ n. + + Commercial software. Oppose [10152]shareware or [10153]freeware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PBD, Next:[10154]PC-ism, Previous:[10155]payware, Up:[10156]= P = + + PBD /P-B-D/ n. + + [abbrev. of `Programmer Brain Damage'] Applied to bug reports + revealing places where the program was obviously broken by an + incompetent or short-sighted programmer. Compare [10157]UBD; see also + [10158]brain-damaged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PC-ism, Next:[10159]PD, Previous:[10160]PBD, Up:[10161]= P = + + PC-ism /P-C-izm/ n. + + A piece of code or coding technique that takes advantage of the + unprotected single-tasking environment in IBM PCs and the like running + DOS, e.g., by busy-waiting on a hardware register, direct diddling of + screen memory, or using hard timing loops. Compare [10162]ill-behaved, + [10163]vaxism, [10164]unixism. Also, `PC-ware' n., a program full of + PC-isms on a machine with a more capable operating system. Pejorative. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PD, Next:[10165]PDL, Previous:[10166]PC-ism, Up:[10167]= P = + + PD /P-D/ adj. + + [common] Abbreviation for `public domain', applied to software + distributed over [10168]Usenet and from Internet archive sites. Much + of this software is not in fact public domain in the legal sense but + travels under various copyrights granting reproduction and use rights + to anyone who can [10169]snarf a copy. See [10170]copyleft. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PDL, Next:[10171]PDP-10, Previous:[10172]PD, Up:[10173]= P = + + PDL /P-D-L/, /pid'l/, /p*d'l/ or /puhd'l/ + + 1. n. `Program Design Language'. Any of a large class of formal and + profoundly useless pseudo-languages in which [10174]management forces + one to design programs. Too often, management expects PDL descriptions + to be maintained in parallel with the code, imposing massive overhead + to little or no benefit. See also [10175]flowchart. 2. v. To design + using a program design language. "I've been pdling so long my eyes + won't focus beyond 2 feet." 3. n. `Page Description Language'. Refers + to any language which is used to control a graphics device, usually a + laserprinter. The most common example is, of course, Adobe's + [10176]PostScript language, but there are many others, such as Xerox + InterPress, etc. 4. In ITS days, the preferred MITism for + [10177]stack. See [10178]overflow pdl. 5. Dave Lebling, one of the + co-authors of [10179]Zork; (his [10180]network address on the ITS + machines was at one time pdl@dms). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PDP-10, Next:[10181]PDP-20, Previous:[10182]PDL, Up:[10183]= P = + + PDP-10 n. + + [Programmed Data Processor model 10] The machine that made timesharing + real. It looms large in hacker folklore because of its adoption in the + mid-1970s by many university computing facilities and research labs, + including the MIT AI Lab, Stanford, and CMU. Some aspects of the + instruction set (most notably the bit-field instructions) are still + considered unsurpassed. The 10 was eventually eclipsed by the VAX + machines (descendants of the PDP-11) when [10184]DEC recognized that + the 10 and VAX product lines were competing with each other and + decided to concentrate its software development effort on the more + profitable VAX. The machine was finally dropped from DEC's line in + 1983, following the failure of the Jupiter Project at DEC to build a + viable new model. (Some attempts by other companies to market clones + came to nothing; see [10185]Foonly and [10186]Mars.) This event + spelled the doom of [10187]ITS and the technical cultures that had + spawned the original Jargon File, but by mid-1991 it had become + something of a badge of honorable old-timerhood among hackers to have + cut one's teeth on a PDP-10. See [10188]TOPS-10, [10189]ITS, + [10190]BLT, [10191]DDT, [10192]DPB, [10193]EXCH, [10194]HAKMEM, + [10195]LDB, [10196]pop, [10197]push. See also + [10198]http://www.inwap.com/pdp10/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PDP-20, Next:[10199]PEBKAC, Previous:[10200]PDP-10, Up:[10201]= P + = + + PDP-20 n. + + The most famous computer that never was. [10202]PDP-10 computers + running the [10203]TOPS-10 operating system were labeled + `DECsystem-10' as a way of differentiating them from the PDP-11. Later + on, those systems running [10204]TOPS-20 were labeled `DECSYSTEM-20' + (the block capitals being the result of a lawsuit brought against DEC + by Singer, which once made a computer called `system-10'), but + contrary to popular lore there was never a `PDP-20'; the only + difference between a 10 and a 20 was the operating system and the + color of the paint. Most (but not all) machines sold to run TOPS-10 + were painted `Basil Blue', whereas most TOPS-20 machines were painted + `Chinese Red' (often mistakenly called orange). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PEBKAC, Next:[10205]peek, Previous:[10206]PDP-20, Up:[10207]= P = + + PEBKAC /peb'kak/ + + [Abbrev., "Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair"] Used by support + people, particularly at call centers and help desks. Not used with the + public. Denotes pilot error as the cause of the crash, especially + stupid errors that even a [10208]luser could figure out. Very + derogatory. Usage: "Did you ever figure out why that guy couldn't + print?" "Yeah, he kept cancelling the operation before it could + finish. PEBKAC." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:peek, Next:[10209]pencil and paper, Previous:[10210]PEBKAC, + Up:[10211]= P = + + peek n.,vt. + + (and [10212]poke) The commands in most microcomputer BASICs for + directly accessing memory contents at an absolute address; often + extended to mean the corresponding constructs in any [10213]HLL (peek + reads memory, poke modifies it). Much hacking on small, non-MMU micros + used to consist of `peek'ing around memory, more or less at random, to + find the location where the system keeps interesting stuff. Long (and + variably accurate) lists of such addresses for various computers + circulated (see [10214]interrupt list). The results of `poke's at + these addresses may be highly useful, mildly amusing, useless but + neat, or (most likely) total [10215]lossage (see [10216]killer poke). + + Since a [10217]real operating system provides useful, higher-level + services for the tasks commonly performed with peeks and pokes on + micros, and real languages tend not to encourage low-level memory + groveling, a question like "How do I do a peek in C?" is diagnostic of + the [10218]newbie. (Of course, OS kernels often have to do exactly + this; a real kernel hacker would unhesitatingly, if unportably, assign + an absolute address to a pointer variable and indirect through it.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pencil and paper, Next:[10219]Pentagram Pro, + Previous:[10220]peek, Up:[10221]= P = + + pencil and paper n. + + An archaic information storage and transmission device that works by + depositing smears of graphite on bleached wood pulp. More recent + developments in paper-based technology include improved `write-once' + update devices which use tiny rolling heads similar to mouse balls to + deposit colored pigment. All these devices require an operator skilled + at so-called `handwriting' technique. These technologies are + ubiquitous outside hackerdom, but nearly forgotten inside it. Most + hackers had terrible handwriting to begin with, and years of + keyboarding tend to have encouraged it to degrade further. Perhaps for + this reason, hackers deprecate pencil-and-paper technology and often + resist using it in any but the most trivial contexts. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Pentagram Pro, Next:[10222]Pentium, Previous:[10223]pencil and + paper, Up:[10224]= P = + + Pentagram Pro n. + + A humorous corruption of "Pentium Pro", with a Satanic reference, + implying that the chip is inherently [10225]evil. Often used with "666 + MHz"; there is a T-shirt. See [10226]Pentium + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Pentium, Next:[10227]peon, Previous:[10228]Pentagram Pro, + Up:[10229]= P = + + Pentium n. + + The name given to Intel's P5 chip, the successor to the 80486. The + name was chosen because of difficulties Intel had in trademarking a + number. It suggests the number five (implying 586) while (according to + Intel) conveying a meaning of strength "like titanium". Among hackers, + the plural is frequently `pentia'. See also [10230]Pentagram Pro. + + Intel did not stick to this convention when naming its P6 processor + the Pentium Pro; many believe this is due to difficulties in selling a + chip with "sex" in its name. Successor chips have been called `Pentium + II' and `Pentium III'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:peon, Next:[10231]percent-S, Previous:[10232]Pentium, Up:[10233]= + P = + + peon n. + + A person with no special ([10234]root or [10235]wheel) privileges on a + computer system. "I can't create an account on foovax for you; I'm + only a peon there." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:percent-S, Next:[10236]perf, Previous:[10237]peon, Up:[10238]= P + = + + percent-S /per-sent' es'/ n. + + [From the code in C's printf(3) library function used to insert an + arbitrary string argument] An unspecified person or object. "I was + just talking to some percent-s in administration." Compare + [10239]random. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:perf, Next:[10240]perfect programmer syndrome, + Previous:[10241]percent-S, Up:[10242]= P = + + perf /perf/ n. + + Syn. [10243]chad (sense 1). The term `perfory' /per'f*-ree/ is also + heard. The term [10244]perf may also refer to the perforations + themselves, rather than the chad they produce when torn (philatelists + use it this way). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:perfect programmer syndrome, Next:[10245]Perl, + Previous:[10246]perf, Up:[10247]= P = + + perfect programmer syndrome n. + + Arrogance; the egotistical conviction that one is above normal human + error. Most frequently found among programmers of some native ability + but relatively little experience (especially new graduates; their + perceptions may be distorted by a history of excellent performance at + solving [10248]toy problems). "Of course my program is correct, there + is no need to test it." "Yes, I can see there may be a problem here, + but I'll never type rm -r / while in [10249]root mode." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Perl, Next:[10250]person of no account, Previous:[10251]perfect + programmer syndrome, Up:[10252]= P = + + Perl /perl/ n. + + [Practical Extraction and Report Language, a.k.a. Pathologically + Eclectic Rubbish Lister] An interpreted language developed by Larry + Wall ([10253]<larry@wall.org>, author of patch(1) and rn(1)) and + distributed over Usenet. Superficially resembles [10254]awk, but is + much hairier, including many facilities reminiscent of sed(1) and + shells and a comprehensive Unix system-call interface. Unix sysadmins, + who are almost always incorrigible hackers, generally consider it one + of the [10255]languages of choice, and it is by far the most widely + used tool for making `live' web pages via CGI. Perl has been + described, in a parody of a famous remark about lex(1), as the + "Swiss-Army chainsaw" of Unix programming. Though Perl is very useful, + it would be a stretch to describe it as pretty or [10256]elegant; + people who like clean, spare design generally prefer [10257]Python. + See also [10258]Camel Book, [10259]TMTOWTDI. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:person of no account, Next:[10260]pessimal, Previous:[10261]Perl, + Up:[10262]= P = + + person of no account n. + + [University of California at Santa Cruz] Used when referring to a + person with no [10263]network address, frequently to forestall + confusion. Most often as part of an introduction: "This is Bill, a + person of no account, but he used to be bill@random.com". Compare + [10264]return from the dead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pessimal, Next:[10265]pessimizing compiler, + Previous:[10266]person of no account, Up:[10267]= P = + + pessimal /pes'im-l/ adj. + + [Latin-based antonym for `optimal'] Maximally bad. "This is a pessimal + situation." Also `pessimize' vt. To make as bad as possible. These + words are the obvious Latin-based antonyms for `optimal' and + `optimize', but for some reason they do not appear in most English + dictionaries, although `pessimize' is listed in the OED. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pessimizing compiler, Next:[10268]peta-, + Previous:[10269]pessimal, Up:[10270]= P = + + pessimizing compiler /pes'*-mi:z`ing k*m-pi:l'r/ n. + + A compiler that produces object [antonym of techspeak `optimizing + compiler'] code that is worse than the straightforward or obvious hand + translation. The implication is that the compiler is actually trying + to optimize the program, but through excessive cleverness is doing the + opposite. A few pessimizing compilers have been written on purpose, + however, as pranks or burlesques. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:peta-, Next:[10271]PETSCII, Previous:[10272]pessimizing compiler, + Up:[10273]= P = + + peta- /pe't*/ pref + + [SI] See [10274]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PETSCII, Next:[10275]PFY, Previous:[10276]peta-, Up:[10277]= P = + + PETSCII /pet'skee/ n. obs. + + [abbreviation of PET ASCII] The variation (many would say perversion) + of the [10278]ASCII character set used by the Commodore Business + Machines PET series of personal computers and the later Commodore C64, + C16, C128, and VIC20 machines. The PETSCII set used left-arrow and + up-arrow (as in old-style ASCII) instead of underscore and caret, + placed the unshifted alphabet at positions 65-90, put the shifted + alphabet at positions 193-218, and added graphics characters. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PFY, Next:[10279]phage, Previous:[10280]PETSCII, Up:[10281]= P = + + PFY n. + + [Usenet; common] Abbreviation for `Pimply-Faced Youth'. A [10282]BOFH + in training, esp. one apprenticed to an elder BOFH aged in evil. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:phage, Next:[10283]phase, Previous:[10284]PFY, Up:[10285]= P = + + phage n. + + A program that modifies other programs or databases in unauthorized + ways; esp. one that propagates a [10286]virus or [10287]Trojan horse. + See also [10288]worm, [10289]mockingbird. The analogy, of course, is + with phage viruses in biology. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:phase, Next:[10290]phase of the moon, Previous:[10291]phage, + Up:[10292]= P = + + phase + + 1. n. The offset of one's waking-sleeping schedule with respect to the + standard 24-hour cycle; a useful concept among people who often work + at night and/or according to no fixed schedule. It is not uncommon to + change one's phase by as much as 6 hours per day on a regular basis. + "What's your phase?" "I've been getting in about 8 P.M. lately, but + I'm going to [10293]wrap around to the day schedule by Friday." A + person who is roughly 12 hours out of phase is sometimes said to be in + `night mode'. (The term `day mode' is also (but less frequently) used, + meaning you're working 9 to 5 (or, more likely, 10 to 6).) The act of + altering one's cycle is called `changing phase'; `phase shifting' has + also been recently reported from Caltech. 2. `change phase the hard + way': To stay awake for a very long time in order to get into a + different phase. 3. `change phase the easy way': To stay asleep, etc. + However, some claim that either staying awake longer or sleeping + longer is easy, and that it is shortening your day or night that is + really hard (see [10294]wrap around). The `jet lag' that afflicts + travelers who cross many time-zone boundaries may be attributed to two + distinct causes: the strain of travel per se, and the strain of + changing phase. Hackers who suddenly find that they must change phase + drastically in a short period of time, particularly the hard way, + experience something very like jet lag without traveling. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:phase of the moon, Next:[10295]phase-wrapping, + Previous:[10296]phase, Up:[10297]= P = + + phase of the moon n. + + Used humorously as a random parameter on which something is said to + depend. Sometimes implies unreliability of whatever is dependent, or + that reliability seems to be dependent on conditions nobody has been + able to determine. "This feature depends on having the channel open in + mumble mode, having the foo switch set, and on the phase of the moon." + See also [10298]heisenbug. + + True story: Once upon a time there was a program bug that really did + depend on the phase of the moon. There was a little subroutine that + had traditionally been used in various programs at MIT to calculate an + approximation to the moon's true phase. GLS incorporated this routine + into a LISP program that, when it wrote out a file, would print a + timestamp line almost 80 characters long. Very occasionally the first + line of the message would be too long and would overflow onto the next + line, and when the file was later read back in the program would + [10299]barf. The length of the first line depended on both the precise + date and time and the length of the phase specification when the + timestamp was printed, and so the bug literally depended on the phase + of the moon! + + The first paper edition of the Jargon File (Steele-1983) included an + example of one of the timestamp lines that exhibited this bug, but the + typesetter `corrected' it. This has since been described as the + phase-of-the-moon-bug bug. + + However, beware of assumptions. A few years ago, engineers of CERN + (European Center for Nuclear Research) were baffled by some errors in + experiments conducted with the LEP particle accelerator. As the + formidable amount of data generated by such devices is heavily + processed by computers before being seen by humans, many people + suggested the software was somehow sensitive to the phase of the moon. + A few desperate engineers discovered the truth; the error turned out + to be the result of a tiny change in the geometry of the 27km + circumference ring, physically caused by the deformation of the Earth + by the passage of the Moon! This story has entered physics folklore as + a Newtonian vengeance on particle physics and as an example of the + relevance of the simplest and oldest physical laws to the most modern + science. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:phase-wrapping, Next:[10300]PHB, Previous:[10301]phase of the + moon, Up:[10302]= P = + + phase-wrapping n. + + [MIT] Syn. [10303]wrap around, sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PHB, Next:[10304]phreaker, Previous:[10305]phase-wrapping, + Up:[10306]= P = + + PHB /P-H-B/ + + [Usenet; common; rarely spoken] Abbreviation, "Pointy-Haired Boss". + From the [10307]Dilbert character, the archetypal halfwitted + middle-[10308]management type. See also [10309]pointy-haired. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:phreaker, Next:[10310]phreaking, Previous:[10311]PHB, Up:[10312]= + P = + + phreaker /freek'r/ n. + + One who engages in [10313]phreaking. See also [10314]blue box. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:phreaking, Next:[10315]pico-, Previous:[10316]phreaker, + Up:[10317]= P = + + phreaking /freek'ing/ n. + + [from `phone phreak'] 1. The art and science of [10318]cracking the + phone network (so as, for example, to make free long-distance calls). + 2. By extension, security-cracking in any other context (especially, + but not exclusively, on communications networks) (see + [10319]cracking). + + At one time phreaking was a semi-respectable activity among hackers; + there was a gentleman's agreement that phreaking as an intellectual + game and a form of exploration was OK, but serious theft of services + was taboo. There was significant crossover between the hacker + community and the hard-core phone phreaks who ran semi-underground + networks of their own through such media as the legendary "TAP + Newsletter". This ethos began to break down in the mid-1980s as wider + dissemination of the techniques put them in the hands of less + responsible phreaks. Around the same time, changes in the phone + network made old-style technical ingenuity less effective as a way of + hacking it, so phreaking came to depend more on overtly criminal acts + such as stealing phone-card numbers. The crimes and punishments of + gangs like the `414 group' turned that game very ugly. A few old-time + hackers still phreak casually just to keep their hand in, but most + these days have hardly even heard of `blue boxes' or any of the other + paraphernalia of the great phreaks of yore. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pico-, Next:[10320]pig-tail, Previous:[10321]phreaking, + Up:[10322]= P = + + pico- pref. + + [SI: a quantifier meaning * 10^-12] Smaller than [10323]nano-; used in + the same rather loose connotative way as [10324]nano- and micro-. This + usage is not yet common in the way [10325]nano- and [10326]micro- are, + but should be instantly recognizable to any hacker. See also + [10327]quantifiers, [10328]micro-. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pig-tail, Next:[10329]pilot error, Previous:[10330]pico-, + Up:[10331]= P = + + pig-tail + + [radio hams] A short piece of cable with two connectors on each end + for converting between one connector type and another. Common + pig-tails are 9-to-25-pin serial-port converters and cables to connect + PCMCIA network cards to an RJ-45 network cable. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pilot error, Next:[10332]ping, Previous:[10333]pig-tail, + Up:[10334]= P = + + pilot error n. + + [Sun: from aviation] A user's misconfiguration or misuse of a piece of + software, producing apparently buglike results (compare [10335]UBD). + "Joe Luser reported a bug in sendmail that causes it to generate bogus + headers." "That's not a bug, that's pilot error. His sendmail.cf is + hosed." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ping, Next:[10336]Ping O' Death, Previous:[10337]pilot error, + Up:[10338]= P = + + ping + + [from the submariners' term for a sonar pulse] 1. n. Slang term for a + small network message (ICMP ECHO) sent by a computer to check for the + presence and alertness of another. The Unix command ping(8) can be + used to do this manually (note that ping(8)'s author denies the + widespread folk etymology that the name was ever intended as acronym + for `Packet INternet Groper'). Occasionally used as a phone greeting. + See [10339]ACK, also [10340]ENQ. 2. vt. To verify the presence of. 3. + vt. To get the attention of. 4. vt. To send a message to all members + of a [10341]mailing list requesting an [10342]ACK (in order to verify + that everybody's addresses are reachable). "We haven't heard much of + anything from Geoff, but he did respond with an ACK both times I + pinged jargon-friends." 5. n. A quantum packet of happiness. People + who are very happy tend to exude pings; furthermore, one can + intentionally create pings and aim them at a needy party (e.g., a + depressed person). This sense of ping may appear as an exclamation; + "Ping!" (I'm happy; I am emitting a quantum of happiness; I have been + struck by a quantum of happiness). The form "pingfulness", which is + used to describe people who exude pings, also occurs. (In the standard + abuse of language, "pingfulness" can also be used as an exclamation, + in which case it's a much stronger exclamation than just "ping"!). + Oppose [10343]blargh. + + The funniest use of `ping' to date was described in January 1991 by + Steve Hayman on the Usenet group comp.sys.next. He was trying to + isolate a faulty cable segment on a TCP/IP Ethernet hooked up to a + NeXT machine, and got tired of having to run back to his console after + each cabling tweak to see if the ping packets were getting through. So + he used the sound-recording feature on the NeXT, then wrote a script + that repeatedly invoked ping(8), listened for an echo, and played back + the recording on each returned packet. Result? A program that caused + the machine to repeat, over and over, "Ping ... ping ... ping ..." as + long as the network was up. He turned the volume to maximum, ferreted + through the building with one ear cocked, and found a faulty tee + connector in no time. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Ping O' Death, Next:[10344]ping storm, Previous:[10345]ping, + Up:[10346]= P = + + Ping O' Death n. + + A notorious [10347]exploit that (when first discovered) could be + easily used to crash a wide variety of machines by overunning size + limits in their TCP/IP stacks. First revealed in late 1996. The + open-source Unix community patched its systems to remove the + vulnerability within days or weeks, the closed-source OS vendors + generally took months. While the difference in response times repeated + a pattern familiar from other security incidents, the accompanying + glare of Web-fueled publicity proved unusually embarrassing to the OS + vendors and so passed into history and myth. The term is now used to + refer to any nudge delivered by network wizards over the network that + causes bad things to happen on the system being nudged. For the full + story on the original exploit, see + [10348]http://www.insecure.org/sploits/ping-o-death.html. + + Compare with 'kamikaze packet,' 'Finger of Death' and 'Chernobyl + packet.' + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ping storm, Next:[10349]pink wire, Previous:[10350]Ping O' Death, + Up:[10351]= P = + + ping storm n. + + A form of [10352]DoS attack consisting of a flood of [10353]ping + requests (normally used to check network conditions) designed to + disrupt the normal activity of a system. This act is sometimes called + `ping lashing' or `ping flood'. Compare [10354]mail storm, + [10355]broadcast storm. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pink wire, Next:[10356]pipe, Previous:[10357]ping storm, + Up:[10358]= P = + + pink wire n. + + [from the pink PTFE wire used in military equipment] As [10359]blue + wire, but used in military applications. 2. vi. To add a pink wire to + a board. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pipe, Next:[10360]pistol, Previous:[10361]pink wire, Up:[10362]= + P = + + pipe n. + + [common] Idiomatically, one's connection to the Internet; in context, + the expansion "bit pipe" is understood. A "fat pipe" is a line with T1 + or higher capacity. A person with a 28.8 modem might be heard to + complain "I need a bigger pipe". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pistol, Next:[10363]pixel sort, Previous:[10364]pipe, Up:[10365]= + P = + + pistol n. + + [IBM] A tool that makes it all too easy for you to shoot yourself in + the foot. "Unix rm * makes such a nice pistol!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pixel sort, Next:[10366]pizza box, Previous:[10367]pistol, + Up:[10368]= P = + + pixel sort n. + + [Commodore users] Any compression routine which irretrievably loses + valuable data in the process of [10369]crunching it. Disparagingly + used for `lossy' methods such as JPEG. The theory, of course, is that + these methods are only used on photographic images in which minor + loss-of-data is not visible to the human eye. The term `pixel sort' + implies distrust of this theory. Compare [10370]bogo-sort. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pizza box, Next:[10371]plaid screen, Previous:[10372]pixel sort, + Up:[10373]= P = + + pizza box n. + + [Sun] The largish thin box housing the electronics in (especially Sun) + desktop workstations, so named because of its size and shape and the + dimpled pattern that looks like air holes. + + Two meg single-platter removable disk packs used to be called pizzas, + and the huge drive they were stuck into was referred to as a pizza + oven. It's an index of progress that in the old days just the disk was + pizza-sized, while now the entire computer is. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plaid screen, Next:[10374]plain-ASCII, Previous:[10375]pizza box, + Up:[10376]= P = + + plaid screen n. + + [XEROX PARC] A `special effect' that occurs when certain kinds of + [10377]memory smashes overwrite the control blocks or image memory of + a bit-mapped display. The term "salt and pepper" may refer to a + different pattern of similar origin. Though the term as coined at PARC + refers to the result of an error, some of the [10378]X demos induce + plaid-screen effects deliberately as a [10379]display hack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plain-ASCII, Next:[10380]plan file, Previous:[10381]plaid screen, + Up:[10382]= P = + + plain-ASCII /playn-as'kee/ + + Syn. [10383]flat-ASCII. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plan file, Next:[10384]platinum-iridium, + Previous:[10385]plain-ASCII, Up:[10386]= P = + + plan file n. + + [Unix] On systems that support [10387]finger, the `.plan' file in a + user's home directory is displayed when the user is fingered. This + feature was originally intended to be used to keep potential fingerers + apprised of one's location and near-future plans, but has been turned + almost universally to humorous and self-expressive purposes (like a + [10388]sig block). See also [10389]Hacking X for Y. + + A recent innovation in plan files has been the introduction of + "scrolling plan files" which are one-dimensional animations made using + only the printable ASCII character set, carriage return and line feed, + avoiding terminal specific escape sequences, since the [10390]finger + command will (for security reasons; see [10391]letterbomb) not pass + the escape character. + + Scrolling .plan files have become art forms in miniature, and some + sites have started competitions to find who can create the longest + running, funniest, and most original animations. Various animation + characters include: + + Centipede: + mmmmme + + Lorry/Truck: + oo-oP + + Andalusian Video Snail: + _@/ + + and a compiler (ASP) is available on Usenet for producing them. See + also [10392]twirling baton. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:platinum-iridium, Next:[10393]playpen, Previous:[10394]plan file, + Up:[10395]= P = + + platinum-iridium adj. + + Standard, against which all others of the same category are measured. + Usage: silly. The notion is that one of whatever it is has actually + been cast in platinum-iridium alloy and placed in the vault beside the + Standard Kilogram at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures + near Paris. (From 1889 to 1960, the meter was defined to be the + distance between two scratches in a platinum-iridium bar kept in that + same vault -- this replaced an earlier definition as 10^(-7) times the + distance between the North Pole and the Equator along a meridian + through Paris; unfortunately, this had been based on an inexact value + of the circumference of the Earth. From 1960 to 1984 it was defined to + be 1650763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red line of krypton-86 + propagating in a vacuum. It is now defined as the length of the path + traveled by light in a vacuum in the time interval of 1/299,792,458 of + a second. The kilogram is now the only unit of measure officially + defined in terms of a unique artifact.) "This garbage-collection + algorithm has been tested against the platinum-iridium cons cell in + Paris." Compare [10396]golden. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:playpen, Next:[10397]playte, Previous:[10398]platinum-iridium, + Up:[10399]= P = + + playpen n. + + [IBM] A room where programmers work. Compare [10400]salt mines. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:playte, Next:[10401]plingnet, Previous:[10402]playpen, + Up:[10403]= P = + + playte /playt/ + + 16 bits, by analogy with [10404]nybble and [10405]byte. Usage: rare + and extremely silly. See also [10406]dynner and [10407]crumb. General + discussion of such terms is under [10408]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plingnet, Next:[10409]plokta, Previous:[10410]playte, Up:[10411]= + P = + + plingnet /pling'net/ n. + + Syn. [10412]UUCPNET. Also see [10413]Commonwealth Hackish, which uses + `pling' for [10414]bang (as in [10415]bang path). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plokta, Next:[10416]plonk, Previous:[10417]plingnet, Up:[10418]= + P = + + plokta /plok't*/ v. + + [acronym: Press Lots Of Keys To Abort] To press random keys in an + attempt to get some response from the system. One might plokta when + the abort procedure for a program is not known, or when trying to + figure out if the system is just sluggish or really hung. Plokta can + also be used while trying to figure out any unknown key sequence for a + particular operation. Someone going into `plokta mode' usually places + both hands flat on the keyboard and mashes them down, hoping for some + useful response. + + A slightly more directed form of plokta can often be seen in mail + messages or Usenet articles from new users -- the text might end with + ^X^C + q + quit + :q + ^C + end + x + exit + ZZ + ^D + ? + help + + as the user vainly tries to find the right exit sequence, with the + incorrect tries piling up at the end of the message.... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plonk, Next:[10419]plug-and-pray, Previous:[10420]plokta, + Up:[10421]= P = + + plonk excl.,vt. + + [Usenet: possibly influenced by British slang `plonk' for cheap booze, + or `plonker' for someone behaving stupidly (latter is lit. equivalent + to Yiddish `schmuck')] The sound a [10422]newbie makes as he falls to + the bottom of a [10423]kill file. While it originated in the + [10424]newsgroup talk.bizarre, this term (usually written "*plonk*") + is now (1994) widespread on Usenet as a form of public ridicule. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plug-and-pray, Next:[10425]plugh, Previous:[10426]plonk, + Up:[10427]= P = + + plug-and-pray adj.,vi. + + Parody of the techspeak term `plug-and-play', describing a PC + peripheral card which is claimed to have no need for hardware + configuration via DIP switches, and which should be work as soon as it + is inserted in the PC. Unfortunately, even the PCI bus is not up to + pulling this off reliably, and people who have to do installation or + troubleshoot PCs soon find themselves longing for the DIP switches. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plugh, Next:[10428]plumbing, Previous:[10429]plug-and-pray, + Up:[10430]= P = + + plugh /ploogh/ v. + + [from the [10431]ADVENT game] See [10432]xyzzy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:plumbing, Next:[10433]PM, Previous:[10434]plugh, Up:[10435]= P = + + plumbing n. + + [Unix] Term used for [10436]shell code, so called because of the + prevalence of `pipelines' that feed the output of one program to the + input of another. Under Unix, user utilities can often be implemented + or at least prototyped by a suitable collection of pipelines and + temp-file grinding encapsulated in a shell script; this is much less + effort than writing C every time, and the capability is considered one + of Unix's major winning features. A few other OSs such as IBM's VM/CMS + support similar facilities. Esp. used in the construction `hairy + plumbing' (see [10437]hairy). "You can kluge together a basic + spell-checker out of sort(1), comm(1), and tr(1) with a little + plumbing." See also [10438]tee. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PM, Next:[10439]pnambic, Previous:[10440]plumbing, Up:[10441]= P + = + + PM /P-M/ + + 1. v. (from `preventive maintenance') To bring down a machine for + inspection or test purposes. See [10442]provocative maintenance; see + also [10443]scratch monkey. 2. n. Abbrev. for `Presentation Manager', + an [10444]elephantine OS/2 graphical user interface. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pnambic, Next:[10445]pod, Previous:[10446]PM, Up:[10447]= P = + + pnambic /p*-nam'bik/ + + [Acronym from the scene in the film version of "The Wizard of Oz" in + which the true nature of the wizard is first discovered: "Pay no + attention to the man behind the curtain."] 1. A stage of development + of a process or function that, owing to incomplete implementation or + to the complexity of the system, requires human interaction to + simulate or replace some or all of the actions, inputs, or outputs of + the process or function. 2. Of or pertaining to a process or function + whose apparent operations are wholly or partially falsified. 3. + Requiring [10448]prestidigitization. + + The ultimate pnambic product was "Dan Bricklin's Demo", a program + which supported flashy user-interface design prototyping. There is a + related maxim among hackers: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is + indistinguishable from a rigged demo." See [10449]magic, sense 1, for + illumination of this point. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pod, Next:[10450]point-and-drool interface, + Previous:[10451]pnambic, Up:[10452]= P = + + pod n. + + [allegedly from abbreviation POD for `Prince Of Darkness'] A Diablo + 630 (or, latterly, any letter-quality impact printer). From the DEC-10 + PODTYPE program used to feed formatted text to it. Not to be confused + with [10453]P.O.D.. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:point-and-drool interface, Next:[10454]pointy hat, + Previous:[10455]pod, Up:[10456]= P = + + point-and-drool interface n. + + Parody of the techspeak term `point-and-shoot interface', describing a + windows, icons, and mouse-based interface such as is found on the + Macintosh. The implication, of course, is that such an interface is + only suitable for idiots. See [10457]for the rest of us, [10458]WIMP + environment, [10459]Macintrash, [10460]drool-proof paper. Also + `point-and-grunt interface'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pointy hat, Next:[10461]pointy-haired, + Previous:[10462]point-and-drool interface, Up:[10463]= P = + + pointy hat n. + + See [10464]wizard hat. This synonym specifically refers to the wizards + of Unseen University in Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" serious of + humorous fantasies; these books are extremely popular among hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pointy-haired, Next:[10465]poke, Previous:[10466]pointy hat, + Up:[10467]= P = + + pointy-haired adj. + + [after the character in the [10468]Dilbert comic strip] Describes the + extreme form of the property that separates [10469]suits and + [10470]marketroids from hackers. Compare [10471]brain-dead; + [10472]demented; see [10473]PHB. Always applied to people, never to + ideas. The plural form is often used as a noun. "The pointy-haireds + ordered me to use Windows NT, but I set up a Linux server with Samba + instead." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:poke, Next:[10474]poll, Previous:[10475]pointy-haired, + Up:[10476]= P = + + poke n.,vt. + + See [10477]peek. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:poll, Next:[10478]polygon pusher, Previous:[10479]poke, + Up:[10480]= P = + + poll v.,n. + + 1. [techspeak] The action of checking the status of an input line, + sensor, or memory location to see if a particular external event has + been registered. 2. To repeatedly call or check with someone: "I keep + polling him, but he's not answering his phone; he must be swapped + out." 3. To ask. "Lunch? I poll for a takeout order daily." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:polygon pusher, Next:[10481]POM, Previous:[10482]poll, + Up:[10483]= P = + + polygon pusher n. + + A chip designer who spends most of his or her time at the physical + layout level (which requires drawing lots of multi-colored polygons). + Also `rectangle slinger'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:POM, Next:[10484]pop, Previous:[10485]polygon pusher, Up:[10486]= + P = + + POM /P-O-M/ n. + + Common abbreviation for [10487]phase of the moon. Usage: usually in + the phrase `POM-dependent', which means [10488]flaky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pop, Next:[10489]POPJ, Previous:[10490]POM, Up:[10491]= P = + + pop /pop/ + + [from the operation that removes the top of a stack, and the fact that + procedure return addresses are usually saved on the stack] (also + capitalized `POP') 1. vt. To remove something from a [10492]stack or + [10493]PDL. If a person says he/she has popped something from his + stack, that means he/she has finally finished working on it and can + now remove it from the list of things hanging overhead. 2. When a + discussion gets to a level of detail so deep that the main point of + the discussion is being lost, someone will shout "Pop!", meaning "Get + back up to a higher level!" The shout is frequently accompanied by an + upthrust arm with a finger pointing to the ceiling. 3. [all-caps, as + `POP'] Point of Presence, a bank of dial-in lines allowing customers + to make (local) calls into an ISP. This is borderline techspeak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:POPJ, Next:[10494]poser, Previous:[10495]pop, Up:[10496]= P = + + POPJ /pop'J/ n.,v. + + [from a [10497]PDP-10 return-from-subroutine instruction] To return + from a digression. By verb doubling, "Popj, popj" means roughly "Now + let's see, where were we?" See [10498]RTI. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:poser, Next:[10499]post, Previous:[10500]POPJ, Up:[10501]= P = + + poser n. + + A [10502]wannabee; not hacker slang, but used among crackers, phreaks + and [10503]warez d00dz. Not as negative as [10504]lamer or + [10505]leech. Probably derives from a similar usage among punk-rockers + and metalheads, putting down those who "talk the talk but don't walk + the walk". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:post, Next:[10506]postcardware, Previous:[10507]poser, + Up:[10508]= P = + + post v. + + To send a message to a [10509]mailing list or [10510]newsgroup. + Distinguished in context from `mail'; one might ask, for example: "Are + you going to post the patch or mail it to known users?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:postcardware, Next:[10511]posting, Previous:[10512]post, + Up:[10513]= P = + + postcardware n. + + A kind of [10514]shareware that borders on [10515]freeware, in that + the author requests only that satisfied users send a postcard of their + home town or something. (This practice, silly as it might seem, serves + to remind users that they are otherwise getting something for nothing, + and may also be psychologically related to real estate `sales' in + which $1 changes hands just to keep the transaction from being a + gift.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:posting, Next:[10516]postmaster, Previous:[10517]postcardware, + Up:[10518]= P = + + posting n. + + Noun corresp. to v. [10519]post (but note that [10520]post can be + nouned). Distinguished from a `letter' or ordinary [10521]email + message by the fact that it is broadcast rather than point-to-point. + It is not clear whether messages sent to a small mailing list are + postings or email; perhaps the best dividing line is that if you don't + know the names of all the potential recipients, it is a posting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:postmaster, Next:[10522]PostScript, Previous:[10523]posting, + Up:[10524]= P = + + postmaster n. + + The email contact and maintenance person at a site connected to the + Internet or UUCPNET. Often, but not always, the same as the + [10525]admin. The Internet standard for electronic mail + ([10526]RFC-822) requires each machine to have a `postmaster' address; + usually it is aliased to this person. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PostScript, Next:[10527]pound on, Previous:[10528]postmaster, + Up:[10529]= P = + + PostScript n. + + A Page Description Language ([10530]PDL), based on work originally + done by John Gaffney at Evans and Sutherland in 1976, evolving through + `JaM' (`John and Martin', Martin Newell) at [10531]XEROX PARC, and + finally implemented in its current form by John Warnock et al. after + he and Chuck Geschke founded Adobe Systems Incorporated in 1982. + PostScript gets its leverage by using a full programming language, + rather than a series of low-level escape sequences, to describe an + image to be printed on a laser printer or other output device (in this + it parallels [10532]EMACS, which exploited a similar insight about + editing tasks). It is also noteworthy for implementing on-the fly + rasterization, from Bezier curve descriptions, of high-quality fonts + at low (e.g. 300 dpi) resolution (it was formerly believed that + hand-tuned bitmap fonts were required for this task). Hackers consider + PostScript to be among the most elegant hacks of all time, and the + combination of technical merits and widespread availability has made + PostScript the language of choice for graphical output. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pound on, Next:[10533]power cycle, Previous:[10534]PostScript, + Up:[10535]= P = + + pound on vt. + + Syn. [10536]bang on. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:power cycle, Next:[10537]power hit, Previous:[10538]pound on, + Up:[10539]= P = + + power cycle vt. + + (also, `cycle power' or just `cycle') To power off a machine and then + power it on immediately, with the intention of clearing some kind of + [10540]hung or [10541]gronked state. Syn. [10542]120 reset; see also + [10543]Big Red Switch. Compare [10544]Vulcan nerve pinch, + [10545]bounce (sense 4), and [10546]boot, and see the "[10547]Some AI + Koans" (in Appendix A) about Tom Knight and the novice. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:power hit, Next:[10548]PPN, Previous:[10549]power cycle, + Up:[10550]= P = + + power hit n. + + A spike or drop-out in the electricity supplying your machine; a power + [10551]glitch. These can cause crashes and even permanent damage to + your machine(s). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:PPN, Next:[10552]pr0n, Previous:[10553]power hit, Up:[10554]= P = + + PPN /P-P-N/, /pip'n/ n. obs. + + [from `Project-Programmer Number'] A user-ID under [10555]TOPS-10 and + its various mutant progeny at SAIL, BBN, CompuServe, and elsewhere. + Old-time hackers from the PDP-10 era sometimes use this to refer to + user IDs on other systems as well. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pr0n, Next:[10556]precedence lossage, Previous:[10557]PPN, + Up:[10558]= P = + + pr0n // + + [Usenet, IRC] Pornography. Originally this referred only to Internet + porn but since then it has expanded to refer to just about anything. + The term comes from the [10559]warez kiddies tendency to replace + letters with numbers. At some point on IRC someone mistyped, swapped + the middle two letters, and the name stuck, then propagated over into + mainstream hacker usage. Compare [10560]filk, [10561]grilf, + [10562]hing and [10563]newsfroup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:precedence lossage, Next:[10564]prepend, Previous:[10565]pr0n, + Up:[10566]= P = + + precedence lossage /pre's*-dens los'*j/ n. + + [C programmers] Coding error in an expression due to unexpected + grouping of arithmetic or logical operators by the compiler. Used esp. + of certain common coding errors in C due to the nonintuitively low + precedence levels of &, |, ^, <<, and >> (for this reason, experienced + C programmers deliberately forget the language's [10567]baroque + precedence hierarchy and parenthesize defensively). Can always be + avoided by suitable use of parentheses. [10568]LISP fans enjoy + pointing out that this can't happen in their favorite language, which + eschews precedence entirely, requiring one to use explicit parentheses + everywhere. See [10569]aliasing bug, [10570]memory leak, [10571]memory + smash, [10572]smash the stack, [10573]fandango on core, [10574]overrun + screw. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:prepend, Next:[10575]prestidigitization, + Previous:[10576]precedence lossage, Up:[10577]= P = + + prepend /pree`pend'/ vt. + + [by analogy with `append'] To prefix. As with `append' (but not + `prefix' or `suffix' as a verb), the direct object is always the thing + being added and not the original word (or character string, or + whatever). "If you prepend a semicolon to the line, the translation + routine will pass it through unaltered." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:prestidigitization, Next:[10578]pretty pictures, + Previous:[10579]prepend, Up:[10580]= P = + + prestidigitization /pres`t*-di`j*-ti:-zay'sh*n/ n. + + 1. The act of putting something into digital notation via sleight of + hand. 2. Data entry through legerdemain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pretty pictures, Next:[10581]prettyprint, + Previous:[10582]prestidigitization, Up:[10583]= P = + + pretty pictures n. + + [scientific computation] The next step up from [10584]numbers. + Interesting graphical output from a program that may not have any + sensible relationship to the system the program is intended to model. + Good for showing to [10585]management. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:prettyprint, Next:[10586]pretzel key, Previous:[10587]pretty + pictures, Up:[10588]= P = + + prettyprint /prit'ee-print/ v. + + (alt. `pretty-print') 1. To generate `pretty' human-readable output + from a [10589]hairy internal representation; esp. used for the process + of [10590]grinding (sense 1) program code, and most esp. for LISP + code. 2. To format in some particularly slick and nontrivial way. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pretzel key, Next:[10591]priesthood, Previous:[10592]prettyprint, + Up:[10593]= P = + + pretzel key n. + + [Mac users] See [10594]feature key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:priesthood, Next:[10595]prime time, Previous:[10596]pretzel key, + Up:[10597]= P = + + priesthood n. obs. + + [TMRC] The select group of system managers responsible for the + operation and maintenance of a batch operated computer system. On + these computers, a user never had direct access to a computer, but had + to submit his/her data and programs to a priest for execution. Results + were returned days or even weeks later. See [10598]acolyte. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:prime time, Next:[10599]print, Previous:[10600]priesthood, + Up:[10601]= P = + + prime time n. + + [from TV programming] Normal high-usage hours on a system or network. + Back in the days of big timesharing machines `prime time' was when + lots of people were competing for limited cycles, usually the day + shift. Avoidance of prime time was traditionally given as a major + reason for [10602]night mode hacking. The term fell into disuse during + the early PC era, but has been revived to refer to times of day or + evening at which the Internet tends to be heavily loaded, making Web + access slow. The hackish tendency to late-night [10603]hacking runs + has changed not a bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:print, Next:[10604]printing discussion, Previous:[10605]prime + time, Up:[10606]= P = + + print v. + + To output, even if to a screen. If a hacker says that a program + "printed a message", he means this; if he refers to printing a file, + he probably means it in the conventional sense of writing to a + hardcopy device (compounds like `print job' and `printout', on the + other hand, always refer to the latter). This very common term is + likely a holdover from the days when printing terminals were the norm, + perpetuated by programming language constructs like [10607]C's + printf(3). See senses 1 and 2 of [10608]tty. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:printing discussion, Next:[10609]priority interrupt, + Previous:[10610]print, Up:[10611]= P = + + printing discussion n. + + [XEROX PARC] A protracted, low-level, time-consuming, generally + pointless discussion of something only peripherally interesting to + all. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:priority interrupt, Next:[10612]profile, Previous:[10613]printing + discussion, Up:[10614]= P = + + priority interrupt n. + + [from the hardware term] Describes any stimulus compelling enough to + yank one right out of [10615]hack mode. Classically used to describe + being dragged away by an [10616]SO for immediate sex, but may also + refer to more mundane interruptions such as a fire alarm going off in + the near vicinity. Also called an [10617]NMI (non-maskable interrupt), + especially in PC-land. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:profile, Next:[10618]progasm, Previous:[10619]priority interrupt, + Up:[10620]= P = + + profile n. + + 1. A control file for a program, esp. a text file automatically read + from each user's home directory and intended to be easily modified by + the user in order to customize the program's behavior. Used to avoid + [10621]hardcoded choices (see also [10622]dot file, [10623]rc file). + 2. [techspeak] A report on the amounts of time spent in each routine + of a program, used to find and [10624]tune away the [10625]hot spots + in it. This sense is often verbed. Some profiling modes report units + other than time (such as call counts) and/or report at granularities + other than per-routine, but the idea is similar. 3.[techspeak] A + subset of a standard used for a particular purpose. This sense + confuses hackers who wander into the weird world of ISO standards no + end! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:progasm, Next:[10626]proggy, Previous:[10627]profile, Up:[10628]= + P = + + progasm /proh'gaz-m/ n. + + [University of Wisconsin] The euphoria experienced upon the completion + of a program or other computer-related project. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:proggy, Next:[10629]proglet, Previous:[10630]progasm, Up:[10631]= + P = + + proggy n. + + 1. Any computer program that is considered a full application. 2. Any + computer program that is made up of or otherwise contains + [10632]proglets. 3. Any computer program that is large enough to be + normally distributed as an RPM or [10633]tarball. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:proglet, Next:[10634]program, Previous:[10635]proggy, Up:[10636]= + P = + + proglet /prog'let/ n. + + [UK] A short extempore program written to meet an immediate, transient + need. Often written in BASIC, rarely more than a dozen lines long, and + containing no subroutines. The largest amount of code that can be + written off the top of one's head, that does not need any editing, and + that runs correctly the first time (this amount varies significantly + according to one's skill and the language one is using). Compare + [10637]toy program, [10638]noddy, [10639]one-liner wars. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:program, Next:[10640]Programmer's Cheer, Previous:[10641]proglet, + Up:[10642]= P = + + program n. + + 1. A magic spell cast over a computer allowing it to turn one's input + into error messages. 2. An exercise in experimental epistemology. 3. A + form of art, ostensibly intended for the instruction of computers, + which is nevertheless almost inevitably a failure if other programmers + can't understand it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Programmer's Cheer, Next:[10643]programming, + Previous:[10644]program, Up:[10645]= P = + + Programmer's Cheer + + "Shift to the left! Shift to the right! Pop up, push down! Byte! Byte! + Byte!" A joke so old it has hair on it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:programming, Next:[10646]programming fluid, + Previous:[10647]Programmer's Cheer, Up:[10648]= P = + + programming n. + + 1. The art of debugging a blank sheet of paper (or, in these days of + on-line editing, the art of debugging an empty file). "Bloody + instructions which, being taught, return to plague their inventor" + ("Macbeth", Act 1, Scene 7) 2. A pastime similar to banging one's head + against a wall, but with fewer opportunities for reward. 3. The most + fun you can have with your clothes on. 4. The least fun you can have + with your clothes off. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:programming fluid, Next:[10649]propeller head, + Previous:[10650]programming, Up:[10651]= P = + + programming fluid n. + + 1. Coffee. 2. Cola. 3. Any caffeinacious stimulant. Many hackers + consider these essential for those all-night hacking runs. See + [10652]wirewater. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:propeller head, Next:[10653]propeller key, + Previous:[10654]programming fluid, Up:[10655]= P = + + propeller head n. + + Used by hackers, this is syn. with [10656]computer geek. Non-hackers + sometimes use it to describe all techies. Prob. derives from SF + fandom's tradition (originally invented by old-time fan Ray Faraday + Nelson) of propeller beanies as fannish insignia (though nobody + actually wears them except as a joke). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:propeller key, Next:[10657]proprietary, Previous:[10658]propeller + head, Up:[10659]= P = + + propeller key n. + + [Mac users] See [10660]feature key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:proprietary, Next:[10661]protocol, Previous:[10662]propeller key, + Up:[10663]= P = + + proprietary adj. + + 1. In [10664]marketroid-speak, superior; implies a product imbued with + exclusive magic by the unmatched brilliance of the company's own + hardware or software designers. 2. In the language of hackers and + users, inferior; implies a product not conforming to open-systems + standards, and thus one that puts the customer at the mercy of a + vendor able to gouge freely on service and upgrade charges after the + initial sale has locked the customer in. Often in the phrase + "proprietary crap". 3. Synonym for closed-source, e.g. software issued + in binary without source and under a restructive license. + + Since the coining of the term [10665]open source, many hackers have + made a conscious effort to distinguish between `proprietary' and + `commercial' software. It is possible for software to be commercial + (that is, intended to make a profit for the producers) without being + proprietary. The reverse is also possible, for example in binary-only + freeware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:protocol, Next:[10666]provocative maintenance, + Previous:[10667]proprietary, Up:[10668]= P = + + protocol n. + + As used by hackers, this never refers to niceties about the proper + form for addressing letters to the Papal Nuncio or the order in which + one should use the forks in a Russian-style place setting; hackers + don't care about such things. It is used instead to describe any set + of rules that allow different machines or pieces of software to + coordinate with each other without ambiguity. So, for example, it does + include niceties about the proper form for addressing packets on a + network or the order in which one should use the forks in the Dining + Philosophers Problem. It implies that there is some common message + format and an accepted set of primitives or commands that all parties + involved understand, and that transactions among them follow + predictable logical sequences. See also [10669]handshaking, [10670]do + protocol. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:provocative maintenance, Next:[10671]prowler, + Previous:[10672]protocol, Up:[10673]= P = + + provocative maintenance n. + + [common ironic mutation of `preventive maintenance'] Actions performed + upon a machine at regularly scheduled intervals to ensure that the + system remains in a usable state. So called because it is all too + often performed by a [10674]field servoid who doesn't know what he is + doing; such `maintenance' often induces problems, or otherwise results + in the machine's remaining in an unusable state for an indeterminate + amount of time. See also [10675]scratch monkey. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:prowler, Next:[10676]pseudo, Previous:[10677]provocative + maintenance, Up:[10678]= P = + + prowler n. + + [Unix] A [10679]daemon that is run periodically (typically once a + week) to seek out and erase [10680]core files, truncate administrative + logfiles, nuke lost+found directories, and otherwise clean up the + [10681]cruft that tends to pile up in the corners of a file system. + See also [10682]GFR, [10683]reaper, [10684]skulker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pseudo, Next:[10685]pseudoprime, Previous:[10686]prowler, + Up:[10687]= P = + + pseudo /soo'doh/ n. + + [Usenet: truncation of `pseudonym'] 1. An electronic-mail or + [10688]Usenet persona adopted by a human for amusement value or as a + means of avoiding negative repercussions of one's net.behavior; a `nom + de Usenet', often associated with forged postings designed to conceal + message origins. Perhaps the best-known and funniest hoax of this type + is [10689]B1FF. See also [10690]tentacle. 2. Notionally, a + [10691]flamage-generating AI program simulating a Usenet user. Many + flamers have been accused of actually being such entities, despite the + fact that no AI program of the required sophistication yet exists. + However, in 1989 there was a famous series of forged postings that + used a phrase-frequency-based travesty generator to simulate the + styles of several well-known flamers; it was based on large samples of + their back postings (compare [10692]Dissociated Press). A significant + number of people were fooled by the forgeries, and the debate over + their authenticity was settled only when the perpetrator came forward + to publicly admit the hoax. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pseudoprime, Next:[10693]pseudosuit, Previous:[10694]pseudo, + Up:[10695]= P = + + pseudoprime n. + + A backgammon prime (six consecutive occupied points) with one point + missing. This term is an esoteric pun derived from number theory: a + number that passes a certain kind of "primality test" may be called a + `pseudoprime' (all primes pass any such test, but so do some composite + numbers), and any number that passes several is, in some sense, almost + certainly prime. The hacker backgammon usage stems from the idea that + a pseudoprime is almost as good as a prime: it will do the same job + unless you are unlucky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pseudosuit, Next:[10696]psychedelicware, + Previous:[10697]pseudoprime, Up:[10698]= P = + + pseudosuit /soo'doh-s[y]oot`/ n. + + A [10699]suit wannabee; a hacker who has decided that he wants to be + in management or administration and begins wearing ties, sport coats, + and (shudder!) suits voluntarily. It's his funeral. See also + [10700]lobotomy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:psychedelicware, Next:[10701]psyton, Previous:[10702]pseudosuit, + Up:[10703]= P = + + psychedelicware /si:`k*-del'-ik-weir/ n. + + [UK] Syn. [10704]display hack. See also [10705]smoking clover. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:psyton, Next:[10706]pubic directory, + Previous:[10707]psychedelicware, Up:[10708]= P = + + psyton /si:'ton/ n. + + [TMRC] The elementary particle carrying the sinister force. The + probability of a process losing is proportional to the number of + psytons falling on it. Psytons are generated by observers, which is + why demos are more likely to fail when lots of people are watching. + [This term appears to have been largely superseded by [10709]bogon; + see also [10710]quantum bogodynamics. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pubic directory, Next:[10711]puff, Previous:[10712]psyton, + Up:[10713]= P = + + pubic directory /pyoob'ik d*-rek't*-ree/) n. + + [NYU] (also `pube directory' /pyoob' d*-rek't*-ree/) The `pub' + (public) directory on a machine that allows [10714]FTP access. So + called because it is the default location for [10715]SEX (sense 1). + "I'll have the source in the pube directory by Friday." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:puff, Next:[10716]pumpkin holder, Previous:[10717]pubic + directory, Up:[10718]= P = + + puff vt. + + To decompress data that has been crunched by Huffman coding. At least + one widely distributed Huffman decoder program was actually named + `PUFF', but these days it is usually packaged with the encoder. Oppose + [10719]huff, see [10720]inflate. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pumpkin holder, Next:[10721]pumpking, Previous:[10722]puff, + Up:[10723]= P = + + pumpkin holder n. + + See [10724]patch pumpkin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:pumpking, Next:[10725]punched card, Previous:[10726]pumpkin + holder, Up:[10727]= P = + + pumpking n. + + Syn. for [10728]pumpkin holder; see [10729]patch pumpkin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:punched card, Next:[10730]punt, Previous:[10731]pumpking, + Up:[10732]= P = + + punched card n.obs. + + [techspeak] (alt. `punch card') The signature medium of computing's + [10733]Stone Age, now obsolescent outside of some IBM shops. The + punched card actually predated computers considerably, originating in + 1801 as a control device for mechanical looms. The version patented by + Hollerith and used with mechanical tabulating machines in the 1890 + U.S. Census was a piece of cardboard about 90 mm by 215 mm. There is a + widespread myth that it was designed to fit in the currency trays used + for that era's larger dollar bills, but recent investigations have + falsified this. + + IBM (which originated as a tabulating-machine manufacturer) married + the punched card to computers, encoding binary information as patterns + of small rectangular holes; one character per column, 80 columns per + card. Other coding schemes, sizes of card, and hole shapes were tried + at various times. + + The 80-column width of most character terminals is a legacy of the IBM + punched card; so is the size of the quick-reference cards distributed + with many varieties of computers even today. See [10734]chad, + [10735]chad box, [10736]eighty-column mind, [10737]green card, + [10738]dusty deck, [10739]lace card, [10740]card walloper. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:punt, Next:[10741]Purple Book, Previous:[10742]punched card, + Up:[10743]= P = + + punt v. + + [from the punch line of an old joke referring to American football: + "Drop back 15 yards and punt!"] 1. To give up, typically without any + intention of retrying. "Let's punt the movie tonight." "I was going to + hack all night to get this feature in, but I decided to punt" may mean + that you've decided not to stay up all night, and may also mean you're + not ever even going to put in the feature. 2. More specifically, to + give up on figuring out what the [10744]Right Thing is and resort to + an inefficient hack. 3. A design decision to defer solving a problem, + typically because one cannot define what is desirable sufficiently + well to frame an algorithmic solution. "No way to know what the right + form to dump the graph in is -- we'll punt that for now." 4. To hand a + tricky implementation problem off to some other section of the design. + "It's too hard to get the compiler to do that; let's punt to the + runtime system." 5. To knock someone off an Internet or chat + connection; a `punter' thus, is a person or program that does this. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Purple Book, Next:[10745]purple wire, Previous:[10746]punt, + Up:[10747]= P = + + Purple Book n. + + 1. The "System V Interface Definition". The covers of the first + editions were an amazingly nauseating shade of off-lavender. 2. Syn. + [10748]Wizard Book. Donald Lewine's "POSIX Programmer's Guide" + (O'Reilly, 1991, ISBN 0-937175-73-0). See also [10749]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:purple wire, Next:[10750]push, Previous:[10751]Purple Book, + Up:[10752]= P = + + purple wire n. + + [IBM] Wire installed by Field Engineers to work around problems + discovered during testing or debugging. These are called `purple + wires' even when (as is frequently the case) their actual physical + color is yellow.... Compare [10753]blue wire, [10754]yellow wire, and + [10755]red wire. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:push, Next:[10756]Python, Previous:[10757]purple wire, + Up:[10758]= P = + + push + + [from the operation that puts the current information on a stack, and + the fact that procedure return addresses are saved on a stack] (Also + PUSH /push/ or PUSHJ /push'J/, the latter based on the PDP-10 + procedure call instruction.) 1. To put something onto a [10759]stack + or [10760]PDL. If one says that something has been pushed onto one's + stack, it means that the Damoclean list of things hanging over ones's + head has grown longer and heavier yet. This may also imply that one + will deal with it before other pending items; otherwise one might say + that the thing was `added to my queue'. 2. vi. To enter upon a + digression, to save the current discussion for later. Antonym of + [10761]pop; see also [10762]stack, [10763]PDL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Python, Next:[10764]quad, Previous:[10765]push, Up:[10766]= P = + + Python /pi:'thon/ + + In the words of its author, "the other scripting language" (other than + [10767]Perl, that is). Python's design is notably clean, elegant, and + well thought through; it tends to attract the sort of programmers who + find Perl grubby and exiguous. Python's relationship with Perl is + rather like the [10768]BSD community's relationship to [10769]Linux - + it's the smaller party in a (usually friendly) rivalry, but the + average quality of its developers is generally conceded to be rather + higher than in the larger community it competes with. There's a Python + resource page at [10770]http://www.python.org. See also [10771]Guido. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= Q =, Next:[10772]= R =, Previous:[10773]= P =, Up:[10774]The + Jargon Lexicon + += Q = + + * [10775]quad: + * [10776]quadruple bucky: + * [10777]quantifiers: + * [10778]quantum bogodynamics: + * [10779]quarter: + * [10780]ques: + * [10781]quick-and-dirty: + * [10782]quine: + * [10783]quote chapter and verse: + * [10784]quotient: + * [10785]quux: + * [10786]qux: + * [10787]QWERTY: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quad, Next:[10788]quadruple bucky, Previous:[10789]Python, + Up:[10790]= Q = + + quad n. + + 1. Two bits; syn. for [10791]quarter, [10792]crumb, [10793]tayste. 2. + A four-pack of anything (compare [10794]hex, sense 2). 3. The + rectangle or box glyph used in the APL language for various arcane + purposes mostly related to I/O. Former Ivy-Leaguers and Oxford types + are said to associate it with nostalgic memories of dear old + University. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quadruple bucky, Next:[10795]quantifiers, Previous:[10796]quad, + Up:[10797]= Q = + + quadruple bucky n. obs. + + 1. On an MIT [10798]space-cadet keyboard, use of all four of the + shifting keys (control, meta, hyper, and super) while typing a + character key. 2. On a Stanford or MIT keyboard in [10799]raw mode, + use of four shift keys while typing a fifth character, where the four + shift keys are the control and meta keys on both sides of the + keyboard. This was very difficult to do! One accepted technique was to + press the left-control and left-meta keys with your left hand, the + right-control and right-meta keys with your right hand, and the fifth + key with your nose. + + Quadruple-bucky combinations were very seldom used in practice, + because when one invented a new command one usually assigned it to + some character that was easier to type. If you want to imply that a + program has ridiculously many commands or features, you can say + something like: "Oh, the command that makes it spin the tapes while + whistling Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is quadruple-bucky-cokebottle." + See [10800]double bucky, [10801]bucky bits, [10802]cokebottle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quantifiers, Next:[10803]quantum bogodynamics, + Previous:[10804]quadruple bucky, Up:[10805]= Q = + + quantifiers + + In techspeak and jargon, the standard metric prefixes used in the SI + (Système International) conventions for scientific measurement have + dual uses. With units of time or things that come in powers of 10, + such as money, they retain their usual meanings of multiplication by + powers of 1000 = 10^3. But when used with bytes or other things that + naturally come in powers of 2, they usually denote multiplication by + powers of 1024 = 2^(10). + + Here are the SI magnifying prefixes, along with the corresponding + binary interpretations in common use: +prefix decimal binary +kilo- 1000^1 1024^1 = 2^10 = 1,024 + +mega- 1000^2 1024^2 = 2^20 = 1,048,576 + +giga- 1000^3 1024^3 = 2^30 = 1,073,741,824 + +tera- 1000^4 1024^4 = 2^40 = 1,099,511,627,776 + +peta- 1000^5 1024^5 = 2^50 = 1,125,899,906,842,624 + +exa- 1000^6 1024^6 = 2^60 = 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 + +zetta- 1000^7 1024^7 = 2^70 = 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 + +yotta- 1000^8 1024^8 = 2^80 = 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176 + + Here are the SI fractional prefixes: +prefix decimal jargon usage +milli- 1000^-1 (seldom used in jargon) +micro- 1000^-2 small or human-scale (see [10806]micro-) +nano- 1000^-3 even smaller (see [10807]nano-) +pico- 1000^-4 even smaller yet (see [10808]pico-) +femto- 1000^-5 (not used in jargon---yet) +atto- 1000^-6 (not used in jargon---yet) +zepto- 1000^-7 (not used in jargon---yet) +yocto- 1000^-8 (not used in jargon---yet) + + The prefixes zetta-, yotta-, zepto-, and yocto- have been included in + these tables purely for completeness and giggle value; they were + adopted in 1990 by the `19th Conference Generale des Poids et + Mesures'. The binary peta- and exa- loadings, though well established, + are not in jargon use either -- yet. The prefix milli-, denoting + multiplication by 1/1000, has always been rare in jargon (there is, + however, a standard joke about the `millihelen' -- notionally, the + amount of beauty required to launch one ship). See the entries on + [10809]micro-, [10810]pico-, and [10811]nano- for more information on + connotative jargon use of these terms. `Femto' and `atto' (which, + interestingly, derive not from Greek but from Danish) have not yet + acquired jargon loadings, though it is easy to predict what those will + be once computing technology enters the required realms of magnitude + (however, see [10812]attoparsec). + + There are, of course, some standard unit prefixes for powers of 10. In + the following table, the `prefix' column is the international standard + suffix for the appropriate power of ten; the `binary' column lists + jargon abbreviations and words for the corresponding power of 2. The + B-suffixed forms are commonly used for byte quantities; the words + `meg' and `gig' are nouns that may (but do not always) pluralize with + `s'. +prefix decimal binary pronunciation +kilo- k K, KB, /kay/ +mega- M M, MB, meg /meg/ +giga- G G, GB, gig /gig/,/jig/ + + Confusingly, hackers often use K or M as though they were suffix or + numeric multipliers rather than a prefix; thus "2K dollars", "2M of + disk space". This is also true (though less commonly) of G. + + Note that the formal SI metric prefix for 1000 is `k'; some use this + strictly, reserving `K' for multiplication by 1024 (KB is thus + `kilobytes'). + + K, M, and G used alone refer to quantities of bytes; thus, 64G is 64 + gigabytes and `a K' is a kilobyte (compare mainstream use of `a G' as + short for `a grand', that is, $1000). Whether one pronounces `gig' + with hard or soft `g' depends on what one thinks the proper + pronunciation of `giga-' is. + + Confusing 1000 and 1024 (or other powers of 2 and 10 close in + magnitude) -- for example, describing a memory in units of 500K or + 524K instead of 512K -- is a sure sign of the [10813]marketroid. One + example of this: it is common to refer to the capacity of 3.5" + [10814]microfloppies as `1.44 MB' In fact, this is a completely + [10815]bogus number. The correct size is 1440 KB, that is, 1440 * 1024 + = 1474560 bytes. So the `mega' in `1.44 MB' is compounded of two + `kilos', one of which is 1024 and the other of which is 1000. The + correct number of megabytes would of course be 1440 / 1024 = 1.40625. + Alas, this fine point is probably lost on the world forever. + + [1993 update: hacker Morgan Burke has proposed, to general approval on + Usenet, the following additional prefixes: + + groucho + 10^(-30) + + harpo + 10^(-27) + + harpi + 10^(27) + + grouchi + 10^(30) + + We observe that this would leave the prefixes zeppo-, gummo-, and + chico- available for future expansion. Sadly, there is little + immediate prospect that Mr. Burke's eminently sensible proposal will + be ratified.] + + [1999 upate: there is an [10816]IEC proposal for binary multipliers, + but no evidence that any of its proposals are in live use.] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quantum bogodynamics, Next:[10817]quarter, + Previous:[10818]quantifiers, Up:[10819]= Q = + + quantum bogodynamics /kwon'tm boh`goh-di:-nam'iks/ n. + + A theory that characterizes the universe in terms of bogon sources + (such as politicians, used-car salesmen, TV evangelists, and + [10820]suits in general), bogon sinks (such as taxpayers and + computers), and bogosity potential fields. Bogon absorption, of + course, causes human beings to behave mindlessly and machines to fail + (and may also cause both to emit secondary bogons); however, the + precise mechanics of the bogon-computron interaction are not yet + understood and remain to be elucidated. Quantum bogodynamics is most + often invoked to explain the sharp increase in hardware and software + failures in the presence of suits; the latter emit bogons, which the + former absorb. See [10821]bogon, [10822]computron, [10823]suit, + [10824]psyton. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quarter, Next:[10825]ques, Previous:[10826]quantum bogodynamics, + Up:[10827]= Q = + + quarter n. + + Two bits. This in turn comes from the `pieces of eight' famed in + pirate movies -- Spanish silver crowns that could be broken into eight + pie-slice-shaped `bits' to make change. Early in American history the + Spanish coin was considered equal to a dollar, so each of these `bits' + was considered worth 12.5 cents. Syn. [10828]tayste, [10829]crumb, + [10830]quad. Usage: rare. General discussion of such terms is under + [10831]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ques, Next:[10832]quick-and-dirty, Previous:[10833]quarter, + Up:[10834]= Q = + + ques /kwes/ + + 1. n. The question mark character (?, ASCII 0111111). 2. interj. What? + Also frequently verb-doubled as "Ques ques?" See [10835]wall. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quick-and-dirty, Next:[10836]quine, Previous:[10837]ques, + Up:[10838]= Q = + + quick-and-dirty adj. + + [common] Describes a [10839]crock put together under time or user + pressure. Used esp. when you want to convey that you think the fast + way might lead to trouble further down the road. "I can have a + quick-and-dirty fix in place tonight, but I'll have to rewrite the + whole module to solve the underlying design problem." See also + [10840]kluge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quine, Next:[10841]quote chapter and verse, + Previous:[10842]quick-and-dirty, Up:[10843]= Q = + + quine /kwi:n/ n. + + [from the name of the logician Willard van Orman Quine, via Douglas + Hofstadter] A program that generates a copy of its own source text as + its complete output. Devising the shortest possible quine in some + given programming language is a common hackish amusement. (We ignore + some variants of BASIC in which a program consisting of a single empty + string literal reproduces itself trivially.) Here is one classic + quine: +((lambda (x) + (list x (list (quote quote) x))) + (quote + (lambda (x) + (list x (list (quote quote) x))))) + + This one works in LISP or Scheme. It's relatively easy to write quines + in other languages such as Postscript which readily handle programs as + data; much harder (and thus more challenging!) in languages like C + which do not. Here is a classic C quine for ASCII machines: +char*f="char*f=%c%s%c;main() +{printf(f,34,f,34,10);}%c"; +main(){printf(f,34,f,34,10);} + + For excruciatingly exact quinishness, remove the interior line breaks. + Here is another elegant quine in ANSI C: +#define q(k)main(){return!puts(#k"\nq("#k")");} +q(#define q(k)main(){return!puts(#k"\nq("#k")");}) + + Some infamous [10844]Obfuscated C Contest entries have been quines + that reproduced in exotic ways. There is an amusing [10845]Quine Home + Page. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quote chapter and verse, Next:[10846]quotient, + Previous:[10847]quine, Up:[10848]= Q = + + quote chapter and verse v. + + [by analogy with the mainstream phrase] To cite a relevant excerpt + from an appropriate [10849]bible. "I don't care if rn gets it wrong; + `Followup-To: poster' is explicitly permitted by [10850]RFC-1036. I'll + quote chapter and verse if you don't believe me." See also + [10851]legalese, [10852]language lawyer, [10853]RTFS (sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quotient, Next:[10854]quux, Previous:[10855]quote chapter and + verse, Up:[10856]= Q = + + quotient n. + + See [10857]coefficient of X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:quux, Next:[10858]qux, Previous:[10859]quotient, Up:[10860]= Q = + + quux /kwuhks/ n. + + [Mythically, from the Latin semi-deponent verb quuxo, quuxare, + quuxandum iri; noun form variously `quux' (plural `quuces', anglicized + to `quuxes') and `quuxu' (genitive plural is `quuxuum', for four + u-letters out of seven in all, using up all the `u' letters in + Scrabble).] 1. Originally, a [10861]metasyntactic variable like + [10862]foo and [10863]foobar. Invented by Guy Steele for precisely + this purpose when he was young and naive and not yet interacting with + the real computing community. Many people invent such words; this one + seems simply to have been lucky enough to have spread a little. In an + eloquent display of poetic justice, it has returned to the originator + in the form of a nickname. 2. interj. See [10864]foo; however, denotes + very little disgust, and is uttered mostly for the sake of the sound + of it. 3. Guy Steele in his persona as `The Great Quux', which is + somewhat infamous for light verse and for the `Crunchly' cartoons. 4. + In some circles, used as a punning opposite of `crux'. "Ah, that's the + quux of the matter!" implies that the point is not crucial (compare + [10865]tip of the ice-cube). 5. quuxy: adj. Of or pertaining to a + quux. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:qux, Next:[10866]QWERTY, Previous:[10867]quux, Up:[10868]= Q = + + qux /kwuhks/ + + The fourth of the standard [10869]metasyntactic variable, after + [10870]baz and before the quu(u...)x series. See [10871]foo, + [10872]bar, [10873]baz, [10874]quux. This appears to be a recent + mutation from [10875]quux, and many versions (especially older + versions) of the standard series just run [10876]foo, [10877]bar, + [10878]baz, [10879]quux, .... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:QWERTY, Next:[10880]rabbit job, Previous:[10881]qux, Up:[10882]= + Q = + + QWERTY /kwer'tee/ adj. + + [from the keycaps at the upper left] Pertaining to a standard + English-language typewriter keyboard (sometimes called the Sholes + keyboard after its inventor), as opposed to Dvorak or non-US-ASCII + layouts or a [10883]space-cadet keyboard or APL keyboard. + + Historical note: The QWERTY layout is a fine example of a + [10884]fossil. It is sometimes said that it was designed to slow down + the typist, but this is wrong; it was designed to allow faster typing + -- under a constraint now long obsolete. In early typewriters, fast + typing using nearby type-bars jammed the mechanism. So Sholes fiddled + the layout to separate the letters of many common digraphs (he did a + far from perfect job, though; `th', `tr', `ed', and `er', for example, + each use two nearby keys). Also, putting the letters of `typewriter' + on one line allowed it to be typed with particular speed and accuracy + for [10885]demos. The jamming problem was essentially solved soon + afterward by a suitable use of springs, but the keyboard layout lives + on. + + The QWERTY keyboard has also spawned some unhelpful economic myths + about how technical standards get and stay established; see + [10886]http://www.reasonmag.com/9606/Fe.QWERTY.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= R =, Next:[10887]= S =, Previous:[10888]= Q =, Up:[10889]The + Jargon Lexicon + += R = + + * [10890]rabbit job: + * [10891]rain dance: + * [10892]rainbow series: + * [10893]random: + * [10894]Random Number God: + * [10895]random numbers: + * [10896]randomness: + * [10897]rape: + * [10898]rare mode: + * [10899]raster blaster: + * [10900]raster burn: + * [10901]rasterbation: + * [10902]rat belt: + * [10903]rat dance: + * [10904]ratio site: + * [10905]rave: + * [10906]rave on!: + * [10907]ravs: + * [10908]raw mode: + * [10909]RBL: + * [10910]rc file: + * [10911]RE: + * [10912]read-only user: + * [10913]README file: + * [10914]real: + * [10915]real estate: + * [10916]real hack: + * [10917]real operating system: + * [10918]Real Programmer: + * [10919]Real Soon Now: + * [10920]real time: + * [10921]real user: + * [10922]Real World: + * [10923]reality check: + * [10924]reality-distortion field: + * [10925]reaper: + * [10926]recompile the world: + * [10927]rectangle slinger: + * [10928]recursion: + * [10929]recursive acronym: + * [10930]Red Book: + * [10931]red wire: + * [10932]regexp: + * [10933]register dancing: + * [10934]rehi: + * [10935]reincarnation cycle of: + * [10936]reinvent the wheel: + * [10937]relay rape: + * [10938]religion of CHI: + * [10939]religious issues: + * [10940]replicator: + * [10941]reply: + * [10942]restriction: + * [10943]retcon: + * [10944]RETI: + * [10945]retrocomputing: + * [10946]return from the dead: + * [10947]RFC: + * [10948]RFE: + * [10949]rib site: + * [10950]rice box: + * [10951]Right Thing: + * [10952]rip: + * [10953]ripoff: + * [10954]RL: + * [10955]roach: + * [10956]robocanceller: + * [10957]robot: + * [10958]robust: + * [10959]rococo: + * [10960]rogue: + * [10961]room-temperature IQ: + * [10962]root: + * [10963]root mode: + * [10964]rot13: + * [10965]rotary debugger: + * [10966]round tape: + * [10967]RSN: + * [10968]RTBM: + * [10969]RTFAQ: + * [10970]RTFB: + * [10971]RTFM: + * [10972]RTFS: + * [10973]RTI: + * [10974]RTM: + * [10975]RTS: + * [10976]rude: + * [10977]runes: + * [10978]runic: + * [10979]rusty iron: + * [10980]rusty memory: + * [10981]rusty wire: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rabbit job, Next:[10982]rain dance, Previous:[10983]QWERTY, + Up:[10984]= R = + + rabbit job n. + + [Cambridge] A batch job that does little, if any, real work, but + creates one or more copies of itself, breeding like rabbits. Compare + [10985]wabbit, [10986]fork bomb. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rain dance, Next:[10987]rainbow series, Previous:[10988]rabbit + job, Up:[10989]= R = + + rain dance n. + + 1. Any ceremonial action taken to correct a hardware problem, with the + expectation that nothing will be accomplished. This especially applies + to reseating printed circuit boards, reconnecting cables, etc. "I + can't boot up the machine. We'll have to wait for Greg to do his rain + dance." 2. Any arcane sequence of actions performed with computers or + software in order to achieve some goal; the term is usually restricted + to rituals that include both an [10990]incantation or two and physical + activity or motion. Compare [10991]magic, [10992]voodoo programming, + [10993]black art, [10994]cargo cult programming, [10995]wave a dead + chicken; see also [10996]casting the runes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rainbow series, Next:[10997]random, Previous:[10998]rain dance, + Up:[10999]= R = + + rainbow series n. + + Any of several series of technical manuals distinguished by cover + color. The original rainbow series was the NCSC security manuals (see + [11000]Orange Book, [11001]crayola books); the term has also been + commonly applied to the PostScript reference set (see [11002]Red Book, + [11003]Green Book, [11004]Blue Book, [11005]White Book). Which books + are meant by "`the' rainbow series" unqualified is thus dependent on + one's local technical culture. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:random, Next:[11006]Random Number God, Previous:[11007]rainbow + series, Up:[11008]= R = + + random adj. + + 1. Unpredictable (closest to mathematical definition); weird. "The + system's been behaving pretty randomly." 2. Assorted; undistinguished. + "Who was at the conference?" "Just a bunch of random business types." + 3. (pejorative) Frivolous; unproductive; undirected. "He's just a + random loser." 4. Incoherent or inelegant; poorly chosen; not well + organized. "The program has a random set of misfeatures." "That's a + random name for that function." "Well, all the names were chosen + pretty randomly." 5. In no particular order, though deterministic. + "The I/O channels are in a pool, and when a file is opened one is + chosen randomly." 6. Arbitrary. "It generates a random name for the + scratch file." 7. Gratuitously wrong, i.e., poorly done and for no + good apparent reason. For example, a program that handles file name + defaulting in a particularly useless way, or an assembler routine that + could easily have been coded using only three registers, but + redundantly uses seven for values with non-overlapping lifetimes, so + that no one else can invoke it without first saving four extra + registers. What [11009]randomness! 8. n. A random hacker; used + particularly of high-school students who soak up computer time and + generally get in the way. 9. n. Anyone who is not a hacker (or, + sometimes, anyone not known to the hacker speaking); the noun form of + sense 2. "I went to the talk, but the audience was full of randoms + asking bogus questions". 10. n. (occasional MIT usage) One who lives + at Random Hall. See also [11010]J. Random, [11011]some random X. 11. + [UK] Conversationally, a non sequitur or something similarly + out-of-the-blue. As in: "Stop being so random!" This sense equates to + `hatstand', taken from the Viz comic character "Roger Irrelevant - + He's completely Hatstand." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Random Number God, Next:[11012]random numbers, + Previous:[11013]random, Up:[11014]= R = + + Random Number God + + [rec.games.roguelike.angband; often abbreviated `RNG'] The malign + force which lurks behind the random number generator in [11015]Angband + (and by extension elsewhere). A dark god that demands sacrifices and + toys with its victims. "I just found a really great item; I suppose + the RNG is about to punish me..." Apparently, Angband's random number + generator occasionally gets locked in a repetition, so you get + something with a 3% chance happening 8 times in a row. Improbable, but + far too common to be pure chance. Compare [11016]Shub-Internet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:random numbers, Next:[11017]randomness, Previous:[11018]Random + Number God, Up:[11019]= R = + + random numbers n. + + When one wishes to specify a large but random number of things, and + the context is inappropriate for [11020]N, certain numbers are + preferred by hacker tradition (that is, easily recognized as + placeholders). These include the following: + + 17 + Long described at MIT as `the least random number'; see 23. + + 23 + Sacred number of Eris, Goddess of Discord (along with 17 and + 5). + + 42 + The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and + Everything. (Note that this answer is completely fortuitous. + :-)) + + 69 + From the sexual act. This one was favored in MIT's ITS culture. + + 105 + 69 hex = 105 decimal, and 69 decimal = 105 octal. + + 666 + The Number of the Beast. + + For further enlightenment, study the "Principia Discordia", + "[11021]The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", "The Joy of Sex", and + the Christian Bible (Revelation 13:18). See also [11022]Discordianism + or consult your pineal gland. See also [11023]for values of. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:randomness, Next:[11024]rape, Previous:[11025]random numbers, + Up:[11026]= R = + + randomness n. + + 1. An inexplicable misfeature; gratuitous inelegance. 2. A [11027]hack + or [11028]crock that depends on a complex combination of coincidences + (or, possibly, the combination upon which the crock depends for its + accidental failure to malfunction). "This hack can output characters + 40-57 by putting the character in the four-bit accumulator field of an + XCT and then extracting six bits -- the low 2 bits of the XCT opcode + are the right thing." "What randomness!" 3. Of people, synonymous with + `flakiness'. The connotation is that the person so described is + behaving weirdly, incompetently, or inappropriately for reasons which + are (a) too tiresome to bother inquiring into, (b) are probably as + inscrutable as quantum phenomena anyway, and (c) are likely to pass + with time. "Maybe he has a real complaint, or maybe it's just + randomness. See if he calls back." + + Despite the negative connotations jargon uses of this term have, it is + worth noting that randomness can actually be a valuable resource, very + useful for applications in cryptography and elsewhere. Computers are + so thoroughly deterministic that they have a hard time generating + high-quality randomess, so hackers have sometimes felt the need to + built special-purpose contraptions for this purpose alone. One + well-known website offers random bits [11029]generated by radioactive + decay. Another derives random bits from [11030]images of Lava Lite + lamps. (Hackers invariably find the latter hilarious. If you have to + ask why, you'll never get it.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rape, Next:[11031]rare mode, Previous:[11032]randomness, + Up:[11033]= R = + + rape vt. + + 1. To [11034]screw someone or something, violently; in particular, to + destroy a program or information irrecoverably. Often used in + describing file-system damage. "So-and-so was running a program that + did absolute disk I/O and ended up raping the master directory." 2. To + strip a piece of hardware for parts. 3. [CMU/Pitt] To mass-copy files + from an anonymous ftp site. "Last night I raped Simtel's dskutl + directory." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rare mode, Next:[11035]raster blaster, Previous:[11036]rape, + Up:[11037]= R = + + rare mode adj. + + [Unix] CBREAK mode (character-by-character with interrupts enabled). + Distinguished from [11038]raw mode and [11039]cooked mode; the phrase + "a sort of half-cooked (rare?) mode" is used in the V7/BSD manuals to + describe the mode. Usage: rare. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:raster blaster, Next:[11040]raster burn, Previous:[11041]rare + mode, Up:[11042]= R = + + raster blaster n. + + [Cambridge] Specialized hardware for [11043]bitblt operations (a + [11044]blitter). Allegedly inspired by `Rasta Blasta', British slang + for the sort of portable stereo Americans call a `boom box' or `ghetto + blaster'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:raster burn, Next:[11045]rasterbation, Previous:[11046]raster + blaster, Up:[11047]= R = + + raster burn n. + + Eyestrain brought on by too many hours of looking at low-res, poorly + tuned, or glare-ridden monitors, esp. graphics monitors. See + [11048]terminal illness. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rasterbation, Next:[11049]rat belt, Previous:[11050]raster burn, + Up:[11051]= R = + + rasterbation n. + + [portmanteau: raster + masturbation] The gratuituous use of comuputer + generated images and effects in movies and graphic art which would + have been better without them. Especially employed as a term of abuse + by Photoshop/GIMP users and graphic artists. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rat belt, Next:[11052]rat dance, Previous:[11053]rasterbation, + Up:[11054]= R = + + rat belt n. + + A cable tie, esp. the sawtoothed, self-locking plastic kind that you + can remove only by cutting (as opposed to a random twist of wire or a + twist tie or one of those humongous metal clip frobs). Small cable + ties are `mouse belts'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rat dance, Next:[11055]ratio site, Previous:[11056]rat belt, + Up:[11057]= R = + + rat dance n. + + [From the [11058]Dilbert comic strip of November 14, 1995] A + [11059]hacking run that produces results which, while superficially + coherent, have little or nothing to do with its original objectives. + There are strong connotations that the coding process and the + objectives themselves were pretty [11060]random. (In the original + comic strip, the Ratbert is invited to dance on Dilbert's keyboard in + order to produce bugs for him to fix, and authors a Web browser + instead.) Compare [11061]Infinite-Monkey Theorem. + + This term seems to have become widely recognized quite rapidly after + the original strip, a fact which testifies to Dilbert's huge + popularity among hackers. All too many find the perverse incentives + and Kafkaesque atmosphere of Dilbert's mythical workplace reflective + of their own experiences. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ratio site, Next:[11062]rave, Previous:[11063]rat dance, + Up:[11064]= R = + + ratio site + + [warez d00dz] A FTP site storing pirated files where one must first + upload something before being able to download. There is a ratio, + based on bytes or files count, between the uploads and download. For + instance, on a 2:1 site, to download a 4 Mb file, one must first + upload at least 2 Mb of files. The hotter the contents of the server + are, the smaller the ratio is. More often than not, the server refuses + uploads because its disk is full, making it useless for downloading - + or the connection magically breaks after one has uploaded a large + amount of files, just before the downloading phase begins. See also + [11065]banner site, [11066]leech mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rave, Next:[11067]rave on!, Previous:[11068]ratio site, + Up:[11069]= R = + + rave vi. + + [WPI] 1. To persist in discussing a specific subject. 2. To speak + authoritatively on a subject about which one knows very little. 3. To + complain to a person who is not in a position to correct the + difficulty. 4. To purposely annoy another person verbally. 5. To + evangelize. See [11070]flame. 6. Also used to describe a less negative + form of blather, such as friendly bullshitting. `Rave' differs + slightly from [11071]flame in that `rave' implies that it is the + persistence or obliviousness of the person speaking that is annoying, + while [11072]flame implies somewhat more strongly that the tone or + content is offensive as well. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rave on!, Next:[11073]ravs, Previous:[11074]rave, Up:[11075]= R = + + rave on! imp. + + Sarcastic invitation to continue a [11076]rave, often by someone who + wishes the raver would get a clue but realizes this is unlikely. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ravs, Next:[11077]raw mode, Previous:[11078]rave on!, Up:[11079]= + R = + + ravs /ravz/, also `Chinese ravs' n. + + [primarily MIT/Boston usage] Jiao-zi (steamed or boiled) or Guo-tie + (pan-fried). A Chinese appetizer, known variously in the plural as + dumplings, pot stickers (the literal translation of guo-tie), and + (around Boston) `Peking Ravioli'. The term `rav' is short for + `ravioli', and among hackers always means the Chinese kind rather than + the Italian kind. Both consist of a filling in a pasta shell, but the + Chinese kind includes no cheese, uses a thinner pasta, has a + pork-vegetable filling (good ones include Chinese chives), and is + cooked differently, either by steaming or frying. A rav or dumpling + can be cooked any way, but a potsticker is always the pan-fried kind + (so called because it sticks to the frying pot and has to be scraped + off). "Let's get hot-and-sour soup and three orders of ravs." See also + [11080]oriental food. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:raw mode, Next:[11081]RBL, Previous:[11082]ravs, Up:[11083]= R = + + raw mode n. + + A mode that allows a program to transfer bits directly to or from an + I/O device (or, under [11084]bogus operating systems that make a + distinction, a disk file) without any processing, abstraction, or + interpretation by the operating system. Compare [11085]rare mode, + [11086]cooked mode. This is techspeak under Unix, jargon elsewhere. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RBL, Next:[11087]rc file, Previous:[11088]raw mode, Up:[11089]= R + = + + RBL /R-B-L/ + + Abbreviation: "Realtime Blackhole List". A service that allows people + to blacklist sites for emitting [11090]spam, and makes the blacklist + available in real time to electronic-mail transport programs that know + how to use RBL so they can filter out mail from those sites. Drastic + (and controversial) but effective. There is an [11091]RBL home page. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rc file, Next:[11092]RE, Previous:[11093]RBL, Up:[11094]= R = + + rc file /R-C fi:l/ n. + + [Unix: from `runcom files' on the [11095]CTSS system 1962-63, via the + startup script /etc/rc] Script file containing startup instructions + for an application program (or an entire operating system), usually a + text file containing commands of the sort that might have been invoked + manually once the system was running but are to be executed + automatically each time the system starts up. See also [11096]dot + file, [11097]profile (sense 1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RE, Next:[11098]read-only user, Previous:[11099]rc file, + Up:[11100]= R = + + RE /R-E/ n. + + Common spoken and written shorthand for [11101]regexp. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:read-only user, Next:[11102]README file, Previous:[11103]RE, + Up:[11104]= R = + + read-only user n. + + Describes a [11105]luser who uses computers almost exclusively for + reading Usenet, bulletin boards, and/or email, rather than writing + code or purveying useful information. See [11106]twink, + [11107]terminal junkie, [11108]lurker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:README file, Next:[11109]real, Previous:[11110]read-only user, + Up:[11111]= R = + + README file n. + + Hacker's-eye introduction traditionally included in the top-level + directory of a Unix source distribution, containing a pointer to more + detailed documentation, credits, miscellaneous revision history, + notes, etc. (The file may be named README, or READ.ME, or rarely + ReadMe or readme.txt or some other variant.) In the Mac and PC worlds, + software is not usually distributed in source form, and the README is + more likely to contain user-oriented material like last-minute + documentation changes, error workarounds, and restrictions. When + asked, hackers invariably relate the README convention to the famous + scene in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" in which + Alice confronts magic munchies labeled "Eat Me" and "Drink Me". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:real, Next:[11112]real estate, Previous:[11113]README file, + Up:[11114]= R = + + real adj. + + Not simulated. Often used as a specific antonym to [11115]virtual in + any of its jargon senses. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:real estate, Next:[11116]real hack, Previous:[11117]real, + Up:[11118]= R = + + real estate n. + + May be used for any critical resource measured in units of area. Most + frequently used of `chip real estate', the area available for logic on + the surface of an integrated circuit (see also [11119]nanoacre). May + also be used of floor space in a [11120]dinosaur pen, or even space on + a crowded desktop (whether physical or electronic). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:real hack, Next:[11121]real operating system, + Previous:[11122]real estate, Up:[11123]= R = + + real hack n. + + A [11124]crock. This is sometimes used affectionately; see + [11125]hack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:real operating system, Next:[11126]Real Programmer, + Previous:[11127]real hack, Up:[11128]= R = + + real operating system n. + + The sort the speaker is used to. People from the BSDophilic academic + community are likely to issue comments like "System V? Why don't you + use a real operating system?", people from the commercial/industrial + Unix sector are known to complain "BSD? Why don't you use a real + operating system?", and people from IBM object "Unix? Why don't you + use a real operating system?" Only [11129]MS-DOS is universally + considered unreal. See [11130]holy wars, [11131]religious issues, + [11132]proprietary, [11133]Get a real computer! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Real Programmer, Next:[11134]Real Soon Now, Previous:[11135]real + operating system, Up:[11136]= R = + + Real Programmer n. + + [indirectly, from the book "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche"] A particular + sub-variety of hacker: one possessed of a flippant attitude toward + complexity that is arrogant even when justified by experience. The + archetypal `Real Programmer' likes to program on the [11137]bare metal + and is very good at same, remembers the binary opcodes for every + machine he has ever programmed, thinks that HLLs are sissy, and uses a + debugger to edit his code because full-screen editors are for wimps. + Real Programmers aren't satisfied with code that hasn't been + [11138]bummed into a state of [11139]tenseness just short of rupture. + Real Programmers never use comments or write documentation: "If it was + hard to write", says the Real Programmer, "it should be hard to + understand." Real Programmers can make machines do things that were + never in their spec sheets; in fact, they are seldom really happy + unless doing so. A Real Programmer's code can awe with its fiendish + brilliance, even as its crockishness appalls. Real Programmers live on + junk food and coffee, hang line-printer art on their walls, and + terrify the crap out of other programmers -- because someday, somebody + else might have to try to understand their code in order to change it. + Their successors generally consider it a [11140]Good Thing that there + aren't many Real Programmers around any more. For a famous (and + somewhat more positive) portrait of a Real Programmer, see "[11141]The + Story of Mel" in Appendix A. The term itself was popularized by a 1983 + Datamation article "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal" by Ed Post, + still circulating on Usenet and Internet in on-line form. You can + browse "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal" from the Datamation home + page [11142]http://www.datamation.com. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Real Soon Now, Next:[11143]real time, Previous:[11144]Real + Programmer, Up:[11145]= R = + + Real Soon Now adv. + + [orig. from SF's fanzine community, popularized by Jerry Pournelle's + column in "BYTE"] 1. Supposed to be available (or fixed, or cheap, or + whatever) real soon now according to somebody, but the speaker is + quite skeptical. 2. When one's gods, fates, or other time commitments + permit one to get to it (in other words, don't hold your breath). + Often abbreviated RSN. Compare [11146]copious free time. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:real time, Next:[11147]real user, Previous:[11148]Real Soon Now, + Up:[11149]= R = + + real time + + 1. [techspeak] adj. Describes an application which requires a program + to respond to stimuli within some small upper limit of response time + (typically milli- or microseconds). Process control at a chemical + plant is the [11150]canonical example. Such applications often require + special operating systems (because everything else must take a back + seat to response time) and speed-tuned hardware. 2. adv. In jargon, + refers to doing something while people are watching or waiting. "I + asked her how to find the calling procedure's program counter on the + stack and she came up with an algorithm in real time." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:real user, Next:[11151]Real World, Previous:[11152]real time, + Up:[11153]= R = + + real user n. + + 1. A commercial user. One who is paying real money for his computer + usage. 2. A non-hacker. Someone using the system for an explicit + purpose (a research project, a course, etc.) other than pure + exploration. See [11154]user. Hackers who are also students may also + be real users. "I need this fixed so I can do a problem set. I'm not + complaining out of randomness, but as a real user." See also + [11155]luser. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Real World, Next:[11156]reality check, Previous:[11157]real user, + Up:[11158]= R = + + Real World n. + + 1. Those institutions at which `programming' may be used in the same + sentence as `FORTRAN', `[11159]COBOL', `RPG', `[11160]IBM', `DBASE', + etc. Places where programs do such commercially necessary but + intellectually uninspiring things as generating payroll checks and + invoices. 2. The location of non-programmers and activities not + related to programming. 3. A bizarre dimension in which the standard + dress is shirt and tie and in which a person's working hours are + defined as 9 to 5 (see [11161]code grinder). 4. Anywhere outside a + university. "Poor fellow, he's left MIT and gone into the Real World." + Used pejoratively by those not in residence there. In conversation, + talking of someone who has entered the Real World is not unlike + speaking of a deceased person. It is also noteworthy that on the + campus of Cambridge University in England, there is a gaily-painted + lamp-post which bears the label `REALITY CHECKPOINT'. It marks the + boundary between university and the Real World; check your notions of + reality before passing. This joke is funnier because the Cambridge + `campus' is actually coextensive with the center of Cambridge town. + See also [11162]fear and loathing, [11163]mundane, and + [11164]uninteresting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:reality check, Next:[11165]reality-distortion field, + Previous:[11166]Real World, Up:[11167]= R = + + reality check n. + + 1. The simplest kind of test of software or hardware; doing the + equivalent of asking it what 2 + 2 is and seeing if you get 4. The + software equivalent of a [11168]smoke test. 2. The act of letting a + [11169]real user try out prototype software. Compare [11170]sanity + check. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:reality-distortion field, Next:[11171]reaper, + Previous:[11172]reality check, Up:[11173]= R = + + reality-distortion field n. + + An expression used to describe the persuasive ability of managers like + Steve Jobs (the term originated at Apple in the 1980s to describe his + peculiar charisma). Those close to these managers become passionately + committed to possibly insane projects, without regard to the + practicality of their implementation or competitive forces in the + marketpace. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:reaper, Next:[11174]recompile the world, + Previous:[11175]reality-distortion field, Up:[11176]= R = + + reaper n. + + A [11177]prowler that [11178]GFRs files. A file removed in this way is + said to have been `reaped'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:recompile the world, Next:[11179]rectangle slinger, + Previous:[11180]reaper, Up:[11181]= R = + + recompile the world + + The surprisingly large amount of work that needs to be done as the + result of any small but globally visible program change. "The world" + may mean the entirety of some huge program, or may in theory refer to + every program of a certain class in the entire known universe. For + instance, "Add one #define to stdio.h, and you have to recompile the + world." This means that any minor change to the standard-I/O header + file theoretically mandates recompiling every C program in existence, + even if only to verify that the change didn't screw something else up. + In practice, you may not actually have to recompile the world, but the + implication is that some human cleverness is required to figure out + what parts can be safely left out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rectangle slinger, Next:[11182]recursion, + Previous:[11183]recompile the world, Up:[11184]= R = + + rectangle slinger n. + + See [11185]polygon pusher. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:recursion, Next:[11186]recursive acronym, + Previous:[11187]rectangle slinger, Up:[11188]= R = + + recursion n. + + See [11189]recursion. See also [11190]tail recursion. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:recursive acronym, Next:[11191]Red Book, + Previous:[11192]recursion, Up:[11193]= R = + + recursive acronym n. + + A hackish (and especially MIT) tradition is to choose + acronyms/abbreviations that refer humorously to themselves or to other + acronyms/abbreviations. The classic examples were two MIT editors + called EINE ("EINE Is Not EMACS") and ZWEI ("ZWEI Was EINE + Initially"). More recently, there is a Scheme compiler called LIAR + (Liar Imitates Apply Recursively), and [11194]GNU (q.v., sense 1) + stands for "GNU's Not Unix!" -- and a company with the name Cygnus, + which expands to "Cygnus, Your GNU Support" (though Cygnus people say + this is a [11195]backronym). See also [11196]mung, [11197]EMACS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Red Book, Next:[11198]red wire, Previous:[11199]recursive + acronym, Up:[11200]= R = + + Red Book n. + + 1. Informal name for one of the four standard references on + [11201]PostScript ("PostScript Language Reference Manual", Adobe + Systems (Addison-Wesley, 1985; QA76.73.P67P67; ISBN 0-201-10174-2, or + the 1990 second edition ISBN 0-201-18127-4); the others are known as + the [11202]Green Book, the [11203]Blue Book, and the [11204]White Book + (sense 2). 2. Informal name for one of the 3 standard references on + Smalltalk ("Smalltalk-80: The Interactive Programming Environment" by + Adele Goldberg (Addison-Wesley, 1984; QA76.8.S635G638; ISBN + 0-201-11372-4); this too is associated with blue and green books). 3. + Any of the 1984 standards issued by the CCITT eighth plenary assembly. + These include, among other things, the X.400 email spec and the Group + 1 through 4 fax standards. 4. The new version of the [11205]Green Book + (sense 4) -- IEEE 1003.1-1990, a.k.a ISO 9945-1 -- is (because of the + color and the fact that it is printed on A4 paper) known in the USA as + "the Ugly Red Book That Won't Fit On The Shelf" and in Europe as "the + Ugly Red Book That's A Sensible Size". 5. The NSA "Trusted Network + Interpretation" companion to the [11206]Orange Book. 6. Nemeth, + Snyder, Seebass, Hein; "Unix System Administration Handbook, Second + Edition" (Prentice Hall PTR, New Jersey; 1995; QA76.76.063N45; ISBN + 0-13-151051-7). See also [11207]book titles. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:red wire, Next:[11208]regexp, Previous:[11209]Red Book, + Up:[11210]= R = + + red wire n. + + [IBM] Patch wires installed by programmers who have no business + mucking with the hardware. It is said that the only thing more + dangerous than a hardware guy with a code patch is a [11211]softy with + a soldering iron.... Compare [11212]blue wire, [11213]yellow wire, + [11214]purple wire. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:regexp, Next:[11215]register dancing, Previous:[11216]red wire, + Up:[11217]= R = + + regexp /reg'eksp/ n. + + [Unix] (alt. `regex' or `reg-ex') 1. Common written and spoken + abbreviation for `regular expression', one of the wildcard patterns + used, e.g., by Unix utilities such as grep(1), sed(1), and awk(1). + These use conventions similar to but more elaborate than those + described under [11218]glob. For purposes of this lexicon, it is + sufficient to note that regexps also allow complemented character sets + using ^; thus, one can specify `any non-alphabetic character' with + [^A-Za-z]. 2. Name of a well-known PD regexp-handling package in + portable C, written by revered Usenetter Henry Spencer + [11219]<henry@zoo.toronto.edu>. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:register dancing, Next:[11220]rehi, Previous:[11221]regexp, + Up:[11222]= R = + + register dancing n. + + Many older processor architectures suffer from a serious shortage of + general-purpose registers. This is especially a problem for + compiler-writers, because their generated code needs places to store + temporaries for things like intermediate values in expression + evaluation. Some designs with this problem, like the Intel 80x86, do + have a handful of special-purpose registers that can be pressed into + service, providing suitable care is taken to avoid unpleasant side + effects on the state of the processor: while the special-purpose + register is being used to hold an intermediate value, a delicate + minuet is required in which the previous value of the register is + saved and then restored just before the official function (and value) + of the special-purpose register is again needed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rehi, Next:[11223]reincarnation cycle of, + Previous:[11224]register dancing, Up:[11225]= R = + + rehi + + [IRC, MUD] "Hello again." Very commonly used to greet people upon + returning to an IRC channel after [11226]channel hopping. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:reincarnation cycle of, Next:[11227]reinvent the wheel, + Previous:[11228]rehi, Up:[11229]= R = + + reincarnation, cycle of n. + + See [11230]cycle of reincarnation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:reinvent the wheel, Next:[11231]relay rape, + Previous:[11232]reincarnation cycle of, Up:[11233]= R = + + reinvent the wheel v. + + To design or implement a tool equivalent to an existing one or part of + one, with the implication that doing so is silly or a waste of time. + This is often a valid criticism. On the other hand, automobiles don't + use wooden rollers, and some kinds of wheel have to be reinvented many + times before you get them right. On the third hand, people reinventing + the wheel do tend to come up with the moral equivalent of a trapezoid + with an offset axle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:relay rape, Next:[11234]religion of CHI, Previous:[11235]reinvent + the wheel, Up:[11236]= R = + + relay rape n. + + The hijacking of a third party's unsecured mail server to deliver + [11237]spam. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:religion of CHI, Next:[11238]religious issues, + Previous:[11239]relay rape, Up:[11240]= R = + + religion of CHI /ki:/ n. + + [Case Western Reserve University] Yet another hackish parody religion + (see also [11241]Church of the SubGenius, [11242]Discordianism). In + the mid-70s, the canonical "Introduction to Programming" courses at + CWRU were taught in Algol, and student exercises were punched on cards + and run on a Univac 1108 system using a homebrew operating system + named CHI. The religion had no doctrines and but one ritual: whenever + the worshipper noted that a digital clock read 11:08, he or she would + recite the phrase "It is 11:08; ABS, ALPHABETIC, ARCSIN, ARCCOS, + ARCTAN." The last five words were the first five functions in the + appropriate chapter of the Algol manual; note the special + pronunciations /obz/ and /ark'sin/ rather than the more common /ahbz/ + and /ark'si:n/. Using an alarm clock to warn of 11:08's arrival was + [11243]considered harmful. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:religious issues, Next:[11244]replicator, + Previous:[11245]religion of CHI, Up:[11246]= R = + + religious issues n. + + Questions which seemingly cannot be raised without touching off + [11247]holy wars, such as "What is the best operating system (or + editor, language, architecture, shell, mail reader, news reader)?", + "What about that Heinlein guy, eh?", "What should we add to the new + Jargon File?" See [11248]holy wars; see also [11249]theology, + [11250]bigot. + + This term is a prime example of [11251]ha ha only serious. People + actually develop the most amazing and religiously intense attachments + to their tools, even when the tools are intangible. The most + constructive thing one can do when one stumbles into the crossfire is + mumble [11252]Get a life! and leave -- unless, of course, one's own + unassailably rational and obviously correct choices are being slammed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:replicator, Next:[11253]reply, Previous:[11254]religious issues, + Up:[11255]= R = + + replicator n. + + Any construct that acts to produce copies of itself; this could be a + living organism, an idea (see [11256]meme), a program (see + [11257]quine, [11258]worm, [11259]wabbit, [11260]fork bomb, and + [11261]virus), a pattern in a cellular automaton (see [11262]life, + sense 1), or (speculatively) a robot or [11263]nanobot. It is even + claimed by some that [11264]Unix and [11265]C are the symbiotic halves + of an extremely successful replicator; see [11266]Unix conspiracy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:reply, Next:[11267]restriction, Previous:[11268]replicator, + Up:[11269]= R = + + reply n. + + See [11270]followup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:restriction, Next:[11271]retcon, Previous:[11272]reply, + Up:[11273]= R = + + restriction n. + + A [11274]bug or design error that limits a program's capabilities, and + which is sufficiently egregious that nobody can quite work up enough + nerve to describe it as a [11275]feature. Often used (esp. by + [11276]marketroid types) to make it sound as though some crippling + bogosity had been intended by the designers all along, or was forced + upon them by arcane technical constraints of a nature no mere user + could possibly comprehend (these claims are almost invariably false). + + Old-time hacker Joseph M. Newcomer advises that whenever choosing a + quantifiable but arbitrary restriction, you should make it either a + power of 2 or a power of 2 minus 1. If you impose a limit of 107 items + in a list, everyone will know it is a random number -- on the other + hand, a limit of 15 or 16 suggests some deep reason (involving 0- or + 1-based indexing in binary) and you will get less [11277]flamage for + it. Limits which are round numbers in base 10 are always especially + suspect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:retcon, Next:[11278]RETI, Previous:[11279]restriction, + Up:[11280]= R = + + retcon /ret'kon/ + + [short for `retroactive continuity', from the Usenet newsgroup + rec.arts.comics] 1. n. The common situation in pulp fiction (esp. + comics or soap operas) where a new story `reveals' things about events + in previous stories, usually leaving the `facts' the same (thus + preserving continuity) while completely changing their interpretation. + For example, revealing that a whole season of "Dallas" was a dream was + a retcon. 2. vt. To write such a story about a character or fictitious + object. "Byrne has retconned Superman's cape so that it is no longer + unbreakable." "Marvelman's old adventures were retconned into + synthetic dreams." "Swamp Thing was retconned from a transformed + person into a sentient vegetable." "Darth Vader was retconned into + Luke Skywalker's father in "The Empire Strikes Back". + + [This term is included because it is a good example of hackish + linguistic innovation in a field completely unrelated to computers. + The word `retcon' will probably spread through comics fandom and lose + its association with hackerdom within a couple of years; for the + record, it started here. --ESR] + + [1993 update: some comics fans on the net now claim that retcon was + independently in use in comics fandom before rec.arts.comics. In + lexicography, nothing is ever simple. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RETI, Next:[11281]retrocomputing, Previous:[11282]retcon, + Up:[11283]= R = + + RETI v. + + Syn. [11284]RTI + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:retrocomputing, Next:[11285]return from the dead, + Previous:[11286]RETI, Up:[11287]= R = + + retrocomputing /ret'-roh-k*m-pyoo'ting/ n. + + Refers to emulations of way-behind-the-state-of-the-art hardware or + software, or implementations of never-was-state-of-the-art; esp. if + such implementations are elaborate practical jokes and/or parodies, + written mostly for [11288]hack value, of more `serious' designs. + Perhaps the most widely distributed retrocomputing utility was the + pnch(6) or bcd(6) program on V7 and other early Unix versions, which + would accept up to 80 characters of text argument and display the + corresponding pattern in [11289]punched card code. Other well-known + retrocomputing hacks have included the programming language + [11290]INTERCAL, a [11291]JCL-emulating shell for Unix, the + card-punch-emulating editor named 029, and various elaborate PDP-11 + hardware emulators and RT-11 OS emulators written just to keep an old, + sourceless [11292]Zork binary running. + + A tasty selection of retrocomputing programs are made available at the + Retrocomputing Museum, [11293]http://www.ccil.org/retro. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:return from the dead, Next:[11294]RFC, + Previous:[11295]retrocomputing, Up:[11296]= R = + + return from the dead v. + + To regain access to the net after a long absence. Compare + [11297]person of no account. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RFC, Next:[11298]RFE, Previous:[11299]return from the dead, + Up:[11300]= R = + + RFC /R-F-C/ n. + + [Request For Comment] One of a long-established series of numbered + Internet informational documents and standards widely followed by + commercial software and freeware in the Internet and Unix communities. + Perhaps the single most influential one has been RFC-822 (the Internet + mail-format standard). The RFCs are unusual in that they are floated + by technical experts acting on their own initiative and reviewed by + the Internet at large, rather than formally promulgated through an + institution such as ANSI. For this reason, they remain known as RFCs + even once adopted as standards. + + The RFC tradition of pragmatic, experience-driven, after-the-fact + standard writing done by individuals or small working groups has + important advantages over the more formal, committee-driven process + typical of ANSI or ISO. Emblematic of some of these advantages is the + existence of a flourishing tradition of `joke' RFCs; usually at least + one a year is published, usually on April 1st. Well-known joke RFCs + have included 527 ("ARPAWOCKY", R. Merryman, UCSD; 22 June 1973), 748 + ("Telnet Randomly-Lose Option", Mark R. Crispin; 1 April 1978), and + 1149 ("A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian + Carriers", D. Waitzman, BBN STC; 1 April 1990). The first was a Lewis + Carroll pastiche; the second a parody of the TCP-IP documentation + style, and the third a deadpan skewering of standards-document + legalese, describing protocols for transmitting Internet data packets + by carrier pigeon. + + The RFCs are most remarkable for how well they work -- they manage to + have neither the ambiguities that are usually rife in informal + specifications, nor the committee-perpetrated misfeatures that often + haunt formal standards, and they define a network that has grown to + truly worldwide proportions. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RFE, Next:[11301]rib site, Previous:[11302]RFC, Up:[11303]= R = + + RFE /R-F-E/ n. + + 1. [techspeak] Request For Enhancement (compare [11304]RFC). 2. [from + `Radio Free Europe', Bellcore and Sun] Radio Free Ethernet, a system + (originated by Peter Langston) for broadcasting audio among Sun + SPARCstations over the ethernet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rib site, Next:[11305]rice box, Previous:[11306]RFE, Up:[11307]= + R = + + rib site n. + + [by analogy with [11308]backbone site] A machine that has an on-demand + high-speed link to a [11309]backbone site and serves as a regional + distribution point for lots of third-party traffic in email and Usenet + news. Compare [11310]leaf site, [11311]backbone site. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rice box, Next:[11312]Right Thing, Previous:[11313]rib site, + Up:[11314]= R = + + rice box n. + + [from ham radio slang] Any Asian-made commodity computer, esp. an + 80x86-based machine built to IBM PC-compatible ISA or EISA-bus + standards. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Right Thing, Next:[11315]rip, Previous:[11316]rice box, + Up:[11317]= R = + + Right Thing n. + + That which is compellingly the correct or appropriate thing to use, + do, say, etc. Often capitalized, always emphasized in speech as though + capitalized. Use of this term often implies that in fact reasonable + people may disagree. "What's the right thing for LISP to do when it + sees (mod a 0)? Should it return a, or give a divide-by-0 error?" + Oppose [11318]Wrong Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rip, Next:[11319]ripoff, Previous:[11320]Right Thing, Up:[11321]= + R = + + rip v. + + 1. To extract the digital representation of a piece of music from an + audio CD. Software that does this is often called a "CD ripper". 2. + [Amiga hackers] To extract sound or graphics from a program that they + have been compiled/assembled into, or which generates them at + run-time. In the case of older Amiga games this entails searching + through memory shortly after a reboot. This sense has been in use for + many years and probably gave rise to the (now more common) sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ripoff, Next:[11322]RL, Previous:[11323]rip, Up:[11324]= R = + + ripoff n. + + Synonym for [11325]chad, sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RL, Next:[11326]roach, Previous:[11327]ripoff, Up:[11328]= R = + + RL // n. + + [MUD community] Real Life. "Firiss laughs in RL" means that Firiss's + player is laughing. Compare [11329]meatspace; oppose [11330]VR. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:roach, Next:[11331]robocanceller, Previous:[11332]RL, Up:[11333]= + R = + + roach vt. + + [Bell Labs] To destroy, esp. of a data structure. Hardware gets + [11334]toasted or [11335]fried, software gets roached. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:robocanceller, Next:[11336]robot, Previous:[11337]roach, + Up:[11338]= R = + + robocanceller /roh-boh-kan'sel-*r/ + + A program that monitors Usenet feeds, attempting to detect and + eliminate [11339]spam by sending appropriate cancel messages . + Robocancellers may use the [11340]Breidbart Index as a trigger. + Programming them is not a game for amateurs; see [11341]ARMM. See also + [11342]Dave the Resurrector. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:robot, Next:[11343]robust, Previous:[11344]robocanceller, + Up:[11345]= R = + + robot n. + + See [11346]bot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:robust, Next:[11347]rococo, Previous:[11348]robot, Up:[11349]= R + = + + robust adj. + + Said of a system that has demonstrated an ability to recover + gracefully from the whole range of exceptional inputs and situations + in a given environment. One step below [11350]bulletproof. Carries the + additional connotation of elegance in addition to just careful + attention to detail. Compare [11351]smart, oppose [11352]brittle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rococo, Next:[11353]rogue, Previous:[11354]robust, Up:[11355]= R + = + + rococo adj. + + Terminally [11356]baroque. Used to imply that a program has become so + encrusted with the software equivalent of gold leaf and curlicues that + they have completely swamped the underlying design. Called after the + later and more extreme forms of Baroque architecture and decoration + prevalent during the mid-1700s in Europe. Alan Perlis said: "Every + program eventually becomes rococo, and then rubble." Compare + [11357]critical mass. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rogue, Next:[11358]room-temperature IQ, Previous:[11359]rococo, + Up:[11360]= R = + + rogue + + 1. [Unix] n. A Dungeons-and-Dragons-like game using character + graphics, written under BSD Unix and subsequently ported to other Unix + systems. The original BSD curses(3) screen-handling package was hacked + together by Ken Arnold primarily to support games, and the development + of rogue(6) popularized its use; it has since become one of Unix's + most important and heavily used application libraries. Nethack, Omega, + Larn, Angband, and an entire subgenre of computer dungeon games (all + known as `roguelikes') all took off from the inspiration provided by + rogue(6); the popular Windows game Diablo, though graphics-intensive, + has very similar play logic. See also [11361]nethack. 2. [Usenet] adj. + An [11362]ISP which permits net abuse (usually in the form of + [11363]spamming) by its customers, or which itself engages in such + activities. Rogue ISPs are sometimes subject to [11364]IDPs or + [11365]UDPs. Sometimes deliberately mispelled as "rouge". See also + [11366]nethack, [11367]moria, [11368]Angband. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:room-temperature IQ, Next:[11369]root, Previous:[11370]rogue, + Up:[11371]= R = + + room-temperature IQ quant. + + [IBM] 80 or below (nominal room temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, + 22 degrees Celsius). Used in describing the expected intelligence + range of the [11372]luser. "Well, but how's this interface going to + play with the room-temperature IQ crowd?" See [11373]drool-proof + paper. This is a much more insulting phrase in countries that use + Celsius thermometers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:root, Next:[11374]root mode, Previous:[11375]room-temperature IQ, + Up:[11376]= R = + + root n. + + [Unix] 1. The [11377]superuser account (with user name `root') that + ignores permission bits, user number 0 on a Unix system. The term + [11378]avatar is also used. 2. The top node of the system directory + structure; historically the home directory of the root user, but + probably named after the root of an (inverted) tree. 3. By extension, + the privileged system-maintenance login on any OS. See [11379]root + mode, [11380]go root, see also [11381]wheel. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:root mode, Next:[11382]rot13, Previous:[11383]root, Up:[11384]= R + = + + root mode n. + + Syn. with [11385]wizard mode or `wheel mode'. Like these, it is often + generalized to describe privileged states in systems other than OSes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rot13, Next:[11386]rotary debugger, Previous:[11387]root mode, + Up:[11388]= R = + + rot13 /rot ther'teen/ n.,v. + + [Usenet: from `rotate alphabet 13 places'] The simple Caesar-cypher + encryption that replaces each English letter with the one 13 places + forward or back along the alphabet, so that "The butler did it!" + becomes "Gur ohgyre qvq vg!" Most Usenet news reading and posting + programs include a rot13 feature. It is used to enclose the text in a + sealed wrapper that the reader must choose to open -- e.g., for + posting things that might offend some readers, or [11389]spoilers. A + major advantage of rot13 over rot(N) for other N is that it is + self-inverse, so the same code can be used for encoding and decoding. + See also [11390]spoiler space, which has partly displaced rot13 since + non-Unix-based newsreaders became common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rotary debugger, Next:[11391]round tape, Previous:[11392]rot13, + Up:[11393]= R = + + rotary debugger n. + + [Commodore] Essential equipment for those late-night or early-morning + debugging sessions. Mainly used as sustenance for the hacker. Comes in + many decorator colors, such as Sausage, Pepperoni, and Garbage. See + [11394]ANSI standard pizza. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:round tape, Next:[11395]RSN, Previous:[11396]rotary debugger, + Up:[11397]= R = + + round tape n. + + Industry-standard 1/2-inch magnetic tape (7- or 9-track) on + traditional circular reels. See [11398]macrotape, oppose [11399]square + tape. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RSN, Next:[11400]RTBM, Previous:[11401]round tape, Up:[11402]= R + = + + RSN /R-S-N/ adj. + + See [11403]Real Soon Now. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTBM, Next:[11404]RTFAQ, Previous:[11405]RSN, Up:[11406]= R = + + RTBM /R-T-B-M/ imp. + + [Unix] Commonwealth Hackish variant of [11407]RTFM; expands to `Read + The Bloody Manual'. RTBM is often the entire text of the first reply + to a question from a [11408]newbie; the second would escalate to + "RTFM". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTFAQ, Next:[11409]RTFB, Previous:[11410]RTBM, Up:[11411]= R = + + RTFAQ /R-T-F-A-Q/ imp. + + [Usenet: primarily written, by analogy with [11412]RTFM] Abbrev. for + `Read the FAQ!', an exhortation that the person addressed ought to + read the newsgroup's [11413]FAQ list before posting questions. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTFB, Next:[11414]RTFM, Previous:[11415]RTFAQ, Up:[11416]= R = + + RTFB /R-T-F-B/ imp. + + [Unix] Abbreviation for `Read The Fucking Binary'. Used when neither + documentation nor source for the problem at hand exists, and the only + thing to do is use some debugger or monitor and directly analyze the + assembler or even the machine code. "No source for the buggy port + driver? Aaargh! I hate proprietary operating systems. Time to RTFB." + + Of the various RTF? forms, `RTFB' is the least pejorative against + anyone asking a question for which RTFB is the answer; the anger here + is directed at the absence of both source and adequate documentation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTFM, Next:[11417]RTFS, Previous:[11418]RTFB, Up:[11419]= R = + + RTFM /R-T-F-M/ imp. + + [Unix] Abbreviation for `Read The Fucking Manual'. 1. Used by + [11420]gurus to brush off questions they consider trivial or annoying. + Compare [11421]Don't do that then!. 2. Used when reporting a problem + to indicate that you aren't just asking out of [11422]randomness. "No, + I can't figure out how to interface Unix to my toaster, and yes, I + have RTFM." Unlike sense 1, this use is considered polite. See also + [11423]FM, [11424]RTFAQ, [11425]RTFB, [11426]RTFS, [11427]STFW, + [11428]RTM, all of which mutated from RTFM, and compare [11429]UTSL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTFS, Next:[11430]RTI, Previous:[11431]RTFM, Up:[11432]= R = + + RTFS /R-T-F-S/ + + [Unix] 1. imp. Abbreviation for `Read The Fucking Source'. Variant + form of [11433]RTFM, used when the problem at hand is not necessarily + obvious and not answerable from the manuals -- or the manuals are not + yet written and maybe never will be. For even trickier situations, see + [11434]RTFB. Unlike RTFM, the anger inherent in RTFS is not usually + directed at the person asking the question, but rather at the people + who failed to provide adequate documentation. 2. imp. `Read The + Fucking Standard'; this oath can only be used when the problem area + (e.g., a language or operating system interface) has actually been + codified in a ratified standards document. The existence of these + standards documents (and the technically inappropriate but politically + mandated compromises that they inevitably contain, and the + impenetrable [11435]legalese in which they are invariably written, and + the unbelievably tedious bureaucratic process by which they are + produced) can be unnerving to hackers, who are used to a certain + amount of ambiguity in the specifications of the systems they use. + (Hackers feel that such ambiguities are acceptable as long as the + [11436]Right Thing to do is obvious to any thinking observer; sadly, + this casual attitude towards specifications becomes unworkable when a + system becomes popular in the [11437]Real World.) Since a hacker is + likely to feel that a standards document is both unnecessary and + technically deficient, the deprecation inherent in this term may be + directed as much against the standard as against the person who ought + to read it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTI, Next:[11438]RTM, Previous:[11439]RTFS, Up:[11440]= R = + + RTI /R-T-I/ interj. + + The mnemonic for the `return from interrupt' instruction on many + computers including the 6502 and 6800. The variant `RETI' is found + among former Z80 hackers (almost nobody programs these things in + assembler anymore). Equivalent to "Now, where was I?" or used to end a + conversational digression. See [11441]pop; see also [11442]POPJ. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTM, Next:[11443]RTS, Previous:[11444]RTI, Up:[11445]= R = + + RTM /R-T-M/ + + [Usenet: abbreviation for `Read The Manual'] 1. Politer variant of + [11446]RTFM. 2. Robert Tappan Morris, perpetrator of the great + Internet worm of 1988 (see [11447]Great Worm); villain to many, naive + hacker gone wrong to a few. Morris claimed that the worm that brought + the Internet to its knees was a benign experiment that got out of + control as the result of a coding error. After the storm of negative + publicity that followed this blunder, Morris's username on ITS was + hacked from RTM to [11448]RTFM. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:RTS, Next:[11449]rude, Previous:[11450]RTM, Up:[11451]= R = + + RTS /R-T-S/ imp. + + Abbreviation for `Read The Screen'. Mainly used by hackers in the + microcomputer world. Refers to what one would like to tell the + [11452]suit one is forced to explain an extremely simple application + to. Particularly appropriate when the suit failed to notice the `Press + any key to continue' prompt, and wishes to know `why won't it do + anything'. Also seen as `RTFS' in especially deserving cases. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rude, Next:[11453]runes, Previous:[11454]RTS, Up:[11455]= R = + + rude [WPI] adj. + + 1. (of a program) Badly written. 2. Functionally poor, e.g., a program + that is very difficult to use because of gratuitously poor (random?) + design decisions. Oppose [11456]cuspy. 3. Anything that manipulates a + shared resource without regard for its other users in such a way as to + cause a (non-fatal) problem. Examples: programs that change tty modes + without resetting them on exit, or windowing programs that keep + forcing themselves to the top of the window stack. Compare + [11457]all-elbows. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:runes, Next:[11458]runic, Previous:[11459]rude, Up:[11460]= R = + + runes pl.n. + + 1. Anything that requires [11461]heavy wizardry or [11462]black art to + [11463]parse: core dumps, JCL commands, APL, or code in a language you + haven't a clue how to read. Not quite as bad as [11464]line noise, but + close. Compare [11465]casting the runes, [11466]Great Runes. 2. + Special display characters (for example, the high-half graphics on an + IBM PC). 3. [borderline techspeak] 16-bit characters from the Unicode + multilingual character set. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:runic, Next:[11467]rusty iron, Previous:[11468]runes, Up:[11469]= + R = + + runic adj. + + Syn. [11470]obscure. VMS fans sometimes refer to Unix as `Runix'; Unix + fans return the compliment by expanding VMS to `Very Messy Syntax' or + `Vachement Mauvais Système' (French idiom, "Hugely Bad System"). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rusty iron, Next:[11471]rusty memory, Previous:[11472]runic, + Up:[11473]= R = + + rusty iron n. + + Syn. [11474]tired iron. It has been claimed that this is the + inevitable fate of [11475]water MIPS. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rusty memory, Next:[11476]rusty wire, Previous:[11477]rusty iron, + Up:[11478]= R = + + rusty memory n. + + Mass-storage that uses iron-oxide-based magnetic media (esp. tape and + the pre-Winchester removable disk packs used in [11479]washing + machines). Compare [11480]donuts. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:rusty wire, Next:[11481]S/N ratio, Previous:[11482]rusty memory, + Up:[11483]= R = + + rusty wire n. + + [Amateur Packet Radio] Any very noisy network medium, in which the + packets are subject to frequent corruption. Most prevalent in + reference to wireless links subject to all the vagaries of RF noise + and marginal propagation conditions. "Yes, but how good is your + whizbang new protocol on really rusty wire?". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= S =, Next:[11484]= T =, Previous:[11485]= R =, Up:[11486]The + Jargon Lexicon + += S = + + * [11487]S/N ratio: + * [11488]sacred: + * [11489]saga: + * [11490]sagan: + * [11491]SAIL: + * [11492]salescritter: + * [11493]salt: + * [11494]salt mines: + * [11495]salt substrate: + * [11496]same-day service: + * [11497]samizdat: + * [11498]samurai: + * [11499]sandbender: + * [11500]sandbox: + * [11501]sanity check: + * [11502]Saturday-night special: + * [11503]say: + * [11504]scag: + * [11505]scanno: + * [11506]scary devil monastery: + * [11507]schroedinbug: + * [11508]science-fiction fandom: + * [11509]scram switch: + * [11510]scratch: + * [11511]scratch monkey: + * [11512]scream and die: + * [11513]screaming tty: + * [11514]screen: + * [11515]screen name: + * [11516]screw: + * [11517]screwage: + * [11518]scribble: + * [11519]script kiddies: + * [11520]scrog: + * [11521]scrool: + * [11522]scrozzle: + * [11523]scruffies: + * [11524]SCSI: + * [11525]ScumOS: + * [11526]search-and-destroy mode: + * [11527]second-system effect: + * [11528]secondary damage: + * [11529]security through obscurity: + * [11530]SED: + * [11531]segfault: + * [11532]seggie: + * [11533]segment: + * [11534]segmentation fault: + * [11535]segv: + * [11536]self-reference: + * [11537]selvage: + * [11538]semi: + * [11539]semi-automated: + * [11540]semi-infinite: + * [11541]senior bit: + * [11542]September that never ended: + * [11543]server: + * [11544]SEX: + * [11545]sex changer: + * [11546]shambolic link: + * [11547]shar file: + * [11548]sharchive: + * [11549]Share and enjoy!: + * [11550]shareware: + * [11551]sharing violation: + * [11552]shebang: + * [11553]shelfware: + * [11554]shell: + * [11555]shell out: + * [11556]shift left (or right) logical: + * [11557]shim: + * [11558]shitogram: + * [11559]short card: + * [11560]shotgun debugging: + * [11561]shovelware: + * [11562]showstopper: + * [11563]shriek: + * [11564]Shub-Internet: + * [11565]sidecar: + * [11566]SIG: + * [11567]sig block: + * [11568]sig quote: + * [11569]sig virus: + * [11570]signal-to-noise ratio: + * [11571]silicon: + * [11572]silly walk: + * [11573]silo: + * [11574]Silver Book: + * [11575]since time T equals minus infinity: + * [11576]sitename: + * [11577]skrog: + * [11578]skulker: + * [11579]slab: + * [11580]slack: + * [11581]slap on the side: + * [11582]slash: + * [11583]slashdot effect: + * [11584]sleep: + * [11585]slim: + * [11586]slop: + * [11587]slopsucker: + * [11588]Slowlaris: + * [11589]slurp: + * [11590]smart: + * [11591]smart terminal: + * [11592]smash case: + * [11593]smash the stack: + * [11594]smiley: + * [11595]smoke: + * [11596]smoke and mirrors: + * [11597]smoke test: + * [11598]smoking clover: + * [11599]smoot: + * [11600]SMOP: + * [11601]smurf: + * [11602]SNAFU principle: + * [11603]snail: + * [11604]snail-mail: + * [11605]snap: + * [11606]snarf: + * [11607]snarf & barf: + * [11608]snarf down: + * [11609]snark: + * [11610]sneaker: + * [11611]sneakernet: + * [11612]sniff: + * [11613]snivitz: + * [11614]'Snooze: + * [11615]SO: + * [11616]social engineering: + * [11617]social science number: + * [11618]sock puppet: + * [11619]sodium substrate: + * [11620]soft boot: + * [11621]softcopy: + * [11622]software bloat: + * [11623]software hoarding: + * [11624]software laser: + * [11625]software rot: + * [11626]softwarily: + * [11627]softy: + * [11628]some random X: + * [11629]sorcerer's apprentice mode: + * [11630]SOS: + * [11631]source: + * [11632]source of all good bits: + * [11633]space-cadet keyboard: + * [11634]spaceship operator: + * [11635]SPACEWAR: + * [11636]spaghetti code: + * [11637]spaghetti inheritance: + * [11638]spam: + * [11639]spam bait: + * [11640]spamblock: + * [11641]spamhaus: + * [11642]spamvertize: + * [11643]spangle: + * [11644]spawn: + * [11645]special-case: + * [11646]speedometer: + * [11647]spell: + * [11648]spelling flame: + * [11649]spider: + * [11650]spider food: + * [11651]spiffy: + * [11652]spike: + * [11653]spin: + * [11654]spl: + * [11655]splash screen: + * [11656]splat: + * [11657]splat out: + * [11658]spod: + * [11659]spoiler: + * [11660]spoiler space: + * [11661]sponge: + * [11662]spoof: + * [11663]spool: + * [11664]spool file: + * [11665]spungle: + * [11666]square tape: + * [11667]squirrelcide: + * [11668]stack: + * [11669]stack puke: + * [11670]stale pointer bug: + * [11671]star out: + * [11672]state: + * [11673]stealth manager: + * [11674]steam-powered: + * [11675]STFW: + * [11676]stiffy: + * [11677]stir-fried random: + * [11678]stomp on: + * [11679]Stone Age: + * [11680]stone knives and bearskins: + * [11681]stoppage: + * [11682]store: + * [11683]strided: + * [11684]stroke: + * [11685]strudel: + * [11686]stubroutine: + * [11687]studly: + * [11688]studlycaps: + * [11689]stunning: + * [11690]stupid-sort: + * [11691]Stupids: + * [11692]Sturgeon's Law: + * [11693]sucking mud: + * [11694]sufficiently small: + * [11695]suit: + * [11696]suitable win: + * [11697]suitably small: + * [11698]Sun: + * [11699]sun lounge: + * [11700]sun-stools: + * [11701]sunspots: + * [11702]super source quench: + * [11703]superloser: + * [11704]superprogrammer: + * [11705]superuser: + * [11706]support: + * [11707]surf: + * [11708]Suzie COBOL: + * [11709]swab: + * [11710]swap: + * [11711]swap space: + * [11712]swapped in: + * [11713]swapped out: + * [11714]swizzle: + * [11715]sync: + * [11716]syntactic salt: + * [11717]syntactic sugar: + * [11718]sys-frog: + * [11719]sysadmin: + * [11720]sysape: + * [11721]sysop: + * [11722]system: + * [11723]systems jock: + * [11724]system mangler: + * [11725]SysVile: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:S/N ratio, Next:[11726]sacred, Previous:[11727]rusty wire, + Up:[11728]= S = + + S/N ratio // n. + + (also `s/n ratio', `s:n ratio'). Syn. [11729]signal-to-noise ratio. + Often abbreviated `SNR'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sacred, Next:[11730]saga, Previous:[11731]S/N ratio, Up:[11732]= + S = + + sacred adj. + + Reserved for the exclusive use of something (an extension of the + standard meaning). Often means that anyone may look at the sacred + object, but clobbering it will screw whatever it is sacred to. The + comment "Register 7 is sacred to the interrupt handler" appearing in a + program would be interpreted by a hacker to mean that if any other + part of the program changes the contents of register 7, dire + consequences are likely to ensue. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:saga, Next:[11733]sagan, Previous:[11734]sacred, Up:[11735]= S = + + saga n. + + [WPI] A cuspy but bogus raving story about N random broken people. + + Here is a classic example of the saga form, as told by Guy L. Steele: + + Jon L. White (login name JONL) and I (GLS) were office mates at MIT + for many years. One April, we both flew from Boston to California + for a week on research business, to consult face-to-face with some + people at Stanford, particularly our mutual friend Richard P. + Gabriel (RPG; see [11736]gabriel). + + RPG picked us up at the San Francisco airport and drove us back to + Palo Alto (going [11737]logical south on route 101, parallel to + [11738]El Camino Bignum). Palo Alto is adjacent to Stanford + University and about 40 miles south of San Francisco. We ate at The + Good Earth, a `health food' restaurant, very popular, the sort + whose milkshakes all contain honey and protein powder. JONL ordered + such a shake -- the waitress claimed the flavor of the day was + "lalaberry". I still have no idea what that might be, but it became + a running joke. It was the color of raspberry, and JONL said it + tasted rather bitter. I ate a better tostada there than I have ever + had in a Mexican restaurant. + + After this we went to the local Uncle Gaylord's Old Fashioned Ice + Cream Parlor. They make ice cream fresh daily, in a variety of + intriguing flavors. It's a chain, and they have a slogan: "If you + don't live near an Uncle Gaylord's -- MOVE!" Also, Uncle Gaylord (a + real person) wages a constant battle to force big-name ice cream + makers to print their ingredients on the package (like air and + plastic and other non-natural garbage). JONL and I had first + discovered Uncle Gaylord's the previous August, when we had flown + to a computer-science conference in Berkeley, California, the first + time either of us had been on the West Coast. When not in the + conference sessions, we had spent our time wandering the length of + Telegraph Avenue, which (like Harvard Square in Cambridge) was + lined with picturesque street vendors and interesting little shops. + On that street we discovered Uncle Gaylord's Berkeley store. The + ice cream there was very good. During that August visit JONL went + absolutely bananas (so to speak) over one particular flavor, ginger + honey. + + Therefore, after eating at The Good Earth -- indeed, after every + lunch and dinner and before bed during our April visit -- a trip to + Uncle Gaylord's (the one in Palo Alto) was mandatory. We had + arrived on a Wednesday, and by Thursday evening we had been there + at least four times. Each time, JONL would get ginger honey ice + cream, and proclaim to all bystanders that "Ginger was the spice + that drove the Europeans mad! That's why they sought a route to the + East! They used it to preserve their otherwise off-taste meat." + After the third or fourth repetition RPG and I were getting a + little tired of this spiel, and began to paraphrase him: "Wow! + Ginger! The spice that makes rotten meat taste good!" "Say! Why + don't we find some dog that's been run over and sat in the sun for + a week and put some ginger on it for dinner?!" "Right! With a + lalaberry shake!" And so on. This failed to faze JONL; he took it + in good humor, as long as we kept returning to Uncle Gaylord's. He + loves ginger honey ice cream. + + Now RPG and his then-wife KBT (Kathy Tracy) were putting us up + (putting up with us?) in their home for our visit, so to thank them + JONL and I took them out to a nice French restaurant of their + choosing. I unadventurously chose the filet mignon, and KBT had je + ne sais quoi du jour, but RPG and JONL had lapin (rabbit). + (Waitress: "Oui, we have fresh rabbit, fresh today." RPG: "Well, + JONL, I guess we won't need any ginger!") + + We finished the meal late, about 11 P.M., which is 2 A.M Boston + time, so JONL and I were rather droopy. But it wasn't yet midnight. + Off to Uncle Gaylord's! + + Now the French restaurant was in Redwood City, north of Palo Alto. + In leaving Redwood City, we somehow got onto route 101 going north + instead of south. JONL and I wouldn't have known the difference had + RPG not mentioned it. We still knew very little of the local + geography. I did figure out, however, that we were headed in the + direction of Berkeley, and half-jokingly suggested that we continue + north and go to Uncle Gaylord's in Berkeley. + + RPG said "Fine!" and we drove on for a while and talked. I was + drowsy, and JONL actually dropped off to sleep for 5 minutes. When + he awoke, RPG said, "Gee, JONL, you must have slept all the way + over the bridge!", referring to the one spanning San Francisco Bay. + Just then we came to a sign that said "University Avenue". I + mumbled something about working our way over to Telegraph Avenue; + RPG said "Right!" and maneuvered some more. Eventually we pulled up + in front of an Uncle Gaylord's. + + Now, I hadn't really been paying attention because I was so sleepy, + and I didn't really understand what was happening until RPG let me + in on it a few moments later, but I was just alert enough to notice + that we had somehow come to the Palo Alto Uncle Gaylord's after + all. + + JONL noticed the resemblance to the Palo Alto store, but hadn't + caught on. (The place is lit with red and yellow lights at night, + and looks much different from the way it does in daylight.) He + said, "This isn't the Uncle Gaylord's I went to in Berkeley! It + looked like a barn! But this place looks just like the one back in + Palo Alto!" + + RPG deadpanned, "Well, this is the one I always come to when I'm in + Berkeley. They've got two in San Francisco, too. Remember, they're + a chain." + + JONL accepted this bit of wisdom. And he was not totally ignorant + -- he knew perfectly well that University Avenue was in Berkeley, + not far from Telegraph Avenue. What he didn't know was that there + is a completely different University Avenue in Palo Alto. + + JONL went up to the counter and asked for ginger honey. The guy at + the counter asked whether JONL would like to taste it first, + evidently their standard procedure with that flavor, as not too + many people like it. + + JONL said, "I'm sure I like it. Just give me a cone." The guy + behind the counter insisted that JONL try just a taste first. "Some + people think it tastes like soap." JONL insisted, "Look, I love + ginger. I eat Chinese food. I eat raw ginger roots. I already went + through this hassle with the guy back in Palo Alto. I know I like + that flavor!" + + At the words "back in Palo Alto" the guy behind the counter got a + very strange look on his face, but said nothing. KBT caught his eye + and winked. Through my stupor I still hadn't quite grasped what was + going on, and thought RPG was rolling on the floor laughing and + clutching his stomach just because JONL had launched into his spiel + ("makes rotten meat a dish for princes") for the forty-third time. + At this point, RPG clued me in fully. + + RPG, KBT, and I retreated to a table, trying to stifle our + chuckles. JONL remained at the counter, talking about ice cream + with the guy b.t.c., comparing Uncle Gaylord's to other ice cream + shops and generally having a good old time. + + At length the g.b.t.c. said, "How's the ginger honey?" JONL said, + "Fine! I wonder what exactly is in it?" Now Uncle Gaylord publishes + all his recipes and even teaches classes on how to make his ice + cream at home. So the g.b.t.c. got out the recipe, and he and JONL + pored over it for a while. But the g.b.t.c. could contain his + curiosity no longer, and asked again, "You really like that stuff, + huh?" JONL said, "Yeah, I've been eating it constantly back in Palo + Alto for the past two days. In fact, I think this batch is about as + good as the cones I got back in Palo Alto!" + + G.b.t.c. looked him straight in the eye and said, "You're in Palo + Alto!" + + JONL turned slowly around, and saw the three of us collapse in a + fit of giggles. He clapped a hand to his forehead and exclaimed, + "I've been hacked!" + + [My spies on the West Coast inform me that there is a close relative + of the raspberry found out there called an `ollalieberry' --ESR] + + [Ironic footnote: the [11739]meme about ginger vs. rotting meat is an + urban legend. It's not borne out by an examination of medieval recipes + or period purchase records for spices, and appears full-blown in the + works of Samuel Pegge, a gourmand and notorious flake case who + originated numerous food myths. The truth seems to be that ginger was + used to cover not rot but the extreme salt taste of meat packed in + brine, which was the best method available before refrigeration. + --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sagan, Next:[11740]SAIL, Previous:[11741]saga, Up:[11742]= S = + + sagan /say'gn/ n. + + [from Carl Sagan's TV series "Cosmos"; think "billions and billions"] + A large quantity of anything. "There's a sagan different ways to tweak + EMACS." "The U.S. Government spends sagans on bombs and welfare -- + hard to say which is more destructive." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SAIL, Next:[11743]salescritter, Previous:[11744]sagan, + Up:[11745]= S = + + SAIL /sayl/, not /S-A-I-L/ n. + + 1. The Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab. An important site in the + early development of LISP; with the MIT AI Lab, BBN, CMU, XEROX PARC, + and the Unix community, one of the major wellsprings of technical + innovation and hacker-culture traditions (see the [11746]WAITS entry + for details). The SAIL machines were shut down in late May 1990, scant + weeks after the MIT AI Lab's ITS cluster was officially + decommissioned. 2. The Stanford Artificial Intelligence Language used + at SAIL (sense 1). It was an Algol-60 derivative with a coroutining + facility and some new data types intended for building search trees + and association lists. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:salescritter, Next:[11747]salt, Previous:[11748]SAIL, Up:[11749]= + S = + + salescritter /sayls'kri`tr/ n. + + Pejorative hackerism for a computer salesperson. Hackers tell the + following joke: +Q. What's the difference between a used-car dealer and a + computer salesman? +A. The used-car dealer knows he's lying. [Some versions add: + ...and probably knows how to drive.] + + This reflects the widespread hacker belief that salescritters are + self-selected for stupidity (after all, if they had brains and the + inclination to use them, they'd be in programming). The terms + `salesthing' and `salesdroid' are also common. Compare + [11750]marketroid, [11751]suit, [11752]droid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:salt, Next:[11753]salt mines, Previous:[11754]salescritter, + Up:[11755]= S = + + salt n. + + A tiny bit of near-random data inserted where too much regularity + would be undesirable; a data [11756]frob (sense 1). For example, the + Unix crypt(3) man page mentions that "the salt string is used to + perturb the DES algorithm in one of 4096 different ways." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:salt mines, Next:[11757]salt substrate, Previous:[11758]salt, + Up:[11759]= S = + + salt mines n. + + Dense quarters housing large numbers of programmers working long hours + on grungy projects, with some hope of seeing the end of the tunnel in + N years. Noted for their absence of sunshine. Compare [11760]playpen, + [11761]sandbox. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:salt substrate, Next:[11762]same-day service, + Previous:[11763]salt mines, Up:[11764]= S = + + salt substrate n. + + [MIT] Collective noun used to refer to potato chips, pretzels, + saltines, or any other form of snack food designed primarily as a + carrier for sodium chloride. Also `sodium substrate'. From the + technical term `chip substrate', used to refer to the silicon on the + top of which the active parts of integrated circuits are deposited. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:same-day service, Next:[11765]samizdat, Previous:[11766]salt + substrate, Up:[11767]= S = + + same-day service n. + + Ironic term used to describe long response time, particularly with + respect to [11768]MS-DOS system calls (which ought to require only a + tiny fraction of a second to execute). Such response time is a major + incentive for programmers to write programs that are not + [11769]well-behaved. See also [11770]PC-ism. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:samizdat, Next:[11771]samurai, Previous:[11772]same-day service, + Up:[11773]= S = + + samizdat /sahm-iz-daht/ n. + + [Russian, literally "self publishing"] The process of disseminating + documentation via underground channels. Originally referred to + underground duplication and distribution of banned books in the Soviet + Union; now refers by obvious extension to any less-than-official + promulgation of textual material, esp. rare, obsolete, or + never-formally-published computer documentation. Samizdat is obviously + much easier when one has access to high-bandwidth networks and + high-quality laser printers. Note that samizdat is properly used only + with respect to documents which contain needed information (see also + [11774]hacker ethic) but which are for some reason otherwise + unavailable, but not in the context of documents which are available + through normal channels, for which unauthorized duplication would be + unethical copyright violation. See [11775]Lions Book for a historical + example. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:samurai, Next:[11776]sandbender, Previous:[11777]samizdat, + Up:[11778]= S = + + samurai n. + + A hacker who hires out for legal cracking jobs, snooping for factions + in corporate political fights, lawyers pursuing privacy-rights and + First Amendment cases, and other parties with legitimate reasons to + need an electronic locksmith. In 1991, mainstream media reported the + existence of a loose-knit culture of samurai that meets electronically + on BBS systems, mostly bright teenagers with personal micros; they + have modeled themselves explicitly on the historical samurai of Japan + and on the "net cowboys" of William Gibson's [11779]cyberpunk novels. + Those interviewed claim to adhere to a rigid ethic of loyalty to their + employers and to disdain the vandalism and theft practiced by criminal + crackers as beneath them and contrary to the hacker ethic; some quote + Miyamoto Musashi's "Book of Five Rings", a classic of historical + samurai doctrine, in support of these principles. See also + [11780]sneaker, [11781]Stupids, [11782]social engineering, + [11783]cracker, [11784]hacker ethic, and [11785]dark-side hacker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sandbender, Next:[11786]sandbox, Previous:[11787]samurai, + Up:[11788]= S = + + sandbender n. + + [IBM] A person involved with silicon lithography and the physical + design of chips. Compare [11789]ironmonger, [11790]polygon pusher. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sandbox, Next:[11791]sanity check, Previous:[11792]sandbender, + Up:[11793]= S = + + sandbox n. + + 1. (also `sandbox, the') Common term for the R&D department at many + software and computer companies (where hackers in commercial + environments are likely to be found). Half-derisive, but reflects the + truth that research is a form of creative play. Compare + [11794]playpen. 2. Syn. [11795]link farm. 3. A controlled environment + within which potentially dangerous programs are run. Used esp. in + reference to Java implementations. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sanity check, Next:[11796]Saturday-night special, + Previous:[11797]sandbox, Up:[11798]= S = + + sanity check n. + + [very common] 1. The act of checking a piece of code (or anything + else, e.g., a Usenet posting) for completely stupid mistakes. Implies + that the check is to make sure the author was sane when it was + written; e.g., if a piece of scientific software relied on a + particular formula and was giving unexpected results, one might first + look at the nesting of parentheses or the coding of the formula, as a + `sanity check', before looking at the more complex I/O or data + structure manipulation routines, much less the algorithm itself. + Compare [11799]reality check. 2. A run-time test, either validating + input or ensuring that the program hasn't screwed up internally + (producing an inconsistent value or state). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Saturday-night special, Next:[11800]say, Previous:[11801]sanity + check, Up:[11802]= S = + + Saturday-night special n. + + [from police slang for a cheap handgun] A [11803]quick-and-dirty + program or feature kluged together during off hours, under a deadline, + and in response to pressure from a [11804]salescritter. Such hacks are + dangerously unreliable, but all too often sneak into a production + release after insufficient review. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:say, Next:[11805]scag, Previous:[11806]Saturday-night special, + Up:[11807]= S = + + say vt. + + 1. To type to a terminal. "To list a directory verbosely, you have to + say ls -l." Tends to imply a [11808]newline-terminated command (a + `sentence'). 2. A computer may also be said to `say' things to you, + even if it doesn't have a speech synthesizer, by displaying them on a + terminal in response to your commands. Hackers find it odd that this + usage confuses [11809]mundanes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scag, Next:[11810]scanno, Previous:[11811]say, Up:[11812]= S = + + scag vt. + + To destroy the data on a disk, either by corrupting the filesystem or + by causing media damage. "That last power hit scagged the system + disk." Compare [11813]scrog, [11814]roach. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scanno, Next:[11815]scary devil monastery, Previous:[11816]scag, + Up:[11817]= S = + + scanno /skan'oh/ n. + + An error in a document caused by a scanner glitch, analogous to a typo + or [11818]thinko. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scary devil monastery, Next:[11819]schroedinbug, + Previous:[11820]scanno, Up:[11821]= S = + + scary devil monastery n. + + Anagram frequently used to refer to the newsgroup + alt.sysadmin.recovery, which is populated with characters that rather + justify the reference. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:schroedinbug, Next:[11822]science-fiction fandom, + Previous:[11823]scary devil monastery, Up:[11824]= S = + + schroedinbug /shroh'din-buhg/ n. + + [MIT: from the Schroedinger's Cat thought-experiment in quantum + physics] A design or implementation bug in a program that doesn't + manifest until someone reading source or using the program in an + unusual way notices that it never should have worked, at which point + the program promptly stops working for everybody until fixed. Though + (like [11825]bit rot) this sounds impossible, it happens; some + programs have harbored latent schroedinbugs for years. Compare + [11826]heisenbug, [11827]Bohr bug, [11828]mandelbug. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:science-fiction fandom, Next:[11829]scram switch, + Previous:[11830]schroedinbug, Up:[11831]= S = + + science-fiction fandom n. + + Another voluntary subculture having a very heavy overlap with + hackerdom; most hackers read SF and/or fantasy fiction avidly, and + many go to `cons' (SF conventions) or are involved in fandom-connected + activities such as the Society for Creative Anachronism. Some hacker + jargon originated in SF fandom; see [11832]defenestration, + [11833]great-wall, [11834]cyberpunk, [11835]h, [11836]ha ha only + serious, [11837]IMHO, [11838]mundane, [11839]neep-neep, [11840]Real + Soon Now. Additionally, the jargon terms [11841]cowboy, + [11842]cyberspace, [11843]de-rezz, [11844]go flatline, [11845]ice, + [11846]phage, [11847]virus, [11848]wetware, [11849]wirehead, and + [11850]worm originated in SF stories. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scram switch, Next:[11851]scratch, + Previous:[11852]science-fiction fandom, Up:[11853]= S = + + scram switch n. + + [from the nuclear power industry] An emergency-power-off switch (see + [11854]Big Red Switch), esp. one positioned to be easily hit by + evacuating personnel. In general, this is not something you + [11855]frob lightly; these often initiate expensive events (such as + Halon dumps) and are installed in a [11856]dinosaur pen for use in + case of electrical fire or in case some luckless [11857]field servoid + should put 120 volts across himself while [11858]Easter egging. (See + also [11859]molly-guard, [11860]TMRC.) + + A correspondent reports a legend that "Scram" is an acronym for "Start + Cutting Right Away, Man" (another less plausible variant of this + legend refers to "Safety Control Rod Axe Man"; these are almost + certainly both [11861]backronyms). The story goes that in the earliest + nuclear power experiments the engineers recognized the possibility + that the reactor wouldn't behave exactly as predicted by their + mathematical models. Accordingly, they made sure that they had + mechanisms in place that would rapidly drop the control rods back into + the reactor. One mechanism took the form of `scram technicians'. These + individuals stood next to the ropes or cables that raised and lowered + the control rods. Equipped with axes or cable-cutters, these + technicians stood ready for the (literal) `scram' command. If + necessary, they would cut the cables, and gravity would expeditiously + return the control rods to the reactor, thereby averting yet another + kind of [11862]core dump. + + Modern reactor control rods are held in place with claw-like devices, + held closed by current. SCRAM switches are circuit breakers that + immediately open the circuit to the rod arms, resulting in the rapid + insertion and subsequent bottoming of the control rods. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scratch, Next:[11863]scratch monkey, Previous:[11864]scram + switch, Up:[11865]= S = + + scratch + + 1. [from `scratchpad'] adj. Describes a data structure or recording + medium attached to a machine for testing or temporary-use purposes; + one that can be [11866]scribbled on without loss. Usually in the + combining forms `scratch memory', `scratch register', `scratch disk', + `scratch tape', `scratch volume'. See also [11867]scratch monkey. 2. + [primarily IBM] vt. To delete (as in a file). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scratch monkey, Next:[11868]scream and die, + Previous:[11869]scratch, Up:[11870]= S = + + scratch monkey n. + + As in "Before testing or reconfiguring, always mount a [11871]scratch + monkey", a proverb used to advise caution when dealing with + irreplaceable data or devices. Used to refer to any scratch volume + hooked to a computer during any risky operation as a replacement for + some precious resource or data that might otherwise get trashed. + + This term preserves the memory of Mabel, the Swimming Wonder Monkey, + star of a biological research program at the University of Toronto. + Mabel was not (so the legend goes) your ordinary monkey; the + university had spent years teaching her how to swim, breathing through + a regulator, in order to study the effects of different gas mixtures + on her physiology. Mabel suffered an untimely demise one day when a + [11872]DEC [11873]field circus engineer troubleshooting a crash on the + program's VAX inadvertently interfered with some custom hardware that + was wired to Mabel. + + It is reported that, after calming down an understandably irate + customer sufficiently to ascertain the facts of the matter, a DEC + troubleshooter called up the [11874]field circus manager responsible + and asked him sweetly, "Can you swim?" + + Not all the consequences to humans were so amusing; the sysop of the + machine in question was nearly thrown in jail at the behest of certain + clueless [11875]droids at the local `humane' society. The moral is + clear: When in doubt, always mount a scratch monkey. + + [The actual incident occured in 1979 or 1980. There is a version of + this story, complete with reported dialogue between one of the project + people and DEC field service, that has been circulating on Internet + since 1986. It is hilarious and mythic, but gets some facts wrong. For + example, it reports the machine as a PDP-11 and alleges that Mabel's + demise occurred when DEC [11876]PMed the machine. Earlier versions of + this entry were based on that story; this one has been corrected from + an interview with the hapless sysop. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scream and die, Next:[11877]screaming tty, + Previous:[11878]scratch monkey, Up:[11879]= S = + + scream and die v. + + Syn. [11880]cough and die, but connotes that an error message was + printed or displayed before the program crashed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:screaming tty, Next:[11881]screen, Previous:[11882]scream and + die, Up:[11883]= S = + + screaming tty n. + + [Unix] A terminal line which spews an infinite number of random + characters at the operating system. This can happen if the terminal is + either disconnected or connected to a powered-off terminal but still + enabled for login; misconfiguration, misimplementation, or simple bad + luck can start such a terminal screaming. A screaming tty or two can + seriously degrade the performance of a vanilla Unix system; the + arriving "characters" are treated as userid/password pairs and tested + as such. The Unix password encryption algorithm is designed to be + computationally intensive in order to foil brute-force crack attacks, + so although none of the logins succeeds; the overhead of rejecting + them all can be substantial. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:screen, Next:[11884]screen name, Previous:[11885]screaming tty, + Up:[11886]= S = + + screen n. + + [Atari ST [11887]demoscene] One [11888]demoeffect or one screenful of + them. Probably comes from old Sierra-style adventures or shoot-em-ups + where one travels from one place to another one screenful at a time. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:screen name, Next:[11889]screw, Previous:[11890]screen, + Up:[11891]= S = + + screen name n. + + A [11892]handle sense 1. This term has been common among users of IRC, + MUDs, and commercial on-line services since the mid-1990s. Hackers + recognize the term but don't generally use it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:screw, Next:[11893]screwage, Previous:[11894]screen name, + Up:[11895]= S = + + screw n. + + [MIT] A [11896]lose, usually in software. Especially used for + user-visible misbehavior caused by a bug or misfeature. This use has + become quite widespread outside MIT. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:screwage, Next:[11897]scribble, Previous:[11898]screw, + Up:[11899]= S = + + screwage /skroo'*j/ n. + + Like [11900]lossage but connotes that the failure is due to a + designed-in misfeature rather than a simple inadequacy or a mere bug. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scribble, Next:[11901]script kiddies, Previous:[11902]screwage, + Up:[11903]= S = + + scribble n. + + To modify a data structure in a random and unintentionally destructive + way. "Bletch! Somebody's disk-compactor program went berserk and + scribbled on the i-node table." "It was working fine until one of the + allocation routines scribbled on low core." Synonymous with + [11904]trash; compare [11905]mung, which conveys a bit more intention, + and [11906]mangle, which is more violent and final. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:script kiddies, Next:[11907]scrog, Previous:[11908]scribble, + Up:[11909]= S = + + script kiddies pl.n. + + 1. The lowest form of [11910]cracker; script kiddies do mischief with + scripts and programs written by others, often without understanding + the [11911]exploit. 2. People who cannot program, but who create tacky + HTML pages by copying JavaScript routines from other tacky HTML pages. + More generally, a script kiddie writes (or more likely cuts and + pastes) code without either having or desiring to have a mental model + of what the code does; someone who thinks of code as magical + incantations and asks only "what do I need to type to make this + happen?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scrog, Next:[11912]scrool, Previous:[11913]script kiddies, + Up:[11914]= S = + + scrog /skrog/ vt. + + [Bell Labs] To damage, trash, or corrupt a data structure. "The list + header got scrogged." Also reported as `skrog', and ascribed to the + comic strip "The Wizard of Id". Compare [11915]scag; possibly the two + are related. Equivalent to [11916]scribble or [11917]mangle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scrool, Next:[11918]scrozzle, Previous:[11919]scrog, Up:[11920]= + S = + + scrool /skrool/ n. + + [from the pioneering Roundtable chat system in Houston ca. 1984; prob. + originated as a typo for `scroll'] The log of old messages, available + for later perusal or to help one get back in synch with the + conversation. It was originally called the `scrool monster', because + an early version of the roundtable software had a bug where it would + dump all 8K of scrool on a user's terminal. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scrozzle, Next:[11921]scruffies, Previous:[11922]scrool, + Up:[11923]= S = + + scrozzle /skroz'l/ vt. + + Used when a self-modifying code segment runs incorrectly and corrupts + the running program or vital data. "The damn compiler scrozzled itself + again!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:scruffies, Next:[11924]SCSI, Previous:[11925]scrozzle, + Up:[11926]= S = + + scruffies n. + + See [11927]neats vs. scruffies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SCSI, Next:[11928]ScumOS, Previous:[11929]scruffies, Up:[11930]= + S = + + SCSI n. + + [Small Computer System Interface] A bus-independent standard for + system-level interfacing between a computer and intelligent devices. + Typically annotated in literature with `sexy' (/sek'see/), `sissy' + (/sis'ee/), and `scuzzy' (/skuh'zee/) as pronunciation guides -- the + last being the overwhelmingly predominant form, much to the dismay of + the designers and their marketing people. One can usually assume that + a person who pronounces it /S-C-S-I/ is clueless. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ScumOS, Next:[11931]search-and-destroy mode, + Previous:[11932]SCSI, Up:[11933]= S = + + ScumOS /skuhm'os/ or /skuhm'O-S/ n. + + Unflattering hackerism for SunOS, the BSD Unix variant supported on + Sun Microsystems's Unix workstations (see also [11934]sun-stools), and + compare [11935]AIDX, [11936]Macintrash, [11937]Nominal Semidestructor, + [11938]HP-SUX. Despite what this term might suggest, Sun was founded + by hackers and still enjoys excellent relations with hackerdom; usage + is more often in exasperation than outright loathing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:search-and-destroy mode, Next:[11939]second-system effect, + Previous:[11940]ScumOS, Up:[11941]= S = + + search-and-destroy mode n. + + Hackerism for a noninteractive search-and-replace facility in an + editor, so called because an incautiously chosen match pattern can + cause [11942]infinite damage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:second-system effect, Next:[11943]secondary damage, + Previous:[11944]search-and-destroy mode, Up:[11945]= S = + + second-system effect n. + + (sometimes, more euphoniously, `second-system syndrome') When one is + designing the successor to a relatively small, elegant, and successful + system, there is a tendency to become grandiose in one's success and + design an [11946]elephantine feature-laden monstrosity. The term was + first used by Fred Brooks in his classic "The Mythical Man-Month: + Essays on Software Engineering" (Addison-Wesley, 1975; ISBN + 0-201-00650-2). It described the jump from a set of nice, simple + operating systems on the IBM 70xx series to OS/360 on the 360 series. + A similar effect can also happen in an evolving system; see + [11947]Brooks's Law, [11948]creeping elegance, [11949]creeping + featurism. See also [11950]Multics, [11951]OS/2, [11952]X, + [11953]software bloat. + + This version of the jargon lexicon has been described (with altogether + too much truth for comfort) as an example of second-system effect run + amok on jargon-1.... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:secondary damage, Next:[11954]security through obscurity, + Previous:[11955]second-system effect, Up:[11956]= S = + + secondary damage n. + + When a fatal error occurs (esp. a [11957]segfault) the immediate cause + may be that a pointer has been trashed due to a previous + [11958]fandango on core. However, this fandango may have been due to + an earlier fandango, so no amount of analysis will reveal (directly) + how the damage occurred. "The data structure was clobbered, but it was + secondary damage." + + By extension, the corruption resulting from N cascaded fandangoes on + core is `Nth-level damage'. There is at least one case on record in + which 17 hours of [11959]grovelling with adb actually dug up the + underlying bug behind an instance of seventh-level damage! The hacker + who accomplished this near-superhuman feat was presented with an award + by his fellows. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:security through obscurity, Next:[11960]SED, + Previous:[11961]secondary damage, Up:[11962]= S = + + security through obscurity + + (alt. `security by obscurity') A term applied by hackers to most OS + vendors' favorite way of coping with security holes -- namely, + ignoring them, documenting neither any known holes nor the underlying + security algorithms, trusting that nobody will find out about them and + that people who do find out about them won't exploit them. This + "strategy" never works for long and occasionally sets the world up for + debacles like the [11963]RTM worm of 1988 (see [11964]Great Worm), but + once the brief moments of panic created by such events subside most + vendors are all too willing to turn over and go back to sleep. After + all, actually fixing the bugs would siphon off the resources needed to + implement the next user-interface frill on marketing's wish list -- + and besides, if they started fixing security bugs customers might + begin to expect it and imagine that their warranties of + merchantability gave them some sort of right to a system with fewer + holes in it than a shotgunned Swiss cheese, and then where would we + be? + + Historical note: There are conflicting stories about the origin of + this term. It has been claimed that it was first used in the Usenet + newsgroup in comp.sys.apollo during a campaign to get HP/Apollo to fix + security problems in its Unix-[11965]clone Aegis/DomainOS (they didn't + change a thing). [11966]ITS fans, on the other hand, say it was coined + years earlier in opposition to the incredibly paranoid [11967]Multics + people down the hall, for whom security was everything. In the ITS + culture it referred to (1) the fact that by the time a tourist figured + out how to make trouble he'd generally gotten over the urge to make + it, because he felt part of the community; and (2) (self-mockingly) + the poor coverage of the documentation and obscurity of many commands. + One instance of deliberate security through obscurity is recorded; the + command to allow patching the running ITS system (escape escape + control-R) echoed as $$^D. If you actually typed alt alt ^D, that set + a flag that would prevent patching the system even if you later got it + right. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SED, Next:[11968]segfault, Previous:[11969]security through + obscurity, Up:[11970]= S = + + SED /S-E-D/ n. + + [TMRC, from `Light-Emitting Diode'] Smoke-emitting diode. A + [11971]friode that lost the war. See also [11972]LER. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:segfault, Next:[11973]seggie, Previous:[11974]SED, Up:[11975]= S + = + + segfault n.,vi. + + Syn. [11976]segment, [11977]segmentation fault. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:seggie, Next:[11978]segment, Previous:[11979]segfault, + Up:[11980]= S = + + seggie /seg'ee/ n. + + [Unix] Shorthand for [11981]segmentation fault reported from Britain. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:segment, Next:[11982]segmentation fault, Previous:[11983]seggie, + Up:[11984]= S = + + segment /seg'ment/ vi. + + To experience a [11985]segmentation fault. Confusingly, this is often + pronounced more like the noun `segment' than like mainstream v. + segment; this is because it is actually a noun shorthand that has been + verbed. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:segmentation fault, Next:[11986]segv, Previous:[11987]segment, + Up:[11988]= S = + + segmentation fault n. + + [Unix] 1. [techspeak] An error in which a running program attempts to + access memory not allocated to it and [11989]core dumps with a + segmentation violation error. This is often caused by improper usage + of pointers in the source code, dereferencing a null pointer, or (in + C) inadvertently using a non-pointer variable as a pointer. The + classic example is: + int i; + scanf ("%d", i); /* should have used &i */ + + 2. To lose a train of thought or a line of reasoning. Also uttered as + an exclamation at the point of befuddlement. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:segv, Next:[11990]self-reference, Previous:[11991]segmentation + fault, Up:[11992]= S = + + segv /seg'vee/ n.,vi. + + Yet another synonym for [11993]segmentation fault (actually, in this + case, `segmentation violation'). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:self-reference, Next:[11994]selvage, Previous:[11995]segv, + Up:[11996]= S = + + self-reference n. + + See [11997]self-reference. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:selvage, Next:[11998]semi, Previous:[11999]self-reference, + Up:[12000]= S = + + selvage /sel'v*j/ n. + + [from sewing and weaving] See [12001]chad (sense 1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:semi, Next:[12002]semi-automated, Previous:[12003]selvage, + Up:[12004]= S = + + semi /se'mee/ or /se'mi:/ + + 1. n. Abbreviation for `semicolon', when speaking. "Commands to + [12005]grind are prefixed by semi-semi-star" means that the prefix is + ;;*, not 1/4 of a star. 2. A prefix used with words such as + `immediately' as a qualifier. "When is the system coming up?" + "Semi-immediately." (That is, maybe not for an hour.) "We did consider + that possibility semi-seriously." See also [12006]infinite. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:semi-automated, Next:[12007]semi-infinite, Previous:[12008]semi, + Up:[12009]= S = + + semi-automated adj. + + [US Geological Survey] A procedure that has yet to be completely + automated; it still requires a smidge of clueful human interaction. + Semi-automated programs usually come with written-out operator + instructions that are worth their weight in gold - without them, very + nasty things can happen. At USGS semi-automated programs are often + referred to as "semi-automated weapons". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:semi-infinite, Next:[12010]senior bit, + Previous:[12011]semi-automated, Up:[12012]= S = + + semi-infinite n. + + See [12013]infinite. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:senior bit, Next:[12014]September that never ended, + Previous:[12015]semi-infinite, Up:[12016]= S = + + senior bit n. + + [IBM; rare] Syn. [12017]meta bit. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:September that never ended, Next:[12018]server, + Previous:[12019]senior bit, Up:[12020]= S = + + September that never ended + + All time since September 1993. One of the seasonal rhythms of the + Usenet used to be the annual September influx of clueless newbies who, + lacking any sense of [12021]netiquette, made a general nuisance of + themselves. This coincided with people starting college, getting their + first internet accounts, and plunging in without bothering to learn + what was acceptable. These relatively small drafts of newbies could be + assimilated within a few months. But in September 1993, AOL users + became able to post to Usenet, nearly overwhelming the old-timers' + capacity to acculturate them; to those who nostalgically recall the + period before hand, this triggered an inexorable decline in the + quality of discussions on newsgroups. See also [12022]AOL!. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:server, Next:[12023]SEX, Previous:[12024]September that never + ended, Up:[12025]= S = + + server n. + + A kind of [12026]daemon that performs a service for the requester and + which often runs on a computer other than the one on which the server + runs. A particularly common term on the Internet, which is rife with + `web servers', `name servers', `domain servers', `news servers', + `finger servers', and the like. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SEX, Next:[12027]sex changer, Previous:[12028]server, Up:[12029]= + S = + + SEX /seks/ + + [Sun Users' Group & elsewhere] n. 1. Software EXchange. A technique + invented by the blue-green algae hundreds of millions of years ago to + speed up their evolution, which had been terribly slow up until then. + Today, SEX parties are popular among hackers and others (of course, + these are no longer limited to exchanges of genetic software). In + general, SEX parties are a [12030]Good Thing, but unprotected SEX can + propagate a [12031]virus. See also [12032]pubic directory. 2. The + rather Freudian mnemonic often used for Sign EXtend, a machine + instruction found in the PDP-11 and many other architectures. The RCA + 1802 chip used in the early Elf and SuperElf personal computers had a + `SEt X register' SEX instruction, but this seems to have had little + folkloric impact. The Data General instruction set also had SEX. + + [12033]DEC's engineers nearly got a PDP-11 assembler that used the SEX + mnemonic out the door at one time, but (for once) marketing wasn't + asleep and forced a change. That wasn't the last time this happened, + either. The author of "The Intel 8086 Primer", who was one of the + original designers of the 8086, noted that there was originally a SEX + instruction on that processor, too. He says that Intel management got + cold feet and decreed that it be changed, and thus the instruction was + renamed CBW and CWD (depending on what was being extended). Amusingly, + the Intel 8048 (the microcontroller used in IBM PC keyboards) is also + missing straight SEX but has logical-or and logical-and instructions + ORL and ANL. + + The Motorola 6809, used in the Radio Shack Color Computer and in + U.K.'s `Dragon 32' personal computer, actually had an official SEX + instruction; the 6502 in the Apple II with which it competed did not. + British hackers thought this made perfect mythic sense; after all, it + was commonly observed, you could (on some theoretical level) have sex + with a dragon, but you can't have sex with an apple. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sex changer, Next:[12034]shambolic link, Previous:[12035]SEX, + Up:[12036]= S = + + sex changer n. + + Syn. [12037]gender mender. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shambolic link, Next:[12038]shar file, Previous:[12039]sex + changer, Up:[12040]= S = + + shambolic link /sham-bol'ik link/ n. + + A Unix symbolic link, particularly when it confuses you, points to + nothing at all, or results in your ending up in some completely + unexpected part of the filesystem.... + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shar file, Next:[12041]sharchive, Previous:[12042]shambolic link, + Up:[12043]= S = + + shar file /shar' fi:l/ n. + + Syn. [12044]sharchive. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sharchive, Next:[12045]Share and enjoy!, Previous:[12046]shar + file, Up:[12047]= S = + + sharchive /shar'ki:v/ n. + + [Unix and Usenet; from /bin/sh archive] A [12048]flattened + representation of a set of one or more files, with the unique property + that it can be unflattened (the original files restored) by feeding it + through a standard Unix shell; thus, a sharchive can be distributed to + anyone running Unix, and no special unpacking software is required. + Sharchives are also intriguing in that they are typically created by + shell scripts; the script that produces sharchives is thus a script + which produces self-unpacking scripts, which may themselves contain + scripts. (The downsides of sharchives are that they are an ideal venue + for [12049]Trojan horse attacks and that, for recipients not running + Unix, no simple un-sharchiving program is possible; sharchives can and + do make use of arbitrarily-powerful shell features.) Sharchives are + also commonly referred to as `shar files' after the name of the most + common program for generating them. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Share and enjoy!, Next:[12050]shareware, + Previous:[12051]sharchive, Up:[12052]= S = + + Share and enjoy! imp. + + 1. Commonly found at the end of software release announcements and + [12053]README files, this phrase indicates allegiance to the hacker + ethic of free information sharing (see [12054]hacker ethic, sense 1). + 2. The motto of the complaints division of Sirius Cybernetics + Corporation (the ultimate gaggle of incompetent [12055]suits) in + Douglas Adams's "Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy". The irony of + using this as a cultural recognition signal appeals to hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shareware, Next:[12056]sharing violation, Previous:[12057]Share + and enjoy!, Up:[12058]= S = + + shareware /sheir'weir/ n. + + A kind of [12059]freeware (sense 1) for which the author requests some + payment, usually in the accompanying documentation files or in an + announcement made by the software itself. Such payment may or may not + buy additional support or functionality. See also [12060]careware, + [12061]charityware, [12062]crippleware, [12063]FRS, [12064]guiltware, + [12065]postcardware, and [12066]-ware; compare [12067]payware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sharing violation, Next:[12068]shebang, + Previous:[12069]shareware, Up:[12070]= S = + + sharing violation + + [From a file error common to several [12071]OSs] A response to + receiving information, typically of an excessively personal nature, + that you were probably happier not knowing. "You know those little + noises that Pat makes in bed..?" "Whoa! Sharing violation!" In + contrast to the original file error, which indicated that you were not + being given data that you did want. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shebang, Next:[12072]shelfware, Previous:[12073]sharing + violation, Up:[12074]= S = + + shebang /sh*-bang/ n. + + The character sequence "#!" that frequently begins executable shell + scripts under Unix. Probably derived from "shell bang" under the + influence of American slang "the whole shebang" (everything, the + works). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shelfware, Next:[12075]shell, Previous:[12076]shebang, + Up:[12077]= S = + + shelfware /shelf'weir/ n. + + Software purchased on a whim (by an individual user) or in accordance + with policy (by a corporation or government agency), but not actually + required for any particular use. Therefore, it often ends up on some + shelf. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shell, Next:[12078]shell out, Previous:[12079]shelfware, + Up:[12080]= S = + + shell [orig. [12081]Multics n. + + techspeak, widely propagated via Unix] 1. [techspeak] The command + interpreter used to pass commands to an operating system; so called + because it is the part of the operating system that interfaces with + the outside world. 2. More generally, any interface program that + mediates access to a special resource or [12082]server for + convenience, efficiency, or security reasons; for this meaning, the + usage is usually `a shell around' whatever. This sort of program is + also called a `wrapper'. 3. A skeleton program, created by hand or by + another program (like, say, a parser generator), which provides the + necessary [12083]incantations to set up some task and the control flow + to drive it (the term [12084]driver is sometimes used synonymously). + The user is meant to fill in whatever code is needed to get real work + done. This usage is common in the AI and Microsoft Windows worlds, and + confuses Unix hackers. + + Historical note: Apparently, the original Multics shell (sense 1) was + so called because it was a shell (sense 3); it ran user programs not + by starting up separate processes, but by dynamically linking the + programs into its own code, calling them as subroutines, and then + dynamically de-linking them on return. The VMS command interpreter + still does something very like this. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shell out, Next:[12085]shift left (or right) logical, + Previous:[12086]shell, Up:[12087]= S = + + shell out vi. + + [Unix] To [12088]spawn an interactive subshell from within a program + (e.g., a mailer or editor). "Bang foo runs foo in a subshell, while + bang alone shells out." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shift left (or right) logical, Next:[12089]shim, + Previous:[12090]shell out, Up:[12091]= S = + + shift left (or right) logical + + [from any of various machines' instruction sets] 1. vi. To move + oneself to the left (right). To move out of the way. 2. imper. "Get + out of that (my) seat! You can shift to that empty one to the left + (right)." Often used without the `logical', or as `left shift' instead + of `shift left'. Sometimes heard as LSH /lish/, from the [12092]PDP-10 + instruction set. See [12093]Programmer's Cheer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shim, Next:[12094]shitogram, Previous:[12095]shift left (or + right) logical, Up:[12096]= S = + + shim n. + + A small piece of data inserted in order to achieve a desired memory + alignment or other addressing property. For example, the PDP-11 Unix + linker, in split I&D (instructions and data) mode, inserts a two-byte + shim at location 0 in data space so that no data object will have an + address of 0 (and be confused with the C null pointer). See also + [12097]loose bytes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shitogram, Next:[12098]short card, Previous:[12099]shim, + Up:[12100]= S = + + shitogram /shit'oh-gram/ n. + + A really nasty piece of email. Compare [12101]nastygram, [12102]flame. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:short card, Next:[12103]shotgun debugging, + Previous:[12104]shitogram, Up:[12105]= S = + + short card n. + + A half-length IBM XT expansion card or adapter that will fit in one of + the two short slots located towards the right rear of a standard + chassis (tucked behind the floppy disk drives). See also [12106]tall + card. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shotgun debugging, Next:[12107]shovelware, Previous:[12108]short + card, Up:[12109]= S = + + shotgun debugging n. + + The software equivalent of [12110]Easter egging; the making of + relatively undirected changes to software in the hope that a bug will + be perturbed out of existence. This almost never works, and usually + introduces more bugs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shovelware, Next:[12111]showstopper, Previous:[12112]shotgun + debugging, Up:[12113]= S = + + shovelware /shuh'v*l-weir`/ n. + + 1. Extra software dumped onto a CD-ROM or tape to fill up the + remaining space on the medium after the software distribution it's + intended to carry, but not integrated with the distribution. 2. A + slipshod compilation of software dumped onto a CD-ROM without much + care for organization or even usability. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:showstopper, Next:[12114]shriek, Previous:[12115]shovelware, + Up:[12116]= S = + + showstopper n. + + A hardware or (especially) software bug that makes an implementation + effectively unusable; one that absolutely has to be fixed before + development can go on. Opposite in connotation from its original + theatrical use, which refers to something stunningly good. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:shriek, Next:[12117]Shub-Internet, Previous:[12118]showstopper, + Up:[12119]= S = + + shriek n. + + See [12120]excl. Occasional CMU usage, also in common use among APL + fans and mathematicians, especially category theorists. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Shub-Internet, Next:[12121]sidecar, Previous:[12122]shriek, + Up:[12123]= S = + + Shub-Internet /shuhb' in't*r-net/ n. + + [MUD: from H. P. Lovecraft's evil fictional deity Shub-Niggurath, the + Black Goat with a Thousand Young] The harsh personification of the + Internet: Beast of a Thousand Processes, Eater of Characters, Avatar + of Line Noise, and Imp of Call Waiting; the hideous multi-tendriled + entity formed of all the manifold connections of the net. A sect of + MUDders worships Shub-Internet, sacrificing objects and praying for + good connections. To no avail -- its purpose is malign and evil, and + is the cause of all network slowdown. Often heard as in "Freela casts + a tac nuke at Shub-Internet for slowing her down." (A forged response + often follows along the lines of: "Shub-Internet gulps down the tac + nuke and burps happily.") Also cursed by users of the Web, [12124]FTP + and [12125]TELNET when the system slows down. The dread name of + Shub-Internet is seldom spoken aloud, as it is said that repeating it + three times will cause the being to wake, deep within its lair beneath + the Pentagon. Compare [12126]Random Number God. + + [January 1996: It develops that one of the computer administrators in + the basement of the Pentagon read this entry and fell over laughing. + As a result, you too can now poke Shub-Internet by [12127]pinging + shub-internet.ims.disa.mil. See also [12128]kremvax. - ESR] + + [April 1999: shub-internet.ims.disa.mil is no more, alas. But + Shub-Internet lives o^$#$*^ - ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sidecar, Next:[12129]SIG, Previous:[12130]Shub-Internet, + Up:[12131]= S = + + sidecar n. + + 1. Syn. [12132]slap on the side. Esp. used of add-ons for the late and + unlamented IBM PCjr. 2. The IBM PC compatibility box that could be + bolted onto the side of an Amiga. Designed and produced by Commodore, + it broke all of the company's own design rules. If it worked with any + other peripherals, it was by [12133]magic. 3. More generally, any of + various devices designed to be connected to the expansion slot on the + left side of the Amiga 500 (and later, 600 & 1200), which included a + hard drive controller, a hard drive, and additional memory. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SIG, Next:[12134]sig block, Previous:[12135]sidecar, Up:[12136]= + S = + + SIG /sig/ n. + + (also common as a prefix in combining forms) A Special Interest Group, + in one of several technical areas, sponsored by the Association for + Computing Machinery; well-known ones include SIGPLAN (the Special + Interest Group on Programming Languages), SIGARCH (the Special + Interest Group for Computer Architecture) and SIGGRAPH (the Special + Interest Group for Computer Graphics). Hackers, not surprisingly, like + to overextend this naming convention to less formal associations like + SIGBEER (at ACM conferences) and SIGFOOD (at University of Illinois). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sig block, Next:[12137]sig quote, Previous:[12138]SIG, + Up:[12139]= S = + + sig block /sig blok/ n. + + [Unix; often written `.sig' there] Short for `signature', used + specifically to refer to the electronic signature block that most Unix + mail- and news-posting software will [12140]automagically append to + outgoing mail and news. The composition of one's sig can be quite an + art form, including an ASCII logo or one's choice of witty sayings + (see [12141]sig quote, [12142]fool file); but many consider large sigs + a waste of [12143]bandwidth, and it has been observed that the size of + one's sig block is usually inversely proportional to one's longevity + and level of prestige on the net. See also [12144]doubled sig. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sig quote, Next:[12145]sig virus, Previous:[12146]sig block, + Up:[12147]= S = + + sig quote /sig kwoht/ n. + + [Usenet] A maxim, quote, proverb, joke, or slogan embedded in one's + [12148]sig block and intended to convey something of one's + philosophical stance, pet peeves, or sense of humor. "Calm down, it's + only ones and zeroes." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sig virus, Next:[12149]signal-to-noise ratio, Previous:[12150]sig + quote, Up:[12151]= S = + + sig virus n. + + A parasitic [12152]meme embedded in a [12153]sig block. There was a + [12154]meme plague or fad for these on Usenet in late 1991. Most were + equivalents of "I am a .sig virus. Please reproduce me in your .sig + block.". Of course, the .sig virus's memetic hook is the giggle value + of going along with the gag; this, however, was a self-limiting + phenomenon as more and more people picked up on the idea. There were + creative variants on it; some people stuck `sig virus antibody' texts + in their sigs, and there was at least one instance of a sig virus + eater. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:signal-to-noise ratio, Next:[12155]silicon, Previous:[12156]sig + virus, Up:[12157]= S = + + signal-to-noise ratio [from analog electronics] n. + + Used by hackers in a generalization of its technical meaning. `Signal' + refers to useful information conveyed by some communications medium, + and `noise' to anything else on that medium. Hence a low ratio implies + that it is not worth paying attention to the medium in question. + Figures for such metaphorical ratios are never given. The term is most + often applied to [12158]Usenet newsgroups during [12159]flame wars. + Compare [12160]bandwidth. See also [12161]coefficient of X, + [12162]lost in the noise. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:silicon, Next:[12163]silly walk, Previous:[12164]signal-to-noise + ratio, Up:[12165]= S = + + silicon n. + + Hardware, esp. ICs or microprocessor-based computer systems (compare + [12166]iron). Contrasted with software. See also [12167]sandbender. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:silly walk, Next:[12168]silo, Previous:[12169]silicon, + Up:[12170]= S = + + silly walk vi. + + [from Monty Python's Flying Circus] 1. A ridiculous procedure required + to accomplish a task. Like [12171]grovel, but more [12172]random and + humorous. "I had to silly-walk through half the /usr directories to + find the maps file." 2. Syn. [12173]fandango on core. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:silo, Next:[12174]Silver Book, Previous:[12175]silly walk, + Up:[12176]= S = + + silo n. + + The FIFO input-character buffer in an RS-232 line card. So called from + [12177]DEC terminology used on DH and DZ line cards for the VAX and + PDP-11, presumably because it was a storage space for fungible stuff + that went in at the top and came out at the bottom. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Silver Book, Next:[12178]since time T equals minus infinity, + Previous:[12179]silo, Up:[12180]= S = + + Silver Book n. + + Jensen and Wirth's infamous "Pascal User Manual and Report", so called + because of the silver cover of the widely distributed Springer-Verlag + second edition of 1978 (ISBN 0-387-90144-2). See [12181]book titles, + [12182]Pascal. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:since time T equals minus infinity, Next:[12183]sitename, + Previous:[12184]Silver Book, Up:[12185]= S = + + since time T equals minus infinity adv. + + A long time ago; for as long as anyone can remember; at the time that + some particular frob was first designed. Usually the word `time' is + omitted. See also [12186]time T; contrast [12187]epoch. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sitename, Next:[12188]skrog, Previous:[12189]since time T equals + minus infinity, Up:[12190]= S = + + sitename /si:t'naym/ n. + + [Unix/Internet] The unique electronic name of a computer system, used + to identify it in UUCP mail, Usenet, or other forms of electronic + information interchange. The folklore interest of sitenames stems from + the creativity and humor they often display. Interpreting a sitename + is not unlike interpreting a vanity license plate; one has to mentally + unpack it, allowing for mono-case and length restrictions and the lack + of whitespace. Hacker tradition deprecates dull, + institutional-sounding names in favor of punchy, humorous, and clever + coinages (except that it is considered appropriate for the official + public gateway machine of an organization to bear the organization's + name or acronym). Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal + names, and allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably the most + popular sources for sitenames (in roughly descending order). The + obligatory comment when discussing these is Harris's Lament: "All the + good ones are taken!" See also [12191]network address. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:skrog, Next:[12192]skulker, Previous:[12193]sitename, Up:[12194]= + S = + + skrog v. + + Syn. [12195]scrog. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:skulker, Next:[12196]slab, Previous:[12197]skrog, Up:[12198]= S = + + skulker n. + + Syn. [12199]prowler. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slab, Next:[12200]slack, Previous:[12201]skulker, Up:[12202]= S = + + slab [Apple] + + 1. n. A continuous horizontal line of pixels, all with the same color. + 2. vi. To paint a slab on an output device. Apple's QuickDraw, like + most other professional-level graphics systems, renders polygons and + lines not with Bresenham's algorithm, but by calculating `slab points' + for each scan line on the screen in succession, and then slabbing in + the actual image pixels. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slack, Next:[12203]slap on the side, Previous:[12204]slab, + Up:[12205]= S = + + slack n. + + 1. Space allocated to a disk file but not actually used to store + useful information. The techspeak equivalent is `internal + fragmentation'. Antonym: [12206]hole. 2. In the theology of the + [12207]Church of the SubGenius, a mystical substance or quality that + is the prerequisite of all human happiness. + + Since Unix files are stored compactly, except for the unavoidable + wastage in the last block or fragment, it might be said that "Unix has + no slack". See [12208]ha ha only serious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slap on the side, Next:[12209]slash, Previous:[12210]slack, + Up:[12211]= S = + + slap on the side n. + + (also called a [12212]sidecar, or abbreviated `SOTS'.) A type of + external expansion hardware marketed by computer manufacturers (e.g., + Commodore for the Amiga 500/1000 series and IBM for the hideous + failure called `PCjr'). Various SOTS boxes provided necessities such + as memory, hard drive controllers, and conventional expansion slots. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slash, Next:[12213]slashdot effect, Previous:[12214]slap on the + side, Up:[12215]= S = + + slash n. + + Common name for the slant (`/', ASCII 0101111) character. See + [12216]ASCII for other synonyms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slashdot effect, Next:[12217]sleep, Previous:[12218]slash, + Up:[12219]= S = + + slashdot effect n. + + 1. Also spelled "/. effect"; what is said to have happened when a + website being virtually unreachable because too many people are + hitting it after the site was mentioned in an interesting article on + the popular [12220]Slashdot news service. The term is quite widely + used by /. readers, including variants like "That site has been + slashdotted again!" 2. In a perhaps inevitable generation, the term is + being used to describe any similar effect from being listed on a + popular site. This would better be described as a [12221]flash crowd. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sleep, Next:[12222]slim, Previous:[12223]slashdot effect, + Up:[12224]= S = + + sleep vi. + + 1. [techspeak] To relinquish a claim (of a process on a multitasking + system) for service; to indicate to the scheduler that a process may + be deactivated until some given event occurs or a specified time delay + elapses. 2. In jargon, used very similarly to v. [12225]block; also in + `sleep on', syn. with `block on'. Often used to indicate that the + speaker has relinquished a demand for resources until some (possibly + unspecified) external event: "They can't get the fix I've been asking + for into the next release, so I'm going to sleep on it until the + release, then start hassling them again." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slim, Next:[12226]slop, Previous:[12227]sleep, Up:[12228]= S = + + slim n. + + A small, derivative change (e.g., to code). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slop, Next:[12229]slopsucker, Previous:[12230]slim, Up:[12231]= S + = + + slop n. + + 1. A one-sided [12232]fudge factor, that is, an allowance for error + but in only one of two directions. For example, if you need a piece of + wire 10 feet long and have to guess when you cut it, you make very + sure to cut it too long, by a large amount if necessary, rather than + too short by even a little bit, because you can always cut off the + slop but you can't paste it back on again. When discrete quantities + are involved, slop is often introduced to avoid the possibility of + being on the losing side of a [12233]fencepost error. 2. The + percentage of `extra' code generated by a compiler over the size of + equivalent assembler code produced by [12234]hand-hacking; i.e., the + space (or maybe time) you lose because you didn't do it yourself. This + number is often used as a measure of the goodness of a compiler; slop + below 5% is very good, and 10% is usually acceptable. With modern + compiler technology, esp. on RISC machines, the compiler's slop may + actually be negative; that is, humans may be unable to generate code + as good. This is one of the reasons assembler programming is no longer + common. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slopsucker, Next:[12235]Slowlaris, Previous:[12236]slop, + Up:[12237]= S = + + slopsucker /slop'suhk-r/ n. + + A lowest-priority task that waits around until everything else has + `had its fill' of machine resources. Only when the machine would + otherwise be idle is the task allowed to `suck up the slop'. Also + called a `hungry puppy' or `bottom feeder'. One common variety of + slopsucker hunts for large prime numbers. Compare [12238]background. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Slowlaris, Next:[12239]slurp, Previous:[12240]slopsucker, + Up:[12241]= S = + + Slowlaris /slo'-lahr-is/ n. + + [Usenet; poss. from the variety of prosimian called a "slow loris". + The variant `Slowlartus' is also common, related to [12242]LART] + Common hackish term for Solaris, Sun's System VR4 version of UNIX that + came out of the standardization wars of the early 1990s. So named + because especially on older hardware, responsiveness was much less + crisp than under the preceding SunOS. Early releases of Solaris (that + is, Solaris 2, as some [12243]marketroids at Sun retroactively + rechristened SunOS as Solaris 1) were quite buggy, and Sun was forced + by customer demand to support SunOS for quite some time. Newer + versions are acknowledged to be among the best commercial UNIX + variants in 1998, but still lose single-processor benchmarks to Sparc + [12244]Linux. Compare [12245]AIDX, [12246]HP-SUX, [12247]Nominal + Semidestructor, [12248]Telerat, [12249]sun-stools. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:slurp, Next:[12250]smart, Previous:[12251]Slowlaris, Up:[12252]= + S = + + slurp vt. + + To read a large data file entirely into [12253]core before working on + it. This may be contrasted with the strategy of reading a small piece + at a time, processing it, and then reading the next piece. "This + program slurps in a 1K-by-1K matrix and does an FFT." See also + [12254]sponge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smart, Next:[12255]smart terminal, Previous:[12256]slurp, + Up:[12257]= S = + + smart adj. + + Said of a program that does the [12258]Right Thing in a wide variety + of complicated circumstances. There is a difference between calling a + program smart and calling it intelligent; in particular, there do not + exist any intelligent programs (yet -- see [12259]AI-complete). + Compare [12260]robust (smart programs can be [12261]brittle). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smart terminal, Next:[12262]smash case, Previous:[12263]smart, + Up:[12264]= S = + + smart terminal n. + + 1. A terminal that has enough computing capability to render graphics + or to offload some kind of front-end processing from the computer it + talks to. The development of workstations and personal computers has + made this term and the product it describes semi-obsolescent, but one + may still hear variants of the phrase `act like a smart terminal' used + to describe the behavior of workstations or PCs with respect to + programs that execute almost entirely out of a remote [12265]server's + storage, using local devices as displays. 2. obs. Any terminal with an + addressable cursor; the opposite of a [12266]glass tty. Today, a + terminal with merely an addressable cursor, but with none of the + more-powerful features mentioned in sense 1, is called a [12267]dumb + terminal. + + There is a classic quote from Rob Pike (inventor of the [12268]blit + terminal): "A smart terminal is not a smartass terminal, but rather a + terminal you can educate." This illustrates a common design problem: + The attempt to make peripherals (or anything else) intelligent + sometimes results in finicky, rigid `special features' that become + just so much dead weight if you try to use the device in any way the + designer didn't anticipate. Flexibility and programmability, on the + other hand, are really smart. Compare [12269]hook. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smash case, Next:[12270]smash the stack, Previous:[12271]smart + terminal, Up:[12272]= S = + + smash case vi. + + To lose or obliterate the uppercase/lowercase distinction in text + input. "MS-DOS will automatically smash case in the names of all the + files you create." Compare [12273]fold case. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smash the stack, Next:[12274]smiley, Previous:[12275]smash case, + Up:[12276]= S = + + smash the stack n. + + [C programming] To corrupt the execution stack by writing past the end + of a local array or other data structure. Code that smashes the stack + can cause a return from the routine to jump to a random address, + resulting in some of the most insidious data-dependent bugs known to + mankind. Variants include `trash' the stack, [12277]scribble the + stack, [12278]mangle the stack; the term **[12279]mung the stack is + not used, as this is never done intentionally. See [12280]spam; see + also [12281]aliasing bug, [12282]fandango on core, [12283]memory leak, + [12284]memory smash, [12285]precedence lossage, [12286]overrun screw. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smiley, Next:[12287]smoke, Previous:[12288]smash the stack, + Up:[12289]= S = + + smiley n. + + See [12290]emoticon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smoke, Next:[12291]smoke and mirrors, Previous:[12292]smiley, + Up:[12293]= S = + + smoke vi. + + 1. To [12294]crash or blow up, usually spectacularly. "The new version + smoked, just like the last one." Used for both hardware (where it + often describes an actual physical event), and software (where it's + merely colorful). 2. [from automotive slang] To be conspicuously fast. + "That processor really smokes." Compare [12295]magic smoke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smoke and mirrors, Next:[12296]smoke test, Previous:[12297]smoke, + Up:[12298]= S = + + smoke and mirrors n. + + Marketing deceptions. The term is mainstream in this general sense. + Among hackers it's strongly associated with bogus demos and crocked + [12299]benchmarks (see also [12300]MIPS, [12301]machoflops). "They + claim their new box cranks 50 MIPS for under $5000, but didn't specify + the instruction mix -- sounds like smoke and mirrors to me." The + phrase, popularized by newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin c.1975, has + been said to derive from carnie slang for magic acts and `freak show' + displays that depend on `trompe l'oeil' effects, but also calls to + mind the fierce Aztec god Tezcatlipoca (lit. "Smoking Mirror") for + whom the hearts of huge numbers of human sacrificial victims were + regularly cut out. Upon hearing about a rigged demo or yet another + round of fantasy-based marketing promises, hackers often feel + analogously disheartened. See also [12302]stealth manager. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smoke test, Next:[12303]smoking clover, Previous:[12304]smoke and + mirrors, Up:[12305]= S = + + smoke test n. + + 1. A rudimentary form of testing applied to electronic equipment + following repair or reconfiguration, in which power is applied and the + tester checks for sparks, smoke, or other dramatic signs of + fundamental failure. See [12306]magic smoke. 2. By extension, the + first run of a piece of software after construction or a critical + change. See and compare [12307]reality check. + + There is an interesting semi-parallel to this term among typographers + and printers: When new typefaces are being punch-cut by hand, a `smoke + test' (hold the letter in candle smoke, then press it onto paper) is + used to check out new dies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smoking clover, Next:[12308]smoot, Previous:[12309]smoke test, + Up:[12310]= S = + + smoking clover n. + + [ITS] A [12311]display hack originally due to Bill Gosper. Many + convergent lines are drawn on a color monitor in such a way that every + pixel struck has its color incremented. The lines all have one + endpoint in the middle of the screen; the other endpoints are spaced + one pixel apart around the perimeter of a large square. The color map + is then repeatedly rotated. This results in a striking, rainbow-hued, + shimmering four-leaf clover. Gosper joked about keeping it hidden from + the FDA (the U.S.'s Food and Drug Administration) lest its + hallucinogenic properties cause it to be banned. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smoot, Next:[12312]SMOP, Previous:[12313]smoking clover, + Up:[12314]= S = + + smoot /smoot/ n. + + [MIT] A unit of length equal five feet seven inches. The length of the + Harvard Bridge in Boston is famously 364.4 smoots plus or minus an ear + (the ear stands for [12315]epsilon). This legend began with a + fraternity prank in 1958 during which the body length of Oliver Smoot + (class of '62) was actually used to measure out that distance. It is + commemorated by smoot marks that MIT students repaint every few years; + the tradition even survived the demolition and rebuilding of the + bridge in the late 1980s. The Boston police have been known to use + smoot markers to indicate accident locations on the bridge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SMOP, Next:[12316]smurf, Previous:[12317]smoot, Up:[12318]= S = + + SMOP /S-M-O-P/ n. + + [Simple (or Small) Matter of Programming] 1. A piece of code, not yet + written, whose anticipated length is significantly greater than its + complexity. Used to refer to a program that could obviously be + written, but is not worth the trouble. Also used ironically to imply + that a difficult problem can be easily solved because a program can be + written to do it; the irony is that it is very clear that writing such + a program will be a great deal of work. "It's easy to enhance a + FORTRAN compiler to compile COBOL as well; it's just an SMOP." 2. + Often used ironically by the intended victim when a suggestion for a + program is made which seems easy to the suggester, but is obviously + (to the victim) a lot of work. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:smurf, Next:[12319]SNAFU principle, Previous:[12320]SMOP, + Up:[12321]= S = + + smurf /smerf/ n. + + 1. [from the soc.motss newsgroup on Usenet, after some obnoxiously + gooey cartoon characters] A newsgroup regular with a habitual style + that is irreverent, silly, and cute. Like many other hackish terms for + people, this one may be praise or insult depending on who uses it. In + general, being referred to as a smurf is probably not going to make + your day unless you've previously adopted the label yourself in a + spirit of irony. Compare [12322]old fart. 2. [techspeak] A ping packet + with a forged source address sent to some other network's broadcast + address. All the machines on the destination network will send a ping + response to the forged source address (the victim). This both + overloads the victim's network and hides the location of the attacker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SNAFU principle, Next:[12323]snail, Previous:[12324]smurf, + Up:[12325]= S = + + SNAFU principle /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ n. + + [from a WWII Army acronym for `Situation Normal, All Fucked Up'] "True + communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are + more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies + than for telling the truth." -- a central tenet of + [12326]Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why + authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The + effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of + decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable + dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly: + + In the beginning was the plan, + and then the specification; + And the plan was without form, + and the specification was void. + + And darkness + was on the faces of the implementors thereof; + And they spake unto their leader, + saying: + "It is a crock of shit, + and smells as of a sewer." + + And the leader took pity on them, + and spoke to the project leader: + "It is a crock of excrement, + and none may abide the odor thereof." + + And the project leader + spake unto his section head, saying: + "It is a container of excrement, + and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." + + The section head then hurried to his department manager, + and informed him thus: + "It is a vessel of fertilizer, + and none may abide its strength." + + The department manager carried these words + to his general manager, + and spoke unto him + saying: + "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, + and it is very strong." + + And so it was that the general manager rejoiced + and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. + "It promoteth growth, + and it is very powerful." + + The Vice President rushed to the President's side, + and joyously exclaimed: + "This powerful new software product + will promote the growth of the company!" + + And the President looked upon the product, + and saw that it was very good. + + After the subsequent and inevitable disaster, the [12327]suits protect + themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are + demoted or fired. Compare [12328]Conway's Law. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snail, Next:[12329]snail-mail, Previous:[12330]SNAFU principle, + Up:[12331]= S = + + snail vt. + + To [12332]snail-mail something. "Snail me a copy of those graphics, + will you?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snail-mail, Next:[12333]snap, Previous:[12334]snail, Up:[12335]= + S = + + snail-mail n. + + Paper mail, as opposed to electronic. Sometimes written as the single + word `SnailMail'. One's postal address is, correspondingly, a `snail + address'. Derives from earlier coinage `USnail' (from `U.S. Mail'), + for which there have even been parody posters and stamps made. Also + (less commonly) called `P-mail', from `paper mail' or `physical mail'. + Oppose [12336]email. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snap, Next:[12337]snarf, Previous:[12338]snail-mail, Up:[12339]= + S = + + snap v. + + To replace a pointer to a pointer with a direct pointer; to replace an + old address with the forwarding address found there. If you telephone + the main number for an institution and ask for a particular person by + name, the operator may tell you that person's extension before + connecting you, in the hopes that you will `snap your pointer' and + dial direct next time. The underlying metaphor may be that of a rubber + band stretched through a number of intermediate points; if you remove + all the thumbtacks in the middle, it snaps into a straight line from + first to last. See [12340]chase pointers. + + Often, the behavior of a [12341]trampoline is to perform an error + check once and then snap the pointer that invoked it so as henceforth + to bypass the trampoline (and its one-shot error check). In this + context one also speaks of `snapping links'. For example, in a LISP + implementation, a function interface trampoline might check to make + sure that the caller is passing the correct number of arguments; if it + is, and if the caller and the callee are both compiled, then snapping + the link allows that particular path to use a direct procedure-call + instruction with no further overhead. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snarf, Next:[12342]snarf & barf, Previous:[12343]snap, + Up:[12344]= S = + + snarf /snarf/ vt. + + 1. To grab, esp. to grab a large document or file for the purpose of + using it with or without the author's permission. See also [12345]BLT. + 2. [in the Unix community] To fetch a file or set of files across a + network. See also [12346]blast. This term was mainstream in the late + 1960s, meaning `to eat piggishly'. It may still have this connotation + in context. "He's in the snarfing phase of hacking -- [12347]FTPing + megs of stuff a day." 3. To acquire, with little concern for legal + forms or politesse (but not quite by stealing). "They were giving away + samples, so I snarfed a bunch of them." 4. Syn. for [12348]slurp. + "This program starts by snarfing the entire database into core, + then...." 5. [GEnie] To spray food or [12349]programming fluids due to + laughing at the wrong moment. "I was drinking coffee, and when I read + your post I snarfed all over my desk." "If I keep reading this topic, + I think I'll have to snarf-proof my computer with a keyboard + [12350]condom." [This sense appears to be widespread among mundane + teenagers --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snarf & barf, Next:[12351]snarf down, Previous:[12352]snarf, + Up:[12353]= S = + + snarf & barf /snarf'n-barf`/ n. + + Under a [12354]WIMP environment, the act of grabbing a region of text + and then stuffing the contents of that region into another region (or + the same one) to avoid retyping a command line. In the late 1960s, + this was a mainstream expression for an `eat now, regret it later' + cheap-restaurant expedition. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snarf down, Next:[12355]snark, Previous:[12356]snarf & barf, + Up:[12357]= S = + + snarf down v. + + To [12358]snarf, with the connotation of absorbing, processing, or + understanding. "I'll snarf down the latest version of the + [12359]nethack user's guide -- it's been a while since I played last + and I don't know what's changed recently." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snark, Next:[12360]sneaker, Previous:[12361]snarf down, + Up:[12362]= S = + + snark n. + + [Lewis Carroll, via the Michigan Terminal System] 1. A system failure. + When a user's process bombed, the operator would get the message + "Help, Help, Snark in MTS!" 2. More generally, any kind of unexplained + or threatening event on a computer (especially if it might be a + boojum). Often used to refer to an event or a log file entry that + might indicate an attempted security violation. See [12363]snivitz. 3. + UUCP name of snark.thyrsus.com, home site of the Jargon File versions + from 2.*.* on (i.e., this lexicon). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sneaker, Next:[12364]sneakernet, Previous:[12365]snark, + Up:[12366]= S = + + sneaker n. + + An individual hired to break into places in order to test their + security; analogous to [12367]tiger team. Compare [12368]samurai. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sneakernet, Next:[12369]sniff, Previous:[12370]sneaker, + Up:[12371]= S = + + sneakernet /snee'ker-net/ n. + + Term used (generally with ironic intent) for transfer of electronic + information by physically carrying tape, disks, or some other media + from one machine to another. "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a + station wagon filled with magtape, or a 747 filled with CD-ROMs." Also + called `Tennis-Net', `Armpit-Net', `Floppy-Net' or `Shoenet'; in the + 1990s, `Nike network' after a well-known sneaker brand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sniff, Next:[12372]snivitz, Previous:[12373]sneakernet, + Up:[12374]= S = + + sniff v.,n. + + 1. To watch IP packets traversing a local network. Most often in the + phrase `packet sniffer', a program for doing same. 2.Synonym for + [12375]poll. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:snivitz, Next:[12376]'Snooze, Previous:[12377]sniff, Up:[12378]= + S = + + snivitz /sniv'itz/ n. + + A hiccup in hardware or software; a small, transient problem of + unknown origin (less serious than a [12379]snark). Compare + [12380]glitch. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:'Snooze, Next:[12381]SO, Previous:[12382]snivitz, Up:[12383]= S = + + 'Snooze /snooz/ [FidoNet] n. + + Fidonews, the weekly official on-line newsletter of FidoNet. As the + editorial policy of Fidonews is "anything that arrives, we print", + there are often large articles completely unrelated to FidoNet, which + in turn tend to elicit [12384]flamage in subsequent issues. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SO, Next:[12385]social engineering, Previous:[12386]'Snooze, + Up:[12387]= S = + + SO /S-O/ n. + + 1. (also `S.O.') Abbrev. for Significant Other, almost invariably + written abbreviated and pronounced /S-O/ by hackers. Used to refer to + one's primary relationship, esp. a live-in to whom one is not married. + See [12388]MOTAS, [12389]MOTOS, [12390]MOTSS. 2. [techspeak] The Shift + Out control character in ASCII (Control-N, 0001110). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:social engineering, Next:[12391]social science number, + Previous:[12392]SO, Up:[12393]= S = + + social engineering n. + + Term used among [12394]crackers and [12395]samurai for cracking + techniques that rely on weaknesses in [12396]wetware rather than + software; the aim is to trick people into revealing passwords or other + information that compromises a target system's security. Classic scams + include phoning up a mark who has the required information and posing + as a field service tech or a fellow employee with an urgent access + problem. See also the [12397]tiger team story in the [12398]patch + entry. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:social science number, Next:[12399]sock puppet, + Previous:[12400]social engineering, Up:[12401]= S = + + social science number n. // + + [IBM] A statistic that is [12402]content-free, or nearly so. A measure + derived via methods of questionable validity from data of a dubious + and vague nature. Predictively, having a social science number in hand + is seldom much better than nothing, and can be considerably worse. As + a rule, [12403]management loves them. See also [12404]numbers, + [12405]math-out, [12406]pretty pictures. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sock puppet, Next:[12407]sodium substrate, Previous:[12408]social + science number, Up:[12409]= S = + + sock puppet n. + + [Usenet: from the act of placing a sock over your hand and talking to + it and pretending it's talking back] In Usenet parlance, a + [12410]pseudo through which the puppeteer posts follow-ups to their + own original message to give the appearance that a number of people + support the views held in the original message. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sodium substrate, Next:[12411]soft boot, Previous:[12412]sock + puppet, Up:[12413]= S = + + sodium substrate n. + + Syn [12414]salt substrate. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:soft boot, Next:[12415]softcopy, Previous:[12416]sodium + substrate, Up:[12417]= S = + + soft boot n. + + See [12418]boot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:softcopy, Next:[12419]software bloat, Previous:[12420]soft boot, + Up:[12421]= S = + + softcopy /soft'kop-ee/ n. + + [by analogy with `hardcopy'] A machine-readable form of corresponding + hardcopy. See [12422]bits, [12423]machinable. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:software bloat, Next:[12424]software hoarding, + Previous:[12425]softcopy, Up:[12426]= S = + + software bloat n. + + The results of [12427]second-system effect or [12428]creeping + featuritis. Commonly cited examples include ls(1), [12429]X, + [12430]BSD, [12431]Missed'em-five, and [12432]OS/2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:software hoarding, Next:[12433]software laser, + Previous:[12434]software bloat, Up:[12435]= S = + + software hoarding n. + + Pejorative term employed by members and adherents of the [12436]GNU + project to describe the act of holding software proprietary, keeping + it under trade secret or license terms which prohibit free + redistribution and modification. Used primarily in Free Software + Foundation propaganda. For a summary of related issues, see + [12437]GNU. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:software laser, Next:[12438]software rot, + Previous:[12439]software hoarding, Up:[12440]= S = + + software laser n. + + An optical laser works by bouncing photons back and forth between two + mirrors, one totally reflective and one partially reflective. If the + lasing material (usually a crystal) has the right properties, photons + scattering off the atoms in the crystal will excite cascades of more + photons, all in lockstep. Eventually the beam will escape through the + partially-reflective mirror. One kind of [12441]sorcerer's apprentice + mode involving [12442]bounce messages can produce closely analogous + results, with a [12443]cascade of messages escaping to flood nearby + systems. By mid-1993 there had been at least two publicized incidents + of this kind. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:software rot, Next:[12444]softwarily, Previous:[12445]software + laser, Up:[12446]= S = + + software rot n. + + Term used to describe the tendency of software that has not been used + in a while to [12447]lose; such failure may be semi-humorously + ascribed to [12448]bit rot. More commonly, `software rot' strikes when + a program's assumptions become out of date. If the design was + insufficiently [12449]robust, this may cause it to fail in mysterious + ways. Syn. `code rot'. See also [12450]link rot. + + For example, owing to endemic shortsightedness in the design of COBOL + programs, a good number of them succumbed to software rot when their + 2-digit year counters underwent [12451]wrap around at the beginning of + the year 2000. Actually, related lossages often afflict centenarians + who have to deal with computer software designed by unimaginative + clods. One such incident became the focus of a minor public flap in + 1990, when a gentleman born in 1889 applied for a driver's license + renewal in Raleigh, North Carolina. The new system refused to issue + the card, probably because with 2-digit years the ages 101 and 1 + cannot be distinguished. + + Historical note: Software rot in an even funnier sense than the + mythical one was a real problem on early research computers (e.g., the + R1; see [12452]grind crank). If a program that depended on a peculiar + instruction hadn't been run in quite a while, the user might discover + that the opcodes no longer did the same things they once did. ("Hey, + so-and-so needs an instruction to do such-and-such. We can + [12453]snarf this opcode, right? No one uses it.") + + Another classic example of this sprang from the time an MIT hacker + found a simple way to double the speed of the unconditional jump + instruction on a PDP-6, so he patched the hardware. Unfortunately, + this broke some fragile timing software in a music-playing program, + throwing its output out of tune. This was fixed by adding a defensive + initialization routine to compare the speed of a timing loop with the + real-time clock; in other words, it figured out how fast the PDP-6 was + that day, and corrected appropriately. + + Compare [12454]bit rot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:softwarily, Next:[12455]softy, Previous:[12456]software rot, + Up:[12457]= S = + + softwarily /soft-weir'i-lee/ adv. + + In a way pertaining to software. "The system is softwarily + unreliable." The adjective **`softwary' is not used. See + [12458]hardwarily. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:softy, Next:[12459]some random X, Previous:[12460]softwarily, + Up:[12461]= S = + + softy n. + + [IBM] Hardware hackers' term for a software expert who is largely + ignorant of the mysteries of hardware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:some random X, Next:[12462]sorcerer's apprentice mode, + Previous:[12463]softy, Up:[12464]= S = + + some random X adj. + + Used to indicate a member of class X, with the implication that Xs are + interchangeable. "I think some random cracker tripped over the guest + timeout last night." See also [12465]J. Random. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sorcerer's apprentice mode, Next:[12466]SOS, Previous:[12467]some + random X, Up:[12468]= S = + + sorcerer's apprentice mode n. + + [from Goethe's "Der Zauberlehrling" via Paul Dukas's "L'apprenti + sorcier" the film "Fantasia"] A bug in a protocol where, under some + circumstances, the receipt of a message causes multiple messages to be + sent, each of which, when received, triggers the same bug. Used esp. + of such behavior caused by [12469]bounce message loops in [12470]email + software. Compare [12471]broadcast storm, [12472]network meltdown, + [12473]software laser, [12474]ARMM. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SOS, Next:[12475]source, Previous:[12476]sorcerer's apprentice + mode, Up:[12477]= S = + + SOS /S-O-S/ + + n.,obs. An infamously [12478]losing text editor. Once, back in the + 1960s, when a text editor was needed for the PDP-6, a hacker crufted + together a [12479]quick-and-dirty `stopgap editor' to be used until a + better one was written. Unfortunately, the old one was never really + discarded when new ones came along. SOS is a descendant (`Son of + Stopgap') of that editor, and many PDP-10 users gained the dubious + pleasure of its acquaintance. Since then other programs similar in + style to SOS have been written, notably the early font editor BILOS + /bye'lohs/, the Brother-In-Law Of Stopgap (the alternate expansion + `Bastard Issue, Loins of Stopgap' has been proposed). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:source, Next:[12480]source of all good bits, Previous:[12481]SOS, + Up:[12482]= S = + + source n. + + [very common] In reference to software, `source' is invariably + shorthand for `source code', the preferred human-readable and + human-modifiable form of the program. This is as opposed to object + code, the derived binary executable form of a program. This shorthand + readily takes derivative forms; one may speak of "the sources of a + system" or of "having source". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:source of all good bits, Next:[12483]space-cadet keyboard, + Previous:[12484]source, Up:[12485]= S = + + source of all good bits n. + + A person from whom (or a place from which) useful information may be + obtained. If you need to know about a program, a [12486]guru might be + the source of all good bits. The title is often applied to a + particularly competent secretary. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:space-cadet keyboard, Next:[12487]spaceship operator, + Previous:[12488]source of all good bits, Up:[12489]= S = + + space-cadet keyboard n. + + A now-legendary device used on MIT LISP machines, which inspired + several still-current jargon terms and influenced the design of + [12490]EMACS. It was equipped with no fewer than seven shift keys: + four keys for [12491]bucky bits (`control', `meta', `hyper', and + `super') and three like regular shift keys, called `shift', `top', and + `front'. Many keys had three symbols on them: a letter and a symbol on + the top, and a Greek letter on the front. For example, the `L' key had + an `L' and a two-way arrow on the top, and the Greek letter lambda on + the front. By pressing this key with the right hand while playing an + appropriate `chord' with the left hand on the shift keys, you could + get the following results: + + L + lowercase l + + shift-L + uppercase L + + front-L + lowercase lambda + + front-shift-L + uppercase lambda + + top-L + two-way arrow (front and shift are ignored) + + And of course each of these might also be typed with any combination + of the control, meta, hyper, and super keys. On this keyboard, you + could type over 8000 different characters! This allowed the user to + type very complicated mathematical text, and also to have thousands of + single-character commands at his disposal. Many hackers were actually + willing to memorize the command meanings of that many characters if it + reduced typing time (this attitude obviously shaped the interface of + EMACS). Other hackers, however, thought having that many bucky bits + was overkill, and objected that such a keyboard can require three or + four hands to operate. See [12492]bucky bits, [12493]cokebottle, + [12494]double bucky, [12495]meta bit, [12496]quadruple bucky. + + Note: early versions of this entry incorrectly identified the + space-cadet keyboard with the `Knight keyboard'. Though both were + designed by Tom Knight, the latter term was properly applied only to a + keyboard used for ITS on the PDP-10 and modeled on the Stanford + keyboard (as described under [12497]bucky bits). The true space-cadet + keyboard evolved from the first Knight keyboard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spaceship operator, Next:[12498]SPACEWAR, + Previous:[12499]space-cadet keyboard, Up:[12500]= S = + + spaceship operator n. + + The glyph <=>, so-called apparently because in the low-resolution + constant-width font used on many terminals it vaguely resembles a + flying saucer. [12501]Perl uses this to denote the + signum-of-difference operation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SPACEWAR, Next:[12502]spaghetti code, Previous:[12503]spaceship + operator, Up:[12504]= S = + + SPACEWAR n. + + A space-combat simulation game, inspired by E. E. "Doc" Smith's + "Lensman" books, in which two spaceships duel around a central sun, + shooting torpedoes at each other and jumping through hyperspace. This + game was first implemented on the PDP-1 at MIT in 1962. In 1968-69, a + descendant of the game motivated Ken Thompson to build, in his spare + time on a scavenged PDP-7, the operating system that became + [12505]Unix. Less than nine years after that, SPACEWAR was + commercialized as one of the first video games; descendants are still + [12506]feeping in video arcades everywhere. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spaghetti code, Next:[12507]spaghetti inheritance, + Previous:[12508]SPACEWAR, Up:[12509]= S = + + spaghetti code n. + + Code with a complex and tangled control structure, esp. one using many + GOTOs, exceptions, or other `unstructured' branching constructs. + Pejorative. The synonym `kangaroo code' has been reported, doubtless + because such code has so many jumps in it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spaghetti inheritance, Next:[12510]spam, + Previous:[12511]spaghetti code, Up:[12512]= S = + + spaghetti inheritance n. + + [encountered among users of object-oriented languages that use + inheritance, such as Smalltalk] A convoluted class-subclass graph, + often resulting from carelessly deriving subclasses from other classes + just for the sake of reusing their code. Coined in a (successful) + attempt to discourage such practice, through guilt-by-association with + [12513]spaghetti code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spam, Next:[12514]spam bait, Previous:[12515]spaghetti + inheritance, Up:[12516]= S = + + spam vt.,vi.,n. + + [from "Monty Python's Flying Circus"] 1. To crash a program by + overrunning a fixed-size buffer with excessively large input data. See + also [12517]buffer overflow, [12518]overrun screw, [12519]smash the + stack. 2. To cause a newsgroup to be flooded with irrelevant or + inappropriate messages. You can spam a newsgroup with as little as one + well- (or ill-) planned message (e.g. asking "What do you think of + abortion?" on soc.women). This is often done with [12520]cross-posting + (e.g. any message which is crossposted to alt.rush-limbaugh and + alt.politics.homosexuality will almost inevitably spam both groups). + This overlaps with [12521]troll behavior; the latter more specific + term has become more common. 3. To send many identical or + nearly-identical messages separately to a large number of Usenet + newsgroups. This is more specifically called `ECP', Excessive + Cross-Posting. This is one sure way to infuriate nearly everyone on + the Net. See also [12522]velveeta and [12523]jello. 4. To bombard a + newsgroup with multiple copies of a message. This is more specifically + called `EMP', Excessive Multi-Posting. 5. To mass-mail unrequested + identical or nearly-identical email messages, particularly those + containing advertising. Especially used when the mail addresses have + been culled from network traffic or databases without the consent of + the recipients. Synonyms include [12524]UCE, [12525]UBE. 6. Any large, + annoying, quantity of output. For instance, someone on IRC who walks + away from their screen and comes back to find 200 lines of text might + say "Oh no, spam". + + The later definitions have become much more prevalent as the Internet + has opened up to non-techies, and to most people senses 3 4 and 5 are + now primary. All three behaviors are considered abuse of the net, and + are almost universally grounds for termination of the originator's + email account or network connection. In these senses the term `spam' + has gone mainstream, though without its original sense or folkloric + freight - there is apparently a widespread myth among [12526]lusers + that "spamming" is what happens when you dump cans of Spam into a + revolving fan. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spam bait, Next:[12527]spamblock, Previous:[12528]spam, + Up:[12529]= S = + + spam bait n. + + Email addresses included in, or comprising the entirety of, a usenet + message so that spammers mining a newsgroup with an [12530]address + harvester will collect them. These addresses can be people who have + offended or annoyed the poster, or who are included so that a spammer + will spam an official, thereby causing himself trouble. One + particularly effective form of spam bait is the address of a + [12531]teergrube. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spamblock, Next:[12532]spamhaus, Previous:[12533]spam bait, + Up:[12534]= S = + + spamblock /spam'blok/ n. + + [poss. by analogy to sunblock] Text inserted in an email address to + render it invalid and thus useless to spammers. For example, the + address `jrandom@hacker.org' might be transformed to + `jrandom@NOSPAM.hacker.org'. Adding spamblock to an address is often + referred to as `munging' it (see [12535]munge)-. This evasion tactic + depends on the fact that most spammers collect names with some sort of + [12536]address harvester on volumes too high to de-mung by hand, but + individual humans reading an email message can readily spot and remove + a spamblock in the from address. + + Note: This is not actually a very effective tactic, and may already be + passing out of use in early 1999 after about two years of life. In + both mail and news, it's essentially impossible to keep a smart + address harvester from mining out the addresses in the message header + and trace lines. Therefore the only people who can be protected are + third parties mentioned by email address in the message - not a common + enough case to interest spammers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spamhaus, Next:[12537]spamvertize, Previous:[12538]spamblock, + Up:[12539]= S = + + spamhaus spam'hows n. + + Pejorative term for an internet service provider that permits or even + encourages [12540]spam mailings from its systems. The plural is + `spamhausen'. There is a web page devoted to [12541]tracking + spamhausen. + + The most notorious of the spamhausen was Sanford Wallace's Cyber + Promotions Inc., shut down by a lawsuit on 16 October 1997. The + anniversary of the shutdown is celebrated on Usenet as Spam Freedom + Day, but lesser imitators of the Spamford still infest various murky + corners of the net. Since prosecution of spammers became routine under + the junk-fax laws and statues specifically targeting spam, spamhausen + have declined in relative importance; today, hit-and-run attacks by + spammers using [12542]relay rape and [12543]throwaway accounts on + reputable ISPs seem to account for most of the flow. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spamvertize, Next:[12544]spangle, Previous:[12545]spamhaus, + Up:[12546]= S = + + spamvertize v. + + To advertise using [12547]spam. Pejorative. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spangle, Next:[12548]spawn, Previous:[12549]spamvertize, + Up:[12550]= S = + + spangle n. + + [UK] The singular of [12551]bells and whistles. See also + [12552]spungle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spawn, Next:[12553]special-case, Previous:[12554]spangle, + Up:[12555]= S = + + spawn n.,vi. + + 1. [techspeak] In UNIX parlance, to create a child process from within + a process. Technically this is a `fork'; the term `spawn' is a bit + more general and is used for threads (lightweight processes) as well + as traditional heavyweight processes. 2. In gaming, meant to indicate + where (`spawn-point') and when a player comes to life (or `re-spawns') + after being killed. Opposite of [12556]frag. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:special-case, Next:[12557]speedometer, Previous:[12558]spawn, + Up:[12559]= S = + + special-case vt. + + To write unique code to handle input to or situations arising in a + program that are somehow distinguished from normal processing. This + would be used for processing of mode switches or interrupt characters + in an interactive interface (as opposed, say, to text entry or normal + commands), or for processing of [12560]hidden flags in the input of a + batch program or [12561]filter. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:speedometer, Next:[12562]spell, Previous:[12563]special-case, + Up:[12564]= S = + + speedometer n. + + A pattern of lights displayed on a linear set of LEDs (today) or nixie + tubes (yesterday, on ancient mainframes). The pattern is shifted left + every N times the operating system goes through its [12565]main loop. + A swiftly moving pattern indicates that the system is mostly idle; the + speedometer slows down as the system becomes overloaded. The + speedometer on Sun Microsystems hardware bounces back and forth like + the eyes on one of the Cylons from the wretched "Battlestar Galactica" + TV series. + + Historical note: One computer, the GE 600 (later Honeywell 6000) + actually had an analog speedometer on the front panel, calibrated in + instructions executed per second. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spell, Next:[12566]spelling flame, Previous:[12567]speedometer, + Up:[12568]= S = + + spell n. + + Syn. [12569]incantation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spelling flame, Next:[12570]spider, Previous:[12571]spell, + Up:[12572]= S = + + spelling flame n. // + + [Usenet] A posting ostentatiously correcting a previous article's + spelling as a way of casting scorn on the point the article was trying + to make, instead of actually responding to that point (compare + [12573]dictionary flame). Of course, people who are more than usually + slovenly spellers are prone to think any correction is a spelling + flame. It's an amusing comment on human nature that spelling flames + themselves often contain spelling errors. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spider, Next:[12574]spider food, Previous:[12575]spelling flame, + Up:[12576]= S = + + spider + + The Web-walking part of a search engine that collects pages for + indexing in the search engine's database. Also called a [12577]bot. + The best-known spider is Scooter, the web-walker for the Alta Vista + search engine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spider food, Next:[12578]spiffy, Previous:[12579]spider, + Up:[12580]= S = + + spider food n. + + Keywords embedded (usually invisibly) into a web page to attract + search engines (spiders). The intended result of including spider food + in one's web page is to insure that the page appears high on the list + of matching entries to a search engine query. There are right and + wrong ways to do this; the right way is a discreet `meta keywords' + tag, the wrong way is to embed many repeats of a keyword in comments + (and many search engines now detect and ignore the latter). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spiffy, Next:[12581]spike, Previous:[12582]spider food, + Up:[12583]= S = + + spiffy /spi'fee/ adj. + + 1. Said of programs having a pretty, clever, or exceptionally + well-designed interface. "Have you seen the spiffy [12584]X version of + [12585]empire yet?" 2. Said sarcastically of a program that is + perceived to have little more than a flashy interface going for it. + Which meaning should be drawn depends delicately on tone of voice and + context. This word was common mainstream slang during the 1940s, in a + sense close to 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spike, Next:[12586]spin, Previous:[12587]spiffy, Up:[12588]= S = + + spike v. + + To defeat a selection mechanism by introducing a (sometimes temporary) + device that forces a specific result. The word is used in several + industries; telephone engineers refer to spiking a relay by inserting + a pin to hold the relay in either the closed or open state, and + railroaders refer to spiking a track switch so that it cannot be + moved. In programming environments it normally refers to a temporary + change, usually for testing purposes (as opposed to a permanent + change, which would be called [12589]hardwired). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spin, Next:[12590]spl, Previous:[12591]spike, Up:[12592]= S = + + spin vi. + + Equivalent to [12593]buzz. More common among C and Unix programmers. + See the discussion of `spinlock' under [12594]busy-wait. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spl, Next:[12595]splash screen, Previous:[12596]spin, Up:[12597]= + S = + + spl /S-P-L/ + + [abbrev, from Set Priority Level] The way traditional Unix kernels + implement mutual exclusion by running code at high interrupt levels. + Used in jargon to describe the act of tuning in or tuning out ordinary + communication. Classically, spl levels run from 1 to 7; "Fred's at spl + 6 today" would mean that he is very hard to interrupt. "Wait till I + finish this; I'll spl down then." See also [12598]interrupts locked + out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:splash screen, Next:[12599]splat, Previous:[12600]spl, + Up:[12601]= S = + + splash screen n. + + [Mac users] Syn. [12602]banner, sense 3. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:splat, Next:[12603]splat out, Previous:[12604]splash screen, + Up:[12605]= S = + + splat n. + + 1. Name used in many places (DEC, IBM, and others) for the asterisk + (*) character (ASCII 0101010). This may derive from the `squashed-bug' + appearance of the asterisk on many early line printers. 2. [MIT] Name + used by some people for the # character (ASCII 0100011). 3. The + [12606]feature key on a Mac (same as [12607]alt, sense 2). 4. obs. + Name used by some people for the Stanford/ITS extended ASCII circle-x + character. This character is also called `blobby' and `frob', among + other names; it is sometimes used by mathematicians as a notation for + `tensor product'. 5. obs. Name for the semi-mythical Stanford extended + ASCII circle-plus character. See also [12608]ASCII. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:splat out, Next:[12609]spod, Previous:[12610]splat, Up:[12611]= S + = + + splat out v. + + [Usenet] To partially obscure a potentially provocative word by + substituting [12612]splat characters for some of its letters (usually, + but not always, the vowels). The purpose is not to make the word + unrecognizable but to make it a mention rather than a use, so that no + flamewar ensues. Words often splatted out include N*z* (see + [12613]Godwin's Law), *v*l*t**n (anywhere fundamentalists might be + lurking), *b*rt**n, and g*n c*ntr*l. Compare [12614]UN*X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spod, Next:[12615]spoiler, Previous:[12616]splat out, Up:[12617]= + S = + + spod n. + + [UK] 1. A lower form of life found on [12618]talker systems and + [12619]MUDs. The spod has few friends in [12620]RL and uses talkers + instead, finding communication easier and preferable over the net. He + has all the negative traits of the [12621]computer geek without having + any interest in computers per se. Lacking any knowledge of or interest + in how networks work, and considering his access a God-given right, he + is a major irritant to sysadmins, clogging up lines in order to reach + new MUDs, following passed-on instructions on how to sneak his way + onto Internet ("Wow! It's in America!") and complaining when he is not + allowed to use busy routes. A true spod will start any conversation + with "Are you male or female?" (and follow it up with "Got any good + numbers/IDs/passwords?") and will not talk to someone physically + present in the same terminal room until they log onto the same machine + that he is using and enter talk mode. Compare [12622]newbie, + [12623]tourist, [12624]weenie, [12625]twink, [12626]terminal junkie, + [12627]warez d00dz. 2. A [12628]backronym for "Sole Purpose, Obtain a + Degree"; according to some self-described spods, this term is used by + indifferent students to condemn their harder-working fellows. Compare + the defiant adoption of the term `geek' in the mid-1990s by people who + would previously have been stigmatized by it (see [12629]computer + geek). 3. [obs.] An ordinary person; a [12630]random. This is the + meaning with which the term was coined, but the inventor informs us he + has himself accepted sense 1. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spoiler, Next:[12631]spoiler space, Previous:[12632]spod, + Up:[12633]= S = + + spoiler n. + + [Usenet] 1. A remark which reveals important plot elements from books + or movies, thus denying the reader (of the article) the proper + suspense when reading the book or watching the movie. 2. Any remark + which telegraphs the solution of a problem or puzzle, thus denying the + reader the pleasure of working out the correct answer (see also + [12634]interesting). Either sense readily forms compounds like `total + spoiler', `quasi-spoiler' and even `pseudo-spoiler'. + + By convention, articles which are spoilers in either sense should + contain the word `spoiler' in the Subject: line, or guarantee via + various tricks that the answer appears only after several screens-full + of warning, or conceal the sensitive information via [12635]rot13, + [12636]spoiler space or some combination of these techniques. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spoiler space, Next:[12637]sponge, Previous:[12638]spoiler, + Up:[12639]= S = + + spoiler space + + [also `spoiler spoo'] A screenful of blank lines (and, often, + form-feeds) deliberately inserted in a message following a + [12640]spoiler warning, so the actual spoiler can't be seen without + hitting a key. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sponge, Next:[12641]spoof, Previous:[12642]spoiler space, + Up:[12643]= S = + + sponge n. + + [Unix] A special case of a [12644]filter that reads its entire input + before writing any output; the canonical example is a sort utility. + Unlike most filters, a sponge can conveniently overwrite the input + file with the output data stream. If a file system has versioning (as + ITS did and VMS does now) the sponge/filter distinction loses its + usefulness, because directing filter output would just write a new + version. See also [12645]slurp. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spoof, Next:[12646]spool, Previous:[12647]sponge, Up:[12648]= S = + + spoof vi. + + To capture, alter, and retransmit a communication stream in a way that + misleads the recipient. As used by hackers, refers especially to + altering TCP/IP packet source addresses or other packet-header data in + order to masquerade as a trusted machine. This term has become very + widespread and is borderline techspeak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spool, Next:[12649]spool file, Previous:[12650]spoof, Up:[12651]= + S = + + spool vi. + + [from early IBM `Simultaneous Peripheral Operation On-Line', but is + widely thought to be a [12652]backronym] To send files to some device + or program (a `spooler') that queues them up and does something useful + with them later. Without qualification, the spooler is the `print + spooler' controlling output of jobs to a printer; but the term has + been used in connection with other peripherals (especially plotters + and graphics devices) and occasionally even for input devices. See + also [12653]demon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spool file, Next:[12654]spungle, Previous:[12655]spool, + Up:[12656]= S = + + spool file n. + + Any file to which data is [12657]spooled to await the next stage of + processing. Especially used in circumstances where spooling the data + copes with a mismatch between speeds in two devices or pieces of + software. For example, when you send mail under Unix, it's typically + copied to a spool file to await a transport [12658]demon's attentions. + This is borderline techspeak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:spungle, Next:[12659]square tape, Previous:[12660]spool file, + Up:[12661]= S = + + spungle n. + + [Durham, UK; portmanteau, [12662]spangle + bungle] A [12663]spangle of + no actual usefulness. Example: Roger the Bent Paperclip in Microsoft + Word '98. A spungle's only virtue is that it looks pretty, unless you + find creeping featurism ugly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:square tape, Next:[12664]squirrelcide, Previous:[12665]spungle, + Up:[12666]= S = + + square tape n. + + Mainframe magnetic tape cartridges for use with IBM 3480 or compatible + tape drives; or QIC tapes used on workstations and micros. The term + comes from the square (actually rectangular) shape of the cartridges; + contrast [12667]round tape. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:squirrelcide, Next:[12668]stack, Previous:[12669]square tape, + Up:[12670]= S = + + squirrelcide n. + + [common on Usenet's comp.risks newsgroup.] (alt. `squirrelicide') What + all too frequently happens when a squirrel decides to exercise its + species's unfortunate penchant for shorting out power lines with their + little furry bodies. Result: one dead squirrel, one down computer + installation. In this situation, the computer system is said to have + been squirrelcided. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stack, Next:[12671]stack puke, Previous:[12672]squirrelcide, + Up:[12673]= S = + + stack n. + + The set of things a person has to do in the future. One speaks of the + next project to be attacked as having risen to the top of the stack. + "I'm afraid I've got real work to do, so this'll have to be pushed way + down on my stack." "I haven't done it yet because every time I pop my + stack something new gets pushed." If you are interrupted several times + in the middle of a conversation, "My stack overflowed" means "I forget + what we were talking about." The implication is that more items were + pushed onto the stack than could be remembered, so the least recent + items were lost. The usual physical example of a stack is to be found + in a cafeteria: a pile of plates or trays sitting on a spring in a + well, so that when you put one on the top they all sink down, and when + you take one off the top the rest spring up a bit. See also + [12674]push and [12675]pop. + + At MIT, [12676]PDL used to be a more common synonym for [12677]stack + in all these contexts, and this may still be true. Everywhere else + [12678]stack seems to be the preferred term. [12679]Knuth ("The Art of + Computer Programming", second edition, vol. 1, p. 236) says: + + Many people who realized the importance of stacks and queues + independently have given other names to these structures: stacks + have been called push-down lists, reversion storages, cellars, + nesting stores, piles, last-in-first-out ("LIFO") lists, and even + yo-yo lists! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stack puke, Next:[12680]stale pointer bug, Previous:[12681]stack, + Up:[12682]= S = + + stack puke n. + + Some processor architectures are said to `puke their guts onto the + stack' to save their internal state during exception processing. The + Motorola 68020, for example, regurgitates up to 92 bytes on a bus + fault. On a pipelined machine, this can take a while. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stale pointer bug, Next:[12683]star out, Previous:[12684]stack + puke, Up:[12685]= S = + + stale pointer bug n. + + Synonym for [12686]aliasing bug used esp. among microcomputer hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:star out, Next:[12687]state, Previous:[12688]stale pointer bug, + Up:[12689]= S = + + star out v. + + [University of York, England] To replace a user's encrypted password + in /etc/passwd with a single asterisk. Under Unix this is not a legal + encryption of any password; hence the user is not permitted to log in. + In general, accounts like adm, news, and daemon are permanently + "starred out"; occasionally a real user might have the this inflicted + upon him/her as a punishment, e.g. "Graham was starred out for playing + Omega in working hours". Also occasionally known as The Order Of The + Gold Star in this context. "Don't do that, or you'll be awarded the + Order of the Gold Star..." Compare [12690]disusered. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:state, Next:[12691]stealth manager, Previous:[12692]star out, + Up:[12693]= S = + + state n. + + 1. Condition, situation. "What's the state of your latest hack?" "It's + winning away." "The system tried to read and write the disk + simultaneously and got into a totally [12694]wedged state." The + standard question "What's your state?" means "What are you doing?" or + "What are you about to do?" Typical answers are "about to gronk out", + or "hungry". Another standard question is "What's the state of the + world?", meaning "What's new?" or "What's going on?". The more terse + and humorous way of asking these questions would be "State-p?". + Another way of phrasing the first question under sense 1 would be + "state-p latest hack?". 2. Information being maintained in + non-permanent memory (electronic or human). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stealth manager, Next:[12695]steam-powered, + Previous:[12696]state, Up:[12697]= S = + + stealth manager n. + + [Corporate DP] A manager that appears out of nowhere, promises + undeliverable software to unknown end users, and vanishes before the + programming staff realizes what has happened. See [12698]smoke and + mirrors. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:steam-powered, Next:[12699]STFW, Previous:[12700]stealth manager, + Up:[12701]= S = + + steam-powered adj. + + Old-fashioned or underpowered; archaic. This term does not have a + strong negative loading and may even be used semi-affectionately for + something that clanks and wheezes a lot but hangs in there doing the + job. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:STFW, Next:[12702]stiffy, Previous:[12703]steam-powered, + Up:[12704]= S = + + STFW imp. /S-T-F-W/ + + [Usenet] Commmon abbreviation for "Search The Fucking Web", a + suggestion that what you're asking for is a query better handled by a + search engine than a human being. Usage is common and exactly parallel + to both senses of [12705]RTFM. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stiffy, Next:[12706]stir-fried random, Previous:[12707]STFW, + Up:[12708]= S = + + stiffy n. + + 3.5-inch [12709]microfloppies, so called because their jackets are + more rigid than those of the 5.25-inch and the (now totally obsolete) + 8-inch floppy. Elsewhere this might be called a `firmy'. For some odd + reason, several sources have taken the trouble to inform us that this + term is widespread in South Africa. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stir-fried random, Next:[12710]stomp on, Previous:[12711]stiffy, + Up:[12712]= S = + + stir-fried random n. + + (alt. `stir-fried mumble') Term used for the best dish of many of + those hackers who can cook. Consists of random fresh veggies and meat + wokked with random spices. Tasty and economical. See [12713]random, + [12714]great-wall, [12715]ravs, [12716]laser chicken, [12717]oriental + food; see also [12718]mumble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stomp on, Next:[12719]Stone Age, Previous:[12720]stir-fried + random, Up:[12721]= S = + + stomp on vt. + + To inadvertently overwrite something important, usually automatically. + "All the work I did this weekend got stomped on last night by the + nightly server script." Compare [12722]scribble, [12723]mangle, + [12724]trash, [12725]scrog, [12726]roach. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Stone Age, Next:[12727]stone knives and bearskins, + Previous:[12728]stomp on, Up:[12729]= S = + + Stone Age n.,adj. + + 1. In computer folklore, an ill-defined period from ENIAC (ca. 1943) + to the mid-1950s; the great age of electromechanical [12730]dinosaurs. + Sometimes used for the entire period up to 1960-61 (see [12731]Iron + Age); however, it is funnier and more descriptive to characterize the + latter period in terms of a `Bronze Age' era of transistor-logic, + pre-ferrite-[12732]core machines with drum or CRT mass storage (as + opposed to just mercury delay lines and/or relays). See also + [12733]Iron Age. 2. More generally, a pejorative for any crufty, + ancient piece of hardware or software technology. Note that this is + used even by people who were there for the [12734]Stone Age (sense 1). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stone knives and bearskins, Next:[12735]stoppage, + Previous:[12736]Stone Age, Up:[12737]= S = + + stone knives and bearskins n. + + [from the Star Trek Classic episode "The City on the Edge of Forever"] + A term traditionally used to describe (and deprecate) computing + environments that are grotesquely primitive in light of what is known + about good ways to design things. As in "Don't get too used to the + facilities here. Once you leave SAIL it's stone knives and bearskins + as far as the eye can see". Compare [12738]steam-powered. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stoppage, Next:[12739]store, Previous:[12740]stone knives and + bearskins, Up:[12741]= S = + + stoppage /sto'p*j/ n. + + Extreme [12742]lossage that renders something (usually something + vital) completely unusable. "The recent system stoppage was caused by + a [12743]fried transformer." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:store, Next:[12744]strided, Previous:[12745]stoppage, Up:[12746]= + S = + + store n. + + [prob. from techspeak `main store'] In some varieties of Commonwealth + hackish, the preferred synonym for [12747]core. Thus, `bringing a + program into store' means not that one is returning shrink-wrapped + software but that a program is being [12748]swapped in. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:strided, Next:[12749]stroke, Previous:[12750]store, Up:[12751]= S + = + + strided /stri:'d*d/ adj. + + [scientific computing] Said of a sequence of memory reads and writes + to addresses, each of which is separated from the last by a constant + interval called the `stride length'. These can be a worst-case access + pattern for the standard memory-caching schemes when the stride length + is a multiple of the cache line size. Strided references are often + generated by loops through an array, and (if your data is large enough + that access-time is significant) it can be worthwhile to tune for + better locality by inverting double loops or by partially unrolling + the outer loop of a loop nest. This usage is borderline techspeak; the + related term `memory stride' is definitely techspeak. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stroke, Next:[12752]strudel, Previous:[12753]strided, Up:[12754]= + S = + + stroke n. + + Common name for the slant (`/', ASCII 0101111) character. See + [12755]ASCII for other synonyms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:strudel, Next:[12756]stubroutine, Previous:[12757]stroke, + Up:[12758]= S = + + strudel n. + + Common (spoken) name for the at-sign (`@', ASCII 1000000) character. + See [12759]ASCII for other synonyms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stubroutine, Next:[12760]studly, Previous:[12761]strudel, + Up:[12762]= S = + + stubroutine /stuhb'roo-teen/ n. + + [contraction of `stub subroutine'] Tiny, often vacuous placeholder for + a subroutine that is to be written or fleshed out later. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:studly, Next:[12763]studlycaps, Previous:[12764]stubroutine, + Up:[12765]= S = + + studly adj. + + Impressive; powerful. Said of code and designs which exhibit both + complexity and a virtuoso flair. Has connotations similar to + [12766]hairy but is more positive in tone. Often in the emphatic `most + studly' or as noun-form `studliness'. "Smail 3.0's configuration + parser is most studly." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:studlycaps, Next:[12767]stunning, Previous:[12768]studly, + Up:[12769]= S = + + studlycaps /stuhd'lee-kaps/ n. + + A hackish form of silliness similar to [12770]BiCapitalization for + trademarks, but applied randomly and to arbitrary text rather than to + trademarks. ThE oRigiN and SigNificaNce of thIs pRacTicE iS oBscuRe. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stunning, Next:[12771]stupid-sort, Previous:[12772]studlycaps, + Up:[12773]= S = + + stunning adj. + + Mind-bogglingly stupid. Usually used in sarcasm. "You want to code + what in ADA? That's a ... stunning idea!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:stupid-sort, Next:[12774]Stupids, Previous:[12775]stunning, + Up:[12776]= S = + + stupid-sort n. + + Syn. [12777]bogo-sort. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Stupids, Next:[12778]Sturgeon's Law, Previous:[12779]stupid-sort, + Up:[12780]= S = + + Stupids n. + + Term used by [12781]samurai for the [12782]suits who employ them; + succinctly expresses an attitude at least as common, though usually + better disguised, among other subcultures of hackers. There may be + intended reference here to an SF story originally published in 1952 + but much anthologized since, Mark Clifton's "Star, Bright". In it, a + super-genius child classifies humans into a very few `Brights' like + herself, a huge majority of `Stupids', and a minority of `Tweens', the + merely ordinary geniuses. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Sturgeon's Law, Next:[12783]sucking mud, Previous:[12784]Stupids, + Up:[12785]= S = + + Sturgeon's Law prov. + + "Ninety percent of everything is crap". Derived from a quote by + science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, who once said, "Sure, 90% of + science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud." + Oddly, when Sturgeon's Law is cited, the final word is almost + invariably changed to `crap'. Compare [12786]Hanlon's Razor, + [12787]Ninety-Ninety Rule. Though this maxim originated in SF fandom, + most hackers recognize it and are all too aware of its truth. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sucking mud, Next:[12788]sufficiently small, + Previous:[12789]Sturgeon's Law, Up:[12790]= S = + + sucking mud adj. + + [Applied Data Research] (also `pumping mud') Crashed or [12791]wedged. + Usually said of a machine that provides some service to a network, + such as a file server. This Dallas regionalism derives from the East + Texas oilfield lament, "Shut 'er down, Ma, she's a-suckin' mud". Often + used as a query. "We are going to reconfigure the network, are you + ready to suck mud?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sufficiently small, Next:[12792]suit, Previous:[12793]sucking + mud, Up:[12794]= S = + + sufficiently small adj. + + Syn. [12795]suitably small. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:suit, Next:[12796]suitable win, Previous:[12797]sufficiently + small, Up:[12798]= S = + + suit n. + + 1. Ugly and uncomfortable `business clothing' often worn by + non-hackers. Invariably worn with a `tie', a strangulation device that + partially cuts off the blood supply to the brain. It is thought that + this explains much about the behavior of suit-wearers. Compare + [12799]droid. 2. A person who habitually wears suits, as distinct from + a techie or hacker. See [12800]pointy-haired, [12801]burble, + [12802]management, [12803]Stupids, [12804]SNAFU principle, [12805]PHB, + and [12806]brain-damaged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:suitable win, Next:[12807]suitably small, Previous:[12808]suit, + Up:[12809]= S = + + suitable win n. + + See [12810]win. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:suitably small, Next:[12811]Sun, Previous:[12812]suitable win, + Up:[12813]= S = + + suitably small adj. + + [perverted from mathematical jargon] + + An expression used ironically to characterize unquantifiable behavior + that differs from expected or required behavior. For example, suppose + a newly created program came up with a correct full-screen display, + and one publicly exclaimed: "It works!" Then, if the program dumped + core on the first mouse click, one might add: "Well, for suitably + small values of `works'." Compare the characterization of pi under + [12814]random numbers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Sun, Next:[12815]sun lounge, Previous:[12816]suitably small, + Up:[12817]= S = + + Sun n. + + Sun Microsystems. Hackers remember that the name was originally an + acronym, Stanford University Network. Sun started out around 1980 with + some hardware hackers (mainly) from Stanford talking to some software + hackers (mainly) from UC Berkeley; Sun's original technology concept + married a clever board design based on the Motorola 68000 to + [12818]BSD Unix. Sun went on to lead the worstation industry through + the 1980s, and for years afterwards remained an engineering-driven + company and a good place for hackers to work. Though Sun drifted away + from its techie origins after 1990 and has since made some strategic + moves that disappointed and annoyed many hackers (especially by + maintaining proprietary control of Java and rejecting Linux), it's + still considered within the family in much the same way [12819]DEC was + in the 1970s and early 1980s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sun lounge, Next:[12820]sun-stools, Previous:[12821]Sun, + Up:[12822]= S = + + sun lounge n. + + [UK] The room where all the Sun workstations live. The humor in this + term comes from the fact that it's also in mainstream use to describe + a solarium, and all those Sun workstations clustered together give off + an amazing amount of heat. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sun-stools, Next:[12823]sunspots, Previous:[12824]sun lounge, + Up:[12825]= S = + + sun-stools n. + + Unflattering hackerism for SunTools, a pre-X windowing environment + notorious in its day for size, slowness, and misfeatures. [12826]X, + however, is larger and (some claim) slower; see [12827]second-system + effect. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sunspots, Next:[12828]super source quench, + Previous:[12829]sun-stools, Up:[12830]= S = + + sunspots n. + + 1. Notional cause of an odd error. "Why did the program suddenly turn + the screen blue?" "Sunspots, I guess." 2. Also the cause of [12831]bit + rot -- from the myth that sunspots will increase [12832]cosmic rays, + which can flip single bits in memory. See also [12833]phase of the + moon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:super source quench, Next:[12834]superloser, + Previous:[12835]sunspots, Up:[12836]= S = + + super source quench n. + + A special packet designed to shut up an Internet host. The Internet + Protocol (IP) has a control message called Source Quench that asks a + host to transmit more slowly on a particular connection to avoid + congestion. It also has a Redirect control message intended to + instruct a host to send certain packets to a different local router. A + "super source quench" is actually a redirect control packet, forged to + look like it came from a local router, that instructs a host to send + all packets to its own local loopback address. This will effectively + tie many Internet hosts up in knots. Compare [12837]Godzillagram, + [12838]breath-of-life packet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:superloser, Next:[12839]superprogrammer, Previous:[12840]super + source quench, Up:[12841]= S = + + superloser n. + + [Unix] A superuser with no clue - someone with root privileges on a + Unix system and no idea what he/she is doing, the moral equivalent of + a three-year-old with an unsafetied Uzi. Anyone who thinks this is an + uncommon situation reckons without the territorial urges of + [12842]management. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:superprogrammer, Next:[12843]superuser, + Previous:[12844]superloser, Up:[12845]= S = + + superprogrammer n. + + A prolific programmer; one who can code exceedingly well and quickly. + Not all hackers are superprogrammers, but many are. (Productivity can + vary from one programmer to another by three orders of magnitude. For + example, one programmer might be able to write an average of 3 lines + of working code in one day, while another, with the proper tools, + might be able to write 3,000. This range is astonishing; it is matched + in very few other areas of human endeavor.) The term `superprogrammer' + is more commonly used within such places as IBM than in the hacker + community. It tends to stress naive measures of productivity and to + underweight creativity, ingenuity, and getting the job done -- and to + sidestep the question of whether the 3,000 lines of code do more or + less useful work than three lines that do the [12846]Right Thing. + Hackers tend to prefer the terms [12847]hacker and [12848]wizard. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:superuser, Next:[12849]support, Previous:[12850]superprogrammer, + Up:[12851]= S = + + superuser n. + + [Unix] Syn. [12852]root, [12853]avatar. This usage has spread to + non-Unix environments; the superuser is any account with all + [12854]wheel bits on. A more specific term than [12855]wheel. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:support, Next:[12856]surf, Previous:[12857]superuser, Up:[12858]= + S = + + support n. + + After-sale handholding; something many software vendors promise but + few deliver. To hackers, most support people are useless -- because by + the time a hacker calls support he or she will usually know the + software and the relevant manuals better than the support people + (sadly, this is not a joke or exaggeration). A hacker's idea of + `support' is a tête-à-tête with the software's designer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:surf, Next:[12859]Suzie COBOL, Previous:[12860]support, + Up:[12861]= S = + + surf v. + + [from the `surf' idiom for rapidly flipping TV channels] To traverse + the Internet in search of interesting stuff, used esp. if one is doing + so with a World Wide Web browser. It is also common to speak of + `surfing in' to a particular resource. + + Hackers adopted this term early, but many have stopped using it since + it went completely mainstream around 1995. The passive, couch-potato + connotations that go with TV channel surfing were never pleasant, and + hearing non-hackers wax enthusiastic about "surfing the net" tends to + make hackers feel a bit as though their home is being overrun by + ignorami. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Suzie COBOL, Next:[12862]swab, Previous:[12863]surf, Up:[12864]= + S = + + Suzie COBOL /soo'zee koh'bol/ + + 1. [IBM: prob. from Frank Zappa's `Suzy Creamcheese'] n. A coder + straight out of training school who knows everything except the value + of comments in plain English. Also (fashionable among personkind + wishing to avoid accusations of sexism) `Sammy Cobol' or (in some + non-IBM circles) `Cobol Charlie'. 2. [proposed] Meta-name for any + [12865]code grinder, analogous to [12866]J. Random Hacker. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:swab, Next:[12867]swap, Previous:[12868]Suzie COBOL, Up:[12869]= + S = + + swab /swob/ + + [From the mnemonic for the PDP-11 `SWAp Byte' instruction, as + immortalized in the dd(1) option conv=swab (see [12870]dd)] 1. vt. To + solve the [12871]NUXI problem by swapping bytes in a file. 2. n. The + program in V7 Unix used to perform this action, or anything + functionally equivalent to it. See also [12872]big-endian, + [12873]little-endian, [12874]middle-endian, [12875]bytesexual. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:swap, Next:[12876]swap space, Previous:[12877]swab, Up:[12878]= S + = + + swap vt. + + 1. [techspeak] To move information from a fast-access memory to a + slow-access memory (`swap out'), or vice versa (`swap in'). Often + refers specifically to the use of disks as `virtual memory'. As pieces + of data or program are needed, they are swapped into [12879]core for + processing; when they are no longer needed they may be swapped out + again. 2. The jargon use of these terms analogizes people's short-term + memories with core. Cramming for an exam might be spoken of as + swapping in. If you temporarily forget someone's name, but then + remember it, your excuse is that it was swapped out. To `keep + something swapped in' means to keep it fresh in your memory: "I reread + the TECO manual every few months to keep it swapped in." If someone + interrupts you just as you got a good idea, you might say "Wait a + moment while I swap this out", implying that a piece of paper is your + extra-somatic memory and that if you don't swap the idea out by + writing it down it will get overwritten and lost as you talk. Compare + [12880]page in, [12881]page out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:swap space, Next:[12882]swapped in, Previous:[12883]swap, + Up:[12884]= S = + + swap space n. + + Storage space, especially temporary storage space used during a move + or reconfiguration. "I'm just using that corner of the machine room + for swap space." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:swapped in, Next:[12885]swapped out, Previous:[12886]swap space, + Up:[12887]= S = + + swapped in n. + + See [12888]swap. See also [12889]page in. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:swapped out, Next:[12890]swizzle, Previous:[12891]swapped in, + Up:[12892]= S = + + swapped out n. + + See [12893]swap. See also [12894]page out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:swizzle, Next:[12895]sync, Previous:[12896]swapped out, + Up:[12897]= S = + + swizzle v. + + To convert external names, array indices, or references within a data + structure into address pointers when the data structure is brought + into main memory from external storage (also called `pointer + swizzling'); this may be done for speed in chasing references or to + simplify code (e.g., by turning lots of name lookups into pointer + dereferences). The converse operation is sometimes termed + `unswizzling'. See also [12898]snap. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sync, Next:[12899]syntactic salt, Previous:[12900]swizzle, + Up:[12901]= S = + + sync /sink/ n., vi. + + (var. `synch') 1. To synchronize, to bring into synchronization. 2. + [techspeak] To force all pending I/O to the disk; see [12902]flush, + sense 2. 3. More generally, to force a number of competing processes + or agents to a state that would be `safe' if the system were to crash; + thus, to checkpoint (in the database-theory sense). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:syntactic salt, Next:[12903]syntactic sugar, + Previous:[12904]sync, Up:[12905]= S = + + syntactic salt n. + + The opposite of [12906]syntactic sugar, a feature designed to make it + harder to write bad code. Specifically, syntactic salt is a hoop the + programmer must jump through just to prove that he knows what's going + on, rather than to express a program action. Some programmers consider + required type declarations to be syntactic salt. A requirement to + write end if, end while, end do, etc. to terminate the last block + controlled by a control construct (as opposed to just end) would + definitely be syntactic salt. Syntactic salt is like the real thing in + that it tends to raise hackers' blood pressures in an unhealthy way. + Compare [12907]candygrammar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:syntactic sugar, Next:[12908]sys-frog, Previous:[12909]syntactic + salt, Up:[12910]= S = + + syntactic sugar n. + + [coined by Peter Landin] Features added to a language or other + formalism to make it `sweeter' for humans, features which do not + affect the expressiveness of the formalism (compare [12911]chrome). + Used esp. when there is an obvious and trivial translation of the + `sugar' feature into other constructs already present in the notation. + C's a[i] notation is syntactic sugar for *(a + i). "Syntactic sugar + causes cancer of the semicolon." -- Alan Perlis. + + The variants `syntactic saccharin' and `syntactic syrup' are also + recorded. These denote something even more gratuitous, in that + syntactic sugar serves a purpose (making something more acceptable to + humans), but syntactic saccharin or syrup serve no purpose at all. + Compare [12912]candygrammar, [12913]syntactic salt. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sys-frog, Next:[12914]sysadmin, Previous:[12915]syntactic sugar, + Up:[12916]= S = + + sys-frog /sis'frog/ n. + + [the PLATO system] Playful variant of `sysprog', which is in turn + short for `systems programmer'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sysadmin, Next:[12917]sysape, Previous:[12918]sys-frog, + Up:[12919]= S = + + sysadmin /sis'ad-min/ n. + + Common contraction of `system admin'; see [12920]admin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sysape, Next:[12921]sysop, Previous:[12922]sysadmin, Up:[12923]= + S = + + sysape /sys'ayp/ n. + + A rather derogatory term for a computer operator; a play on + [12924]sysop common at sites that use the banana hierarchy of problem + complexity (see [12925]one-banana problem). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:sysop, Next:[12926]system, Previous:[12927]sysape, Up:[12928]= S + = + + sysop /sis'op/ n. + + [esp. in the BBS world] The operator (and usually the owner) of a + bulletin-board system. A common neophyte mistake on [12929]FidoNet is + to address a message to `sysop' in an international [12930]echo, thus + sending it to hundreds of sysops around the world. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:system, Next:[12931]systems jock, Previous:[12932]sysop, + Up:[12933]= S = + + system n. + + 1. The supervisor program or OS on a computer. 2. The entire computer + system, including input/output devices, the supervisor program or OS, + and possibly other software. 3. Any large-scale program. 4. Any method + or algorithm. 5. `System hacker': one who hacks the system (in senses + 1 and 2 only; for sense 3 one mentions the particular program: e.g., + `LISP hacker') + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:systems jock, Next:[12934]system mangler, Previous:[12935]system, + Up:[12936]= S = + + systems jock n. + + See [12937]jock, sense 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:system mangler, Next:[12938]SysVile, Previous:[12939]systems + jock, Up:[12940]= S = + + system mangler n. + + Humorous synonym for `system manager', poss. from the fact that one + major IBM OS had a [12941]root account called SYSMANGR. Refers + specifically to a systems programmer in charge of administration, + software maintenance, and updates at some site. Unlike [12942]admin, + this term emphasizes the technical end of the skills involved. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:SysVile, Next:[12943]T, Previous:[12944]system mangler, + Up:[12945]= S = + + SysVile /sis-vi:l'/ n. + + See [12946]Missed'em-five. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= T =, Next:[12947]= U =, Previous:[12948]= S =, Up:[12949]The + Jargon Lexicon + += T = + + * [12950]T: + * [12951]tail recursion: + * [12952]talk mode: + * [12953]talker system: + * [12954]tall card: + * [12955]tanked: + * [12956]TANSTAAFL: + * [12957]tape monkey: + * [12958]tar and feather: + * [12959]tarball: + * [12960]tardegy: + * [12961]taste: + * [12962]tayste: + * [12963]TCB: + * [12964]TCP/IP: + * [12965]TechRef: + * [12966]TECO: + * [12967]tee: + * [12968]teergrube: + * [12969]teledildonics: + * [12970]Telerat: + * [12971]TELNET: + * [12972]ten-finger interface: + * [12973]tense: + * [12974]tentacle: + * [12975]tenured graduate student: + * [12976]tera-: + * [12977]teraflop club: + * [12978]terminak: + * [12979]terminal brain death: + * [12980]terminal illness: + * [12981]terminal junkie: + * [12982]terpri: + * [12983]test: + * [12984]TeX: + * [12985]text: + * [12986]thanks in advance: + * [12987]That's not a bug that's a feature!: + * [12988]the literature: + * [12989]the network: + * [12990]the X that can be Y is not the true X: + * [12991]theology: + * [12992]theory: + * [12993]thinko: + * [12994]This can't happen: + * [12995]This time for sure!: + * [12996]thrash: + * [12997]thread: + * [12998]three-finger salute: + * [12999]throwaway account: + * [13000]thud: + * [13001]thumb: + * [13002]thundering herd problem: + * [13003]thunk: + * [13004]tick: + * [13005]tick-list features: + * [13006]tickle a bug: + * [13007]tiger team: + * [13008]time bomb: + * [13009]time sink: + * [13010]time T: + * [13011]times-or-divided-by: + * [13012]TINC: + * [13013]Tinkerbell program: + * [13014]TINLC: + * [13015]tip of the ice-cube: + * [13016]tired iron: + * [13017]tits on a keyboard: + * [13018]TLA: + * [13019](TM): + * [13020]TMRC: + * [13021]TMRCie: + * [13022]TMTOWTDI: + * [13023]to a first approximation: + * [13024]to a zeroth approximation: + * [13025]toad: + * [13026]toast: + * [13027]toaster: + * [13028]toeprint: + * [13029]toggle: + * [13030]tool: + * [13031]toolsmith: + * [13032]toor: + * [13033]topic drift: + * [13034]topic group: + * [13035]TOPS-10: + * [13036]TOPS-20: + * [13037]tourist: + * [13038]tourist information: + * [13039]touristic: + * [13040]toy: + * [13041]toy language: + * [13042]toy problem: + * [13043]toy program: + * [13044]trampoline: + * [13045]trap: + * [13046]trap door: + * [13047]trash: + * [13048]trawl: + * [13049]tree-killer: + * [13050]treeware: + * [13051]trit: + * [13052]trivial: + * [13053]troff: + * [13054]troglodyte: + * [13055]troglodyte mode: + * [13056]Trojan horse: + * [13057]troll: + * [13058]Troll-O-Meter: + * [13059]tron: + * [13060]true-hacker: + * [13061]tty: + * [13062]tube: + * [13063]tube time: + * [13064]tunafish: + * [13065]tune: + * [13066]turbo nerd: + * [13067]Turing tar-pit: + * [13068]turist: + * [13069]Tux: + * [13070]tweak: + * [13071]tweeter: + * [13072]TWENEX: + * [13073]twiddle: + * [13074]twiddle: + * [13075]twilight zone: + * [13076]twink: + * [13077]twirling baton: + * [13078]two pi: + * [13079]two-to-the-N: + * [13080]twonkie: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:T, Next:[13081]tail recursion, Previous:[13082]SysVile, + Up:[13083]= T = + + T /T/ + + 1. [from LISP terminology for `true'] Yes. Used in reply to a question + (particularly one asked using [13084]The -P convention). In LISP, the + constant T means `true', among other things. Some Lisp hackers use `T' + and `NIL' instead of `Yes' and `No' almost reflexively. This sometimes + causes misunderstandings. When a waiter or flight attendant asks + whether a hacker wants coffee, he may absently respond `T', meaning + that he wants coffee; but of course he will be brought a cup of tea + instead. Fortunately, most hackers (particularly those who frequent + Chinese restaurants) like tea at least as well as coffee -- so it is + not that big a problem. 2. See [13085]time T (also [13086]since time T + equals minus infinity). 3. [techspeak] In transaction-processing + circles, an abbreviation for the noun `transaction'. 4. [Purdue] + Alternate spelling of [13087]tee. 5. A dialect of [13088]LISP + developed at Yale. (There is an intended allusion to NIL, "New + Implementation of Lisp", another dialect of Lisp developed for the + [13089]VAX) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tail recursion, Next:[13090]talk mode, Previous:[13091]T, + Up:[13092]= T = + + tail recursion n. + + If you aren't sick of it already, see [13093]tail recursion. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:talk mode, Next:[13094]talker system, Previous:[13095]tail + recursion, Up:[13096]= T = + + talk mode n. + + A feature supported by Unix, ITS, and some other OSes that allows two + or more logged-in users to set up a real-time on-line conversation. It + combines the immediacy of talking with all the precision (and + verbosity) that written language entails. It is difficult to + communicate inflection, though conventions have arisen for some of + these (see the section on writing style in the Prependices for + details). + + Talk mode has a special set of jargon words, used to save typing, + which are not used orally. Some of these are identical to (and + probably derived from) Morse-code jargon used by ham-radio amateurs + since the 1920s. + + AFAIAC + as far as I am concerned + + AFAIK + as far as I know + + BCNU + be seeing you + + BTW + by the way + + BYE? + are you ready to unlink? (this is the standard way to end a + talk-mode conversation; the other person types BYE to confirm, + or else continues the conversation) + + CUL + see you later + + ENQ? + are you busy? (expects ACK or NAK in return) + + FOO? + are you there? (often used on unexpected links, meaning also + "Sorry if I butted in ..." (linker) or "What's up?" (linkee)) + + FWIW + for what it's worth + + FYI + for your information + + FYA + for your amusement + + GA + go ahead (used when two people have tried to type + simultaneously; this cedes the right to type to the other) + + GRMBL + grumble (expresses disquiet or disagreement) + + HELLOP + hello? (an instance of the `-P' convention) + + IIRC + if I recall correctly + + JAM + just a minute (equivalent to SEC....) + + MIN + same as JAM + + NIL + no (see [13097]NIL) + + NP + no problem + + O + over to you + + OO + over and out + + / + another form of "over to you" (from x/y as "x over y") + + \ + lambda (used in discussing LISPy things) + + OBTW + oh, by the way + + OTOH + on the other hand + + R U THERE? + are you there? + + SEC + wait a second (sometimes written SEC...) + + SYN + Are you busy? (expects ACK, SYN|ACK, or RST in return; this is + modeled on the TCP/IP handshake sequence) + + T + yes (see the main entry for [13098]T) + + TNX + thanks + + TNX 1.0E6 + thanks a million (humorous) + + TNXE6 + another form of "thanks a million" + + WRT + with regard to, or with respect to. + + WTF + the universal interrogative particle; WTF knows what it means? + + WTH + what the hell? + + <double newline> + When the typing party has finished, he/she types two newlines + to signal that he/she is done; this leaves a blank line between + `speeches' in the conversation, making it easier to reread the + preceding text. + + <name>: + When three or more terminals are linked, it is conventional for + each typist to [13099]prepend his/her login name or handle and + a colon (or a hyphen) to each line to indicate who is typing + (some conferencing facilities do this automatically). The login + name is often shortened to a unique prefix (possibly a single + letter) during a very long conversation. + + /\/\/\ + A giggle or chuckle. On a MUD, this usually means `earthquake + fault'. + + Most of the above sub-jargon is used at both Stanford and MIT. Several + of these expressions are also common in [13100]email, esp. FYI, FYA, + BTW, BCNU, WTF, and CUL. A few other abbreviations have been reported + from commercial networks, such as GEnie and CompuServe, where on-line + `live' chat including more than two people is common and usually + involves a more `social' context, notably the following: + + <g> + grin + + <gd&r> + grinning, ducking, and running + + BBL + be back later + + BRB + be right back + + HHOJ + ha ha only joking + + HHOK + ha ha only kidding + + HHOS + [13101]ha ha only serious + + IMHO + in my humble opinion (see [13102]IMHO) + + LOL + laughing out loud + + NHOH + Never Heard of Him/Her (often used in [13103]initgame) + + ROTF + rolling on the floor + + ROTFL + rolling on the floor laughing + + AFK + away from keyboard + + b4 + before + + CU l8tr + see you later + + MORF + male or female? + + TTFN + ta-ta for now + + TTYL + talk to you later + + OIC + oh, I see + + rehi + hello again + + Most of these are not used at universities or in the Unix world, + though ROTF and TTFN have gained some currency there and IMHO is + common; conversely, most of the people who know these are unfamiliar + with FOO?, BCNU, HELLOP, [13104]NIL, and [13105]T. + + The [13106]MUD community uses a mixture of Usenet/Internet emoticons, + a few of the more natural of the old-style talk-mode abbrevs, and some + of the `social' list above; specifically, MUD respondents report use + of BBL, BRB, LOL, b4, BTW, WTF, TTFN, and WTH. The use of `rehi' is + also common; in fact, mudders are fond of re- compounds and will + frequently `rehug' or `rebonk' (see [13107]bonk/oif) people. The word + `re' by itself is taken as `regreet'. In general, though, MUDders + express a preference for typing things out in full rather than using + abbreviations; this may be due to the relative youth of the MUD + cultures, which tend to include many touch typists and to assume + high-speed links. The following uses specific to MUDs are reported: + + CU l8er + see you later (mutant of CU l8tr) + + FOAD + fuck off and die (use of this is generally OTT) + + OTT + over the top (excessive, uncalled for) + + ppl + abbrev for "people" + + THX + thanks (mutant of TNX; clearly this comes in batches of 1138 + (the Lucasian K)). + + UOK? + are you OK? + + Some [13108]B1FFisms (notably the variant spelling d00d) appear to be + passing into wider use among some subgroups of MUDders. + + One final note on talk mode style: neophytes, when in talk mode, often + seem to think they must produce letter-perfect prose because they are + typing rather than speaking. This is not the best approach. It can be + very frustrating to wait while your partner pauses to think of a word, + or repeatedly makes the same spelling error and backs up to fix it. It + is usually best just to leave typographical errors behind and plunge + forward, unless severe confusion may result; in that case it is often + fastest just to type "xxx" and start over from before the mistake. + + See also [13109]hakspek, [13110]emoticon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:talker system, Next:[13111]tall card, Previous:[13112]talk mode, + Up:[13113]= T = + + talker system n. + + British hackerism for software that enables real-time chat or + [13114]talk mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tall card, Next:[13115]tanked, Previous:[13116]talker system, + Up:[13117]= T = + + tall card n. + + A PC/AT-size expansion card (these can be larger than IBM PC or XT + cards because the AT case is bigger). See also [13118]short card. When + IBM introduced the PS/2 model 30 (its last gasp at supporting the ISA) + they made the case lower and many industry-standard tall cards + wouldn't fit; this was felt to be a reincarnation of the + [13119]connector conspiracy, done with less style. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tanked, Next:[13120]TANSTAAFL, Previous:[13121]tall card, + Up:[13122]= T = + + tanked adj. + + Same as [13123]down, used primarily by Unix hackers. See also + [13124]hosed. Popularized as a synonym for `drunk' by Steve Dallas in + the late lamented "Bloom County" comic strip. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TANSTAAFL, Next:[13125]tape monkey, Previous:[13126]tanked, + Up:[13127]= T = + + TANSTAAFL /tan'stah-fl/ + + [acronym, from Robert Heinlein's classic "The Moon is a Harsh + Mistress".] "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch", often invoked + when someone is balking at the prospect of using an unpleasantly + [13128]heavyweight technique, or at the poor quality of some piece of + software, or at the [13129]signal-to-noise ratio of unmoderated Usenet + newsgroups. "What? Don't tell me I have to implement a database back + end to get my address book program to work!" "Well, TANSTAAFL you + know." This phrase owes some of its popularity to the high + concentration of science-fiction fans and political libertarians in + hackerdom (see [13130]Appendix B for discussion). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tape monkey, Next:[13131]tar and feather, + Previous:[13132]TANSTAAFL, Up:[13133]= T = + + tape monkey n. + + A junior system administrator, one who might plausibly be assigned to + do physical swapping of tapes and subsequent storage. When a backup + needs to be restored, one might holler "Tape monkey!" (Compare + [13134]one-banana problem) Also used to dismiss jobs not worthy of a + highly trained sysadmin's ineffable talents: "Cable up her PC? You + must be joking - I'm no tape monkey." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tar and feather, Next:[13135]tarball, Previous:[13136]tape + monkey, Up:[13137]= T = + + tar and feather vi. + + [from Unix tar(1)] To create a transportable archive from a group of + files by first sticking them together with tar(1) (the Tape ARchiver) + and then compressing the result (see [13138]compress). The latter + action is dubbed `feathering' partly for euphony and (if only for + contrived effect) by analogy to what you do with an airplane propeller + to decrease wind resistance, or with an oar to reduce water + resistance; smaller files, after all, slip through comm links more + easily. Compare the more common [13139]tarball. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tarball, Next:[13140]tardegy, Previous:[13141]tar and feather, + Up:[13142]= T = + + tarball n. + + [very common; prob. based on the "tar baby" in the Uncle Remus folk + tales] An archive, created with the Unix tar(1) utility, containing + myriad related files. "Here, I'll just ftp you a tarball of the whole + project." Tarballs have been the standard way to ship around + source-code distributions since the mid-1980s; in retrospect it seems + odd that this term did not enter common usage until the late 1990s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tardegy, Next:[13143]taste, Previous:[13144]tarball, Up:[13145]= + T = + + tardegy + + n. [deliberate mangling of `tragedy'] An incident in which someone who + clearly deserves to be selected out of the gene pool on grounds of + extreme stupidity meets with a messy end. Coined on the Darwin list, + which is dedicated to chronicling such incidents; but almost all + hackers would instantly recognize the intention of the term and laugh. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:taste, Next:[13146]tayste, Previous:[13147]tardegy, Up:[13148]= T + = + + taste [primarily MIT] n. + + 1. The quality in a program that tends to be inversely proportional to + the number of features, hacks, and kluges programmed into it. Also + `tasty', `tasteful', `tastefulness'. "This feature comes in N tasty + flavors." Although `tasty' and `flavorful' are essentially synonyms, + `taste' and [13149]flavor are not. Taste refers to sound judgment on + the part of the creator; a program or feature can exhibit taste but + cannot have taste. On the other hand, a feature can have + [13150]flavor. Also, [13151]flavor has the additional meaning of + `kind' or `variety' not shared by `taste'. The marked sense of + [13152]flavor is more popular than `taste', though both are widely + used. See also [13153]elegant. 2. Alt. sp. of [13154]tayste. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tayste, Next:[13155]TCB, Previous:[13156]taste, Up:[13157]= T = + + tayste /tayst/ + + n. Two bits; also as [13158]taste. Syn. [13159]crumb, [13160]quarter. + See [13161]nybble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TCB, Next:[13162]TCP/IP, Previous:[13163]tayste, Up:[13164]= T = + + TCB /T-C-B/ n. + + [IBM] 1. Trouble Came Back. An intermittent or difficult-to-reproduce + problem that has failed to respond to neglect or [13165]shotgun + debugging. Compare [13166]heisenbug. Not to be confused with: 2. + Trusted Computing Base, an `official' jargon term from the + [13167]Orange Book. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TCP/IP, Next:[13168]TechRef, Previous:[13169]TCB, Up:[13170]= T = + + TCP/IP /T'C-P I'P/ n. + + 1. [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol] The + wide-area-networking protocol that makes the Internet work, and the + only one most hackers can speak the name of without laughing or + retching. Unlike such allegedly `standard' competitors such as X.25, + DECnet, and the ISO 7-layer stack, TCP/IP evolved primarily by + actually being used, rather than being handed down from on high by a + vendor or a heavily-politicized standards committee. Consequently, it + (a) works, (b) actually promotes cheap cross-platform connectivity, + and (c) annoys the hell out of corporate and governmental + empire-builders everywhere. Hackers value all three of these + properties. See [13171]creationism. 2. [Amateur Packet Radio] Formerly + expanded as "The Crap Phil Is Pushing". The reference is to Phil Karn, + KA9Q, and the context was an ongoing technical/political war between + the majority of sites still running AX.25 and the TCP/IP relays. + TCP/IP won. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TechRef, Next:[13172]TECO, Previous:[13173]TCP/IP, Up:[13174]= T + = + + TechRef /tek'ref/ n. + + [MS-DOS] The original "IBM PC Technical Reference Manual", including + the BIOS listing and complete schematics for the PC. The only PC + documentation in the original-issue package that was considered + serious by real hackers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TECO, Next:[13175]tee, Previous:[13176]TechRef, Up:[13177]= T = + + TECO /tee'koh/ n.,v. obs. + + 1. [originally an acronym for `[paper] Tape Editor and COrrector'; + later, `Text Editor and COrrector'] n. A text editor developed at MIT + and modified by just about everybody. With all the dialects included, + TECO may have been the most prolific editor in use before + [13178]EMACS, to which it was directly ancestral. Noted for its + powerful programming-language-like features and its unspeakably hairy + syntax. It is literally the case that every string of characters is a + valid TECO program (though probably not a useful one); one common game + used to be mentally working out what the TECO commands corresponding + to human names did. 2. vt. Originally, to edit using the TECO editor + in one of its infinite variations (see below). 3. vt.,obs. To edit + even when TECO is not the editor being used! This usage is rare and + now primarily historical. + + As an example of TECO's obscurity, here is a TECO program that takes a + list of names such as: +Loser, J. Random +Quux, The Great +Dick, Moby + + sorts them alphabetically according to surname, and then puts the + surname last, removing the comma, to produce the following: +Moby Dick +J. Random Loser +The Great Quux + + The program is +[1 J^P$L$$ +J <.-Z; .,(S,$ -D .)FX1 @F^B $K :L I $ G1 L>$$ + + (where ^B means `Control-B' (ASCII 0000010) and $ is actually an + [13179]alt or escape (ASCII 0011011) character). + + In fact, this very program was used to produce the second, sorted list + from the first list. The first hack at it had a [13180]bug: GLS (the + author) had accidentally omitted the @ in front of F^B, which as + anyone can see is clearly the [13181]Wrong Thing. It worked fine the + second time. There is no space to describe all the features of TECO, + but it may be of interest that ^P means `sort' and J<.-Z; ... L> is an + idiomatic series of commands for `do once for every line'. + + In mid-1991, TECO is pretty much one with the dust of history, having + been replaced in the affections of hackerdom by [13182]EMACS. + Descendants of an early (and somewhat lobotomized) version adopted by + DEC can still be found lurking on VMS and a couple of crufty PDP-11 + operating systems, however, and ports of the more advanced MIT + versions remain the focus of some antiquarian interest. See also + [13183]retrocomputing, [13184]write-only language. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tee, Next:[13185]teergrube, Previous:[13186]TECO, Up:[13187]= T = + + tee n.,vt. + + [Purdue] A carbon copy of an electronic transmission. "Oh, you're + sending him the [13188]bits to that? Slap on a tee for me." From the + Unix command tee(1), itself named after a pipe fitting (see + [13189]plumbing). Can also mean `save one for me', as in "Tee a slice + for me!" Also spelled `T'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:teergrube, Next:[13190]teledildonics, Previous:[13191]tee, + Up:[13192]= T = + + teergrube /teer'groob/ n. + + [German for `tar pit'] A trap set to punish spammers who use an + [13193]address harvester; a mail server deliberately set up to be + really, really slow. To activate it, scatter addresses that look like + users on the teergrube's host in places where the address harvester + will be trolling (one popular way is to embed the fake address in a + Usenet sig block next to a human-readable warning not to send mail to + it). The address harvester will dutifully collect the address. When + the spammer tries to mailbomb it, his mailer will get stuck. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:teledildonics, Next:[13194]Telerat, Previous:[13195]teergrube, + Up:[13196]= T = + + teledildonics /tel`*-dil-do'-niks/ n. + + Sex in a computer simulated virtual reality, esp. computer-mediated + sexual interaction between the [13197]VR presences of two humans. This + practice is not yet possible except in the rather limited form of + erotic conversation on [13198]MUDs and the like. The term, however, is + widely recognized in the VR community as a [13199]ha ha only serious + projection of things to come. "When we can sustain a multi-sensory + surround good enough for teledildonics, then we'll know we're getting + somewhere." See also [13200]hot chat. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Telerat, Next:[13201]TELNET, Previous:[13202]teledildonics, + Up:[13203]= T = + + Telerat /tel'*-rat/ n. obs. + + Unflattering hackerism for `Teleray', a now-extinct line of extremely + losing terminals. Compare [13204]AIDX, [13205]Macintrash + [13206]Nominal Semidestructor, [13207]ScumOS, [13208]sun-stools, + [13209]HP-SUX, [13210]Slowlaris. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TELNET, Next:[13211]ten-finger interface, + Previous:[13212]Telerat, Up:[13213]= T = + + TELNET /tel'net/ vt. + + (also commonly lowercased as `telnet') To communicate with another + Internet host using the TELNET ([13214]RFC 854) protocol (usually + using a program of the same name). TOPS-10 people used the word + IMPCOM, since that was the program name for them. Sometimes + abbreviated to TN /T-N/. "I usually TN over to SAIL just to read the + AP News." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ten-finger interface, Next:[13215]tense, Previous:[13216]TELNET, + Up:[13217]= T = + + ten-finger interface n. + + The interface between two networks that cannot be directly connected + for security reasons; refers to the practice of placing two terminals + side by side and having an operator read from one and type into the + other. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tense, Next:[13218]tentacle, Previous:[13219]ten-finger + interface, Up:[13220]= T = + + tense adj. + + Of programs, very clever and efficient. A tense piece of code often + got that way because it was highly [13221]bummed, but sometimes it was + just based on a great idea. A comment in a clever routine by Mike + Kazar, once a grad-student hacker at CMU: "This routine is so tense it + will bring tears to your eyes." A tense programmer is one who produces + tense code. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tentacle, Next:[13222]tenured graduate student, + Previous:[13223]tense, Up:[13224]= T = + + tentacle n. + + A covert [13225]pseudo, sense 1. An artificial identity created in + cyberspace for nefarious and deceptive purposes. The implication is + that a single person may have multiple tentacles. This term was + originally floated in some paranoid ravings on the cypherpunks list + (see [13226]cypherpunk), and adopted in a spirit of irony by other, + saner members. It has since shown up, used seriously, in the + documentation for some remailer software, and is now (1994) widely + recognized on the net. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tenured graduate student, Next:[13227]tera-, + Previous:[13228]tentacle, Up:[13229]= T = + + tenured graduate student n. + + One who has been in graduate school for 10 years (the usual maximum is + 5 or 6): a `ten-yeared' student (get it?). Actually, this term may be + used of any grad student beginning in his seventh year. Students don't + really get tenure, of course, the way professors do, but a tenth-year + graduate student has probably been around the university longer than + any untenured professor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tera-, Next:[13230]teraflop club, Previous:[13231]tenured + graduate student, Up:[13232]= T = + + tera- /te'r*/ pref. + + [SI] See [13233]quantifiers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:teraflop club, Next:[13234]terminak, Previous:[13235]tera-, + Up:[13236]= T = + + teraflop club /te'r*-flop kluhb/ n. + + [FLOP = Floating Point Operation] A mythical association of people who + consume outrageous amounts of computer time in order to produce a few + simple pictures of glass balls with intricate ray-tracing techniques. + Caltech professor James Kajiya is said to have been the founder. + Compare [13237]Knights of the Lambda Calculus. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:terminak, Next:[13238]terminal brain death, + Previous:[13239]teraflop club, Up:[13240]= T = + + terminak /ter'mi-nak`/ n. + + [Caltech, ca. 1979] Any malfunctioning computer terminal. A common + failure mode of Lear-Siegler ADM 3a terminals caused the `L' key to + produce the `K' code instead; complaints about this tended to look + like "Terminak #3 has a bad keyboard. Pkease fix." Compare + [13241]dread high-bit disease, [13242]frogging; see also [13243]AIDX, + [13244]Nominal Semidestructor, [13245]ScumOS, [13246]sun-stools, + [13247]Telerat, [13248]HP-SUX, [13249]Slowlaris. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:terminal brain death, Next:[13250]terminal illness, + Previous:[13251]terminak, Up:[13252]= T = + + terminal brain death n. + + The extreme form of [13253]terminal illness (sense 1). What someone + who has obviously been hacking continuously for far too long is said + to be suffering from. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:terminal illness, Next:[13254]terminal junkie, + Previous:[13255]terminal brain death, Up:[13256]= T = + + terminal illness n. + + 1. Syn. [13257]raster burn. 2. The `burn-in' condition your CRT tends + to get if you don't have a screen saver. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:terminal junkie, Next:[13258]terpri, Previous:[13259]terminal + illness, Up:[13260]= T = + + terminal junkie n. + + [UK] A [13261]wannabee or early [13262]larval stage hacker who spends + most of his or her time wandering the directory tree and writing + [13263]noddy programs just to get a fix of computer time. Variants + include `terminal jockey', `console junkie', and [13264]console + jockey. The term `console jockey' seems to imply more expertise than + the other three (possibly because of the exalted status of the + [13265]console relative to an ordinary terminal). See also + [13266]twink, [13267]read-only user. Appropriately, this term was used + in the works of William S. Burroughs to describe a heroin addict with + an unlimited supply. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:terpri, Next:[13268]test, Previous:[13269]terminal junkie, + Up:[13270]= T = + + terpri /ter'pree/ vi. + + [from LISP 1.5 (and later, MacLISP)] To output a [13271]newline. Now + rare as jargon, though still used as techspeak in Common LISP. It is a + contraction of `TERminate PRInt line', named for the fact that, on + some early OSes and hardware, no characters would be printed until a + complete line was formed, so this operation terminated the line and + emitted the output. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:test, Next:[13272]TeX, Previous:[13273]terpri, Up:[13274]= T = + + test n. + + 1. Real users bashing on a prototype long enough to get thoroughly + acquainted with it, with careful monitoring and followup of the + results. 2. Some bored random user trying a couple of the simpler + features with a developer looking over his or her shoulder, ready to + pounce on mistakes. Judging by the quality of most software, the + second definition is far more prevalent. See also [13275]demo. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TeX, Next:[13276]text, Previous:[13277]test, Up:[13278]= T = + + TeX /tekh/ n. + + An extremely powerful [13279]macro-based text formatter written by + Donald E. [13280]Knuth, very popular in the computer-science community + (it is good enough to have displaced Unix [13281]troff, the other + favored formatter, even at many Unix installations). TeX fans insist + on the correct (guttural) pronunciation, and the correct spelling (all + caps, squished together, with the E depressed below the baseline; the + mixed-case `TeX' is considered an acceptable kluge on ASCII-only + devices). Fans like to proliferate names from the word `TeX' -- such + as TeXnician (TeX user), TeXhacker (TeX programmer), TeXmaster + (competent TeX programmer), TeXhax, and TeXnique. See also + [13282]CrApTeX. + + Knuth began TeX because he had become annoyed at the declining quality + of the typesetting in volumes I-III of his monumental "Art of Computer + Programming" (see [13283]Knuth, also [13284]bible). In a manifestation + of the typical hackish urge to solve the problem at hand once and for + all, he began to design his own typesetting language. He thought he + would finish it on his sabbatical in 1978; he was wrong by only about + 8 years. The language was finally frozen around 1985, but volume IV of + "The Art of Computer Programming" is not expected to appear until + 2002. The impact and influence of TeX's design has been such that + nobody minds this very much. Many grand hackish projects have started + as a bit of [13285]toolsmithing on the way to something else; Knuth's + diversion was simply on a grander scale than most. + + TeX has also been a noteworthy example of free, shared, but + high-quality software. Knuth offers a monetary awards to anyone who + found and reported bugs dating from before the 1989 code freeze; as + the years wore on and the few remaining bugs were fixed (and new ones + even harder to find), the bribe went up. Though well-written, TeX is + so large (and so full of cutting edge technique) that it is said to + have unearthed at least one bug in every Pascal system it has been + compiled with. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:text, Next:[13286]thanks in advance, Previous:[13287]TeX, + Up:[13288]= T = + + text n. + + 1. [techspeak] Executable code, esp. a `pure code' portion shared + between multiple instances of a program running in a multitasking OS. + Compare [13289]English. 2. Textual material in the mainstream sense; + data in ordinary [13290]ASCII or [13291]EBCDIC representation (see + [13292]flat-ASCII). "Those are text files; you can review them using + the editor." These two contradictory senses confuse hackers, too. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thanks in advance, Next:[13293]That's not a bug that's a + feature!, Previous:[13294]text, Up:[13295]= T = + + thanks in advance + + [Usenet] Conventional net.politeness ending a posted request for + information or assistance. Sometimes written `advTHANKSance' or + `aTdHvAaNnKcSe' or abbreviated `TIA'. See [13296]net.-, + [13297]netiquette. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:That's not a bug that's a feature!, Next:[13298]the literature, + Previous:[13299]thanks in advance, Up:[13300]= T = + + That's not a bug, that's a feature! + + The [13301]canonical first parry in a debate about a purported bug. + The complainant, if unconvinced, is likely to retort that the bug is + then at best a [13302]misfeature. See also [13303]feature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:the literature, Next:[13304]the network, Previous:[13305]That's + not a bug that's a feature!, Up:[13306]= T = + + the literature n. + + Computer-science journals and other publications, vaguely gestured at + to answer a question that the speaker believes is [13307]trivial. + Thus, one might answer an annoying question by saying "It's in the + literature." Oppose [13308]Knuth, which has no connotation of + triviality. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:the network, Next:[13309]the X that can be Y is not the true X, + Previous:[13310]the literature, Up:[13311]= T = + + the network n. + + 1. Historicaslly, the union of all the major noncommercial, academic, + and hacker-oriented networks, such as Internet, the pre-1990 ARPANET, + NSFnet, [13312]BITNET, and the virtual UUCP and [13313]Usenet + `networks', plus the corporate in-house networks and commercial + time-sharing services (such as CompuServe, GEnie and AOL) that gateway + to them. A site is generally considered `on the network' if it can be + reached through some combination of Internet-style (@-sign) and UUCP + (bang-path) addresses. See [13314]Internet, [13315]bang path, + [13316]Internet address, [13317]network address. 2. Following the + mass-culture discovery of the Internet in 1994 and subsequent + proliferation of cheap TCP/IP connections, "the network" is + increasingly synonymous with the Internet itself (as it was before the + second wave of wide-area computer networking began around 1980). 3. A + fictional conspiracy of libertarian hacker-subversives and + anti-authoritarian monkeywrenchers described in Robert Anton Wilson's + novel "Schrödinger's Cat", to which many hackers have subsequently + decided they belong (this is an example of [13318]ha ha only serious). + + In sense 1, `the network' is often abbreviated to `the net'. "Are you + on the net?" is a frequent question when hackers first meet face to + face, and "See you on the net!" is a frequent goodbye. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:the X that can be Y is not the true X, Next:[13319]theology, + Previous:[13320]the network, Up:[13321]= T = + + the X that can be Y is not the true X + + Yet another instance of hackerdom's peculiar attraction to mystical + references -- a common humorous way of making exclusive statements + about a class of things. The template is from the "Tao te Ching": "The + Tao which can be spoken of is not the true Tao." The implication is + often that the X is a mystery accessible only to the enlightened. See + the [13322]trampoline entry for an example, and compare [13323]has the + X nature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:theology, Next:[13324]theory, Previous:[13325]the X that can be Y + is not the true X, Up:[13326]= T = + + theology n. + + 1. Ironically or humorously used to refer to [13327]religious issues. + 2. Technical fine points of an abstruse nature, esp. those where the + resolution is of theoretical interest but is relatively + [13328]marginal with respect to actual use of a design or system. Used + esp. around software issues with a heavy AI or language-design + component, such as the smart-data vs. smart-programs dispute in AI. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:theory, Next:[13329]thinko, Previous:[13330]theology, Up:[13331]= + T = + + theory n. + + The consensus, idea, plan, story, or set of rules that is currently + being used to inform a behavior. This usage is a generalization and + (deliberate) abuse of the technical meaning. "What's the theory on + fixing this TECO loss?" "What's the theory on dinner tonight?" + ("Chinatown, I guess.") "What's the current theory on letting lusers + on during the day?" "The theory behind this change is to fix the + following well-known screw...." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thinko, Next:[13332]This can't happen, Previous:[13333]theory, + Up:[13334]= T = + + thinko /thing'koh/ n. + + [by analogy with `typo'] A momentary, correctable glitch in mental + processing, especially one involving recall of information learned by + rote; a bubble in the stream of consciousness. Syn. [13335]braino; see + also [13336]brain fart. Compare [13337]mouso. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:This can't happen, Next:[13338]This time for sure!, + Previous:[13339]thinko, Up:[13340]= T = + + This can't happen + + Less clipped variant of [13341]can't happen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:This time for sure!, Next:[13342]thrash, Previous:[13343]This + can't happen, Up:[13344]= T = + + This time, for sure! excl. + + Ritual affirmation frequently uttered during protracted debugging + sessions involving numerous small obstacles (e.g., attempts to bring + up a UUCP connection). For the proper effect, this must be uttered in + a fruity imitation of Bullwinkle J. Moose. Also heard: "Hey, Rocky! + Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" The [13345]canonical response + is, of course, "But that trick never works!" See [13346]hacker humor. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thrash, Next:[13347]thread, Previous:[13348]This time for sure!, + Up:[13349]= T = + + thrash vi. + + To move wildly or violently, without accomplishing anything useful. + Paging or swapping systems that are overloaded waste most of their + time moving data into and out of core (rather than performing useful + computation) and are therefore said to thrash. Someone who keeps + changing his mind (esp. about what to work on next) is said to be + thrashing. A person frantically trying to execute too many tasks at + once (and not spending enough time on any single task) may also be + described as thrashing. Compare [13350]multitask. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thread, Next:[13351]three-finger salute, Previous:[13352]thrash, + Up:[13353]= T = + + thread n. + + [Usenet, GEnie, CompuServe] Common abbreviation of `topic thread', a + more or less continuous chain of postings on a single topic. To + `follow a thread' is to read a series of Usenet postings sharing a + common subject or (more correctly) which are connected by Reference + headers. The better newsreaders can present news in thread order + automatically. Not to be confused with the techspeak sense of + `thread', e.g. a lightweight process. + + Interestingly, this is far from a neologism. The OED says: "That which + connects the successive points in anything, esp. a narrative, train of + thought, or the like; the sequence of events or ideas continuing + throughout the whole course of anything;" Citations are given going + back to 1642! + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:three-finger salute, Next:[13354]throwaway account, + Previous:[13355]thread, Up:[13356]= T = + + three-finger salute n. + + Syn. [13357]Vulcan nerve pinch. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:throwaway account, Next:[13358]thud, Previous:[13359]three-finger + salute, Up:[13360]= T = + + throwaway account n. + + 1. An inexpensive Internet account purchased on a legitimate + [13361]ISP for the the sole purpose of spewing [13362]spam. 2. An + inexpensive Internet account obtained for the sole purpose of doing + something which requires a valid email address but being able to + ignore spam since the user will not look at the account again. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thud, Next:[13363]thumb, Previous:[13364]throwaway account, + Up:[13365]= T = + + thud n. + + 1. Yet another [13366]metasyntactic variable (see [13367]foo). It is + reported that at CMU from the mid-1970s the canonical series of these + was `foo', `bar', `thud', `blat'. 2. Rare term for the hash character, + `#' (ASCII 0100011). See [13368]ASCII for other synonyms. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thumb, Next:[13369]thundering herd problem, Previous:[13370]thud, + Up:[13371]= T = + + thumb n. + + The slider on a window-system scrollbar. So called because moving it + allows you to browse through the contents of a text window in a way + analogous to thumbing through a book. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thundering herd problem, Next:[13372]thunk, + Previous:[13373]thumb, Up:[13374]= T = + + thundering herd problem + + Scheduler thrashing. This can happen under Unix when you have a number + of processes that are waiting on a single event. When that event (a + connection to the web server, say) happens, every process which could + possibly handle the event is awakened. In the end, only one of those + processes will actually be able to do the work, but, in the meantime, + all the others wake up and contend for CPU time before being put back + to sleep. Thus the system thrashes briefly while a herd of processes + thunders through. If this starts to happen many times per second, the + performance impact can be significant. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:thunk, Next:[13375]tick, Previous:[13376]thundering herd problem, + Up:[13377]= T = + + thunk /thuhnk/ n. + + 1. [obs.]"A piece of coding which provides an address", according to + P. Z. Ingerman, who invented thunks in 1961 as a way of binding actual + parameters to their formal definitions in Algol-60 procedure calls. If + a procedure is called with an expression in the place of a formal + parameter, the compiler generates a thunk which computes the + expression and leaves the address of the result in some standard + location. 2. Later generalized into: an expression, frozen together + with its environment, for later evaluation if and when needed (similar + to what in techspeak is called a `closure'). The process of unfreezing + these thunks is called `forcing'. 3. A [13378]stubroutine, in an + overlay programming environment, that loads and jumps to the correct + overlay. Compare [13379]trampoline. 4. People and activities scheduled + in a thunklike manner. "It occurred to me the other day that I am + rather accurately modeled by a thunk -- I frequently need to be forced + to completion." -- paraphrased from a [13380]plan file. + + Historical note: There are a couple of onomatopoeic myths circulating + about the origin of this term. The most common is that it is the sound + made by data hitting the stack; another holds that the sound is that + of the data hitting an accumulator. Yet another suggests that it is + the sound of the expression being unfrozen at argument-evaluation + time. In fact, according to the inventors, it was coined after they + realized (in the wee hours after hours of discussion) that the type of + an argument in Algol-60 could be figured out in advance with a little + compile-time thought, simplifying the evaluation machinery. In other + words, it had `already been thought of'; thus it was christened a + `thunk', which is "the past tense of `think' at two in the morning". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tick, Next:[13381]tick-list features, Previous:[13382]thunk, + Up:[13383]= T = + + tick n. + + 1. A [13384]jiffy (sense 1). 2. In simulations, the discrete unit of + time that passes between iterations of the simulation mechanism. In AI + applications, this amount of time is often left unspecified, since the + only constraint of interest is the ordering of events. This sort of AI + simulation is often pejoratively referred to as `tick-tick-tick' + simulation, especially when the issue of simultaneity of events with + long, independent chains of causes is [13385]handwaved. 3. In the + FORTH language, a single quote character. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tick-list features, Next:[13386]tickle a bug, + Previous:[13387]tick, Up:[13388]= T = + + tick-list features n. + + [Acorn Computers] Features in software or hardware that customers + insist on but never use (calculators in desktop TSRs and that sort of + thing). The American equivalent would be `checklist features', but + this jargon sense of the phrase has not been reported. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tickle a bug, Next:[13389]tiger team, Previous:[13390]tick-list + features, Up:[13391]= T = + + tickle a bug vt. + + To cause a normally hidden bug to manifest itself through some known + series of inputs or operations. "You can tickle the bug in the + Paradise VGA card's highlight handling by trying to set bright yellow + reverse video." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tiger team, Next:[13392]time bomb, Previous:[13393]tickle a bug, + Up:[13394]= T = + + tiger team n. + + [U.S. military jargon] 1. Originally, a team (of [13395]sneakers) + whose purpose is to penetrate security, and thus test security + measures. These people are paid professionals who do hacker-type + tricks, e.g., leave cardboard signs saying "bomb" in critical defense + installations, hand-lettered notes saying "Your codebooks have been + stolen" (they usually haven't been) inside safes, etc. After a + successful penetration, some high-ranking security type shows up the + next morning for a `security review' and finds the sign, note, etc., + and all hell breaks loose. Serious successes of tiger teams sometimes + lead to early retirement for base commanders and security officers + (see the [13396]patch entry for an example). 2. Recently, and more + generally, any official inspection team or special [13397]firefighting + group called in to look at a problem. + + A subset of tiger teams are professional [13398]crackers, testing the + security of military computer installations by attempting remote + attacks via networks or supposedly `secure' comm channels. Some of + their escapades, if declassified, would probably rank among the + greatest hacks of all times. The term has been adopted in commercial + computer-security circles in this more specific sense. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:time bomb, Next:[13399]time sink, Previous:[13400]tiger team, + Up:[13401]= T = + + time bomb n. + + A subspecies of [13402]logic bomb that is triggered by reaching some + preset time, either once or periodically. There are numerous legends + about time bombs set up by programmers in their employers' machines, + to go off if the programmer is fired or laid off and is not present to + perform the appropriate suppressing action periodically. + + Interestingly, the only such incident for which we have been pointed + to documentary evidence took place in the Soviet Union in 1986! A + disgruntled programmer at the Volga Automobile Plant (where the Fiat + clones called Ladas were manufactured) planted a time bomb which, a + week after he'd left on vacation, stopped the entire main assembly + line for a day. The case attracted lots of attention in the Soviet + Union because it was the first cracking case to make it to court + there. The perpetrator got a suspended sentence of 3 years in jail and + was barred from future work as a programmer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:time sink, Next:[13403]time T, Previous:[13404]time bomb, + Up:[13405]= T = + + time sink n. + + [poss. by analogy with `heat sink' or `current sink'] A project that + consumes unbounded amounts of time. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:time T, Next:[13406]times-or-divided-by, Previous:[13407]time + sink, Up:[13408]= T = + + time T /ti:m T/ n. + + 1. An unspecified but usually well-understood time, often used in + conjunction with a later time T+1. "We'll meet on campus at time T or + at Louie's at time T+1" means, in the context of going out for dinner: + "We can meet on campus and go to Louie's, or we can meet at Louie's + itself a bit later." (Louie's was a Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto + that was a favorite with hackers.) Had the number 30 been used instead + of the number 1, it would have implied that the travel time from + campus to Louie's is 30 minutes; whatever time T is (and that hasn't + been decided on yet), you can meet half an hour later at Louie's than + you could on campus and end up eating at the same time. See also + [13409]since time T equals minus infinity. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:times-or-divided-by, Next:[13410]TINC, Previous:[13411]time T, + Up:[13412]= T = + + times-or-divided-by quant. + + [by analogy with `plus-or-minus'] Term occasionally used when + describing the uncertainty associated with a scheduling estimate, for + either humorous or brutally honest effect. For a software project, the + scheduling uncertainty factor is usually at least 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TINC, Next:[13413]Tinkerbell program, + Previous:[13414]times-or-divided-by, Up:[13415]= T = + + TINC // + + [Usenet] Abbreviation: "There Is No Cabal". See [13416]backbone cabal + and [13417]NANA, but note that this abbreviation did not enter use + until long after the dispersal of the backbone cabal. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Tinkerbell program, Next:[13418]TINLC, Previous:[13419]TINC, + Up:[13420]= T = + + Tinkerbell program n. + + [Great Britain] A monitoring program used to scan incoming network + calls and generate alerts when calls are received from particular + sites, or when logins are attempted using certain IDs. Named after + `Project Tinkerbell', an experimental phone-tapping program developed + by British Telecom in the early 1980s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TINLC, Next:[13421]tip of the ice-cube, + Previous:[13422]Tinkerbell program, Up:[13423]= T = + + TINLC // + + Abbreviation: "There Is No Lumber Cartel". See [13424]Lumber Cartel. + TINLC is a takeoff on [13425]TINC. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tip of the ice-cube, Next:[13426]tired iron, + Previous:[13427]TINLC, Up:[13428]= T = + + tip of the ice-cube n. // + + [IBM] The visible part of something small and insignificant. Used as + an ironic comment in situations where `tip of the iceberg' might be + appropriate if the subject were at all important. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tired iron, Next:[13429]tits on a keyboard, Previous:[13430]tip + of the ice-cube, Up:[13431]= T = + + tired iron n. + + [IBM] Hardware that is perfectly functional but far enough behind the + state of the art to have been superseded by new products, presumably + with sufficient improvement in bang-per-buck that the old stuff is + starting to look a bit like a [13432]dinosaur. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tits on a keyboard, Next:[13433]TLA, Previous:[13434]tired iron, + Up:[13435]= T = + + tits on a keyboard n. + + Small bumps on certain keycaps to keep touch-typists registered. + Usually on the 5 of a numeric keypad, and on the F and J of a + [13436]QWERTY keyboard; but older Macs, perverse as usual, had them on + the D and K keys (this changed in 1999). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TLA, Next:[13437](TM), Previous:[13438]tits on a keyboard, + Up:[13439]= T = + + TLA /T-L-A/ n. + + [Three-Letter Acronym] 1. Self-describing abbreviation for a species + with which computing terminology is infested. 2. Any confusing + acronym. Examples include MCA, FTP, SNA, CPU, MMU, SCCS, DMU, FPU, + NNTP, TLA. People who like this looser usage argue that not all TLAs + have three letters, just as not all four-letter words have four + letters. One also hears of `ETLA' (Extended Three-Letter Acronym, + pronounced /ee tee el ay/) being used to describe four-letter + acronyms. The term `SFLA' (Stupid Four-Letter Acronym) has also been + reported. See also [13440]YABA. + + The self-effacing phrase "TDM TLA" (Too Damn Many...) is often used to + bemoan the plethora of TLAs in use. In 1989, a random of the + journalistic persuasion asked hacker Paul Boutin "What do you think + will be the biggest problem in computing in the 90s?" Paul's + straight-faced response: "There are only 17,000 three-letter + acronyms." (To be exact, there are 26^3 = 17,576.) There is probably + some karmic justice in the fact that Paul Boutin subsequently became a + journalist. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:(TM), Next:[13441]TMRC, Previous:[13442]TLA, Up:[13443]= T = + + (TM) // + + [Usenet] ASCII rendition of the trademark-superscript symbol appended + to phrases that the author feels should be recorded for posterity, + perhaps in future editions of this lexicon. Sometimes used ironically + as a form of protest against the recent spate of software and + algorithm patents and `look and feel' lawsuits. See also [13444]UN*X. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TMRC, Next:[13445]TMRCie, Previous:[13446](TM), Up:[13447]= T = + + TMRC /tmerk'/ n. + + The Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT, one of the wellsprings of hacker + culture. The 1959 "Dictionary of the TMRC Language" compiled by Peter + Samson included several terms that became basics of the hackish + vocabulary (see esp. [13448]foo, [13449]mung, and [13450]frob). + + By 1962, TMRC's legendary layout was already a marvel of complexity + and has grown in the years since. All the features described here were + still present when the old layout was decomissioned in 1998 just + before the demolition of MIT Building 20, and will almost certainly be + retained when the old layout is rebuilt (expected in 2003). The + control system alone featured about 1200 relays. There were + [13451]scram switches located at numerous places around the room that + could be thwacked if something undesirable was about to occur, such as + a train going full-bore at an obstruction. Another feature of the + system was a digital clock on the dispatch board, which was itself + something of a wonder in those bygone days before cheap LEDs and + seven-segment displays. When someone hit a scram switch the clock + stopped and the display was replaced with the word `FOO'; at TMRC the + scram switches are therefore called `foo switches'. + + Steven Levy, in his book "Hackers" (see the [13452]Bibliography in + Appendix C), gives a stimulating account of those early years. TMRC's + Signals and Power Committee included many of the early PDP-1 hackers + and the people who later became the core of the MIT AI Lab staff. + Thirty years later that connection is still very much alive, and this + lexicon accordingly includes a number of entries from a recent + revision of the TMRC dictionary. + + TMRC has a web page at [13453]http://web.mit.edu/tmrc/www/. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TMRCie, Next:[13454]TMTOWTDI, Previous:[13455]TMRC, Up:[13456]= T + = + + TMRCie /tmerk'ee/, n. + + [MIT] A denizen of [13457]TMRC. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TMTOWTDI, Next:[13458]to a first approximation, + Previous:[13459]TMRCie, Up:[13460]= T = + + TMTOWTDI /tim-toh'-dee/ + + There's More Than One Way To Do It. This abbreviation of the official + motto of [13461]Perl is frequently used on newsgroups and mailing + lists related to that language. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:to a first approximation, Next:[13462]to a zeroth approximation, + Previous:[13463]TMTOWTDI, Up:[13464]= T = + + to a first approximation adj. + + 1. [techspeak] When one is doing certain numerical computations, an + approximate solution may be computed by any of several heuristic + methods, then refined to a final value. By using the starting point of + a first approximation of the answer, one can write an algorithm that + converges more quickly to the correct result. 2. In jargon, a preface + to any comment that indicates that the comment is only approximately + true. The remark "To a first approximation, I feel good" might + indicate that deeper questioning would reveal that not all is perfect + (e.g., a nagging cough still remains after an illness). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:to a zeroth approximation, Next:[13465]toad, Previous:[13466]to a + first approximation, Up:[13467]= T = + + to a zeroth approximation + + [from `to a first approximation'] A really sloppy approximation; a + wild guess. Compare [13468]social science number. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toad, Next:[13469]toast, Previous:[13470]to a zeroth + approximation, Up:[13471]= T = + + toad vt. [MUD] + + 1. Notionally, to change a [13472]MUD player into a toad. 2. To + permanently and totally exile a player from the MUD. A very serious + action, which can only be done by a MUD [13473]wizard; often involves + a lot of debate among the other characters first. See also + [13474]frog, [13475]FOD. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toast, Next:[13476]toaster, Previous:[13477]toad, Up:[13478]= T = + + toast 1. n. + + Any completely inoperable system or component, esp. one that has just + crashed and burned: "Uh, oh ... I think the serial board is toast." 2. + vt. To cause a system to crash accidentally, especially in a manner + that requires manual rebooting. "Rick just toasted the [13479]firewall + machine again." Compare [13480]fried. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toaster, Next:[13481]toeprint, Previous:[13482]toast, Up:[13483]= + T = + + toaster n. + + 1. The archetypal really stupid application for an embedded + microprocessor controller; often used in comments that imply that a + scheme is inappropriate technology (but see [13484]elevator + controller). "[13485]DWIM for an assembler? That'd be as silly as + running Unix on your [13486]toaster!" 2. A very, very dumb computer. + "You could run this program on any dumb toaster." See [13487]bitty + box, [13488]Get a real computer!, [13489]toy, [13490]beige toaster. 3. + A Macintosh, esp. the Classic Mac. Some hold that this is implied by + sense 2. 4. A peripheral device. "I bought my box without toasters, + but since then I've added two boards and a second disk drive." 5. A + specialized computer used as an appliance. See [13491]web toaster, + [13492]video toaster. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toeprint, Next:[13493]toggle, Previous:[13494]toaster, + Up:[13495]= T = + + toeprint n. + + A [13496]footprint of especially small size. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toggle, Next:[13497]tool, Previous:[13498]toeprint, Up:[13499]= T + = + + toggle vt. + + To change a [13500]bit from whatever state it is in to the other + state; to change from 1 to 0 or from 0 to 1. This comes from `toggle + switches', such as standard light switches, though the word `toggle' + actually refers to the mechanism that keeps the switch in the position + to which it is flipped rather than to the fact that the switch has two + positions. There are four things you can do to a bit: set it (force it + to be 1), clear (or zero) it, leave it alone, or toggle it. + (Mathematically, one would say that there are four distinct + boolean-valued functions of one boolean argument, but saying that is + much less fun than talking about toggling bits.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tool, Next:[13501]toolsmith, Previous:[13502]toggle, Up:[13503]= + T = + + tool 1. n. + + A program used primarily to create, manipulate, modify, or analyze + other programs, such as a compiler or an editor or a cross-referencing + program. Oppose [13504]app, [13505]operating system. 2. [Unix] An + application program with a simple, `transparent' (typically + text-stream) interface designed specifically to be used in programmed + combination with other tools (see [13506]filter, [13507]plumbing). 3. + [MIT: general to students there] vi. To work; to study (connotes + tedium). The TMRC Dictionary defined this as "to set one's brain to + the grindstone". See [13508]hack. 4. n. [MIT] A student who studies + too much and hacks too little. (MIT's student humor magazine rejoices + in the name "Tool and Die".) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toolsmith, Next:[13509]toor, Previous:[13510]tool, Up:[13511]= T + = + + toolsmith n. + + The software equivalent of a tool-and-die specialist; one who + specializes in making the [13512]tools with which other programmers + create applications. Many hackers consider this more fun than + applications per se; to understand why, see [13513]uninteresting. Jon + Bentley, in the "Bumper-Sticker Computer Science" chapter of his book + "More Programming Pearls", quotes Dick Sites from [13514]DEC as saying + "I'd rather write programs to write programs than write programs". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toor, Next:[13515]topic drift, Previous:[13516]toolsmith, + Up:[13517]= T = + + toor n. + + The Bourne-Again Super-user. An alternate account with UID of 0, + created on Unix machines where the root user has an inconvenient + choice of shell. Compare [13518]avatar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:topic drift, Next:[13519]topic group, Previous:[13520]toor, + Up:[13521]= T = + + topic drift n. + + Term used on GEnie, Usenet and other electronic fora to describe the + tendency of a [13522]thread to drift away from the original subject of + discussion (and thus, from the Subject header of the originating + message), or the results of that tendency. The header in each post can + be changed to keep current with the posts, but usually isn't due to + forgetfulness or laziness. A single post may often result in several + posts each responding to a different point in the original. Some + subthreads will actually be in response to some off-the-cuff side + comment, possibly degenerating into a [13523]flame war, or just as + often evolving into a separate discussion. Hence, discussions aren't + really so much threads as they are trees. Except that they don't + really have leaves, or multiple branching roots; usually some lines of + discussion will just sort of die off after everyone gets tired of + them. This could take anywhere from hours to weeks, or even longer. + + The term `topic drift' is often used in gentle reminders that the + discussion has strayed off any useful track. "I think we started with + a question about Niven's last book, but we've ended up discussing the + sexual habits of the common marmoset. Now that's topic drift!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:topic group, Next:[13524]TOPS-10, Previous:[13525]topic drift, + Up:[13526]= T = + + topic group n. + + Syn. [13527]forum. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TOPS-10, Next:[13528]TOPS-20, Previous:[13529]topic group, + Up:[13530]= T = + + TOPS-10 /tops-ten/ n. + + [13531]DEC's proprietary OS for the fabled [13532]PDP-10 machines, + long a favorite of hackers but now effectively extinct. A fountain of + hacker folklore; see Appendix A. See also [13533]ITS, [13534]TOPS-20, + [13535]TWENEX, [13536]VMS, [13537]operating system. TOPS-10 was + sometimes called BOTS-10 (from `bottoms-ten') as a comment on the + inappropriateness of describing it as the top of anything. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TOPS-20, Next:[13538]tourist, Previous:[13539]TOPS-10, + Up:[13540]= T = + + TOPS-20 /tops-twen'tee/ n. + + See [13541]TWENEX. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tourist, Next:[13542]tourist information, + Previous:[13543]TOPS-20, Up:[13544]= T = + + tourist n. + + 1. [ITS] A guest on the system, especially one who generally logs in + over a network from a remote location for [13545]comm mode, email, + games, and other trivial purposes. One step below [13546]luser. ITS + hackers often used to spell this [13547]turist, perhaps by some sort + of tenuous analogy with [13548]luser (this usage may also have + expressed the ITS culture's penchant for six-letterisms, and-or been + some sort of tribute to Alan Turing). Compare [13549]twink, + [13550]lurker, [13551]read-only user. 2. [IRC] An [13552]IRC user who + goes from channel to channel without saying anything; see + [13553]channel hopping. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tourist information, Next:[13554]touristic, + Previous:[13555]tourist, Up:[13556]= T = + + tourist information n. + + Information in an on-line display that is not immediately useful, but + contributes to a viewer's gestalt of what's going on with the software + or hardware behind it. Whether a given piece of info falls in this + category depends partly on what the user is looking for at any given + time. The `bytes free' information at the bottom of an MS-DOS dir + display is tourist information; so (most of the time) is the TIME + information in a Unix ps(1) display. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:touristic, Next:[13557]toy, Previous:[13558]tourist information, + Up:[13559]= T = + + touristic adj. + + Having the quality of a [13560]tourist. Often used as a pejorative, as + in `losing touristic scum'. Often spelled `turistic' or `turistik', so + that phrase might be more properly rendered `lusing turistic scum'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toy, Next:[13561]toy language, Previous:[13562]touristic, + Up:[13563]= T = + + toy n. + + A computer system; always used with qualifiers. 1. `nice toy': One + that supports the speaker's hacking style adequately. 2. `just a toy': + A machine that yields insufficient [13564]computrons for the speaker's + preferred uses. This is not condemnatory, as is [13565]bitty box; toys + can at least be fun. It is also strongly conditioned by one's + expectations; Cray XMP users sometimes consider the Cray-1 a `toy', + and certainly all RISC boxes and mainframes are toys by their + standards. See also [13566]Get a real computer!. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toy language, Next:[13567]toy problem, Previous:[13568]toy, + Up:[13569]= T = + + toy language n. + + A language useful for instructional purposes or as a proof-of-concept + for some aspect of computer-science theory, but inadequate for + general-purpose programming. [13570]Bad Things can result when a toy + language is promoted as a general purpose solution for programming + (see [13571]bondage-and-discipline language); the classic example is + [13572]Pascal. Several moderately well-known formalisms for conceptual + tasks such as programming Turing machines also qualify as toy + languages in a less negative sense. See also [13573]MFTL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toy problem, Next:[13574]toy program, Previous:[13575]toy + language, Up:[13576]= T = + + toy problem n. + + [AI] A deliberately oversimplified case of a challenging problem used + to investigate, prototype, or test algorithms for a real problem. + Sometimes used pejoratively. See also [13577]gedanken, [13578]toy + program. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:toy program, Next:[13579]trampoline, Previous:[13580]toy problem, + Up:[13581]= T = + + toy program n. + + 1. One that can be readily comprehended; hence, a trivial program + (compare [13582]noddy). 2. One for which the effort of initial coding + dominates the costs through its life cycle. See also [13583]noddy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trampoline, Next:[13584]trap, Previous:[13585]toy program, + Up:[13586]= T = + + trampoline n. + + An incredibly [13587]hairy technique, found in some [13588]HLL and + program-overlay implementations (e.g., on the Macintosh), that + involves on-the-fly generation of small executable (and, likely as + not, self-modifying) code objects to do indirection between code + sections. Under BSD and possibly in other Unixes, trampoline code is + used to transfer control from the kernel back to user mode when a + signal (which has had a handler installed) is sent to a process. hese + pieces of [13589]live data are called `trampolines'. Trampolines are + notoriously difficult to understand in action; in fact, it is said by + those who use this term that the trampoline that doesn't bend your + brain is not the true trampoline. See also [13590]snap. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trap, Next:[13591]trap door, Previous:[13592]trampoline, + Up:[13593]= T = + + trap + + 1. n. A program interrupt, usually an interrupt caused by some + exceptional situation in the user program. In most cases, the OS + performs some action, then returns control to the program. 2. vi. To + cause a trap. "These instructions trap to the monitor." Also used + transitively to indicate the cause of the trap. "The monitor traps all + input/output instructions." + + This term is associated with assembler programming (`interrupt' or + `exception' is more common among [13594]HLL programmers) and appears + to be fading into history among programmers as the role of assembler + continues to shrink. However, it is still important to computer + architects and systems hackers (see [13595]system, sense 1), who use + it to distinguish deterministically repeatable exceptions from + timing-dependent ones (such as I/O interrupts). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trap door, Next:[13596]trash, Previous:[13597]trap, Up:[13598]= T + = + + trap door n. + + (alt. `trapdoor') 1. Syn. [13599]back door -- a [13600]Bad Thing. 2. + [techspeak] A `trap-door function' is one which is easy to compute but + very difficult to compute the inverse of. Such functions are + [13601]Good Things with important applications in cryptography, + specifically in the construction of public-key cryptosystems. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trash, Next:[13602]trawl, Previous:[13603]trap door, Up:[13604]= + T = + + trash vt. + + To destroy the contents of (said of a data structure). The most common + of the family of near-synonyms including [13605]mung, [13606]mangle, + and [13607]scribble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trawl, Next:[13608]tree-killer, Previous:[13609]trash, + Up:[13610]= T = + + trawl v. + + To sift through large volumes of data (e.g., Usenet postings, FTP + archives, or the Jargon File) looking for something of interest. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tree-killer, Next:[13611]treeware, Previous:[13612]trawl, + Up:[13613]= T = + + tree-killer n. + + [Sun] 1. A printer. 2. A person who wastes paper. This epithet should + be interpreted in a broad sense; `wasting paper' includes the + production of [13614]spiffy but [13615]content-free documents. Thus, + most [13616]suits are tree-killers. The negative loading of this term + may reflect the epithet `tree-killer' applied by Treebeard the Ent to + the Orcs in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" (see also + [13617]elvish, [13618]elder days). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:treeware, Next:[13619]trit, Previous:[13620]tree-killer, + Up:[13621]= T = + + treeware /tree'weir/ n. + + Printouts, books, and other information media made from pulped dead + trees. Compare [13622]tree-killer, see [13623]documentation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trit, Next:[13624]trivial, Previous:[13625]treeware, Up:[13626]= + T = + + trit /trit/ n. + + [by analogy with `bit'] One base-3 digit; the amount of information + conveyed by a selection among one of three equally likely outcomes + (see also [13627]bit). Trits arise, for example, in the context of a + [13628]flag that should actually be able to assume three values -- + such as yes, no, or unknown. Trits are sometimes jokingly called + `3-state bits'. A trit may be semi-seriously referred to as `a bit and + a half', although it is linearly equivalent to 1.5849625 bits (that + is, log2(3) bits). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:trivial, Next:[13629]troff, Previous:[13630]trit, Up:[13631]= T = + + trivial adj. + + 1. Too simple to bother detailing. 2. Not worth the speaker's time. 3. + Complex, but solvable by methods so well known that anyone not utterly + [13632]cretinous would have thought of them already. 4. Any problem + one has already solved (some claim that hackish `trivial' usually + evaluates to `I've seen it before'). Hackers' notions of triviality + may be quite at variance with those of non-hackers. See + [13633]nontrivial, [13634]uninteresting. + + The physicist Richard Feynman, who had the hacker nature to an amazing + degree (see his essay "Los Alamos From Below" in "Surely You're + Joking, Mr. Feynman!"), defined `trivial theorem' as "one that has + already been proved". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:troff, Next:[13635]troglodyte, Previous:[13636]trivial, + Up:[13637]= T = + + troff /T'rof/ or /trof/ n. + + [Unix] The gray eminence of Unix text processing; a formatting and + phototypesetting program, written originally in PDP-11 assembler and + then in barely-structured early C by the late Joseph Ossanna, modeled + after the earlier ROFF which was in turn modeled after the + [13638]Multics and [13639]CTSS program RUNOFF by Jerome Saltzer (that + name came from the expression "to run off a copy"). A companion + program, [13640]nroff, formats output for terminals and line printers. + + In 1979, Brian Kernighan modified troff so that it could drive + phototypesetters other than the Graphic Systems CAT. His paper + describing that work ("A Typesetter-independent troff," AT&T CSTR #97) + explains troff's durability. After discussing the program's "obvious + deficiencies -- a rebarbative input syntax, mysterious and + undocumented properties in some areas, and a voracious appetite for + computer resources" and noting the ugliness and extreme hairiness of + the code and internals, Kernighan concludes: + + None of these remarks should be taken as denigrating Ossanna's + accomplishment with TROFF. It has proven a remarkably robust tool, + taking unbelievable abuse from a variety of preprocessors and being + forced into uses that were never conceived of in the original + design, all with considerable grace under fire. + + The success of [13641]TeX and desktop publishing systems have reduced + troff's relative importance, but this tribute perfectly captures the + strengths that secured troff a place in hacker folklore; indeed, it + could be taken more generally as an indication of those qualities of + good programs that, in the long run, hackers most admire. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:troglodyte, Next:[13642]troglodyte mode, Previous:[13643]troff, + Up:[13644]= T = + + troglodyte n. + + [Commodore] 1. A hacker who never leaves his cubicle. The term `gnoll' + (from Dungeons & Dragons) is also reported. 2. A curmudgeon attached + to an obsolescent computing environment. The combination `ITS + troglodyte' was flung around some during the Usenet and email + wringle-wrangle attending the 2.x.x revision of the Jargon File; at + least one of the people it was intended to describe adopted it with + pride. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:troglodyte mode, Next:[13645]Trojan horse, + Previous:[13646]troglodyte, Up:[13647]= T = + + troglodyte mode n. + + [Rice University] Programming with the lights turned off, sunglasses + on, and the terminal inverted (black on white) because you've been up + for so many days straight that your eyes hurt (see [13648]raster + burn). Loud music blaring from a stereo stacked in the corner is + optional but recommended. See [13649]larval stage, [13650]hack mode. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Trojan horse, Next:[13651]troll, Previous:[13652]troglodyte mode, + Up:[13653]= T = + + Trojan horse n. + + [coined by MIT-hacker-turned-NSA-spook Dan Edwards] A malicious, + security-breaking program that is disguised as something benign, such + as a directory lister, archiver, game, or (in one notorious 1990 case + on the Mac) a program to find and destroy viruses! See [13654]back + door, [13655]virus, [13656]worm, [13657]phage, [13658]mockingbird. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:troll, Next:[13659]Troll-O-Meter, Previous:[13660]Trojan horse, + Up:[13661]= T = + + troll v.,n. + + 1. [From the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban] To utter a posting on + [13662]Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or + [13663]flames; or, the post itself. Derives from the phrase "trolling + for [13664]newbies" which in turn comes from mainstream "trolling", a + style of fishing in which one trails bait through a likely spot hoping + for a bite. The well-constructed troll is a post that induces lots of + newbies and flamers to make themselves look even more clueless than + they already do, while subtly conveying to the more savvy and + experienced that it is in fact a deliberate troll. If you don't fall + for the joke, you get to be in on it. See also [13665]YHBT. 2. An + individual who chronically trolls in sense 1; regularly posts specious + arguments, flames or personal attacks to a newsgroup, discussion list, + or in email for no other purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a + discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the fact that the have no real + interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to + utter flame bait. Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they + exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized + as a lower form of life on the net, as in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just + a troll." 3. [Berkeley] Computer lab monitor. A popular campus job for + CS students. Duties include helping newbies and ensuring that lab + policies are followed. Probably so-called because it involves lurking + in dark cavelike corners. + + Some people claim that the troll (sense 1) is properly a narrower + category than [13666]flame bait, that a troll is categorized by + containing some assertion that is wrong but not overtly controversial. + See also [13667]Troll-O-Meter. + + The use of `troll' in either sense is a live metaphor that readily + produces elaborations and combining forms. For example, one not + infrequently sees the warning "Do not feed the troll" as part of a + followup to troll postings. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Troll-O-Meter, Next:[13668]tron, Previous:[13669]troll, + Up:[13670]= T = + + Troll-O-Meter n. + + Common Usenet jargon for a notional instrument used to measure the + quality of a Usenet [13671]troll. "Come on, everyone! If the above + doesn't set off the Troll-O-Meter, we're going to have to get him to + run around with a big blinking sign saying `I am a troll, I'm only in + it for the controversy and flames' and shooting random gobs of + Jell-O(tm) at us before the point is proven." Mentions of the + Troll-O-Meter are often accompanied by an ASCII picture of an arrow + pointing at a numeric scale. Compare [13672]bogometer. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tron, Next:[13673]true-hacker, Previous:[13674]Troll-O-Meter, + Up:[13675]= T = + + tron v. + + [NRL, CMU; prob. fr. the movie "Tron"] To become inaccessible except + via email or talk(1), especially when one is normally available via + telephone or in person. Frequently used in the past tense, as in: "Ran + seems to have tronned on us this week" or "Gee, Ran, glad you were + able to un-tron yourself". One may also speak of `tron mode'; compare + [13676]spod. + + Note that many dialects of BASIC have a TRON/TROFF command pair that + enables/disables line number tracing; this has no obvious relationship + to the slang usage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:true-hacker, Next:[13677]tty, Previous:[13678]tron, Up:[13679]= T + = + + true-hacker n. + + [analogy with `trufan' from SF fandom] One who exemplifies the primary + values of hacker culture, esp. competence and helpfulness to other + hackers. A high compliment. "He spent 6 hours helping me bring up UUCP + and netnews on my FOOBAR 4000 last week -- manifestly the act of a + true-hacker." Compare [13680]demigod, oppose [13681]munchkin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tty, Next:[13682]tube, Previous:[13683]true-hacker, Up:[13684]= T + = + + tty /T-T-Y/, /tit'ee/ n. + + The latter pronunciation was primarily ITS, but some Unix people say + it this way as well; this pronunciation is not considered to have + sexual undertones. 1. A terminal of the teletype variety, + characterized by a noisy mechanical printer, a very limited character + set, and poor print quality. Usage: antiquated (like the TTYs + themselves). See also [13685]bit-paired keyboard. 2. [especially Unix] + Any terminal at all; sometimes used to refer to the particular + terminal controlling a given job. 3. [Unix] Any serial port, whether + or not the device connected to it is a terminal; so called because + under Unix such devices have names of the form tty*. Ambiguity between + senses 2 and 3 is common but seldom bothersome. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tube, Next:[13686]tube time, Previous:[13687]tty, Up:[13688]= T = + + tube + + 1. n. A CRT terminal. Never used in the mainstream sense of TV; real + hackers don't watch TV, except for Loony Toons, Rocky & Bullwinkle, + Trek Classic, the Simpsons, and the occasional cheesy old swashbuckler + movie. 2. [IBM] To send a copy of something to someone else's + terminal. "Tube me that note?" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tube time, Next:[13689]tunafish, Previous:[13690]tube, + Up:[13691]= T = + + tube time n. + + Time spent at a terminal or console. More inclusive than hacking time; + commonly used in discussions of what parts of one's environment one + uses most heavily. "I find I'm spending too much of my tube time + reading mail since I started this revision." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tunafish, Next:[13692]tune, Previous:[13693]tube time, + Up:[13694]= T = + + tunafish n. + + In hackish lore, refers to the mutated punchline of an age-old joke to + be found at the bottom of the manual pages of tunefs(8) in the + original [13695]BSD 4.2 distribution. The joke was removed in later + releases once commercial sites started using 4.2, but apparently + restored on the 4.4BSD tape and in {Net,Free,Open}BSD. Tunefs relates + to the `tuning' of file-system parameters for optimum performance, and + at the bottom of a few pages of wizardly inscriptions was a `BUGS' + section consisting of the line "You can tune a file system, but you + can't tunafish". Variants of this can be seen in other BSD versions, + though it has been excised from some versions by humorless management + [13696]droids. The [nt]roff source for SunOS 4.1.1 contains a comment + apparently designed to prevent this: "Take this out and a Unix Demon + will dog your steps from now until the time_t's wrap around." + + [It has since been pointed out that indeed you can tunafish. Usually + at a canning factory... --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tune, Next:[13697]turbo nerd, Previous:[13698]tunafish, + Up:[13699]= T = + + tune vt. + + [from automotive or musical usage] To optimize a program or system for + a particular environment, esp. by adjusting numerical parameters + designed as [13700]hooks for tuning, e.g., by changing #define lines + in C. One may `tune for time' (fastest execution), `tune for space' + (least memory use), or `tune for configuration' (most efficient use of + hardware). See [13701]bum, [13702]hot spot, [13703]hand-hacking. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:turbo nerd, Next:[13704]Turing tar-pit, Previous:[13705]tune, + Up:[13706]= T = + + turbo nerd n. + + See [13707]computer geek. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Turing tar-pit, Next:[13708]turist, Previous:[13709]turbo nerd, + Up:[13710]= T = + + Turing tar-pit n. + + 1. A place where anything is possible but nothing of interest is + practical. Alan Turing helped lay the foundations of computer science + by showing that all machines and languages capable of expressing a + certain very primitive set of operations are logically equivalent in + the kinds of computations they can carry out, and in principle have + capabilities that differ only in speed from those of the most powerful + and elegantly designed computers. However, no machine or language + exactly matching Turing's primitive set has ever been built (other + than possibly as a classroom exercise), because it would be horribly + slow and far too painful to use. A `Turing tar-pit' is any computer + language or other tool that shares this property. That is, it's + theoretically universal -- but in practice, the harder you struggle to + get any real work done, the deeper its inadequacies suck you in. + Compare [13711]bondage-and-discipline language. 2. The perennial + [13712]holy wars over whether language A or B is the "most powerful". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:turist, Next:[13713]Tux, Previous:[13714]Turing tar-pit, + Up:[13715]= T = + + turist /too'rist/ n. + + Var. sp. of [13716]tourist, q.v. Also in adjectival form, `turistic'. + Poss. influenced by [13717]luser and `Turing'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Tux, Next:[13718]tweak, Previous:[13719]turist, Up:[13720]= T = + + Tux + + Tux the Penguin is the official emblem of [13721]Linux, This + eventuated after a logo contest in 1996, during which Linus Torvalds + endorsed the idea of a penguin logo in a couple of famously funny + [13722]postings. Linus explained that he was once bitten by a killer + penguin in Australia and has felt a special affinity for the species + ever since. (Linus has since admitted that he was also thinking of + Feathers McGraw, the evil-genius penguin jewel thief who appeared in a + Wallace & Grommit feature cartoon, "The Wrong Trousers".) + + Larry Ewing [13723]designed the official Tux logo. It has proved a + wise choice, amenable to hundreds of recognizable variations used as + emblems of Linux-related projects, products, and user groups. In fact, + Tux has spawned an entire mythology, of which the [13724]Gospel + According to Tux and the mock-epic poem "Tuxowolf" are among the + best-known examples. + + There is a `real' Tux - a black-footed penguin resident at the Bristol + Zoo. Several friends of Linux bought a zoo sponsorship for Linus as a + birthday present in 1996. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tweak, Next:[13725]tweeter, Previous:[13726]Tux, Up:[13727]= T = + + tweak vt. + + 1. To change slightly, usually in reference to a value. Also used + synonymously with [13728]twiddle. If a program is almost correct, + rather than figure out the precise problem you might just keep + tweaking it until it works. See [13729]frobnicate and [13730]fudge + factor; also see [13731]shotgun debugging. 2. To [13732]tune or + [13733]bum a program; preferred usage in the U.K. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:tweeter, Next:[13734]TWENEX, Previous:[13735]tweak, Up:[13736]= T + = + + tweeter n. + + [University of Waterloo] Syn. [13737]perf, [13738]chad (sense 1). This + term (like [13739]woofer) has been in use at Waterloo since 1972 but + is elsewhere unknown. In audio jargon, the word refers to the treble + speaker(s) on a hi-fi. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TWENEX, Next:[13740]twiddle, Previous:[13741]tweeter, Up:[13742]= + T = + + TWENEX /twe'neks/ n. + + The TOPS-20 operating system by [13743]DEC -- the second proprietary + OS for the PDP-10 -- preferred by most PDP-10 hackers over TOPS-10 + (that is, by those who were not [13744]ITS or [13745]WAITS partisans). + TOPS-20 began in 1969 as Bolt, Beranek & Newman's TENEX operating + system using special paging hardware. By the early 1970s, almost all + of the systems on the ARPANET ran TENEX. DEC purchased the rights to + TENEX from BBN and began work to make it their own. The first in-house + code name for the operating system was VIROS (VIRtual memory Operating + System); when customers started asking questions, the name was changed + to SNARK so DEC could truthfully deny that there was any project + called VIROS. When the name SNARK became known, the name was briefly + reversed to become KRANS; this was quickly abandoned when someone + objected that `krans' meant `funeral wreath' in Swedish (though some + Swedish speakers have since said it means simply `wreath'; this part + of the story may be apocryphal). Ultimately DEC picked TOPS-20 as the + name of the operating system, and it was as TOPS-20 that it was + marketed. The hacker community, mindful of its origins, quickly dubbed + it TWENEX (a contraction of `twenty TENEX'), even though by this point + very little of the original TENEX code remained (analogously to the + differences between AT&T V6 Unix and BSD). DEC people cringed when + they heard "TWENEX", but the term caught on nevertheless (the written + abbreviation `20x' was also used). TWENEX was successful and very + popular; in fact, there was a period in the early 1980s when it + commanded as fervent a culture of partisans as Unix or ITS -- but + DEC's decision to scrap all the internal rivals to the VAX + architecture and its relatively stodgy VMS OS killed the DEC-20 and + put a sad end to TWENEX's brief day in the sun. DEC attempted to + convince TOPS-20 users to convert to [13746]VMS, but instead, by the + late 1980s, most of the TOPS-20 hackers had migrated to Unix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:twiddle, Next:[13747]twilight zone, Previous:[13748]TWENEX, + Up:[13749]= T = + + twiddle n. + + 1. Tilde (ASCII 1111110, ~). Also called `squiggle', `sqiggle' (sic -- + pronounced /skig'l/), and `twaddle', but twiddle is the most common + term. 2. A small and insignificant change to a program. Usually fixes + one bug and generates several new ones (see also [13750]shotgun + debugging). 3. vt. To change something in a small way. Bits, for + example, are often twiddled. Twiddling a switch or [13751]knobs + implies much less sense of purpose than toggling or tweaking it; see + [13752]frobnicate. To speak of twiddling a bit connotes aimlessness, + and at best doesn't specify what you're doing to the bit; `toggling a + bit' has a more specific meaning (see [13753]bit twiddling, + [13754]toggle). 4. Uncommon name for the [13755]twirling baton prompt. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:twilight zone, Next:[13756]twink, Previous:[13757]twiddle, + Up:[13758]= T = + + twilight zone n. // + + [IRC] Notionally, the area of cyberspace where [13759]IRC operators + live. An [13760]op is said to have a "connection to the twilight + zone". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:twink, Next:[13761]twirling baton, Previous:[13762]twilight zone, + Up:[13763]= T = + + twink /twink/ n. + + 1. [Berkeley] A clue-repellant user; the next step beyond a clueless + one. 2. [UCSC] A [13764]read-only user. Also reported on the Usenet + group soc.motss; may derive from gay slang for a cute young thing with + nothing upstairs (compare mainstream `chick'). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:twirling baton, Next:[13765]two pi, Previous:[13766]twink, + Up:[13767]= T = + + twirling baton n. + + [PLATO] The overstrike sequence -/|\-/|\- which produces an animated + twirling baton. If you output it with a single backspace between + characters, the baton spins in place. If you output the sequence BS SP + between characters, the baton spins from left to right. If you output + BS SP BS BS between characters, the baton spins from right to left. + This is also occasionally called a twiddle prompt. + + The twirling baton was a popular component of animated signature files + on the pioneering PLATO educational timesharing system. The archie + Internet service is perhaps the best-known baton program today; it + uses the twirling baton as an idler indicating that the program is + working on a query. The twirling baton is also used as a boot progress + indicator on several BSD variants of Unix; if it stops you're probably + going to have a long and trying day. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:two pi, Next:[13768]two-to-the-N, Previous:[13769]twirling baton, + Up:[13770]= T = + + two pi quant. + + The number of years it takes to finish one's thesis. Occurs in stories + in the following form: "He started on his thesis; 2 pi years later..." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:two-to-the-N, Next:[13771]twonkie, Previous:[13772]two pi, + Up:[13773]= T = + + two-to-the-N quant. + + An amount much larger than [13774]N but smaller than [13775]infinity. + "I have 2-to-the-N things to do before I can go out for lunch" means + you probably won't show up. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:twonkie, Next:[13776]u-, Previous:[13777]two-to-the-N, + Up:[13778]= T = + + twonkie /twon'kee/ n. + + The software equivalent of a Twinkie (a variety of sugar-loaded junk + food, or (in gay slang with a small t) the male equivalent of + `chick'); a useless `feature' added to look sexy and placate a + [13779]marketroid (compare [13780]Saturday-night special). The term + may also be related to "The Twonky", title menace of a classic SF + short story by Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore), first + published in the September 1942 "Astounding Science Fiction" and + subsequently much anthologized. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= U =, Next:[13781]= V =, Previous:[13782]= T =, Up:[13783]The + Jargon Lexicon + += U = + + * [13784]u-: + * [13785]UBD: + * [13786]UBE: + * [13787]UCE: + * [13788]UDP: + * [13789]UN*X: + * [13790]undefined external reference: + * [13791]under the hood: + * [13792]undocumented feature: + * [13793]uninteresting: + * [13794]Unix: + * [13795]Unix brain damage: + * [13796]Unix conspiracy: + * [13797]Unix weenie: + * [13798]unixism: + * [13799]unswizzle: + * [13800]unwind the stack: + * [13801]unwind-protect: + * [13802]up: + * [13803]upload: + * [13804]upthread: + * [13805]urchin: + * [13806]URL: + * [13807]Usenet: + * [13808]Usenet Death Penalty: + * [13809]user: + * [13810]user-friendly: + * [13811]user-obsequious: + * [13812]userland: + * [13813]USG Unix: + * [13814]UTSL: + * [13815]UUCPNET: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:u-, Next:[13816]UBD, Previous:[13817]twonkie, Up:[13818]= U = + + u- pref. + + Written shorthand for [13819]micro-; techspeak when applied to metric + units, jargon when used otherwise. Derived from the Greek letter "mu", + the first letter of "micro" (and which letter looks a lot like the + English letter "u"). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UBD, Next:[13820]UBE, Previous:[13821]u-, Up:[13822]= U = + + UBD /U-B-D/ n. + + [abbreviation for `User Brain Damage'] An abbreviation used to close + out trouble reports obviously due to utter cluelessness on the user's + part. Compare [13823]pilot error; oppose [13824]PBD; see also + [13825]brain-damaged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UBE, Next:[13826]UCE, Previous:[13827]UBD, Up:[13828]= U = + + UBE // n. + + [abbrev., Unsoliclited Bulk Email] A widespread, more formal term for + email [13829]spam. Compare [13830]UCE. The UBE term recognizes that + spam is uttered by nonprofit and advocacy groups whose motives are not + commercial. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UCE, Next:[13831]UDP, Previous:[13832]UBE, Up:[13833]= U = + + UCE n. + + [abbrev., Unsolicited Commercial Email] A widespread, more formal term + for email [13834]spam. Compare [13835]UBE, which may be superseding + it. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UDP, Next:[13836]UN*X, Previous:[13837]UCE, Up:[13838]= U = + + UDP /U-D-P/ v.,n. + + [Usenet] Abbreviation for [13839]Usenet Death Penalty. Common + (probably now more so than the full form), and frequently verbed. + Compare [13840]IDP. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UN*X, Next:[13841]undefined external reference, + Previous:[13842]UDP, Up:[13843]= U = + + UN*X n. + + Used to refer to the Unix operating system (a trademark of AT&T, then + of Novell, then of SCO, and then of Caldera) in writing, but avoiding + the need for the ugly [13844](TM) typography. Also used to refer to + any or all varieties of Unixoid operating systems. Ironically, lawyers + now say that the requirement for the trademark postfix has no legal + force, but the asterisk usage is entrenched anyhow. It has been + suggested that there may be a psychological connection to practice in + certain religions (especially Judaism) in which the name of the deity + is never written out in full, e.g., `YHWH' or `G-d' is used. See also + [13845]glob and [13846]splat out. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:undefined external reference, Next:[13847]under the hood, + Previous:[13848]UN*X, Up:[13849]= U = + + undefined external reference excl. + + [Unix] A message from Unix's linker. Used in speech to flag loose ends + or dangling references in an argument or discussion. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:under the hood, Next:[13850]undocumented feature, + Previous:[13851]undefined external reference, Up:[13852]= U = + + under the hood adj. + + [hot-rodder talk] 1. Used to introduce the underlying implementation + of a product (hardware, software, or idea). Implies that the + implementation is not intuitively obvious from the appearance, but the + speaker is about to enable the listener to [13853]grok it. "Let's now + look under the hood to see how ...." 2. Can also imply that the + implementation is much simpler than the appearance would indicate: + "Under the hood, we are just fork/execing the shell." 3. Inside a + chassis, as in "Under the hood, this baby has a 40MHz 68030!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:undocumented feature, Next:[13854]uninteresting, + Previous:[13855]under the hood, Up:[13856]= U = + + undocumented feature n. + + See [13857]feature. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:uninteresting, Next:[13858]Unix, Previous:[13859]undocumented + feature, Up:[13860]= U = + + uninteresting adj. + + 1. Said of a problem that, although [13861]nontrivial, can be solved + simply by throwing sufficient resources at it. 2. Also said of + problems for which a solution would neither advance the state of the + art nor be fun to design and code. + + Hackers regard uninteresting problems as intolerable wastes of time, + to be solved (if at all) by lesser mortals. Real hackers (see + [13862]toolsmith) generalize uninteresting problems enough to make + them interesting and solve them -- thus solving the original problem + as a special case (and, it must be admitted, occasionally turning a + molehill into a mountain, or a mountain into a tectonic plate). See + [13863]WOMBAT, [13864]SMOP; compare [13865]toy problem, oppose + [13866]interesting. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Unix, Next:[13867]Unix brain damage, + Previous:[13868]uninteresting, Up:[13869]= U = + + Unix /yoo'niks/ n. + + [In the authors' words, "A weak pun on Multics"; very early on it was + `UNICS'] (also `UNIX') An interactive time-sharing system invented in + 1969 by Ken Thompson after Bell Labs left the Multics project, + originally so he could play games on his scavenged PDP-7. Dennis + Ritchie, the inventor of C, is considered a co-author of the system. + The turning point in Unix's history came when it was reimplemented + almost entirely in C during 1972-1974, making it the first + source-portable OS. Unix subsequently underwent mutations and + expansions at the hands of many different people, resulting in a + uniquely flexible and developer-friendly environment. By 1991, Unix + had become the most widely used multiuser general-purpose operating + system in the world - and since 1996 the variiant called [13870]Linux + has been at the cutting edge of the [13871]open source movement. Many + people consider the success of Unix the most important victory yet of + hackerdom over industry opposition (but see [13872]Unix weenie and + [13873]Unix conspiracy for an opposing point of view). See + [13874]Version 7, [13875]BSD, [13876]USG Unix, [13877]Linux. + + Some people are confused over whether this word is appropriately + `UNIX' or `Unix'; both forms are common, and used interchangeably. + Dennis Ritchie says that the `UNIX' spelling originally happened in + CACM's 1974 paper "The UNIX Time-Sharing System" because "we had a new + typesetter and [13878]troff had just been invented and we were + intoxicated by being able to produce small caps." Later, dmr tried to + get the spelling changed to `Unix' in a couple of Bell Labs papers, on + the grounds that the word is not acronymic. He failed, and eventually + (his words) "wimped out" on the issue. So, while the trademark today + is `UNIX', both capitalizations are grounded in ancient usage; the + Jargon File uses `Unix' in deference to dmr's wishes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Unix brain damage, Next:[13879]Unix conspiracy, + Previous:[13880]Unix, Up:[13881]= U = + + Unix brain damage n. + + Something that has to be done to break a network program (typically a + mailer) on a non-Unix system so that it will interoperate with Unix + systems. The hack may qualify as `Unix brain damage' if the program + conforms to published standards and the Unix program in question does + not. Unix brain damage happens because it is much easier for other + (minority) systems to change their ways to match non-conforming + behavior than it is to change all the hundreds of thousands of Unix + systems out there. + + An example of Unix brain damage is a [13882]kluge in a mail server to + recognize bare line feed (the Unix newline) as an equivalent form to + the Internet standard newline, which is a carriage return followed by + a line feed. Such things can make even a hardened [13883]jock weep. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Unix conspiracy, Next:[13884]Unix weenie, Previous:[13885]Unix + brain damage, Up:[13886]= U = + + Unix conspiracy n. + + [ITS] According to a conspiracy theory long popular among [13887]ITS + and [13888]TOPS-20 fans, Unix's growth is the result of a plot, + hatched during the 1970s at Bell Labs, whose intent was to hobble + AT&T's competitors by making them dependent upon a system whose future + evolution was to be under AT&T's control. This would be accomplished + by disseminating an operating system that is apparently inexpensive + and easily portable, but also relatively unreliable and insecure (so + as to require continuing upgrades from AT&T). This theory was lent a + substantial impetus in 1984 by the paper referenced in the [13889]back + door entry. + + In this view, Unix was designed to be one of the first computer + viruses (see [13890]virus) -- but a virus spread to computers + indirectly by people and market forces, rather than directly through + disks and networks. Adherents of this `Unix virus' theory like to cite + the fact that the well-known quotation "Unix is snake oil" was uttered + by [13891]DEC president Kenneth Olsen shortly before DEC began + actively promoting its own family of Unix workstations. (Olsen now + claims to have been misquoted.) + + [If there was ever such a conspiracy, it got thoroughly out of the + plotters' control after 1990. AT&T sold its UNIX operation to Novell + around the same time [13892]Linux and other free-UNIX distributions + were beginning to make noise. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Unix weenie, Next:[13893]unixism, Previous:[13894]Unix + conspiracy, Up:[13895]= U = + + Unix weenie n. + + [ITS] 1. A derogatory play on `Unix wizard', common among hackers who + use Unix by necessity but would prefer alternatives. The implication + is that although the person in question may consider mastery of Unix + arcana to be a wizardly skill, the only real skill involved is the + ability to tolerate (and the bad taste to wallow in) the incoherence + and needless complexity that is alleged to infest many Unix programs. + "This shell script tries to parse its arguments in 69 bletcherous + ways. It must have been written by a real Unix weenie." 2. A + derogatory term for anyone who engages in uncritical praise of Unix. + Often appearing in the context "stupid Unix weenie". See + [13896]Weenix, [13897]Unix conspiracy. See also [13898]weenie. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:unixism, Next:[13899]unswizzle, Previous:[13900]Unix weenie, + Up:[13901]= U = + + unixism n. + + A piece of code or a coding technique that depends on the protected + multi-tasking environment with relatively low process-spawn overhead + that exists on virtual-memory Unix systems. Common [13902]unixisms + include: gratuitous use of fork(2); the assumption that certain + undocumented but well-known features of Unix libraries such as + stdio(3) are supported elsewhere; reliance on [13903]obscure + side-effects of system calls (use of sleep(2) with a 0 argument to + clue the scheduler that you're willing to give up your time-slice, for + example); the assumption that freshly allocated memory is zeroed; and + the assumption that fragmentation problems won't arise from never + free()ing memory. Compare [13904]vaxocentrism; see also [13905]New + Jersey. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:unswizzle, Next:[13906]unwind the stack, Previous:[13907]unixism, + Up:[13908]= U = + + unswizzle v. + + See [13909]swizzle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:unwind the stack, Next:[13910]unwind-protect, + Previous:[13911]unswizzle, Up:[13912]= U = + + unwind the stack vi. + + 1. [techspeak] During the execution of a procedural language, one is + said to `unwind the stack' from a called procedure up to a caller when + one discards the stack frame and any number of frames above it, + popping back up to the level of the given caller. In C this is done + with longjmp/setjmp, in LISP or C++ with throw/catch. See also + [13913]smash the stack. 2. People can unwind the stack as well, by + quickly dealing with a bunch of problems: "Oh heck, let's do lunch. + Just a second while I unwind my stack." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:unwind-protect, Next:[13914]up, Previous:[13915]unwind the stack, + Up:[13916]= U = + + unwind-protect n. + + [MIT: from the name of a LISP operator] A task you must remember to + perform before you leave a place or finish a project. "I have an + unwind-protect to call my advisor." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:up, Next:[13917]upload, Previous:[13918]unwind-protect, + Up:[13919]= U = + + up adj. + + 1. Working, in order. "The down escalator is up." Oppose [13920]down. + 2. `bring up': vt. To create a working version and start it. "They + brought up a down system." 3. `come up' vi. To become ready for + production use. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:upload, Next:[13921]upthread, Previous:[13922]up, Up:[13923]= U = + + upload /uhp'lohd/ v. + + 1. [techspeak] To transfer programs or data over a digital + communications link from a system near you (espercially a smaller or + peripheral `client' system) to one further away from you (especially a + larger or central `host' system). A transfer in the other direction + is, of course, called a [13924]download 2. [speculatively] To move the + essential patterns and algorithms that make up one's mind from one's + brain into a computer. Those who are convinced that such patterns and + algorithms capture the complete essence of the self view this prospect + with pleasant anticipation. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:upthread, Next:[13925]urchin, Previous:[13926]upload, Up:[13927]= + U = + + upthread adv. + + Earlier in the discussion (see [13928]thread), i.e., `above'. "As Joe + pointed out upthread, ..." See also [13929]followup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:urchin, Next:[13930]URL, Previous:[13931]upthread, Up:[13932]= U + = + + urchin n. + + See [13933]munchkin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:URL, Next:[13934]Usenet, Previous:[13935]urchin, Up:[13936]= U = + + URL /U-R-L/ or /erl/ n. + + Uniform Resource Locator, an address widget that identifies a document + or resource on the World Wide Web. This entry is here primarily to + record the fact that the term is commonly pronounced both /erl/, and + /U-R-L/ (the latter predominates in more formal contexts). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Usenet, Next:[13937]Usenet Death Penalty, Previous:[13938]URL, + Up:[13939]= U = + + Usenet /yoos'net/ or /yooz'net/ n. + + [from `Users' Network'; the original spelling was USENET, but the + mixed-case form is now widely preferred] A distributed [13940]bboard + (bulletin board) system supported mainly by Unix machines. Originally + implemented in 1979-1980 by Steve Bellovin, Jim Ellis, Tom Truscott, + and Steve Daniel at Duke University, it has swiftly grown to become + international in scope and is now probably the largest decentralized + information utility in existence. As of early 1996, it hosts over + 10,000 [13941]newsgroups and an average of over 500 megabytes (the + equivalent of several thousand paper pages) of new technical articles, + news, discussion, chatter, and [13942]flamage every day (and that + leaves out the graphics...). + + By the year the Internet hit the mainstream (1994) the original UUCP + transport for Usenet was fading out of use (see [13943]UUCPNET) - + almost all Usenet connections were over Internet links. A lot of + newbies and journalists began to refer to "Internet newsgroups" as + though Usenet was and always had been just another Internet service. + This ignorance greatly annoys experienced Usenetters. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Usenet Death Penalty, Next:[13944]user, Previous:[13945]Usenet, + Up:[13946]= U = + + Usenet Death Penalty + + [Usenet] A sanction against sites that habitually spew Usenet + [13947]spam. This can be either passive or active. A passive UDP + refers to the dropping of all postings by a particular domain so as to + inhibit propagation. An active UDP refers to third-party cancellation + of all postings by the UDPed domain. A partial UDP is one which + applies only to certain newsgroups or hierarchies in Usenet. Compare + [13948]Internet Death Penalty, with which this term is sometimes + confused. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:user, Next:[13949]user-friendly, Previous:[13950]Usenet Death + Penalty, Up:[13951]= U = + + user n. + + 1. Someone doing `real work' with the computer, using it as a means + rather than an end. Someone who pays to use a computer. See + [13952]real user. 2. A programmer who will believe anything you tell + him. One who asks silly questions. [GLS observes: This is slightly + unfair. It is true that users ask questions (of necessity). Sometimes + they are thoughtful or deep. Very often they are annoying or downright + stupid, apparently because the user failed to think for two seconds or + look in the documentation before bothering the maintainer.] See + [13953]luser. 3. Someone who uses a program from the outside, however + skillfully, without getting into the internals of the program. One who + reports bugs instead of just going ahead and fixing them. + + The general theory behind this term is that there are two classes of + people who work with a program: there are implementors (hackers) and + [13954]lusers. The users are looked down on by hackers to some extent + because they don't understand the full ramifications of the system in + all its glory. (The few users who do are known as `real winners'.) The + term is a relative one: a skilled hacker may be a user with respect to + some program he himself does not hack. A LISP hacker might be one who + maintains LISP or one who uses LISP (but with the skill of a hacker). + A LISP user is one who uses LISP, whether skillfully or not. Thus + there is some overlap between the two terms; the subtle distinctions + must be resolved by context. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:user-friendly, Next:[13955]user-obsequious, Previous:[13956]user, + Up:[13957]= U = + + user-friendly adj. + + Programmer-hostile. Generally used by hackers in a critical tone, to + describe systems that hold the user's hand so obsessively that they + make it painful for the more experienced and knowledgeable to get any + work done. See [13958]menuitis, [13959]drool-proof paper, + [13960]Macintrash, [13961]user-obsequious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:user-obsequious, Next:[13962]userland, + Previous:[13963]user-friendly, Up:[13964]= U = + + user-obsequious adj. + + Emphatic form of [13965]user-friendly. Connotes a system so verbose, + inflexible, and determinedly simple-minded that it is nearly unusable. + "Design a system any fool can use and only a fool will want to use + it." See [13966]WIMP environment, [13967]Macintrash. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:userland, Next:[13968]USG Unix, Previous:[13969]user-obsequious, + Up:[13970]= U = + + userland n. + + Anywhere outside the kernel. "That code belongs in userland." This + term has been in common use among [13971]Linux kernel hackers since at + leat 1997, and seems to have originated in that community. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:USG Unix, Next:[13972]UTSL, Previous:[13973]userland, Up:[13974]= + U = + + USG Unix /U-S-G yoo'niks/ n.,obs. + + Refers to AT&T Unix commercial versions after [13975]Version 7, + especially System III and System V releases 1, 2, and 3. So called + because during most of the lifespan of those versions AT&T's support + crew was called the `Unix Support Group', but it is applied to version + that pre- and post-dated the USG group but were of the same lineage. + This term is now historical. See [13976]BSD, [13977]Unix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UTSL, Next:[13978]UUCPNET, Previous:[13979]USG Unix, Up:[13980]= + U = + + UTSL // n. + + [Unix] On-line acronym for `Use the Source, Luke' (a pun on Obi-Wan + Kenobi's "Use the Force, Luke!" in "Star Wars") -- analogous to + [13981]RTFS (sense 1), but more polite. This is a common way of + suggesting that someone would be better off reading the source code + that supports whatever feature is causing confusion, rather than + making yet another futile pass through the manuals, or broadcasting + questions on Usenet that haven't attracted [13982]wizards to answer + them. + + Once upon a time in [13983]elder days, everyone running Unix had + source. After 1978, AT&T's policy tightened up, so this objurgation + was in theory appropriately directed only at associates of some outfit + with a Unix source license. In practice, bootlegs of Unix source code + (made precisely for reference purposes) were so ubiquitous that one + could utter it at almost anyone on the network without concern. + + Nowadays, free Unix clones have become widely enough distributed that + anyone can read source legally. The most widely distributed is + certainly Linux, with variants of the NET/2 and 4.4BSD distributions + running second. Cheap commercial Unixes with source such as BSD/OS are + accelerating this trend. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:UUCPNET, Next:[13984]V7, Previous:[13985]UTSL, Up:[13986]= U = + + UUCPNET n. obs. + + The store-and-forward network consisting of all the world's connected + Unix machines (and others running some clone of the UUCP (Unix-to-Unix + CoPy) software). Any machine reachable only via a [13987]bang path is + on UUCPNET. This term has been rendered obsolescent by the spread of + cheap Internet connections in the 1990s; the few remaining UUCP links + are essentially slow channels to the Internet rather than an + autonomous network. See [13988]network address. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= V =, Next:[13989]= W =, Previous:[13990]= U =, Up:[13991]The + Jargon Lexicon + += V = + + * [13992]V7: + * [13993]vadding: + * [13994]vanilla: + * [13995]vanity domain: + * [13996]vannevar: + * [13997]vaporware: + * [13998]var: + * [13999]vaston: + * [14000]VAX: + * [14001]VAXectomy: + * [14002]VAXen: + * [14003]vaxherd: + * [14004]vaxism: + * [14005]vaxocentrism: + * [14006]vdiff: + * [14007]veeblefester: + * [14008]velveeta: + * [14009]ventilator card: + * [14010]Venus flytrap: + * [14011]verbage: + * [14012]verbiage: + * [14013]Version 7: + * [14014]vgrep: + * [14015]vi: + * [14016]video toaster: + * [14017]videotex: + * [14018]virgin: + * [14019]virtual: + * [14020]virtual beer: + * [14021]virtual Friday: + * [14022]virtual reality: + * [14023]virtual shredder: + * [14024]virus: + * [14025]visionary: + * [14026]VMS: + * [14027]voice: + * [14028]voice-net: + * [14029]voodoo programming: + * [14030]VR: + * [14031]Vulcan nerve pinch: + * [14032]vulture capitalist: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:V7, Next:[14033]vadding, Previous:[14034]UUCPNET, Up:[14035]= V = + + V7 /V'sev'en/ n. + + See [14036]Version 7. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vadding, Next:[14037]vanilla, Previous:[14038]V7, Up:[14039]= V = + + vadding /vad'ing/ n. + + [from VAD, a permutation of ADV (i.e., [14040]ADVENT), used to avoid a + particular [14041]admin's continual search-and-destroy sweeps for the + game] A leisure-time activity of certain hackers involving the covert + exploration of the `secret' parts of large buildings -- basements, + roofs, freight elevators, maintenance crawlways, steam tunnels, and + the like. A few go so far as to learn locksmithing in order to + synthesize vadding keys. The verb is `to vad' (compare + [14042]phreaking; see also [14043]hack, sense 9). This term dates from + the late 1970s, before which such activity was simply called + `hacking'; the older usage is still prevalent at MIT. + + The most extreme and dangerous form of vadding is `elevator rodeo', + a.k.a. `elevator surfing', a sport played by wrasslin' down a + thousand-pound elevator car with a 3-foot piece of string, and then + exploiting this mastery in various stimulating ways (such as elevator + hopping, shaft exploration, rat-racing, and the ever-popular drop + experiments). Kids, don't try this at home! See also [14044]hobbit + (sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vanilla, Next:[14045]vanity domain, Previous:[14046]vadding, + Up:[14047]= V = + + vanilla adj. + + [from the default flavor of ice cream in the U.S.] Ordinary + [14048]flavor, standard. When used of food, very often does not mean + that the food is flavored with vanilla extract! For example, `vanilla + wonton soup' means ordinary wonton soup, as opposed to hot-and-sour + wonton soup. Applied to hardware and software, as in "Vanilla Version + 7 Unix can't run on a vanilla 11/34." Also used to orthogonalize chip + nomenclature; for instance, a 74V00 means what TI calls a 7400, as + distinct from a 74LS00, etc. This word differs from [14049]canonical + in that the latter means `default', whereas vanilla simply means + `ordinary'. For example, when hackers go on a [14050]great-wall, + hot-and-sour soup is the [14051]canonical soup to get (because that is + what most of them usually order) even though it isn't the vanilla + (wonton) soup. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vanity domain, Next:[14052]vannevar, Previous:[14053]vanilla, + Up:[14054]= V = + + vanity domain n. + + [common; from `vanity plate' as in car license plate] An Internet + domain, particularly in the .com or .org top-level domains, apparently + created for no reason other than boosting the creator's ego. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vannevar, Next:[14055]vaporware, Previous:[14056]vanity domain, + Up:[14057]= V = + + vannevar /van'*-var/ n. + + A bogus technological prediction or a foredoomed engineering concept, + esp. one that fails by implicitly assuming that technologies develop + linearly, incrementally, and in isolation from one another when in + fact the learning curve tends to be highly nonlinear, revolutions are + common, and competition is the rule. The prototype was Vannevar Bush's + prediction of `electronic brains' the size of the Empire State + Building with a Niagara-Falls-equivalent cooling system for their + tubes and relays, a prediction made at a time when the semiconductor + effect had already been demonstrated. Other famous vannevars have + included magnetic-bubble memory, LISP machines, [14058]videotex, and a + paper from the late 1970s that computed a purported ultimate limit on + areal density for ICs that was in fact less than the routine densities + of 5 years later. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vaporware, Next:[14059]var, Previous:[14060]vannevar, Up:[14061]= + V = + + vaporware /vay'pr-weir/ n. + + Products announced far in advance of any release (which may or may not + actually take place). See also [14062]brochureware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:var, Next:[14063]vaston, Previous:[14064]vaporware, Up:[14065]= V + = + + var /veir/ or /var/ n. + + Short for `variable'. Compare [14066]arg, [14067]param. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vaston, Next:[14068]VAX, Previous:[14069]var, Up:[14070]= V = + + vaston n. + + [Durham, UK] The unit of `load average'. A measure of how much work a + computer is doing. A meter displaying this as a function of time is + known as a `vastometer'. First used during a computing practical in + December 1996. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:VAX, Next:[14071]VAXectomy, Previous:[14072]vaston, Up:[14073]= V + = + + VAX /vaks/ n. + + 1. [from Virtual Address eXtension] The most successful minicomputer + design in industry history, possibly excepting its immediate ancestor, + the PDP-11. Between its release in 1978 and its eclipse by + [14074]killer micros after about 1986, the VAX was probably the + hacker's favorite machine of them all, esp. after the 1982 release of + 4.2 BSD Unix (see [14075]BSD). Esp. noted for its large, + assembler-programmer-friendly instruction set -- an asset that became + a liability after the RISC revolution. 2. A major brand of vacuum + cleaner in Britain. Cited here because its sales pitch, "Nothing sucks + like a VAX!" became a sort of battle-cry of RISC partisans. It is even + sometimes claimed that DEC actually entered a cross-licensing deal + with the vacuum-Vax people that allowed them to market VAX computers + in the U.K. in return for not challenging the vacuum cleaner trademark + in the U.S. + + A rival brand actually pioneered the slogan: its original form was + "Nothing sucks like Electrolux". It has apparently become a classic + example (used in advertising textbooks) of the perils of not knowing + the local idiom. But in 1996, the press manager of Electrolux AB, + while confirming that the company used this slogan in the late 1960s, + also tells us that their marketing people were fully aware of the + possible double entendre and intended it to gain attention. + + And gain attention it did - the VAX-vacuum-cleaner people thought the + slogan a sufficiently good idea to copy it. Several British hackers + report that VAX's promotions used it in 1986-1987, and we have one + report from a New Zealander that the infamous slogan surfaced there in + TV ads for the product in 1992. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:VAXectomy, Next:[14076]VAXen, Previous:[14077]VAX, Up:[14078]= V + = + + VAXectomy /vak-sek't*-mee/ n. + + [by analogy with `vasectomy'] A VAX removal. [14079]DEC's Microvaxen, + especially, are much slower than newer RISC-based workstations such as + the SPARC. Thus, if one knows one has a replacement coming, VAX + removal can be cause for celebration. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:VAXen, Next:[14080]vaxherd, Previous:[14081]VAXectomy, + Up:[14082]= V = + + VAXen /vak'sn/ n. + + [from `oxen', perhaps influenced by `vixen'] (alt. `vaxen') The plural + canonically used among hackers for the [14083]DEC VAX computers. "Our + installation has four PDP-10s and twenty vaxen." See [14084]boxen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vaxherd, Next:[14085]vaxism, Previous:[14086]VAXen, Up:[14087]= V + = + + vaxherd /vaks'herd/ n. obs. + + [from `oxherd'] A VAX operator. The image is reinforced because VAXen + actually did tend to come in herds, technically known as `clusters'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vaxism, Next:[14088]vaxocentrism, Previous:[14089]vaxherd, + Up:[14090]= V = + + vaxism /vak'sizm/ n. + + A piece of code that exhibits [14091]vaxocentrism in critical areas. + Compare [14092]PC-ism, [14093]unixism. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vaxocentrism, Next:[14094]vdiff, Previous:[14095]vaxism, + Up:[14096]= V = + + vaxocentrism /vak`soh-sen'trizm/ n. + + [analogy with `ethnocentrism'] A notional disease said to afflict C + programmers who persist in coding according to certain assumptions + that are valid (esp. under Unix) on [14097]VAXen but false elsewhere. + Among these are: + 1. The assumption that dereferencing a null pointer is safe because + it is all bits 0, and location 0 is readable and 0. Problem: this + may instead cause an illegal-address trap on non-VAXen, and even + on VAXen under OSes other than BSD Unix. Usually this is an + implicit assumption of sloppy code (forgetting to check the + pointer before using it), rather than deliberate exploitation of a + misfeature. + 2. The assumption that characters are signed. + 3. The assumption that a pointer to any one type can freely be cast + into a pointer to any other type. A stronger form of this is the + assumption that all pointers are the same size and format, which + means you don't have to worry about getting the casts or types + correct in calls. Problem: this fails on word-oriented machines or + others with multiple pointer formats. + 4. The assumption that the parameters of a routine are stored in + memory, on a stack, contiguously, and in strictly ascending or + descending order. Problem: this fails on many RISC architectures. + 5. The assumption that pointer and integer types are the same size, + and that pointers can be stuffed into integer variables (and + vice-versa) and drawn back out without being truncated or mangled. + Problem: this fails on segmented architectures or word-oriented + machines with funny pointer formats. + 6. The assumption that a data type of any size may begin at any byte + address in memory (for example, that you can freely construct and + dereference a pointer to a word- or greater-sized object at an odd + char address). Problem: this fails on many (esp. RISC) + architectures better optimized for [14098]HLL execution speed, and + can cause an illegal address fault or bus error. + 7. The (related) assumption that there is no padding at the end of + types and that in an array you can thus step right from the last + byte of a previous component to the first byte of the next one. + This is not only machine- but compiler-dependent. + 8. The assumption that memory address space is globally flat and that + the array reference foo[-1] is necessarily valid. Problem: this + fails at 0, or other places on segment-addressed machines like + Intel chips (yes, segmentation is universally considered a + [14099]brain-damaged way to design machines (see [14100]moby), but + that is a separate issue). + 9. The assumption that objects can be arbitrarily large with no + special considerations. Problem: this fails on segmented + architectures and under non-virtual-addressing environments. + 10. The assumption that the stack can be as large as memory. Problem: + this fails on segmented architectures or almost anything else + without virtual addressing and a paged stack. + 11. The assumption that bits and addressable units within an object + are ordered in the same way and that this order is a constant of + nature. Problem: this fails on [14101]big-endian machines. + 12. The assumption that it is meaningful to compare pointers to + different objects not located within the same array, or to objects + of different types. Problem: the former fails on segmented + architectures, the latter on word-oriented machines or others with + multiple pointer formats. + 13. The assumption that an int is 32 bits, or (nearly equivalently) + the assumption that sizeof(int) == sizeof(long). Problem: this + fails on PDP-11s, 286-based systems and even on 386 and 68000 + systems under some compilers (and on 64-bit systems like the + Alpha, of course). + 14. The assumption that argv[] is writable. Problem: this fails in + many embedded-systems C environments and even under a few flavors + of Unix. + + Note that a programmer can validly be accused of vaxocentrism even if + he or she has never seen a VAX. Some of these assumptions (esp. 2-5) + were valid on the PDP-11, the original C machine, and became endemic + years before the VAX. The terms `vaxocentricity' and + `all-the-world's-a-VAX syndrome' have been used synonymously. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vdiff, Next:[14102]veeblefester, Previous:[14103]vaxocentrism, + Up:[14104]= V = + + vdiff /vee'dif/ v.,n. + + Visual diff. The operation of finding differences between two files by + [14105]eyeball search. The term `optical diff' has also been reported, + and is sometimes more specifically used for the act of superimposing + two nearly identical printouts on one another and holding them up to a + light to spot differences. Though this method is poor for detecting + omissions in the `rear' file, it can also be used with printouts of + graphics, a claim few if any diff programs can make. See [14106]diff. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:veeblefester, Next:[14107]velveeta, Previous:[14108]vdiff, + Up:[14109]= V = + + veeblefester /vee'b*l-fes`tr/ n. + + [from the "Born Loser" comix via Commodore; prob. originally from + "Mad" Magazine's `Veeblefetzer' parodies beginning in #15, 1954] Any + obnoxious person engaged in the (alleged) professions of marketing or + management. Antonym of [14110]hacker. Compare [14111]suit, + [14112]marketroid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:velveeta, Next:[14113]ventilator card, + Previous:[14114]veeblefester, Up:[14115]= V = + + velveeta n. + + [Usenet: by analogy with [14116]spam. The trade name Velveeta is + attached in the U.S. to a particularly nasty processed-cheese spread.] + Also knows as [14117]ECP; a message that is excessively cross-posted, + as opposed to [14118]spam which is too frequently posted. This term is + widely recognized but not commonly used; most people refer to both + kinds of abuse as spam. Compare [14119]jello. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:ventilator card, Next:[14120]Venus flytrap, + Previous:[14121]velveeta, Up:[14122]= V = + + ventilator card n. + + Syn. [14123]lace card. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Venus flytrap, Next:[14124]verbage, Previous:[14125]ventilator + card, Up:[14126]= V = + + Venus flytrap n. + + [after the insect-eating plant] See [14127]firewall machine. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:verbage, Next:[14128]verbiage, Previous:[14129]Venus flytrap, + Up:[14130]= V = + + verbage /ver'b*j/ n. + + A deliberate misspelling and mispronunciation of [14131]verbiage that + assimilates it to the word `garbage'. Compare [14132]content-free. + More pejorative than `verbiage'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:verbiage, Next:[14133]Version 7, Previous:[14134]verbage, + Up:[14135]= V = + + verbiage n. + + When the context involves a software or hardware system, this refers + to [14136]documentation. This term borrows the connotations of + mainstream `verbiage' to suggest that the documentation is of marginal + utility and that the motives behind its production have little to do + with the ostensible subject. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Version 7, Next:[14137]vgrep, Previous:[14138]verbiage, + Up:[14139]= V = + + Version 7 alt. V7 /vee' se'vn/ n. + + The first widely distributed version of [14140]Unix, released + unsupported by Bell Labs in 1978. The term is used adjectivally to + describe Unix features and programs that date from that release, and + are thus guaranteed to be present and portable in all Unix versions + (this was the standard gauge of portability before the POSIX and IEEE + 1003 standards). Note that this usage does not derive from the release + being the "seventh version of [14141]Unix"; research [14142]Unix at + Bell Labs has traditionally been numbered according to the edition of + the associated documentation. Indeed, only the widely-distributed + Sixth and Seventh Editions are widely known as V[67]; the OS that + might today be known as `V10' is instead known in full as "Tenth + Edition Research Unix" or just "Tenth Edition" for short. For this + reason, "V7" is often read by cognoscenti as "Seventh Edition". See + [14143]BSD, [14144]USG Unix, [14145]Unix. Some old-timers impatient + with commercialization and kernel bloat still maintain that V7 was the + Last True Unix. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vgrep, Next:[14146]vi, Previous:[14147]Version 7, Up:[14148]= V = + + vgrep /vee'grep/ v.,n. + + Visual grep. The operation of finding patterns in a file optically + rather than digitally (also called an `optical grep'). See + [14149]grep; compare [14150]vdiff. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vi, Next:[14151]video toaster, Previous:[14152]vgrep, Up:[14153]= + V = + + vi /V-I/, not /vi:/ and never /siks/ n. + + [from `Visual Interface'] A screen editor crufted together by Bill Joy + for an early [14154]BSD release. Became the de facto standard Unix + editor and a nearly undisputed hacker favorite outside of MIT until + the rise of [14155]EMACS after about 1984. Tends to frustrate new + users no end, as it will neither take commands while expecting input + text nor vice versa, and the default setup on older versions provides + no indication of which mode the editor is in (years ago, a + correspondent reported that he has often heard the editor's name + pronounced /vi:l/; there is now a vi clone named `vile'). Nevertheless + vi (and variants such as vim and elvis) is still widely used (about + half the respondents in a 1991 Usenet poll preferred it), and even + EMACS fans often resort to it as a mail editor and for small editing + jobs (mainly because it starts up faster than the bulkier versions of + EMACS). See [14156]holy wars. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:video toaster, Next:[14157]videotex, Previous:[14158]vi, + Up:[14159]= V = + + video toaster n. + + Historically, an Amiga fitted with a particular line of special video + effects hardware from NewTek - long a popular platform at + special-effects and video production houses. More generally, any + computer system designed specifically for video production and + manipulation. Compare [14160]web toaster and see [14161]toaster. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:videotex, Next:[14162]virgin, Previous:[14163]video toaster, + Up:[14164]= V = + + videotex n. obs. + + An electronic service offering people the privilege of paying to read + the weather on their television screens instead of having somebody + read it to them for free while they brush their teeth. The idea bombed + everywhere it wasn't government-subsidized, because by the time + videotex was practical the installed base of personal computers could + hook up to timesharing services and do the things for which videotex + might have been worthwhile better and cheaper. Videotex planners badly + overestimated both the appeal of getting information from a computer + and the cost of local intelligence at the user's end. Like the + [14165]gorilla arm effect, this has been a cautionary tale to hackers + ever since. See also [14166]vannevar. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virgin, Next:[14167]virtual, Previous:[14168]videotex, + Up:[14169]= V = + + virgin adj. + + Unused; pristine; in a known initial state. "Let's bring up a virgin + system and see if it crashes again." (Esp. useful after contracting a + [14170]virus through [14171]SEX.) Also, by extension, buffers and the + like within a program that have not yet been used. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virtual, Next:[14172]virtual beer, Previous:[14173]virgin, + Up:[14174]= V = + + virtual adj. + + [via the technical term `virtual memory', prob. from the term `virtual + image' in optics] 1. Common alternative to [14175]logical; often used + to refer to the artificial objects (like addressable virtual memory + larger than physical memory) simulated by a computer system as a + convenient way to manage access to shared resources. 2. Simulated; + performing the functions of something that isn't really there. An + imaginative child's doll may be a virtual playmate. Oppose + [14176]real. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virtual beer, Next:[14177]virtual Friday, + Previous:[14178]virtual, Up:[14179]= V = + + virtual beer n. + + Praise or thanks. Used universally in the Linux community. Originally + this term signified cash, after a famous incident in which some some + Britishers who wanted to buy Linus a beer and sent him money to + Finland to do so. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virtual Friday, Next:[14180]virtual reality, + Previous:[14181]virtual beer, Up:[14182]= V = + + virtual Friday n. + + (also `logical Friday') The last day before an extended weekend, if + that day is not a `real' Friday. For example, the U.S. holiday + Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. The next day is often also a + holiday or taken as an extra day off, in which case Wednesday of that + week is a virtual Friday (and Thursday is a virtual Saturday, as is + Friday). There are also `virtual Mondays' that are actually Tuesdays, + after the three-day weekends associated with many national holidays in + the U.S. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virtual reality, Next:[14183]virtual shredder, + Previous:[14184]virtual Friday, Up:[14185]= V = + + virtual reality n. + + 1. Computer simulations that use 3-D graphics and devices such as the + Dataglove to allow the user to interact with the simulation. See + [14186]cyberspace. 2. A form of network interaction incorporating + aspects of role-playing games, interactive theater, improvisational + comedy, and `true confessions' magazines. In a virtual reality forum + (such as Usenet's alt.callahans newsgroup or the [14187]MUD + experiments on Internet), interaction between the participants is + written like a shared novel complete with scenery, `foreground + characters' that may be personae utterly unlike the people who write + them, and common `background characters' manipulable by all parties. + The one iron law is that you may not write irreversible changes to a + character without the consent of the person who `owns' it. Otherwise + anything goes. See [14188]bamf, [14189]cyberspace, + [14190]teledildonics. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virtual shredder, Next:[14191]virus, Previous:[14192]virtual + reality, Up:[14193]= V = + + virtual shredder n. + + The jargonic equivalent of the [14194]bit bucket at shops using IBM's + VM/CMS operating system. VM/CMS officially supports a whole bestiary + of virtual card readers, virtual printers, and other phantom devices; + these are used to supply some of the same capabilities Unix gets from + pipes and I/O redirection. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:virus, Next:[14195]visionary, Previous:[14196]virtual shredder, + Up:[14197]= V = + + virus n. + + [from the obvious analogy with biological viruses, via SF] A cracker + program that searches out other programs and `infects' them by + embedding a copy of itself in them, so that they become [14198]Trojan + horses. When these programs are executed, the embedded virus is + executed too, thus propagating the `infection'. This normally happens + invisibly to the user. Unlike a [14199]worm, a virus cannot infect + other computers without assistance. It is propagated by vectors such + as humans trading programs with their friends (see [14200]SEX). The + virus may do nothing but propagate itself and then allow the program + to run normally. Usually, however, after propagating silently for a + while, it starts doing things like writing cute messages on the + terminal or playing strange tricks with the display (some viruses + include nice [14201]display hacks). Many nasty viruses, written by + particularly perversely minded [14202]crackers, do irreversible + damage, like nuking all the user's files. + + In the 1990s, viruses became a serious problem, especially among + Windows users; the lack of security on these machines enables viruses + to spread easily, even infecting the operating system (Unix machines, + by contrast, are immune to such attacks). The production of special + anti-virus software has become an industry, and a number of + exaggerated media reports have caused outbreaks of near hysteria among + users; many [14203]lusers tend to blame everything that doesn't work + as they had expected on virus attacks. Accordingly, this sense of + `virus' has passed not only into techspeak but into also popular usage + (where it is often incorrectly used to denote a [14204]worm or even a + [14205]Trojan horse). See [14206]phage; compare [14207]back door; see + also [14208]Unix conspiracy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:visionary, Next:[14209]VMS, Previous:[14210]virus, Up:[14211]= V + = + + visionary n. + + 1. One who hacks vision, in the sense of an Artificial Intelligence + researcher working on the problem of getting computers to `see' things + using TV cameras. (There isn't any problem in sending information from + a TV camera to a computer. The problem is, how can the computer be + programmed to make use of the camera information? See [14212]SMOP, + [14213]AI-complete.) 2. [IBM] One who reads the outside literature. At + IBM, apparently, such a penchant is viewed with awe and wonder. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:VMS, Next:[14214]voice, Previous:[14215]visionary, Up:[14216]= V + = + + VMS /V-M-S/ n. + + [14217]DEC's proprietary operating system for its VAX minicomputer; + one of the seven or so environments that loom largest in hacker + folklore. Many Unix fans generously concede that VMS would probably be + the hacker's favorite commercial OS if Unix didn't exist; though true, + this makes VMS fans furious. One major hacker gripe with VMS concerns + its slowness -- thus the following limerick: + There once was a system called VMS + Of cycles by no means abstemious. + It's chock-full of hacks + And runs on a VAX + And makes my poor stomach all squeamious. + --- The Great Quux + + See also [14218]VAX, [14219]TOPS-10, [14220]TOPS-20, [14221]Unix, + [14222]runic. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:voice, Next:[14223]voice-net, Previous:[14224]VMS, Up:[14225]= V + = + + voice vt. + + To phone someone, as opposed to emailing them or connecting in + [14226]talk mode. "I'm busy now; I'll voice you later." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:voice-net, Next:[14227]voodoo programming, Previous:[14228]voice, + Up:[14229]= V = + + voice-net n. + + Hackish way of referring to the telephone system, analogizing it to a + digital network. Usenet [14230]sig blocks not uncommonly include the + sender's phone next to a "Voice:" or "Voice-Net:" header; common + variants of this are "Voicenet" and "V-Net". Compare [14231]paper-net, + [14232]snail-mail. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:voodoo programming, Next:[14233]VR, Previous:[14234]voice-net, + Up:[14235]= V = + + voodoo programming n. + + [from George Bush's "voodoo economics"] 1. The use by guess or + cookbook of an [14236]obscure or [14237]hairy system, feature, or + algorithm that one does not truly understand. The implication is that + the technique may not work, and if it doesn't, one will never know + why. Almost synonymous with [14238]black magic, except that black + magic typically isn't documented and nobody understands it. Compare + [14239]magic, [14240]deep magic, [14241]heavy wizardry, [14242]rain + dance, [14243]cargo cult programming, [14244]wave a dead chicken. 2. + Things programmers do that they know shouldn't work but they try + anyway, and which sometimes actually work, such as recompiling + everything. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:VR, Next:[14245]Vulcan nerve pinch, Previous:[14246]voodoo + programming, Up:[14247]= V = + + VR // [MUD] n. + + On-line abbrev for [14248]virtual reality, as opposed to [14249]RL. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Vulcan nerve pinch, Next:[14250]vulture capitalist, + Previous:[14251]VR, Up:[14252]= V = + + Vulcan nerve pinch n. + + [from the old "Star Trek" TV series via Commodore Amiga hackers] The + keyboard combination that forces a soft-boot or jump to ROM monitor + (on machines that support such a feature). On PC clones this is + Ctrl-Alt-Del; on Suns, L1-A; on Macintoshes, it is <Cmd>-<Power + switch> or <CMD>-<CTRL>-<POWER>! Also called [14253]three-finger + salute. Compare [14254]quadruple bucky. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:vulture capitalist, Next:[14255]W2K bug, Previous:[14256]Vulcan + nerve pinch, Up:[14257]= V = + + vulture capitalist n. + + Pejorative hackerism for `venture capitalist', deriving from the + common practice of pushing contracts that deprive inventors of control + over their own innovations and most of the money they ought to have + made from them. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= W =, Next:[14258]= X =, Previous:[14259]= V =, Up:[14260]The + Jargon Lexicon + += W = + + * [14261]W2K bug: + * [14262]wabbit: + * [14263]WAITS: + * [14264]waldo: + * [14265]walk: + * [14266]walk off the end of: + * [14267]walking drives: + * [14268]wall: + * [14269]wall follower: + * [14270]wall time: + * [14271]wall wart: + * [14272]wallpaper: + * [14273]wango: + * [14274]wank: + * [14275]wannabee: + * [14276]war dialer: + * [14277]-ware: + * [14278]warez: + * [14279]warez d00dz: + * [14280]warez kiddies: + * [14281]warlording: + * [14282]warm boot: + * [14283]wart: + * [14284]washing machine: + * [14285]washing software: + * [14286]water MIPS: + * [14287]wave a dead chicken: + * [14288]weasel: + * [14289]web pointer: + * [14290]web toaster: + * [14291]webify: + * [14292]webmaster: + * [14293]web ring: + * [14294]wedged: + * [14295]wedgie: + * [14296]wedgitude: + * [14297]weeble: + * [14298]weeds: + * [14299]weenie: + * [14300]Weenix: + * [14301]well-behaved: + * [14302]well-connected: + * [14303]wetware: + * [14304]whack: + * [14305]whack-a-mole: + * [14306]whacker: + * [14307]whales: + * [14308]whalesong: + * [14309]What's a spline?: + * [14310]wheel: + * [14311]wheel bit: + * [14312]wheel of reincarnation: + * [14313]wheel wars: + * [14314]White Book: + * [14315]whitelist: + * [14316]whizzy: + * [14317]wibble: + * [14318]WIBNI: + * [14319]widget: + * [14320]wiggles: + * [14321]WIMP environment: + * [14322]win: + * [14323]win big: + * [14324]win win: + * [14325]Winchester: + * [14326]windoid: + * [14327]window shopping: + * [14328]Windoze: + * [14329]winged comments: + * [14330]winkey: + * [14331]winnage: + * [14332]winner: + * [14333]winnitude: + * [14334]Wintel: + * [14335]wired: + * [14336]wirehead: + * [14337]wirewater: + * [14338]wish list: + * [14339]within delta of: + * [14340]within epsilon of: + * [14341]wizard: + * [14342]Wizard Book: + * [14343]wizard hat: + * [14344]wizard mode: + * [14345]wizardly: + * [14346]wok-on-the-wall: + * [14347]womb box: + * [14348]WOMBAT: + * [14349]womble: + * [14350]wonky: + * [14351]woofer: + * [14352]workaround: + * [14353]working as designed: + * [14354]worm: + * [14355]wormhole: + * [14356]wound around the axle: + * [14357]wrap around: + * [14358]write-only code: + * [14359]write-only language: + * [14360]write-only memory: + * [14361]Wrong Thing: + * [14362]wugga wugga: + * [14363]wumpus: + * [14364]WYSIAYG: + * [14365]WYSIWYG: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:W2K bug, Next:[14366]wabbit, Previous:[14367]vulture capitalist, + Up:[14368]= W = + + W2K bug + + [from `Y2K bug' for the Year 2000 problem] The upcoming deployment of + Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system, which hackers generally + expect will be among the worst train wrecks in the history of software + engineering. Such is the power of Microsoft marketing, however, that + it is also expected this will not become obvious until it has incurred + hundreds of millions of dollars in downtime and lost opportunity + costs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wabbit, Next:[14369]WAITS, Previous:[14370]W2K bug, Up:[14371]= W + = + + wabbit /wab'it/ n. + + [almost certainly from Elmer Fudd's immortal line "You wascawwy + wabbit!"] 1. A legendary early hack reported on a System/360 at RPI + and elsewhere around 1978; this may have descended (if only by + inspiration) from a hack called RABBITS reported from 1969 on a + Burroughs 5500 at the University of Washington Computer Center. The + program would make two copies of itself every time it was run, + eventually crashing the system. 2. By extension, any hack that + includes infinite self-replication but is not a [14372]virus or + [14373]worm. See [14374]fork bomb and [14375]rabbit job, see also + [14376]cookie monster. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:WAITS, Next:[14377]waldo, Previous:[14378]wabbit, Up:[14379]= W = + + WAITS /wayts/ n. + + The mutant cousin of [14380]TOPS-10 used on a handful of systems at + [14381]SAIL up to 1990. There was never an `official' expansion of + WAITS (the name itself having been arrived at by a rather sideways + process), but it was frequently glossed as `West-coast Alternative to + ITS'. Though WAITS was less visible than ITS, there was frequent + exchange of people and ideas between the two communities, and + innovations pioneered at WAITS exerted enormous indirect influence. + The early screen modes of [14382]EMACS, for example, were directly + inspired by WAITS's `E' editor -- one of a family of editors that were + the first to do `real-time editing', in which the editing commands + were invisible and where one typed text at the point of + insertion/overwriting. The modern style of multi-region windowing is + said to have originated there, and WAITS alumni at XEROX PARC and + elsewhere played major roles in the developments that led to the XEROX + Star, the Macintosh, and the Sun workstations. Also invented there + were [14383]bucky bits -- thus, the ALT key on every IBM PC is a WAITS + legacy. One WAITS feature very notable in pre-Web days was a news-wire + interface that allowed WAITS hackers to read, store, and filter AP and + UPI dispatches from their terminals; the system also featured a + still-unusual level of support for what is now called `multimedia' + computing, allowing analog audio and video signals to be switched to + programming terminals. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:waldo, Next:[14384]walk, Previous:[14385]WAITS, Up:[14386]= W = + + waldo /wol'doh/ n. + + [From Robert A. Heinlein's story "Waldo"] 1. A mechanical agent, such + as a gripper arm, controlled by a human limb. When these were + developed for the nuclear industry in the mid-1940s they were named + after the invention described by Heinlein in the story, which he wrote + in 1942. Now known by the more generic term `telefactoring', this + technology is of intense interest to NASA for tasks like space station + maintenance. 2. At Harvard (particularly by Tom Cheatham and + students), this is used instead of [14387]foobar as a metasyntactic + variable and general nonsense word. See [14388]foo, [14389]bar, + [14390]foobar, [14391]quux. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:walk, Next:[14392]walk off the end of, Previous:[14393]waldo, + Up:[14394]= W = + + walk n.,vt. + + Traversal of a data structure, especially an array or linked-list data + structure in [14395]core. See also [14396]codewalker, [14397]silly + walk, [14398]clobber. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:walk off the end of, Next:[14399]walking drives, + Previous:[14400]walk, Up:[14401]= W = + + walk off the end of vt. + + To run past the end of an array, list, or medium after stepping + through it -- a good way to land in trouble. Often the result of an + [14402]off-by-one error. Compare [14403]clobber, [14404]roach, + [14405]smash the stack. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:walking drives, Next:[14406]wall, Previous:[14407]walk off the + end of, Up:[14408]= W = + + walking drives n. + + An occasional failure mode of magnetic-disk drives back in the days + when they were huge, clunky [14409]washing machines. Those old + [14410]dinosaur parts carried terrific angular momentum; the + combination of a misaligned spindle or worn bearings and stick-slip + interactions with the floor could cause them to `walk' across a room, + lurching alternate corners forward a couple of millimeters at a time. + There is a legend about a drive that walked over to the only door to + the computer room and jammed it shut; the staff had to cut a hole in + the wall in order to get at it! Walking could also be induced by + certain patterns of drive access (a fast seek across the whole width + of the disk, followed by a slow seek in the other direction). Some + bands of old-time hackers figured out how to induce disk-accessing + patterns that would do this to particular drive models and held + disk-drive races. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wall, Next:[14411]wall follower, Previous:[14412]walking drives, + Up:[14413]= W = + + wall interj. + + [WPI] 1. An indication of confusion, usually spoken with a quizzical + tone: "Wall??" 2. A request for further explication. Compare + [14414]octal forty. 3. [Unix, from `write all'] v. To send a message + to everyone currently logged in, esp. with the wall(8) utility. + + It is said that sense 1 came from the idiom `like talking to a blank + wall'. It was originally used in situations where, after you had + carefully answered a question, the questioner stared at you blankly, + clearly having understood nothing that was explained. You would then + throw out a "Hello, wall?" to elicit some sort of response from the + questioner. Later, confused questioners began voicing "Wall?" + themselves. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wall follower, Next:[14415]wall time, Previous:[14416]wall, + Up:[14417]= W = + + wall follower n. + + A person or algorithm that compensates for lack of sophistication or + native stupidity by efficiently following some simple procedure shown + to have been effective in the past. Used of an algorithm, this is not + necessarily pejorative; it recalls `Harvey Wallbanger', the winning + robot in an early AI contest (named, of course, after the cocktail). + Harvey successfully solved mazes by keeping a `finger' on one wall and + running till it came out the other end. This was inelegant, but it was + mathematically guaranteed to work on simply-connected mazes -- and, in + fact, Harvey outperformed more sophisticated robots that tried to + `learn' each maze by building an internal representation of it. Used + of humans, the term is pejorative and implies an uncreative, + bureaucratic, by-the-book mentality. See also [14418]code grinder; + compare [14419]droid. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wall time, Next:[14420]wall wart, Previous:[14421]wall follower, + Up:[14422]= W = + + wall time n. + + (also `wall clock time') 1. `Real world' time (what the clock on the + wall shows), as opposed to the system clock's idea of time. 2. The + real running time of a program, as opposed to the number of + [14423]ticks required to execute it (on a timesharing system these + always differ, as no one program gets all the ticks, and on + multiprocessor systems with good thread support one may get more + processor time than real time). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wall wart, Next:[14424]wallpaper, Previous:[14425]wall time, + Up:[14426]= W = + + wall wart n. + + A small power-supply brick with integral male plug, designed to plug + directly into a wall outlet; called a `wart' because when installed on + a power strip it tends to block up at least one more socket than it + uses.. These are frequently associated with modems and other small + electronic devices which would become unacceptably bulky or hot if + they had power supplies on board (there are other reasons as well + having to do with the cost of UL certification). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wallpaper, Next:[14427]wango, Previous:[14428]wall wart, + Up:[14429]= W = + + wallpaper n. + + 1. A file containing a listing (e.g., assembly listing) or a + transcript, esp. a file containing a transcript of all or part of a + login session. (The idea was that the paper for such listings was + essentially good only for wallpaper, as evidenced at Stanford, where + it was used to cover windows.) Now rare, esp. since other systems have + developed other terms for it (e.g., PHOTO on TWENEX). However, the + Unix world doesn't have an equivalent term, so perhaps + [14430]wallpaper will take hold there. The term probably originated on + ITS, where the commands to begin and end transcript files were :WALBEG + and :WALEND, with default file WALL PAPER (the space was a path + delimiter). 2. The background pattern used on graphical workstations + (this is techspeak under the `Windows' graphical user interface to + MS-DOS). 3. `wallpaper file' n. The file that contains the wallpaper + information before it is actually printed on paper. (Even if you don't + intend ever to produce a real paper copy of the file, it is still + called a wallpaper file.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wango, Next:[14431]wank, Previous:[14432]wallpaper, Up:[14433]= W + = + + wango /wang'goh/ n. + + Random bit-level [14434]grovelling going on in a system during some + unspecified operation. Often used in combination with [14435]mumble. + For example: "You start with the `.o' file, run it through this + postprocessor that does mumble-wango -- and it comes out a snazzy + object-oriented executable." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wank, Next:[14436]wannabee, Previous:[14437]wango, Up:[14438]= W + = + + wank /wangk/ n.,v.,adj. + + [Columbia University: prob. by mutation from Commonwealth slang v. + `wank', to masturbate] Used much as [14439]hack is elsewhere, as a + noun denoting a clever technique or person or the result of such + cleverness. May describe (negatively) the act of hacking for hacking's + sake ("Quit wanking, let's go get supper!") or (more positively) a + [14440]wizard. Adj. `wanky' describes something particularly clever (a + person, program, or algorithm). Conversations can also get wanky when + there are too many wanks involved. This excess wankiness is signalled + by an overload of the `wankometer' (compare [14441]bogometer). When + the wankometer overloads, the conversation's subject must be changed, + or all non-wanks will leave. Compare `neep-neeping' (under + [14442]neep-neep). Usage: U.S. only. In Britain and the Commonwealth + this word is extremely rude and is best avoided unless one intends to + give offense. Adjectival `wanky' is less offensive and simply means + `stupid' or `broken' (this is mainstream in Great Britain). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wannabee, Next:[14443]war dialer, Previous:[14444]wank, + Up:[14445]= W = + + wannabee /won'*-bee/ n. + + (also, more plausibly, spelled `wannabe') [from a term recently used + to describe Madonna fans who dress, talk, and act like their idol; + prob. originally from biker slang] A would-be [14446]hacker. The + connotations of this term differ sharply depending on the age and + exposure of the subject. Used of a person who is in or might be + entering [14447]larval stage, it is semi-approving; such wannabees can + be annoying but most hackers remember that they, too, were once such + creatures. When used of any professional programmer, CS academic, + writer, or [14448]suit, it is derogatory, implying that said person is + trying to cuddle up to the hacker mystique but doesn't, fundamentally, + have a prayer of understanding what it is all about. Overuse of terms + from this lexicon is often an indication of the [14449]wannabee + nature. Compare [14450]newbie. + + Historical note: The wannabee phenomenon has a slightly different + flavor now (1993) than it did ten or fifteen years ago. When the + people who are now hackerdom's tribal elders were in [14451]larval + stage, the process of becoming a hacker was largely unconscious and + unaffected by models known in popular culture -- communities formed + spontaneously around people who, as individuals, felt irresistibly + drawn to do hackerly things, and what wannabees experienced was a + fairly pure, skill-focused desire to become similarly wizardly. Those + days of innocence are gone forever; society's adaptation to the advent + of the microcomputer after 1980 included the elevation of the hacker + as a new kind of folk hero, and the result is that some people + semi-consciously set out to be hackers and borrow hackish prestige by + fitting the popular image of hackers. Fortunately, to do this really + well, one has to actually become a wizard. Nevertheless, old-time + hackers tend to share a poorly articulated disquiet about the change; + among other things, it gives them mixed feelings about the effects of + public compendia of lore like this one. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:war dialer, Next:[14452]-ware, Previous:[14453]wannabee, + Up:[14454]= W = + + war dialer n. + + A cracking tool, a program that calls a given list or range of phone + numbers and records those which answer with handshake tones (and so + might be entry points to computer or telecommunications systems). Some + of these programs have become quite sophisticated, and can now detect + modem, fax, or PBX tones and log each one separately. The war dialer + is one of the most important tools in the [14455]phreaker's kit. These + programs evolved from early [14456]demon dialers. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:-ware, Next:[14457]warez, Previous:[14458]war dialer, Up:[14459]= + W = + + -ware suff. + + [from `software'] Commonly used to form jargon terms for classes of + software. For examples, see [14460]annoyware, [14461]careware, + [14462]crippleware, [14463]crudware, [14464]freeware, + [14465]fritterware, [14466]guiltware, [14467]liveware, + [14468]meatware, [14469]payware, [14470]psychedelicware, + [14471]shareware, [14472]shelfware, [14473]vaporware, [14474]wetware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:warez, Next:[14475]warez d00dz, Previous:[14476]-ware, + Up:[14477]= W = + + warez /weirz/ n. + + Widely used in [14478]cracker subcultures to denote cracked version of + commercial software, that is versions from which copy-protection has + been stripped. Hackers recognize this term but don't use it + themselves. See [14479]warez d00dz, [14480]courier, [14481]leech, + [14482]elite. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:warez d00dz, Next:[14483]warez kiddies, Previous:[14484]warez, + Up:[14485]= W = + + warez d00dz /weirz doodz/ n. + + A substantial subculture of [14486]crackers refer to themselves as + `warez d00dz'; there is evidently some connection with [14487]B1FF + here. As `Ozone Pilot', one former warez d00d, wrote: + + Warez d00dz get illegal copies of copyrighted software. If it has + copy protection on it, they break the protection so the software + can be copied. Then they distribute it around the world via several + gateways. Warez d00dz form badass group names like RAZOR and the + like. They put up boards that distribute the latest ware, or pirate + program. The whole point of the Warez sub-culture is to get the + pirate program released and distributed before any other group. I + know, I know. But don't ask, and it won't hurt as much. This is how + they prove their poweress [sic]. It gives them the right to say, "I + released King's Quest IVXIX before you so obviously my testicles + are larger." Again don't ask... + + The studly thing to do if one is a warez d00d, it appears, is emit + `0-day warez', that is copies of commercial software copied and + cracked on the same day as its retail release. Warez d00ds also hoard + software in a big way, collecting untold megabytes of arcade-style + games, pornographic JPGs, and applications they'll never use onto + their hard disks. As Ozone Pilot acutely observes: + + [BELONG] is the only word you will need to know. Warez d00dz want + to belong. They have been shunned by everyone, and thus turn to + cyberspace for acceptance. That is why they always start groups + like TGW, FLT, USA and the like. Structure makes them happy. [...] + Warez d00dz will never have a handle like "Pink Daisy" because + warez d00dz are insecure. Only someone who is very secure with a + good dose of self-esteem can stand up to the cries of fag and + girlie-man. More likely you will find warez d00dz with handles + like: Doctor Death, Deranged Lunatic, Hellraiser, Mad Prince, + Dreamdevil, The Unknown, Renegade Chemist, Terminator, and Twin + Turbo. They like to sound badass when they can hide behind their + terminals. More likely, if you were given a sample of 100 people, + the person whose handle is Hellraiser is the last person you'd + associate with the name. + + The contrast with Internet hackers is stark and instructive. See + [14488]cracker, [14489]wannabee, [14490]handle, [14491]elite, + [14492]courier, [14493]leech; compare [14494]weenie, [14495]spod. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:warez kiddies, Next:[14496]warlording, Previous:[14497]warez + d00dz, Up:[14498]= W = + + warez kiddies n. + + Even more derogatory way of referring to [14499]warez d00dz; refers to + the fact that most warez d00dz are around the age of puberty. Compare + [14500]script kiddies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:warlording, Next:[14501]warm boot, Previous:[14502]warez kiddies, + Up:[14503]= W = + + warlording v. + + [from the Usenet group alt.fan.warlord] The act of excoriating a + bloated, ugly, or derivative [14504]sig block. Common grounds for + warlording include the presence of a signature rendered in a + [14505]BUAF, over-used or cliched [14506]sig quotes, ugly [14507]ASCII + art, or simply excessive size. The original `Warlord' was a + [14508]B1FF-like [14509]newbie c.1991 who featured in his sig a + particularly large and obnoxious ASCII graphic resembling the sword of + Conan the Barbarian in the 1981 John Milius movie; the group name + alt.fan.warlord was sarcasm, and the characteristic mode of warlording + is devastatingly sarcastic praise. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:warm boot, Next:[14510]wart, Previous:[14511]warlording, + Up:[14512]= W = + + warm boot n. + + See [14513]boot. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wart, Next:[14514]washing machine, Previous:[14515]warm boot, + Up:[14516]= W = + + wart n. + + A small, [14517]crocky [14518]feature that sticks out of an otherwise + [14519]clean design. Something conspicuous for localized ugliness, + especially a special-case exception to a general rule. For example, in + some versions of csh(1), single quotes literalize every character + inside them except !. In ANSI C, the ?? syntax used for obtaining + ASCII characters in a foreign environment is a wart. See also + [14520]miswart. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:washing machine, Next:[14521]washing software, + Previous:[14522]wart, Up:[14523]= W = + + washing machine n. + + 1. Old-style 14-inch hard disks in floor-standing cabinets. So called + because of the size of the cabinet and the `top-loading' access to the + media packs -- and, of course, they were always set on `spin cycle'. + The washing-machine idiom transcends language barriers; it is even + used in Russian hacker jargon. See also [14524]walking drives. The + thick channel cables connecting these were called `bit hoses' (see + [14525]hose, sense 3). 2. [CMU] A machine used exclusively for + [14526]washing software. CMU has clusters of these. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:washing software, Next:[14527]water MIPS, Previous:[14528]washing + machine, Up:[14529]= W = + + washing software n. + + The process of recompiling a software distribution (used more often + when the recompilation is occuring from scratch) to pick up and merge + together all of the various changes that have been made to the source. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:water MIPS, Next:[14530]wave a dead chicken, + Previous:[14531]washing software, Up:[14532]= W = + + water MIPS n. + + (see [14533]MIPS, sense 2) Large, water-cooled machines of either + today's ECL-supercomputer flavor or yesterday's traditional + [14534]mainframe type. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wave a dead chicken, Next:[14535]weasel, Previous:[14536]water + MIPS, Up:[14537]= W = + + wave a dead chicken v. + + To perform a ritual in the direction of crashed software or hardware + that one believes to be futile but is nevertheless necessary so that + others are satisfied that an appropriate degree of effort has been + expended. "I'll wave a dead chicken over the source code, but I really + think we've run into an OS bug." Compare [14538]voodoo programming, + [14539]rain dance; see also [14540]casting the runes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:weasel, Next:[14541]web pointer, Previous:[14542]wave a dead + chicken, Up:[14543]= W = + + weasel n. + + [Cambridge] A naive user, one who deliberately or accidentally does + things that are stupid or ill-advised. Roughly synonymous with + [14544]loser. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:web pointer, Next:[14545]web toaster, Previous:[14546]weasel, + Up:[14547]= W = + + web pointer n. + + A World Wide Web [14548]URL. See also [14549]hotlink, which has + slightly different connotations. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:web toaster, Next:[14550]webify, Previous:[14551]web pointer, + Up:[14552]= W = + + web toaster n. + + A small specialized computer, shipped with no monitor or keyboard or + any other external peripherals, pre-configured to be controlled + through an Ethernet port and function as a WWW server. Products of + this kind (for example the Cobalt Qube) are often about the size of a + toaster. See [14553]toaster; compare [14554]video toaster. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:webify, Next:[14555]webmaster, Previous:[14556]web toaster, + Up:[14557]= W = + + webify n. + + To put a piece of (possibly already existing) material on the WWW. + Frequently used for papers ("Why don't you webify all your + publications?") or for demos ("They webified their 6.866 final + project"). This term seems to have been (rather logically) + independently invented multiple times in the early 1990s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:webmaster, Next:[14558]web ring, Previous:[14559]webify, + Up:[14560]= W = + + webmaster n. + + [WWW: from [14561]postmaster] The person at a site providing World + Wide Web information who is responsible for maintaining the public + pages and keeping the Web server running and properly configured. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:web ring, Next:[14562]wedged, Previous:[14563]webmaster, + Up:[14564]= W = + + web ring n. + + Two or more web sites connected by prominent links between sites + sharing a common interest or theme. Usually such cliques have the + topology of a ring, in order to make it easy for visitors to navigate + through all of them. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wedged, Next:[14565]wedgie, Previous:[14566]web ring, Up:[14567]= + W = + + wedged adj. + + 1. To be stuck, incapable of proceeding without help. This is + different from having crashed. If the system has crashed, it has + become totally non-functioning. If the system is wedged, it is trying + to do something but cannot make progress; it may be capable of doing a + few things, but not be fully operational. For example, a process may + become wedged if it [14568]deadlocks with another (but not all + instances of wedging are deadlocks). See also [14569]gronk, + [14570]locked up, [14571]hosed, [14572]hung (wedged is more severe + than [14573]hung). 2. Often refers to humans suffering misconceptions. + "He's totally wedged -- he's convinced that he can levitate through + meditation." 3. [Unix] Specifically used to describe the state of a + TTY left in a losing state by abort of a screen-oriented program or + one that has messed with the line discipline in some obscure way. + + There is some dispute over the origin of this term. It is usually + thought to derive from a common description of recto-cranial + inversion; however, it may actually have originated with older + `hot-press' printing technology in which physical type elements were + locked into type frames with wedges driven in by mallets. Once this + had been done, no changes in the typesetting for that page could be + made. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wedgie, Next:[14574]wedgitude, Previous:[14575]wedged, + Up:[14576]= W = + + wedgie n. + + [Fairchild] A bug. Prob. related to [14577]wedged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wedgitude, Next:[14578]weeble, Previous:[14579]wedgie, + Up:[14580]= W = + + wedgitude /wedj'i-t[y]ood/ n. + + The quality or state of being [14581]wedged. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:weeble, Next:[14582]weeds, Previous:[14583]wedgitude, Up:[14584]= + W = + + weeble /weeb'l/ interj. + + [Cambridge] Used to denote frustration, usually at amazing stupidity. + "I stuck the disk in upside down." "Weeble...." Compare [14585]gurfle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:weeds, Next:[14586]weenie, Previous:[14587]weeble, Up:[14588]= W + = + + weeds n. + + 1. Refers to development projects or algorithms that have no possible + relevance or practical application. Comes from `off in the weeds'. + Used in phrases like "lexical analysis for microcode is serious + weeds...." 2. At CDC/ETA before its demise, the phrase `go off in the + weeds' was equivalent to IBM's [14589]branch to Fishkill and + mainstream hackerdom's [14590]jump off into never-never land. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:weenie, Next:[14591]Weenix, Previous:[14592]weeds, Up:[14593]= W + = + + weenie n. + + 1. [on BBSes] Any of a species of luser resembling a less amusing + version of [14594]B1FF that infests many [14595]BBS systems. The + typical weenie is a teenage boy with poor social skills travelling + under a grandiose [14596]handle derived from fantasy or heavy-metal + rock lyrics. Among sysops, `the weenie problem' refers to the + marginally literate and profanity-laden [14597]flamage weenies tend to + spew all over a newly-discovered BBS. Compare [14598]spod, + [14599]computer geek, [14600]terminal junkie, [14601]warez d00dz. 2. + [Among hackers] When used with a qualifier (for example, as in + [14602]Unix weenie, VMS weenie, IBM weenie) this can be either an + insult or a term of praise, depending on context, tone of voice, and + whether or not it is applied by a person who considers him or herself + to be the same sort of weenie. Implies that the weenie has put a major + investment of time, effort, and concentration into the area indicated; + whether this is good or bad depends on the hearer's judgment of how + the speaker feels about that area. See also [14603]bigot. 3. The + semicolon character, ; (ASCII 0111011). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Weenix, Next:[14604]well-behaved, Previous:[14605]weenie, + Up:[14606]= W = + + Weenix /wee'niks/ n. + + 1. [ITS] A derogatory term for [14607]Unix, derived from [14608]Unix + weenie. According to one noted ex-ITSer, it is "the operating system + preferred by Unix Weenies: typified by poor modularity, poor + reliability, hard file deletion, no file version numbers, case + sensitivity everywhere, and users who believe that these are all + advantages". (Some ITS fans behave as though they believe Unix stole a + future that rightfully belonged to them. See [14609]ITS, sense 2.) 2. + [Brown University] A Unix-like OS developed for tutorial purposes at + Brown University. See + [14610]http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs167/weenix.html. Named + independently of the ITS usage. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:well-behaved, Next:[14611]well-connected, Previous:[14612]Weenix, + Up:[14613]= W = + + well-behaved adj. + + 1. [primarily [14614]MS-DOS] Said of software conforming to system + interface guidelines and standards. Well-behaved software uses the + operating system to do chores such as keyboard input, allocating + memory and drawing graphics. Oppose [14615]ill-behaved. 2. Software + that does its job quietly and without counterintuitive effects. Esp. + said of software having an interface spec sufficiently simple and + well-defined that it can be used as a [14616]tool by other software. + See [14617]cat. 3. Said of an algorithm that doesn't [14618]crash or + [14619]blow up, even when given [14620]pathological input. Implies + that the stability of the algorithm is intrinsic, which makes this + somewhat different from [14621]bulletproof. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:well-connected, Next:[14622]wetware, + Previous:[14623]well-behaved, Up:[14624]= W = + + well-connected adj. + + Said of a computer installation, asserts that it has reliable email + links with the network and/or that it relays a large fraction of + available [14625]Usenet newsgroups. `Well-known' can be almost + synonymous, but also implies that the site's name is familiar to many + (due perhaps to an archive service or active Usenet users). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wetware, Next:[14626]whack, Previous:[14627]well-connected, + Up:[14628]= W = + + wetware /wet'weir/ n. + + [prob. from the novels of Rudy Rucker] 1. The human nervous system, as + opposed to computer hardware or software. "Wetware has 7 plus or minus + 2 temporary registers." 2. Human beings (programmers, operators, + administrators) attached to a computer system, as opposed to the + system's hardware or software. See [14629]liveware, [14630]meatware. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whack, Next:[14631]whack-a-mole, Previous:[14632]wetware, + Up:[14633]= W = + + whack v. + + According to arch-hacker James Gosling (designer of [14634]NeWS, + [14635]GOSMACS and Java), to "...modify a program with no idea + whatsoever how it works." (See [14636]whacker.) It is actually + possible to do this in nontrivial circumstances if the change is small + and well-defined and you are very good at [14637]glarking things from + context. As a trivial example, it is relatively easy to change all + stderr writes to stdout writes in a piece of C filter code which + remains otherwise mysterious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whack-a-mole, Next:[14638]whacker, Previous:[14639]whack, + Up:[14640]= W = + + whack-a-mole n. + + [from the carnival game which involves quickly and repeatedly hitting + the heads of mechanical moles with a mallet as they pop up from their + holes.] 1. The practice of repeatedly causing spammers' + [14641]throwaway accounts and drop boxes to be terminated. 2. After + sense 1 became established in the mid-1990s the term passed into more + generalized use, and now is commonly found in such combinations as + `whack-a-mole windows'; the obnoxious pop-ip advertisement windows + spawned in flocks when you surg to sites like Geocities or Tripod. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whacker, Next:[14642]whales, Previous:[14643]whack-a-mole, + Up:[14644]= W = + + whacker n. + + [University of Maryland: from [14645]hacker] 1. A person, similar to a + [14646]hacker, who enjoys exploring the details of programmable + systems and how to stretch their capabilities. Whereas a hacker tends + to produce great hacks, a whacker only ends up whacking the system or + program in question. Whackers are often quite egotistical and eager to + claim [14647]wizard status, regardless of the views of their peers. 2. + A person who is good at programming quickly, though rather poorly and + ineptly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whales, Next:[14648]whalesong, Previous:[14649]whacker, + Up:[14650]= W = + + whales n. + + See [14651]like kicking dead whales down the beach. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whalesong, Next:[14652]What's a spline?, Previous:[14653]whales, + Up:[14654]= W = + + whalesong n. + + The peculiar clicking and whooshing sounds made by a PEP modem such as + the Telebit Trailblazer as it tries to synchronize with another PEP + modem for their special high-speed mode. This sound isn't anything + like the normal two-tone handshake between conventional V-series + modems and is instantly recognizable to anyone who has heard it more + than once. It sounds, in fact, very much like whale songs. This noise + is also called "the moose call" or "moose tones". + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:What's a spline?, Next:[14655]wheel, Previous:[14656]whalesong, + Up:[14657]= W = + + What's a spline? + + [XEROX PARC] This phrase expands to: "You have just used a term that + I've heard for a year and a half, and I feel I should know, but don't. + My curiosity has finally overcome my guilt." The PARC lexicon adds + "Moral: don't hesitate to ask questions, even if they seem obvious." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wheel, Next:[14658]wheel bit, Previous:[14659]What's a spline?, + Up:[14660]= W = + + wheel n. + + [from slang `big wheel' for a powerful person] A person who has an + active [14661]wheel bit. "We need to find a wheel to unwedge the hung + tape drives." (See [14662]wedged, sense 1.) The traditional name of + security group zero in [14663]BSD (to which the major system-internal + users like [14664]root belong) is `wheel'. Some vendors have expanded + on this usage, modifying Unix so that only members of group `wheel' + can [14665]go root. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wheel bit, Next:[14666]wheel of reincarnation, + Previous:[14667]wheel, Up:[14668]= W = + + wheel bit n. + + A privilege bit that allows the possessor to perform some restricted + operation on a timesharing system, such as read or write any file on + the system regardless of protections, change or look at any address in + the running monitor, crash or reload the system, and kill or create + jobs and user accounts. The term was invented on the TENEX operating + system, and carried over to TOPS-20, XEROX-IFS, and others. The state + of being in a privileged logon is sometimes called `wheel mode'. This + term entered the Unix culture from TWENEX in the mid-1980s and has + been gaining popularity there (esp. at university sites). See also + [14669]root. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wheel of reincarnation, Next:[14670]wheel wars, + Previous:[14671]wheel bit, Up:[14672]= W = + + wheel of reincarnation + + [coined in a paper by T. H. Myer and I.E. Sutherland "On the Design of + Display Processors", Comm. ACM, Vol. 11, no. 6, June 1968)] Term used + to refer to a well-known effect whereby function in a computing system + family is migrated out to special-purpose peripheral hardware for + speed, then the peripheral evolves toward more computing power as it + does its job, then somebody notices that it is inefficient to support + two asymmetrical processors in the architecture and folds the function + back into the main CPU, at which point the cycle begins again. + + Several iterations of this cycle have been observed in + graphics-processor design, and at least one or two in communications + and floating-point processors. Also known as `the Wheel of Life', `the + Wheel of Samsara', and other variations of the basic Hindu/Buddhist + theological idea. See also [14673]blitter, [14674]bit bang. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wheel wars, Next:[14675]White Book, Previous:[14676]wheel of + reincarnation, Up:[14677]= W = + + wheel wars n. + + [Stanford University] A period in [14678]larval stage during which + student hackers hassle each other by attempting to log each other out + of the system, delete each other's files, and otherwise wreak havoc, + usually at the expense of the lesser users. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:White Book, Next:[14679]whitelist, Previous:[14680]wheel wars, + Up:[14681]= W = + + White Book n. + + 1. Syn. [14682]K&R. 2. Adobe's fourth book in the PostScript series, + describing the previously-secret format of Type 1 fonts; "Adobe Type 1 + Font Format, version 1.1", (Addison-Wesley, 1990, ISBN 0-201-57044-0). + See also [14683]Red Book, [14684]Green Book, [14685]Blue Book. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whitelist, Next:[14686]whizzy, Previous:[14687]White Book, + Up:[14688]= W = + + whitelist n. + + The opposite of a blacklist. That is, instead of being an explicit + list of people who are banned, it's an explicit list of people who are + to be admitted. Hackers use this especially of lists of email + addresses that are explicitly enabled to get past strict anti-spam + filters. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:whizzy, Next:[14689]wibble, Previous:[14690]whitelist, + Up:[14691]= W = + + whizzy adj. + + (alt. `wizzy') [Sun] Describes a [14692]cuspy program; one that is + feature-rich and well presented. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wibble, Next:[14693]WIBNI, Previous:[14694]whizzy, Up:[14695]= W + = + + wibble + + [UK, perh. originally from the first "Roger Irrelevant" strip in "VIZ" + comics, spread via "Your Sinclair magazine in the 1980s and early + 1990s"] 1. n.,v. Commonly used to describe chatter, content-free + remarks or other essentially meaningless contributions to threads in + newsgroups. "Oh, rspence is wibbling again". 2. [UK IRC] An explicit + on-line no-op equivalent to [14696]humma. 3. One of the preferred + [14697]metasyntactic variables in the UK, forming a series with + wobble, wubble, and flob (attributed to the hilarious historical + comedy "Blackadder"). 4. A pronounciation of the letters "www", as + seen in URLs; i.e., www.[14698]foo.com may be pronounced "wibble dot + foo dot com" (compare [14699]dub dub dub). + + The ancestral sense of this word is reported to have been "My brain is + packing it in now. I give up. Tilt! Tilt! Tilt!" + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:WIBNI, Next:[14700]widget, Previous:[14701]wibble, Up:[14702]= W + = + + WIBNI // n. + + [Bell Labs: Wouldn't It Be Nice If] What most requirements documents + and specifications consist entirely of. Compare [14703]IWBNI. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:widget, Next:[14704]wiggles, Previous:[14705]WIBNI, Up:[14706]= W + = + + widget n. + + 1. A meta-thing. Used to stand for a real object in didactic examples + (especially database tutorials). Legend has it that the original + widgets were holders for buggy whips. "But suppose the parts list for + a widget has 52 entries...." 2. [poss. evoking `window gadget'] A user + interface object in [14707]X graphical user interfaces. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wiggles, Next:[14708]WIMP environment, Previous:[14709]widget, + Up:[14710]= W = + + wiggles n. + + [scientific computation] In solving partial differential equations by + finite difference and similar methods, wiggles are sawtooth + (up-down-up-down) oscillations at the shortest wavelength + representable on the grid. If an algorithm is unstable, this is often + the most unstable waveform, so it grows to dominate the solution. + Alternatively, stable (though inaccurate) wiggles can be generated + near a discontinuity by a Gibbs phenomenon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:WIMP environment, Next:[14711]win, Previous:[14712]wiggles, + Up:[14713]= W = + + WIMP environment n. + + [acronym: `Window, Icon, Menu, Pointing device (or Pull-down menu)'] A + graphical-user-interface environment such as [14714]X or the Macintosh + interface, esp. as described by a hacker who prefers command-line + interfaces for their superior flexibility and extensibility. However, + it is also used without negative connotations; one must pay attention + to voice tone and other signals to interpret correctly. See + [14715]menuitis, [14716]user-obsequious. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:win, Next:[14717]win big, Previous:[14718]WIMP environment, + Up:[14719]= W = + + win + + [MIT; now common everywhere] 1. vi. To succeed. A program wins if no + unexpected conditions arise, or (especially) if it sufficiently + [14720]robust to take exceptions in stride. 2. n. Success, or a + specific instance thereof. A pleasing outcome. "So it turned out I + could use a [14721]lexer generator instead of hand-coding my own + pattern recognizer. What a win!" Emphatic forms: `moby win', `super + win', `hyper-win' (often used interjectively as a reply). For some + reason `suitable win' is also common at MIT, usually in reference to a + satisfactory solution to a problem. Oppose [14722]lose; see also + [14723]big win, which isn't quite just an intensification of `win'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:win big, Next:[14724]win win, Previous:[14725]win, Up:[14726]= W + = + + win big vi. + + To experience serendipity. "I went shopping and won big; there was a + 2-for-1 sale." See [14727]big win. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:win win, Next:[14728]Winchester, Previous:[14729]win big, + Up:[14730]= W = + + win win excl. + + Expresses pleasure at a [14731]win. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Winchester, Next:[14732]windoid, Previous:[14733]win win, + Up:[14734]= W = + + Winchester n. + + Informal generic term for sealed-enclosure magnetic-disk drives in + which the read-write head planes over the disk surface on an air + cushion. There is a legend that the name arose because the original + 1973 engineering prototype for what later became the IBM 3340 featured + two 30-megabyte volumes; 30-30 became `Winchester' when somebody + noticed the similarity to the common term for a famous Winchester + rifle (in the latter, the first 30 referred to caliber and the second + to the grain weight of the charge). (It is sometimes incorrectly + claimed that Winchester was the laboratory in which the technology was + developed.) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:windoid, Next:[14735]window shopping, Previous:[14736]Winchester, + Up:[14737]= W = + + windoid n. + + In the Macintosh world, a style of window with much less adornment + (smaller or missing title bar, zoom box, etc, etc) than a standard + window. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:window shopping, Next:[14738]Windoze, Previous:[14739]windoid, + Up:[14740]= W = + + window shopping n. + + [US Geological Survey] Among users of [14741]WIMP environments like + [14742]X or the Macintosh, extended experimentation with new window + colors, fonts, and icon shapes. This activity can take up hours of + what might otherwise have been productive working time. "I spent the + afternoon window shopping until I found the coolest shade of green for + my active window borders -- now they perfectly match my medium slate + blue background." Serious window shoppers will spend their days with + bitmap editors, creating new and different icons and background + patterns for all to see. Also: `window dressing', the act of applying + new fonts, colors, etc. See [14743]fritterware, compare + [14744]macdink. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Windoze, Next:[14745]winged comments, Previous:[14746]window + shopping, Up:[14747]= W = + + Windoze /win'dohz/ n. + + See [14748]Microsloth Windows. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:winged comments, Next:[14749]winkey, Previous:[14750]Windoze, + Up:[14751]= W = + + winged comments n. + + Comments set on the same line as code, as opposed to [14752]boxed + comments. In C, for example: +d = sqrt(x*x + y*y); /* distance from origin */ + + Generally these refer only to the action(s) taken on that line. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:winkey, Next:[14753]winnage, Previous:[14754]winged comments, + Up:[14755]= W = + + winkey n. + + (alt. `winkey face') See [14756]emoticon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:winnage, Next:[14757]winner, Previous:[14758]winkey, Up:[14759]= + W = + + winnage /win'*j/ n. + + The situation when a lossage is corrected, or when something is + winning. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:winner, Next:[14760]winnitude, Previous:[14761]winnage, + Up:[14762]= W = + + winner + + 1. n. An unexpectedly good situation, program, programmer, or person. + 2. `real winner': Often sarcastic, but also used as high praise (see + also the note under [14763]user). "He's a real winner -- never reports + a bug till he can duplicate it and send in an example." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:winnitude, Next:[14764]Wintel, Previous:[14765]winner, + Up:[14766]= W = + + winnitude /win'*-t[y]ood/ n. + + The quality of winning (as opposed to [14767]winnage, which is the + result of winning). "Guess what? They tweaked the microcode and now + the LISP interpreter runs twice as fast as it used to." "That's really + great! Boy, what winnitude!" "Yup. I'll probably get a half-hour's + winnage on the next run of my program." Perhaps curiously, the obvious + antonym `lossitude' is rare. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Wintel, Next:[14768]wired, Previous:[14769]winnitude, Up:[14770]= + W = + + Wintel n. + + Microsoft Windows plus Intel - the tacit alliance that dominated + desktop computing in the 1990s. Now (1999) possibly on the verge of + breaking up under pressure from [14771]Linux; see [14772]Lintel. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wired, Next:[14773]wirehead, Previous:[14774]Wintel, Up:[14775]= + W = + + wired n. + + See [14776]hardwired. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wirehead, Next:[14777]wirewater, Previous:[14778]wired, + Up:[14779]= W = + + wirehead /wi:r'hed/ n. + + [prob. from SF slang for an electrical-brain-stimulation addict] 1. A + hardware hacker, especially one who concentrates on communications + hardware. 2. An expert in local-area networks. A wirehead can be a + network software wizard too, but will always have the ability to deal + with network hardware, down to the smallest component. Wireheads are + known for their ability to lash up an Ethernet terminator from spare + resistors, for example. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wirewater, Next:[14780]wish list, Previous:[14781]wirehead, + Up:[14782]= W = + + wirewater n. + + Syn. [14783]programming fluid. This melds the mainstream slang + adjective `wired' (stimulated, up, hyperactive) with `firewater'; + however, it refers to caffeinacious rather than alcoholic beverages. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wish list, Next:[14784]within delta of, + Previous:[14785]wirewater, Up:[14786]= W = + + wish list n. + + A list of desired features or bug fixes that probably won't get done + for a long time, usually because the person responsible for the code + is too busy or can't think of a clean way to do it. "OK, I'll add + automatic filename completion to the wish list for the new interface." + Compare [14787]tick-list features. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:within delta of, Next:[14788]within epsilon of, + Previous:[14789]wish list, Up:[14790]= W = + + within delta of adj. + + See [14791]delta. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:within epsilon of, Next:[14792]wizard, Previous:[14793]within + delta of, Up:[14794]= W = + + within epsilon of adj. + + See [14795]epsilon. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wizard, Next:[14796]Wizard Book, Previous:[14797]within epsilon + of, Up:[14798]= W = + + wizard n. + + 1. Transitively, a person who knows how a complex piece of software or + hardware works (that is, who [14799]groks it); esp. someone who can + find and fix bugs quickly in an emergency. Someone is a [14800]hacker + if he or she has general hacking ability, but is a wizard with respect + to something only if he or she has specific detailed knowledge of that + thing. A good hacker could become a wizard for something given the + time to study it. 2. The term `wizard' is also used intransitively of + someone who has extremely high-level hacking or problem-solving + ability. 3. A person who is permitted to do things forbidden to + ordinary people; one who has [14801]wheel privileges on a system. 4. A + Unix expert, esp. a Unix systems programmer. This usage is well enough + established that `Unix Wizard' is a recognized job title at some + corporations and to most headhunters. See [14802]guru, [14803]lord + high fixer. See also [14804]deep magic, [14805]heavy wizardry, + [14806]incantation, [14807]magic, [14808]mutter, [14809]rain dance, + [14810]voodoo programming, [14811]wave a dead chicken. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Wizard Book, Next:[14812]wizard hat, Previous:[14813]wizard, + Up:[14814]= W = + + Wizard Book n. + + "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" (Hal Abelson, + Jerry Sussman and Julie Sussman; MIT Press, 1984, 1996; ISBN + 0-262-01153-0), an excellent computer science text used in + introductory courses at MIT. So called because of the wizard on the + jacket. One of the [14815]bibles of the LISP/Scheme world. Also, less + commonly, known as the [14816]Purple Book. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wizard hat, Next:[14817]wizard mode, Previous:[14818]Wizard Book, + Up:[14819]= W = + + wizard hat n. + + [also, after Terry Pratchett, `pointy hat'] Notional headgear worn by + whoever is the [14820]wizard in a particular context. The implication + is that it's a transferable role. "Talk to Alice, she's wearing the + TCP/IP wizard hat while Bob is on vacation." This metaphor is + sufficiently live that one may actually see hackers miming the act of + putting on, taking off, or transferring a phantom hat. Compare + [14821]patch pumpkin. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wizard mode, Next:[14822]wizardly, Previous:[14823]wizard hat, + Up:[14824]= W = + + wizard mode n. + + [from [14825]rogue] A special access mode of a program or system, + usually passworded, that permits some users godlike privileges. + Generally not used for operating systems themselves (`root mode' or + `wheel mode' would be used instead). This term is often used with + respect to games that have editable state. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wizardly, Next:[14826]wok-on-the-wall, Previous:[14827]wizard + mode, Up:[14828]= W = + + wizardly adj. + + Pertaining to wizards. A wizardly [14829]feature is one that only a + wizard could understand or use properly. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wok-on-the-wall, Next:[14830]womb box, Previous:[14831]wizardly, + Up:[14832]= W = + + wok-on-the-wall n. + + A small microwave dish antenna used for cross-campus private network + circuits, from the obvious resemblance between a microwave dish and + the Chinese culinary utensil. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:womb box, Next:[14833]WOMBAT, Previous:[14834]wok-on-the-wall, + Up:[14835]= W = + + womb box n. + + 1. [TMRC] Storage space for equipment. 2. [proposed] A variety of + hard-shell equipment case with heavy interior padding and/or shaped + carrier cutouts in a foam-rubber matrix; mundanely called a `flight + case'. Used for delicate test equipment, electronics, and musical + instruments. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:WOMBAT, Next:[14836]womble, Previous:[14837]womb box, Up:[14838]= + W = + + WOMBAT /wom'bat/ adj. + + [acronym: Waste Of Money, Brains, And Time] Applied to problems which + are both profoundly [14839]uninteresting in themselves and unlikely to + benefit anyone interesting even if solved. Often used in fanciful + constructions such as `wrestling with a wombat'. See also + [14840]crawling horror, [14841]SMOP. Also note the rather different + usage as a metasyntactic variable in [14842]Commonwealth Hackish. + + Users of the PDP-11 database program DATATRIEVE adopted the wombat as + their notional mascot; the program's help file responded to "HELP + WOMBAT" with factual information about Real World wombats. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:womble, Next:[14843]wonky, Previous:[14844]WOMBAT, Up:[14845]= W + = + + womble n. + + [Unisys UK: from British animated characters] A user who has great + difficulty in communicating their requirements and/or in using the + resulting software. Extreme case of [14846]luser. An especially senior + or high-ranking womble is referred to as Great-Uncle Bulgaria. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wonky, Next:[14847]woofer, Previous:[14848]womble, Up:[14849]= W + = + + wonky /wong'kee/ adj. + + [from Australian slang] Yet another approximate synonym for + [14850]broken. Specifically connotes a malfunction that produces + behavior seen as crazy, humorous, or amusingly perverse. "That was the + day the printer's font logic went wonky and everybody's listings came + out in Tengwar." Also in `wonked out'. See [14851]funky, + [14852]demented, [14853]bozotic. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:woofer, Next:[14854]workaround, Previous:[14855]wonky, + Up:[14856]= W = + + woofer n. + + [University of Waterloo] Some varieties of wide paper for printers + have a perforation 8.5 inches from the left margin that allows the + excess on the right-hand side to be torn off when the print format is + 80 columns or less wide. The right-hand excess may be called `woofer'. + This term (like [14857]tweeter) has been in use at Waterloo since + 1972, but is elsewhere unknown. In audio jargon, the word refers to + the bass speaker(s) on a hi-fi. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:workaround, Next:[14858]working as designed, + Previous:[14859]woofer, Up:[14860]= W = + + workaround n. + + 1. A temporary [14861]kluge used to bypass, mask, or otherwise avoid a + [14862]bug or [14863]misfeature in some system. Theoretically, + workarounds are always replaced by [14864]fixes; in practice, + customers often find themselves living with workarounds for long + periods of time. "The code died on NUL characters in the input, so I + fixed it to interpret them as spaces." "That's not a fix, that's a + workaround!" 2. A procedure to be employed by the user in order to do + what some currently non-working feature should do. Hypothetical + example: "Using META-F7 [14865]crashes the 4.43 build of Weemax, but + as a workaround you can type CTRL-R, then SHIFT-F5, and delete the + remaining [14866]cruft by hand." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:working as designed, Next:[14867]worm, + Previous:[14868]workaround, Up:[14869]= W = + + working as designed adj. + + [IBM] 1. In conformance to a wrong or inappropriate specification; + useful, but misdesigned. 2. Frequently used as a sardonic comment on a + program's utility. 3. Unfortunately also used as a bogus reason for + not accepting a criticism or suggestion. At [14870]IBM, this sense is + used in official documents! See [14871]BAD. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:worm, Next:[14872]wormhole, Previous:[14873]working as designed, + Up:[14874]= W = + + worm n. + + [from `tapeworm' in John Brunner's novel "The Shockwave Rider", via + XEROX PARC] A program that propagates itself over a network, + reproducing itself as it goes. Compare [14875]virus. Nowadays the term + has negative connotations, as it is assumed that only [14876]crackers + write worms. Perhaps the best-known example was Robert T. Morris's + [14877]Great Worm of 1988, a `benign' one that got out of control and + hogged hundreds of Suns and VAXen across the U.S. See also + [14878]cracker, [14879]RTM, [14880]Trojan horse, [14881]ice. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wormhole, Next:[14882]wound around the axle, + Previous:[14883]worm, Up:[14884]= W = + + wormhole /werm'hohl/ n. + + [from the `wormhole' singularities hypothesized in some versions of + General Relativity theory] 1. [n.,obs.] A location in a monitor which + contains the address of a routine, with the specific intent of making + it easy to substitute a different routine. This term is now + obsolescent; modern operating systems use clusters of wormholes + extensively (for modularization of I/O handling in particular, as in + the Unix device-driver organization) but the preferred techspeak for + these clusters is `device tables', `jump tables' or `capability + tables'. 2. [Amateur Packet Radio] A network path using a commercial + satellite link to join two or more amateur VHF networks. So called + because traffic routed through a wormhole leaves and re-enters the + amateur network over great distances with usually little clue in the + message routing header as to how it got from one relay to the other. + Compare [14885]gopher hole (sense 2). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wound around the axle, Next:[14886]wrap around, + Previous:[14887]wormhole, Up:[14888]= W = + + wound around the axle adj. + + In an infinite loop. Often used by older computer types. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wrap around, Next:[14889]write-only code, Previous:[14890]wound + around the axle, Up:[14891]= W = + + wrap around vi. + + (also n. `wraparound' and v. shorthand `wrap') 1. [techspeak] The + action of a counter that starts over at zero or at `minus infinity' + (see [14892]infinity) after its maximum value has been reached, and + continues incrementing, either because it is programmed to do so or + because of an overflow (as when a car's odometer starts over at 0). 2. + To change [14893]phase gradually and continuously by maintaining a + steady wake-sleep cycle somewhat longer than 24 hours, e.g., living + six long (28-hour) days in a week (or, equivalently, sleeping at the + rate of 10 microhertz). This sense is also called + [14894]phase-wrapping. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:write-only code, Next:[14895]write-only language, + Previous:[14896]wrap around, Up:[14897]= W = + + write-only code n. + + [a play on `read-only memory'] Code so arcane, complex, or + ill-structured that it cannot be modified or even comprehended by + anyone but its author, and possibly not even by him/her. A [14898]Bad + Thing. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:write-only language, Next:[14899]write-only memory, + Previous:[14900]write-only code, Up:[14901]= W = + + write-only language n. + + A language with syntax (or semantics) sufficiently dense and bizarre + that any routine of significant size is automatically + [14902]write-only code. A sobriquet applied occasionally to C and + often to APL, though [14903]INTERCAL and [14904]TECO certainly deserve + it more. See also [14905]Befunge. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:write-only memory, Next:[14906]Wrong Thing, + Previous:[14907]write-only language, Up:[14908]= W = + + write-only memory n. + + The obvious antonym to `read-only memory'. Out of frustration with the + long and seemingly useless chain of approvals required of component + specifications, during which no actual checking seemed to occur, an + engineer at Signetics once created a specification for a write-only + memory and included it with a bunch of other specifications to be + approved. This inclusion came to the attention of Signetics + [14909]management only when regular customers started calling and + asking for pricing information. Signetics published a corrected + edition of the data book and requested the return of the `erroneous' + ones. Later, in 1972, Signetics bought a double-page spread in + "Electronics" magazine's April issue and used the spec as an April + Fools' Day joke. Instead of the more conventional characteristic + curves, the 25120 "fully encoded, 9046 x N, Random Access, + write-only-memory" data sheet included diagrams of "bit capacity vs. + Temp.", "Iff vs. Vff", "Number of pins remaining vs. number of socket + insertions", and "AQL vs. selling price". The 25120 required a 6.3 VAC + VFF supply, a +10V VCC, and VDD of 0V, +/- 2%. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Wrong Thing, Next:[14910]wugga wugga, Previous:[14911]write-only + memory, Up:[14912]= W = + + Wrong Thing n. + + A design, action, or decision that is clearly incorrect or + inappropriate. Often capitalized; always emphasized in speech as if + capitalized. The opposite of the [14913]Right Thing; more generally, + anything that is not the Right Thing. In cases where `the good is the + enemy of the best', the merely good -- although good -- is + nevertheless the Wrong Thing. "In C, the default is for module-level + declarations to be visible everywhere, rather than just within the + module. This is clearly the Wrong Thing." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wugga wugga, Next:[14914]wumpus, Previous:[14915]Wrong Thing, + Up:[14916]= W = + + wugga wugga /wuh'g* wuh'g*/ n. + + Imaginary sound that a computer program makes as it labors with a + tedious or difficult task.[14917]grind (sense 4). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:wumpus, Next:[14918]WYSIAYG, Previous:[14919]wugga wugga, + Up:[14920]= W = + + wumpus /wuhm'p*s/ n. + + The central monster (and, in many versions, the name) of a famous + family of very early computer games called "Hunt The Wumpus'. The + original was invented in 1970 (several years before [14921]ADVENT) by + Gregory Yob. The wumpus lived somewhere in a cave with the topology of + an dodecahedron's edge/vertex graph (later versions supported other + topologies, including an icosahedron and Möbius strip). The player + started somewhere at random in the cave with five `crooked arrows'; + these could be shot through up to three connected rooms, and would + kill the wumpus on a hit (later versions introduced the wounded + wumpus, which got very angry). Unfortunately for players, the movement + necessary to map the maze was made hazardous not merely by the wumpus + (which would eat you if you stepped on him) but also by bottomless + pits and colonies of super bats that would pick you up and drop you at + a random location (later versions added `anaerobic termites' that ate + arrows, bat migrations, and earthquakes that randomly changed pit + locations). + + This game appears to have been the first to use a non-random + graph-structured map (as opposed to a rectangular grid like the even + older Star Trek games). In this respect, as in the dungeon-like + setting and its terse, amusing messages, it prefigured [14922]ADVENT + and [14923]Zork and was directly ancestral to the latter (Zork + acknowledged this heritage by including a super-bat colony). A C + emulation of the original Basic game is available at the + Retrocomputing Museum, [14924]http://www.ccil.org/retro. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:WYSIAYG, Next:[14925]WYSIWYG, Previous:[14926]wumpus, Up:[14927]= + W = + + WYSIAYG /wiz'ee-ayg/ adj. + + Describes a user interface under which "What You See Is All You Get"; + an unhappy variant of [14928]WYSIWYG. Visual, `point-and-shoot'-style + interfaces tend to have easy initial learning curves, but also to lack + depth; they often frustrate advanced users who would be better served + by a command-style interface. When this happens, the frustrated user + has a WYSIAYG problem. This term is most often used of editors, word + processors, and document formatting programs. WYSIWYG `desktop + publishing' programs, for example, are a clear win for creating small + documents with lots of fonts and graphics in them, especially things + like newsletters and presentation slides. When typesetting book-length + manuscripts, on the other hand, scale changes the nature of the task; + one quickly runs into WYSIAYG limitations, and the increased power and + flexibility of a command-driven formatter like [14929]TeX or Unix's + [14930]troff becomes not just desirable but a necessity. Compare + [14931]YAFIYGI. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:WYSIWYG, Next:[14932]X, Previous:[14933]WYSIAYG, Up:[14934]= W = + + WYSIWYG /wiz'ee-wig/ adj. + + [Traced to Flip Wilson's "Geraldine" character c.1970] Describes a + user interface under which "What You See Is What You Get", as opposed + to one that uses more-or-less obscure commands that do not result in + immediate visual feedback. True WYSIWYG in environments supporting + multiple fonts or graphics is a a rarely-attained ideal; there are + variants of this term to express real-world manifestations including + WYSIAWYG (What You See Is Almost What You Get) and WYSIMOLWYG (What + You See Is More or Less What You Get). All these can be mildly + derogatory, as they are often used to refer to dumbed-down + [14935]user-friendly interfaces targeted at non-programmers; a hacker + has no fear of obscure commands (compare [14936]WYSIAYG). On the other + hand, [14937]EMACS was one of the very first WYSIWYG editors, + replacing (actually, at first overlaying) the extremely obscure, + command-based [14938]TECO. See also [14939]WIMP environment. [Oddly + enough, WYSIWYG has already made it into the OED, in lower case yet. + --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= X =, Next:[14940]= Y =, Previous:[14941]= W =, Up:[14942]The + Jargon Lexicon + += X = + + * [14943]X: + * [14944]XEROX PARC: + * [14945]XOFF: + * [14946]XON: + * [14947]xor: + * [14948]xref: + * [14949]XXX: + * [14950]xyzzy: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:X, Next:[14951]XEROX PARC, Previous:[14952]WYSIWYG, Up:[14953]= X + = + + X /X/ n. + + 1. Used in various speech and writing contexts (also in lowercase) in + roughly its algebraic sense of `unknown within a set defined by + context' (compare [14954]N). Thus, the abbreviation 680x0 stands for + 68000, 68010, 68020, 68030, or 68040, and 80x86 stands for 80186, + 80286, 80386, 80486, 80586 or 80686 (note that a Unix hacker might + write these as 680[0-6]0 and 80[1-6]86 or 680?0 and 80?86 + respectively; see [14955]glob). 2. [after the name of an earlier + window system called `W'] An over-sized, over-featured, + over-engineered and incredibly over-complicated window system + developed at MIT and widely used on Unix systems. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:XEROX PARC, Next:[14956]XOFF, Previous:[14957]X, Up:[14958]= X = + + XEROX PARC /zee'roks park'/ n. + + The famed Palo Alto Research Center. For more than a decade, from the + early 1970s into the mid-1980s, PARC yielded an astonishing volume of + groundbreaking hardware and software innovations. The modern mice, + windows, and icons style of software interface was invented there. So + was the laser printer and the local-area network; and PARC's series of + D machines anticipated the powerful personal computers of the 1980s by + a decade. Sadly, the prophets at PARC were without honor in their own + company, so much so that it became a standard joke to describe PARC as + a place that specialized in developing brilliant ideas for everyone + else. + + The stunning shortsightedness and obtusity of XEROX's top-level + [14959]suits has been well anatomized in "Fumbling The Future: How + XEROX Invented, Then Ignored, the First Personal Computer" by Douglas + K. Smith and Robert C. Alexander (William Morrow & Co., 1988, ISBN + 0-688-09511-9). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:XOFF, Next:[14960]XON, Previous:[14961]XEROX PARC, Up:[14962]= X + = + + XOFF /X-of/ n. + + Syn. [14963]control-S. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:XON, Next:[14964]xor, Previous:[14965]XOFF, Up:[14966]= X = + + XON /X-on/ n. + + Syn. [14967]control-Q. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:xor, Next:[14968]xref, Previous:[14969]XON, Up:[14970]= X = + + xor /X'or/, /kzor/ conj. + + Exclusive or. `A xor B' means `A or B, but not both'. "I want to get + cherry pie xor a banana split." This derives from the technical use of + the term as a function on truth-values that is true if exactly one of + its two arguments is true. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:xref, Next:[14971]XXX, Previous:[14972]xor, Up:[14973]= X = + + xref /X'ref/ v.,n. + + Hackish standard abbreviation for `cross-reference'. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:XXX, Next:[14974]xyzzy, Previous:[14975]xref, Up:[14976]= X = + + XXX /X-X-X/ n. + + A marker that attention is needed. Commonly used in program comments + to indicate areas that are kluged up or need to be. Some hackers liken + `XXX' to the notional heavy-porn movie rating. Compare [14977]FIXME. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:xyzzy, Next:[14978]YA-, Previous:[14979]XXX, Up:[14980]= X = + + xyzzy /X-Y-Z-Z-Y/, /X-Y-ziz'ee/, /ziz'ee/, or /ik-ziz'ee/ adj. + + [from the ADVENT game] The [14981]canonical `magic word'. This comes + from [14982]ADVENT, in which the idea is to explore an underground + cave with many rooms and to collect the treasures you find there. If + you type `xyzzy' at the appropriate time, you can move instantly + between two otherwise distant points. If, therefore, you encounter + some bit of [14983]magic, you might remark on this quite succinctly by + saying simply "Xyzzy!" "Ordinarily you can't look at someone else's + screen if he has protected it, but if you type quadruple-bucky-clear + the system will let you do it anyway." "Xyzzy!" It's traditional for + xyzzy to be an [14984]Easter egg in games with text interfaces. + + Xyzzy has actually been implemented as an undocumented no-op command + on several OSes; in Data General's AOS/VS, for example, it would + typically respond "Nothing happens", just as [14985]ADVENT did if the + magic was invoked at the wrong spot or before a player had performed + the action that enabled the word. In more recent 32-bit versions, by + the way, AOS/VS responds "Twice as much happens". + + Early versions of the popular `minesweeper' game under Microsoft + Windows had a cheat mode triggered by the command + `xyzzy<enter><right-shift>' that turns the top-left pixel of the + screen different colors depending on whether or not the cursor is over + a bomb. This feature temporarily diasappeared in Windows 98, but + reappeared in Windows 2000. + + The following passage from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank + Baum, suggesting a possible pre-ADVENT origin, has recently come to + light: + + "Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" said Dorothy, who was now standing on both + feet. This ended the saying of the charm, and they heard a great + chattering and flapping of wings, as the band of Winged Monkeys flew + up to them. + + The text can be viewed at + [14986]ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext93/wizoz10. + txt. + + Another possible pre-ADVENT porigin is discussed at + [14987]http://people.delphi.com/rickadams/adventure/c_xyzzy.html. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= Y =, Next:[14988]= Z =, Previous:[14989]= X =, Up:[14990]The + Jargon Lexicon + += Y = + + * [14991]YA-: + * [14992]YABA: + * [14993]YAFIYGI: + * [14994]YAUN: + * [14995]Yellow Book: + * [14996]yellow card: + * [14997]yellow wire: + * [14998]Yet Another: + * [14999]YHBT: + * [15000]YKYBHTLW: + * [15001]YMMV: + * [15002]You are not expected to understand this: + * [15003]You know you've been hacking too long when: + * [15004]Your mileage may vary: + * [15005]Yow!: + * [15006]yoyo mode: + * [15007]Yu-Shiang Whole Fish: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YA-, Next:[15008]YABA, Previous:[15009]xyzzy, Up:[15010]= Y = + + YA- abbrev. + + [Yet Another] In hackish acronyms this almost invariably expands to + [15011]Yet Another, following the precedent set by Unix yacc(1) (Yet + Another Compiler-Compiler). See [15012]YABA. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YABA, Next:[15013]YAFIYGI, Previous:[15014]YA-, Up:[15015]= Y = + + YABA /ya'b*/ n. + + [Cambridge] Yet Another Bloody Acronym. Whenever some program is being + named, someone invariably suggests that it be given a name that is + acronymic. The response from those with a trace of originality is to + remark ironically that the proposed name would then be + `YABA-compatible'. Also used in response to questions like "What is + WYSIWYG?" See also [15016]TLA. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YAFIYGI, Next:[15017]YAUN, Previous:[15018]YABA, Up:[15019]= Y = + + YAFIYGI /yaf'ee-y*-gee/ adj. + + [coined in response to WYSIWYG] Describes the command-oriented + ed/vi/nroff/TeX style of word processing or other user interface, the + opposite of [15020]WYSIWYG. Stands for "You asked for it, you got it", + because what you actually asked for is often not apparent until long + after it is too late to do anything about it. Used to denote + perversity ("Real Programmers use YAFIYGI tools...and like it!") or, + less often, a necessary tradeoff ("Only a YAFIYGI tool can have full + programmable flexibility in its interface."). + + This precise sense of "You asked for it, you got it" seems to have + first appeared in Ed Post's classic parody "Real Programmers don't use + Pascal" (see [15021]Real Programmers); the acronym is a more recent + invention. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YAUN, Next:[15022]Yellow Book, Previous:[15023]YAFIYGI, + Up:[15024]= Y = + + YAUN /yawn/ n. + + [Acronym for `Yet Another Unix Nerd'] Reported from the San Diego + Computer Society (predominantly a microcomputer users' group) as a + good-natured punning insult aimed at Unix zealots. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Yellow Book, Next:[15025]yellow card, Previous:[15026]YAUN, + Up:[15027]= Y = + + Yellow Book n. + + The print version of this Jargon File; "The New Hacker's Dictionary" + from MIT Press; The book includes essentially all the material the + File, plus a Foreword by Guy L. Steele Jr. and a Preface by Eric S. + Raymond. Most importantly, the book version is nicely typeset and + includes almost all of the infamous Crunchly cartoons by the Great + Quux, each attached to an appropriate entry. The first edition (1991, + ISBN 0-262-68069-6) corresponded to the Jargon File version 2.9.6. The + second edition (1993, ISBN 0-262-68079-3) corresponded to the Jargon + File 3.0.0. The third (1996, ISBN 0-262-68092-0) corresponded to + 4.0.0. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:yellow card, Next:[15028]yellow wire, Previous:[15029]Yellow + Book, Up:[15030]= Y = + + yellow card n. + + See [15031]green card. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:yellow wire, Next:[15032]Yet Another, Previous:[15033]yellow + card, Up:[15034]= Y = + + yellow wire n. + + [IBM] Repair wires used when connectors (especially ribbon connectors) + got broken due to some schlemiel pinching them, or to reconnect cut + traces after the FE mistakenly cut one. Compare [15035]blue wire, + [15036]purple wire, [15037]red wire. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Yet Another, Next:[15038]YHBT, Previous:[15039]yellow wire, + Up:[15040]= Y = + + Yet Another adj. + + [From Unix's yacc(1), `Yet Another Compiler-Compiler', a LALR parser + generator] 1. Of your own work: A humorous allusion often used in + titles to acknowledge that the topic is not original, though the + content is. As in `Yet Another AI Group' or `Yet Another Simulated + Annealing Algorithm'. 2. Of others' work: Describes something of which + there are already far too many. See also [15041]YA-, [15042]YABA, + [15043]YAUN. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YHBT, Next:[15044]YKYBHTLW, Previous:[15045]Yet Another, + Up:[15046]= Y = + + YHBT // + + [Usenet: very common] Abbreviation: You Have Been Trolled (see + [15047]troll, sense 1). Especially used in "YHBT. YHL. HAND.", which + is widely understood to expand to "You Have Been Trolled. You Have + Lost. Have A Nice Day". You are quite likely to see this if you + respond incautiously to a flame-provoking post that was obviously + floated as sucker bait. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YKYBHTLW, Next:[15048]YMMV, Previous:[15049]YHBT, Up:[15050]= Y = + + YKYBHTLW // abbrev. + + Abbreviation of `You know you've been hacking too long when...', which + became established on the Usenet group alt.folklore.computers during + extended discussion of the indicated entry in the Jargon File. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:YMMV, Next:[15051]You are not expected to understand this, + Previous:[15052]YKYBHTLW, Up:[15053]= Y = + + YMMV // cav. + + Abbreviation for [15054]Your mileage may vary common on Usenet. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:You are not expected to understand this, Next:[15055]You know + you've been hacking too long when, Previous:[15056]YMMV, Up:[15057]= Y + = + + You are not expected to understand this [Unix] cav. + + The canonical comment describing something [15058]magic or too + complicated to bother explaining properly. From an infamous comment in + the context-switching code of the V6 Unix kernel. Dennis Ritchie has + [15059]explained this in detail. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:You know you've been hacking too long when, Next:[15060]Your + mileage may vary, Previous:[15061]You are not expected to understand + this, Up:[15062]= Y = + + You know you've been hacking too long when + + The set-up line for a genre of one-liners told by hackers about + themselves. These include the following: + + * not only do you check your email more often than your paper mail, + but you remember your [15063]network address faster than your + postal one. + * your [15064]SO kisses you on the neck and the first thing you + think is "Uh, oh, [15065]priority interrupt." + * you go to balance your checkbook and discover that you're doing it + in octal. + * your computers have a higher street value than your car. + * in your universe, `round numbers' are powers of 2, not 10. + * more than once, you have woken up recalling a dream in some + programming language. + * you realize you have never seen half of your best friends. + + A [15066]list list of these can be found by searching for this phrase + on the web. + + [An early version of this entry said "All but one of these have been + reliably reported as hacker traits (some of them quite often). Even + hackers may have trouble spotting the ringer." The ringer was + balancing one's checkbook in octal, which I made up out of whole + cloth. Although more respondents picked that one out as fiction than + any of the others, I also received multiple independent reports of its + actually happening, most famously to Grace Hopper while she was + working with BINAC in 1949. --ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Your mileage may vary, Next:[15067]Yow!, Previous:[15068]You know + you've been hacking too long when, Up:[15069]= Y = + + Your mileage may vary cav. + + [from the standard disclaimer attached to EPA mileage ratings by + American car manufacturers] 1. A ritual warning often found in Unix + freeware distributions. Translates roughly as "Hey, I tried to write + this portably, but who knows what'll happen on your system?" 2. More + generally, a qualifier attached to advice. "I find that sending + flowers works well, but your mileage may vary." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Yow!, Next:[15070]yoyo mode, Previous:[15071]Your mileage may + vary, Up:[15072]= Y = + + Yow! /yow/ interj. + + [from "Zippy the Pinhead" comix] A favored hacker expression of + humorous surprise or emphasis. "Yow! Check out what happens when you + twiddle the foo option on this display hack!" Compare [15073]gurfle. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:yoyo mode, Next:[15074]Yu-Shiang Whole Fish, + Previous:[15075]Yow!, Up:[15076]= Y = + + yoyo mode n. + + The state in which the system is said to be when it rapidly alternates + several times between being up and being down. Interestingly (and + perhaps not by coincidence), many hardware vendors give out free yoyos + at Usenix exhibits. + + Sun Microsystems gave out logoized yoyos at SIGPLAN '88. Tourists + staying at one of Atlanta's most respectable hotels were subsequently + treated to the sight of 200 of the country's top computer scientists + testing yo-yo algorithms in the lobby. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Yu-Shiang Whole Fish, Next:[15077]zap, Previous:[15078]yoyo mode, + Up:[15079]= Y = + + Yu-Shiang Whole Fish /yoo-shyang hohl fish/ n. obs. + + The character gamma (extended SAIL ASCII 0001001), which with a loop + in its tail looks like a little fish swimming down the page. The term + is actually the name of a Chinese dish in which a fish is cooked whole + (not [15080]parsed) and covered with Yu-Shiang (or Yu-Hsiang) sauce. + Usage: primarily by people on the MIT LISP Machine, which could + display this character on the screen. Tends to elicit incredulity from + people who hear about it second-hand. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:= Z =, Previous:[15081]= Y =, Up:[15082]The Jargon Lexicon + += Z = + + * [15083]zap: + * [15084]zapped: + * [15085]Zawinski's Law: + * [15086]zbeba: + * [15087]zen: + * [15088]zero: + * [15089]zero-content: + * [15090]Zero-One-Infinity Rule: + * [15091]zeroth: + * [15092]zigamorph: + * [15093]zip: + * [15094]zipperhead: + * [15095]zombie: + * [15096]zorch: + * [15097]Zork: + * [15098]zorkmid: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zap, Next:[15099]zapped, Previous:[15100]Yu-Shiang Whole Fish, + Up:[15101]= Z = + + zap + + 1. n. Spiciness. 2. vt. To make food spicy. 3. vt. To make someone + `suffer' by making his food spicy. (Most hackers love spicy food. + Hot-and-sour soup is considered wimpy unless it makes you wipe your + nose for the rest of the meal.) See [15102]zapped. 4. vt. To modify, + usually to correct; esp. used when the action is performed with a + debugger or binary patching tool. Also implies surgical precision. + "Zap the debug level to 6 and run it again." In the IBM mainframe + world, binary patches are applied to programs or to the OS with a + program called `superzap', whose file name is `IMASPZAP' (possibly + contrived from I M A SuPerZAP). 5. vt. To erase or reset. 6. To + [15103]fry a chip with static electricity. "Uh oh -- I think that + lightning strike may have zapped the disk controller." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zapped, Next:[15104]Zawinski's Law, Previous:[15105]zap, + Up:[15106]= Z = + + zapped adj. + + Spicy. This term is used to distinguish between food that is hot (in + temperature) and food that is spicy-hot. For example, the Chinese + appetizer Bon Bon Chicken is a kind of chicken salad that is cold but + zapped; by contrast, [15107]vanilla wonton soup is hot but not zapped. + See also [15108]oriental food, [15109]laser chicken. See [15110]zap, + senses 1 and 2. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Zawinski's Law, Next:[15111]zbeba, Previous:[15112]zapped, + Up:[15113]= Z = + + Zawinski's Law + + "Every program attempts to expand until it can read mail. Those + programs which cannot so expand are replaced by ones which can." + Coined by Jamie Zawinski (who called it the "Law of Software + Envelopment") to express his belief that all truly useful programs + experience pressure to evolve into toolkits and application platforms + (the mailer thing, he says, is just a side effect of that). It is + commonly cited, though with widely varying degrees of accuracy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zbeba, Next:[15114]zen, Previous:[15115]Zawinski's Law, + Up:[15116]= Z = + + zbeba n. + + [USENET] The word `moron' in [15117]rot13. Used to describe newbies + who are behaving with especial cluelessness. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zen, Next:[15118]zero, Previous:[15119]zbeba, Up:[15120]= Z = + + zen vt. + + To figure out something by meditation or by a sudden flash of + enlightenment. Originally applied to bugs, but occasionally applied to + problems of life in general. "How'd you figure out the buffer + allocation problem?" "Oh, I zenned it." Contrast [15121]grok, which + connotes a time-extended version of zenning a system. Compare + [15122]hack mode. See also [15123]guru. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zero, Next:[15124]zero-content, Previous:[15125]zen, Up:[15126]= + Z = + + zero vt. + + 1. To set to 0. Usually said of small pieces of data, such as bits or + words (esp. in the construction `zero out'). 2. To erase; to discard + all data from. Said of disks and directories, where `zeroing' need not + involve actually writing zeroes throughout the area being zeroed. One + may speak of something being `logically zeroed' rather than being + `physically zeroed'. See [15127]scribble. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zero-content, Next:[15128]Zero-One-Infinity Rule, + Previous:[15129]zero, Up:[15130]= Z = + + zero-content adj. + + Syn. [15131]content-free. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Zero-One-Infinity Rule, Next:[15132]zeroth, + Previous:[15133]zero-content, Up:[15134]= Z = + + Zero-One-Infinity Rule prov. + + "Allow none of [15135]foo, one of [15136]foo, or any number of + [15137]foo." A rule of thumb for software design, which instructs one + to not place [15138]random limits on the number of instances of a + given entity (such as: windows in a window system, letters in an OS's + filenames, etc.). Specifically, one should either disallow the entity + entirely, allow exactly one instance (an "exception"), or allow as + many as the user wants - address space and memory permitting. + + The logic behind this rule is that there are often situations where it + makes clear sense to allow one of something instead of none. However, + if one decides to go further and allow N (for N > 1), then why not + N+1? And if N+1, then why not N+2, and so on? Once above 1, there's no + excuse not to allow any N; hence, [15139]infinity. + + Many hackers recall in this connection Isaac Asimov's SF novel "The + Gods Themselves" in which a character announces that the number 2 is + impossible - if you're going to believe in more than one universe, you + might as well believe in an infinite number of them. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zeroth, Next:[15140]zigamorph, Previous:[15141]Zero-One-Infinity + Rule, Up:[15142]= Z = + + zeroth /zee'rohth/ adj. + + First. Among software designers, comes from C's and LISP's 0-based + indexing of arrays. Hardware people also tend to start counting at 0 + instead of 1; this is natural since, e.g., the 256 states of 8 bits + correspond to the binary numbers 0, 1, ..., 255 and the digital + devices known as `counters' count in this way. + + Hackers and computer scientists often like to call the first chapter + of a publication `Chapter 0', especially if it is of an introductory + nature (one of the classic instances was in the First Edition of + [15143]K&R). In recent years this trait has also been observed among + many pure mathematicians (who have an independent tradition of + numbering from 0). Zero-based numbering tends to reduce + [15144]fencepost errors, though it cannot eliminate them entirely. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zigamorph, Next:[15145]zip, Previous:[15146]zeroth, Up:[15147]= Z + = + + zigamorph /zig'*-morf/ n. + + 1. Hex FF (11111111) when used as a delimiter or [15148]fence + character. Usage: primarily at IBM shops. 2. [proposed] n. The Unicode + non-character U+FFFF (1111111111111111), a character code which is not + assigned to any character, and so is usable as end-of-string. (Unicode + is a 16-bit character code intended to cover all of the world's + writing systems, including Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Chinese, hiragana, + katakana, Devanagari, Thai, Laotian and many other scripts - support + for [15149]elvish is planned for a future release). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zip, Next:[15150]zipperhead, Previous:[15151]zigamorph, + Up:[15152]= Z = + + zip vt. + + [primarily MS-DOS] To create a compressed archive from a group of + files using PKWare's PKZIP or a compatible archiver. Its use is + spreading now that portable implementations of the algorithm have been + written. Commonly used as follows: "I'll zip it up and send it to + you." See [15153]tar and feather. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zipperhead, Next:[15154]zombie, Previous:[15155]zip, Up:[15156]= + Z = + + zipperhead n. + + [IBM] A person with a closed mind. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zombie, Next:[15157]zorch, Previous:[15158]zipperhead, + Up:[15159]= Z = + + zombie n. + + [Unix] A process that has died but has not yet relinquished its + process table slot (because the parent process hasn't executed a + wait(2) for it yet). These can be seen in ps(1) listings occasionally. + Compare [15160]orphan. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zorch, Next:[15161]Zork, Previous:[15162]zombie, Up:[15163]= Z = + + zorch /zorch/ + + 1. [TMRC] v. To attack with an inverse heat sink. 2. [TMRC] v. To + travel, with v approaching c [that is, with velocity approaching + lightspeed --ESR]. 3. [MIT] v. To propel something very quickly. "The + new comm software is very fast; it really zorches files through the + network." 4. [MIT] n. Influence. Brownie points. Good karma. The + intangible and fuzzy currency in which favors are measured. "I'd + rather not ask him for that just yet; I think I've used up my quota of + zorch with him for the week." 5. [MIT] n. Energy, drive, or ability. + "I think I'll [15164]punt that change for now; I've been up for 30 + hours and I've run out of zorch." 6. [MIT] v. To flunk an exam or + course. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Zork, Next:[15165]zorkmid, Previous:[15166]zorch, Up:[15167]= Z = + + Zork /zork/ n. + + The second of the great early experiments in computer fantasy gaming; + see [15168]ADVENT. Originally written on MIT-DM during 1977-1979, + later distributed with BSD Unix (as a patched, sourceless RT-11 + FORTRAN binary; see [15169]retrocomputing) and commercialized as `The + Zork Trilogy' by [15170]Infocom. The FORTRAN source was later + rewritten for portability and released to Usenet under the name + "Dungeon". Both FORTRAN "Dungeon" and translated C versions are + available at many FTP sites. See also [15171]grue. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:zorkmid, Previous:[15172]Zork, Up:[15173]= Z = + + zorkmid /zork'mid/ n. + + The canonical unit of currency in hacker-written games. This + originated in [15174]Zork but has spread to [15175]nethack and is + referred to in several other games. + + (Lexicon Entries End Here) + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Appendix A, Next:[15176]Appendix B, Previous:[15177]The Jargon + Lexicon, Up:[15178]Top + + Hacker Folklore + + This appendix contains several legends and fables that illuminate the + meaning of various entries in the lexicon. + * [15179]The Meaning of Hack: ...and three famous ones + * [15180]TV Typewriters: A Tale of Hackish Ingenuity + * [15181]A Story About Magic: By Guy Steele + * [15182]Some AI Koans: Wit and Wisdom of the Masters + * [15183]OS and JEDGAR: Intrigue and mayhem under ITS + * [15184]The Story of Mel: One of hackerdom's great myths + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:The Meaning of Hack, Next:[15185]TV Typewriters, + Previous:[15186]Appendix A, Up:[15187]Appendix A + +The Meaning of `Hack' + + "The word [15188]hack doesn't really have 69 different meanings", + according to MIT hacker Phil Agre. "In fact, [15189]hack has only one + meaning, an extremely subtle and profound one which defies + articulation. Which connotation is implied by a given use of the word + depends in similarly profound ways on the context. Similar remarks + apply to a couple of other hacker words, most notably [15190]random." + + Hacking might be characterized as `an appropriate application of + ingenuity'. Whether the result is a quick-and-dirty patchwork job or a + carefully crafted work of art, you have to admire the cleverness that + went into it. + + An important secondary meaning of [15191]hack is `a creative practical + joke'. This kind of hack is easier to explain to non-hackers than the + programming kind. Of course, some hacks have both natures; see the + lexicon entries for [15192]pseudo and [15193]kgbvax. But here are some + examples of pure practical jokes that illustrate the hacking spirit: + + In 1961, students from Caltech (California Institute of Technology, + in Pasadena) hacked the Rose Bowl football game. One student posed + as a reporter and `interviewed' the director of the University of + Washington card stunts (such stunts involve people in the stands + who hold up colored cards to make pictures). The reporter learned + exactly how the stunts were operated, and also that the director + would be out to dinner later. + + While the director was eating, the students (who called themselves + the `Fiendish Fourteen') picked a lock and stole a blank direction + sheet for the card stunts. They then had a printer run off 2300 + copies of the blank. The next day they picked the lock again and + stole the master plans for the stunts -- large sheets of graph + paper colored in with the stunt pictures. Using these as a guide, + they made new instructions for three of the stunts on the + duplicated blanks. Finally, they broke in once more, replacing the + stolen master plans and substituting the stack of diddled + instruction sheets for the original set. + + The result was that three of the pictures were totally different. + Instead of `WASHINGTON', the word ``CALTECH' was flashed. Another + stunt showed the word `HUSKIES', the Washington nickname, but + spelled it backwards. And what was supposed to have been a picture + of a husky instead showed a beaver. (Both Caltech and MIT use the + beaver -- nature's engineer -- as a mascot.) + + After the game, the Washington faculty athletic representative + said: "Some thought it ingenious; others were indignant." The + Washington student body president remarked: "No hard feelings, but + at the time it was unbelievable. We were amazed." + + This is now considered a classic hack, particularly because revising + the direction sheets constituted a form of programming. + + Here is another classic hack: + + On November 20, 1982, MIT hacked the Harvard-Yale football game. + Just after Harvard's second touchdown against Yale, in the first + quarter, a small black ball popped up out of the ground at the + 40-yard line, and grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger. The letters + `MIT' appeared all over the ball. As the players and officials + stood around gawking, the ball grew to six feet in diameter and + then burst with a bang and a cloud of white smoke. + + The "Boston Globe" later reported: "If you want to know the truth, + MIT won The Game." + + The prank had taken weeks of careful planning by members of MIT's + Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. The device consisted of a weather + balloon, a hydraulic ram powered by Freon gas to lift it out of the + ground, and a vacuum-cleaner motor to inflate it. They made eight + separate expeditions to Harvard Stadium between 1 and 5 A.M., + locating an unused 110-volt circuit in the stadium and running + buried wires from the stadium circuit to the 40-yard line, where + they buried the balloon device. When the time came to activate the + device, two fraternity members had merely to flip a circuit breaker + and push a plug into an outlet. + + This stunt had all the earmarks of a perfect hack: surprise, + publicity, the ingenious use of technology, safety, and + harmlessness. The use of manual control allowed the prank to be + timed so as not to disrupt the game (it was set off between plays, + so the outcome of the game would not be unduly affected). The + perpetrators had even thoughtfully attached a note to the balloon + explaining that the device was not dangerous and contained no + explosives. + + Harvard president Derek Bok commented: "They have an awful lot of + clever people down there at MIT, and they did it again." President + Paul E. Gray of MIT said: "There is absolutely no truth to the + rumor that I had anything to do with it, but I wish there were." + + The hacks above are verifiable history; they can be proved to have + happened. Many other classic-hack stories from MIT and elsewhere, + though retold as history, have the characteristics of what Jan + Brunvand has called `urban folklore' (see [15194]FOAF). Perhaps the + best known of these is the legend of the infamous trolley-car hack, an + alleged incident in which engineering students are said to have welded + a trolley car to its tracks with thermite. Numerous versions of this + have been recorded from the 1940s to the present, most set at MIT but + at least one very detailed version set at CMU. + + Brian Leibowitz has researched MIT hacks both real and mythical + extensively; the interested reader is referred to his delightful + pictorial compendium "The Journal of the Institute for Hacks, + Tomfoolery, and Pranks" (MIT Museum, 1990; ISBN 0-917027-03-5). The + Institute has a World Wide Web page at + [15195]http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/Gallery.html. There is rumored to be + a sequel entitled "Is This The Way To Baker Street?". The Caltech + Alumni Association has published two similar books titled "Legends of + Caltech" and "More Legends of Caltech". + + Finally, here is a story about one of the classic computer hacks. + + Back in the mid-1970s, several of the system support staff at + Motorola discovered a relatively simple way to crack system + security on the Xerox CP-V timesharing system. Through a simple + programming strategy, it was possible for a user program to trick + the system into running a portion of the program in `master mode' + (supervisor state), in which memory protection does not apply. The + program could then poke a large value into its `privilege level' + byte (normally write-protected) and could then proceed to bypass + all levels of security within the file-management system, patch the + system monitor, and do numerous other interesting things. In short, + the barn door was wide open. + + Motorola quite properly reported this problem to Xerox via an + official `level 1 SIDR' (a bug report with an intended urgency of + `needs to be fixed yesterday'). Because the text of each SIDR was + entered into a database that could be viewed by quite a number of + people, Motorola followed the approved procedure: they simply + reported the problem as `Security SIDR', and attached all of the + necessary documentation, ways-to-reproduce, etc. + + The CP-V people at Xerox sat on their thumbs; they either didn't + realize the severity of the problem, or didn't assign the necessary + operating-system-staff resources to develop and distribute an + official patch. + + Months passed. The Motorola guys pestered their Xerox field-support + rep, to no avail. Finally they decided to take direct action, to + demonstrate to Xerox management just how easily the system could be + cracked and just how thoroughly the security safeguards could be + subverted. + + They dug around in the operating-system listings and devised a + thoroughly devilish set of patches. These patches were then + incorporated into a pair of programs called `Robin Hood' and `Friar + Tuck'. Robin Hood and Friar Tuck were designed to run as `ghost + jobs' (daemons, in Unix terminology); they would use the existing + loophole to subvert system security, install the necessary patches, + and then keep an eye on one another's statuses in order to keep the + system operator (in effect, the superuser) from aborting them. + + One fine day, the system operator on the main CP-V software + development system in El Segundo was surprised by a number of + unusual phenomena. These included the following: + * Tape drives would rewind and dismount their tapes in the middle of + a job. + * Disk drives would seek back and forth so rapidly that they would + attempt to walk across the floor (see [15196]walking drives). + * The card-punch output device would occasionally start up of itself + and punch a [15197]lace card. These would usually jam in the + punch. + * The console would print snide and insulting messages from Robin + Hood to Friar Tuck, or vice versa. + * The Xerox card reader had two output stackers; it could be + instructed to stack into A, stack into B, or stack into A (unless + a card was unreadable, in which case the bad card was placed into + stacker B). One of the patches installed by the ghosts added some + code to the card-reader driver... after reading a card, it would + flip over to the opposite stacker. As a result, card decks would + divide themselves in half when they were read, leaving the + operator to recollate them manually. + + Naturally, the operator called in the operating-system developers. + They found the bandit ghost jobs running, and [15198]gunned them... + and were once again surprised. When Robin Hood was gunned, the + following sequence of events took place: +!X id1 + +id1: Friar Tuck... I am under attack! Pray save me! +id1: Off (aborted) + +id2: Fear not, friend Robin! I shall rout the Sheriff + of Nottingham's men! + +id1: Thank you, my good fellow! + + Each ghost-job would detect the fact that the other had been + killed, and would start a new copy of the recently slain program + within a few milliseconds. The only way to kill both ghosts was to + kill them simultaneously (very difficult) or to deliberately crash + the system. + + Finally, the system programmers did the latter -- only to find that + the bandits appeared once again when the system rebooted! It turned + out that these two programs had patched the boot-time OS image (the + kernel file, in Unix terms) and had added themselves to the list of + programs that were to be started at boot time (this is similar to + the way MS-DOS viruses propagate). + + The Robin Hood and Friar Tuck ghosts were finally eradicated when + the system staff rebooted the system from a clean boot-tape and + reinstalled the monitor. Not long thereafter, Xerox released a + patch for this problem. + + It is alleged that Xerox filed a complaint with Motorola's + management about the merry-prankster actions of the two employees + in question. It is not recorded that any serious disciplinary + action was taken against either of them. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:TV Typewriters, Next:[15199]A Story About Magic, + Previous:[15200]The Meaning of Hack, Up:[15201]Appendix A + +TV Typewriters A Tale of Hackish Ingenuity + + Here is a true story about a glass tty: One day an MIT hacker was in a + motorcycle accident and broke his leg. He had to stay in the hospital + quite a while, and got restless because he couldn't [15202]hack. Two + of his friends therefore took a terminal and a modem for it to the + hospital, so that he could use the computer by telephone from his + hospital bed. + + Now this happened some years before the spread of home computers, and + computer terminals were not a familiar sight to the average person. + When the two friends got to the hospital, a guard stopped them and + asked what they were carrying. They explained that they wanted to take + a computer terminal to their friend who was a patient. + + The guard got out his list of things that patients were permitted to + have in their rooms: TV, radio, electric razor, typewriter, tape + player, ... no computer terminals. Computer terminals weren't on the + list, so the guard wouldn't let it in. Rules are rules, you know. + (This guard was clearly a [15203]droid.) + + Fair enough, said the two friends, and they left again. They were + frustrated, of course, because they knew that the terminal was as + harmless as a TV or anything else on the list... which gave them an + idea. + + The next day they returned, and the same thing happened: a guard + stopped them and asked what they were carrying. They said: "This is a + TV typewriter!" The guard was skeptical, so they plugged it in and + demonstrated it. "See? You just type on the keyboard and what you type + shows up on the TV screen." Now the guard didn't stop to think about + how utterly useless a typewriter would be that didn't produce any + paper copies of what you typed; but this was clearly a TV typewriter, + no doubt about it. So he checked his list: "A TV is all right, a + typewriter is all right ... okay, take it on in!" + + [Historical note: Many years ago, "Popular Electronics" published + solder-it-yourself plans for a TV typewriter. Despite the essential + uselessness of the device, it was an enormously popular project. Steve + Ciarcia, the man behind "Byte" magazine's "Circuit Cellar" feature, + resurrected this ghost in one of his books of the early 1980s. He + ascribed its popularity (no doubt correctly) to the feeling of power + the builder could achieve by being able to decide himself what would + be shown on the TV. --ESR] + + [Antihistorical note: On September 23rd, 1992, the L.A. Times ran the + following bit in Steve Harvey's `Only in L.A.' column: + + It must have been borrowed from a museum: Solomon Waters of + Altadena, a 6-year-old first-grader, came home from his first day + of school and excitedly told his mother how he had written on "a + machine that looks like a computer-but without the TV screen." + + She asked him if it could have been a "typewriter." + + "Yeah! Yeah!" he said. "That's what it was called." + + I have since investigated this matter and determined that many of + today's teenagers have never seen a slide rule, either.... - ESR] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:A Story About Magic, Next:[15204]Some AI Koans, + Previous:[15205]TV Typewriters, Up:[15206]Appendix A + +A Story About `Magic' + + Some years ago, I (GLS) was snooping around in the cabinets that + housed the MIT AI Lab's PDP-10, and noticed a little switch glued to + the frame of one cabinet. It was obviously a homebrew job, added by + one of the lab's hardware hackers (no one knows who). + + You don't touch an unknown switch on a computer without knowing what + it does, because you might crash the computer. The switch was labeled + in a most unhelpful way. It had two positions, and scrawled in pencil + on the metal switch body were the words `magic' and `more magic'. The + switch was in the `more magic' position. + + I called another hacker over to look at it. He had never seen the + switch before either. Closer examination revealed that the switch had + only one wire running to it! The other end of the wire did disappear + into the maze of wires inside the computer, but it's a basic fact of + electricity that a switch can't do anything unless there are two wires + connected to it. This switch had a wire connected on one side and no + wire on its other side. + + It was clear that this switch was someone's idea of a silly joke. + Convinced by our reasoning that the switch was inoperative, we flipped + it. The computer instantly crashed. + + Imagine our utter astonishment. We wrote it off as coincidence, but + nevertheless restored the switch to the `more magic' position before + reviving the computer. + + A year later, I told this story to yet another hacker, David Moon as I + recall. He clearly doubted my sanity, or suspected me of a + supernatural belief in the power of this switch, or perhaps thought I + was fooling him with a bogus saga. To prove it to him, I showed him + the very switch, still glued to the cabinet frame with only one wire + connected to it, still in the `more magic' position. We scrutinized + the switch and its lone connection, and found that the other end of + the wire, though connected to the computer wiring, was connected to a + ground pin. That clearly made the switch doubly useless: not only was + it electrically nonoperative, but it was connected to a place that + couldn't affect anything anyway. So we flipped the switch. + + The computer promptly crashed. + + This time we ran for Richard Greenblatt, a long-time MIT hacker, who + was close at hand. He had never noticed the switch before, either. He + inspected it, concluded it was useless, got some diagonal cutters and + [15207]diked it out. We then revived the computer and it has run fine + ever since. + + We still don't know how the switch crashed the machine. There is a + theory that some circuit near the ground pin was marginal, and + flipping the switch changed the electrical capacitance enough to upset + the circuit as millionth-of-a-second pulses went through it. But we'll + never know for sure; all we can really say is that the switch was + [15208]magic. + + I still have that switch in my basement. Maybe I'm silly, but I + usually keep it set on `more magic'. + + 1994: Another explanation of this story has since been offered. Note + that the switch body was metal. Suppose that the non-connected side of + the switch was connected to the switch body (usually the body is + connected to a separate earth lug, but there are exceptions). The body + is connected to the computer case, which is, presumably, grounded. Now + the circuit ground within the machine isn't necessarily at the same + potential as the case ground, so flipping the switch connected the + circuit ground to the case ground, causing a voltage drop/jump which + reset the machine. This was probably discovered by someone who found + out the hard way that there was a potential difference between the + two, and who then wired in the switch as a joke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Some AI Koans, Next:[15209]OS and JEDGAR, Previous:[15210]A Story + About Magic, Up:[15211]Appendix A + +Some AI Koans + + These are some of the funniest examples of a genre of jokes told at + the MIT AI Lab about various noted hackers. The original koans were + composed by Danny Hillis, who would later found Connection Machines, + Inc. In reading these, it is at least useful to know that Minsky, + Sussman, and Drescher are AI researchers of note, that Tom Knight was + one of the Lisp machine's principal designers, and that David Moon + wrote much of Lisp Machine Lisp. + + * * * + + A novice was trying to fix a broken Lisp machine by turning the power + off and on. + + Knight, seeing what the student was doing, spoke sternly: "You cannot + fix a machine by just power-cycling it with no understanding of what + is going wrong." + + Knight turned the machine off and on. + + The machine worked. + + * * * + + One day a student came to Moon and said: "I understand how to make a + better garbage collector. We must keep a reference count of the + pointers to each cons." + + Moon patiently told the student the following story: + + "One day a student came to Moon and said: `I understand how to make + a better garbage collector... + + [Ed. note: Pure reference-count garbage collectors have problems with + circular structures that point to themselves.] + + * * * + + In the days when Sussman was a novice, Minsky once came to him as he + sat hacking at the PDP-6. + + "What are you doing?", asked Minsky. + + "I am training a randomly wired neural net to play Tic-Tac-Toe" + Sussman replied. + + "Why is the net wired randomly?", asked Minsky. + + "I do not want it to have any preconceptions of how to play", Sussman + said. + + Minsky then shut his eyes. + + "Why do you close your eyes?", Sussman asked his teacher. + + "So that the room will be empty." + + At that moment, Sussman was enlightened. + + * * * + + A disciple of another sect once came to Drescher as he was eating his + morning meal. + + "I would like to give you this personality test", said the outsider, + "because I want you to be happy." + + Drescher took the paper that was offered him and put it into the + toaster, saying: "I wish the toaster to be happy, too." + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:OS and JEDGAR, Next:[15212]The Story of Mel, Previous:[15213]Some + AI Koans, Up:[15214]Appendix A + +OS and JEDGAR + + This story says a lot about the ITS ethos. + + On the ITS system there was a program that allowed you to see what was + being printed on someone else's terminal. It spied on the other guy's + output by examining the insides of the monitor system. The output spy + program was called OS. Throughout the rest of the computer science + world (and at IBM too) OS means `operating system', but among old-time + ITS hackers it almost always meant `output spy'. + + OS could work because ITS purposely had very little in the way of + `protection' that prevented one user from trespassing on another's + areas. Fair is fair, however. There was another program that would + automatically notify you if anyone started to spy on your output. It + worked in exactly the same way, by looking at the insides of the + operating system to see if anyone else was looking at the insides that + had to do with your output. This `counterspy' program was called + JEDGAR (a six-letterism pronounced as two syllables: /jed'gr/), in + honor of the former head of the FBI. + + But there's more. JEDGAR would ask the user for `license to kill'. If + the user said yes, then JEDGAR would actually [15215]gun the job of + the [15216]luser who was spying. Unfortunately, people found that this + made life too violent, especially when tourists learned about it. One + of the systems hackers solved the problem by replacing JEDGAR with + another program that only pretended to do its job. It took a long time + to do this, because every copy of JEDGAR had to be patched. To this + day no one knows how many people never figured out that JEDGAR had + been defanged. + + Interestingly, there is still a security module named JEDGAR alive as + of late 1994 -- in the Unisys MCP for large systems. It is unknown to + us whether the name is tribute or independent invention. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:The Story of Mel, Previous:[15217]OS and JEDGAR, + Up:[15218]Appendix A + +The Story of Mel + + This was posted to Usenet by its author, Ed Nather + ([15219]utastro!nather), on May 21, 1983. +A recent article devoted to the macho side of programming +made the bald and unvarnished statement: + + Real Programmers write in FORTRAN. + +Maybe they do now, +in this decadent era of +Lite beer, hand calculators, and ``user-friendly'' software +but back in the Good Old Days, +when the term ``software'' sounded funny +and Real Computers were made out of drums and vacuum tubes, +Real Programmers wrote in machine code. +Not FORTRAN. Not RATFOR. Not, even, assembly language. +Machine Code. +Raw, unadorned, inscrutable hexadecimal numbers. +Directly. + +Lest a whole new generation of programmers +grow up in ignorance of this glorious past, +I feel duty-bound to describe, +as best I can through the generation gap, +how a Real Programmer wrote code. +I'll call him Mel, +because that was his name. + +I first met Mel when I went to work for Royal McBee Computer Corp., +a now-defunct subsidiary of the typewriter company. +The firm manufactured the LGP-30, +a small, cheap (by the standards of the day) +drum-memory computer, +and had just started to manufacture +the RPC-4000, a much-improved, +bigger, better, faster --- drum-memory computer. +Cores cost too much, +and weren't here to stay, anyway. +(That's why you haven't heard of the company, +or the computer.) + +I had been hired to write a FORTRAN compiler +for this new marvel and Mel was my guide to its wonders. +Mel didn't approve of compilers. + +``If a program can't rewrite its own code'', +he asked, ``what good is it?'' + +Mel had written, +in hexadecimal, +the most popular computer program the company owned. +It ran on the LGP-30 +and played blackjack with potential customers +at computer shows. +Its effect was always dramatic. +The LGP-30 booth was packed at every show, +and the IBM salesmen stood around +talking to each other. +Whether or not this actually sold computers +was a question we never discussed. + +Mel's job was to re-write +the blackjack program for the RPC-4000. +(Port? What does that mean?) +The new computer had a one-plus-one +addressing scheme, +in which each machine instruction, +in addition to the operation code +and the address of the needed operand, +had a second address that indicated where, on the revolving drum, +the next instruction was located. + +In modern parlance, +every single instruction was followed by a GO TO! +Put that in Pascal's pipe and smoke it. + +Mel loved the RPC-4000 +because he could optimize his code: +that is, locate instructions on the drum +so that just as one finished its job, +the next would be just arriving at the ``read head'' +and available for immediate execution. +There was a program to do that job, +an ``optimizing assembler'', +but Mel refused to use it. + +``You never know where it's going to put things'', +he explained, ``so you'd have to use separate constants''. + +It was a long time before I understood that remark. +Since Mel knew the numerical value +of every operation code, +and assigned his own drum addresses, +every instruction he wrote could also be considered +a numerical constant. +He could pick up an earlier ``add'' instruction, say, +and multiply by it, +if it had the right numeric value. +His code was not easy for someone else to modify. + +I compared Mel's hand-optimized programs +with the same code massaged by the optimizing assembler program, +and Mel's always ran faster. +That was because the ``top-down'' method of program design +hadn't been invented yet, +and Mel wouldn't have used it anyway. +He wrote the innermost parts of his program loops first, +so they would get first choice +of the optimum address locations on the drum. +The optimizing assembler wasn't smart enough to do it that way. + +Mel never wrote time-delay loops, either, +even when the balky Flexowriter +required a delay between output characters to work right. +He just located instructions on the drum +so each successive one was just past the read head +when it was needed; +the drum had to execute another complete revolution +to find the next instruction. +He coined an unforgettable term for this procedure. +Although ``optimum'' is an absolute term, +like ``unique'', it became common verbal practice +to make it relative: +``not quite optimum'' or ``less optimum'' +or ``not very optimum''. +Mel called the maximum time-delay locations +the ``most pessimum''. + +After he finished the blackjack program +and got it to run +(``Even the initializer is optimized'', +he said proudly), +he got a Change Request from the sales department. +The program used an elegant (optimized) +random number generator +to shuffle the ``cards'' and deal from the ``deck'', +and some of the salesmen felt it was too fair, +since sometimes the customers lost. +They wanted Mel to modify the program +so, at the setting of a sense switch on the console, +they could change the odds and let the customer win. + +Mel balked. +He felt this was patently dishonest, +which it was, +and that it impinged on his personal integrity as a programmer, +which it did, +so he refused to do it. +The Head Salesman talked to Mel, +as did the Big Boss and, at the boss's urging, +a few Fellow Programmers. +Mel finally gave in and wrote the code, +but he got the test backwards, +and, when the sense switch was turned on, +the program would cheat, winning every time. +Mel was delighted with this, +claiming his subconscious was uncontrollably ethical, +and adamantly refused to fix it. + +After Mel had left the company for greener pa$ture$, +the Big Boss asked me to look at the code +and see if I could find the test and reverse it. +Somewhat reluctantly, I agreed to look. +Tracking Mel's code was a real adventure. + +I have often felt that programming is an art form, +whose real value can only be appreciated +by another versed in the same arcane art; +there are lovely gems and brilliant coups +hidden from human view and admiration, sometimes forever, +by the very nature of the process. +You can learn a lot about an individual +just by reading through his code, +even in hexadecimal. +Mel was, I think, an unsung genius. + +Perhaps my greatest shock came +when I found an innocent loop that had no test in it. +No test. None. +Common sense said it had to be a closed loop, +where the program would circle, forever, endlessly. +Program control passed right through it, however, +and safely out the other side. +It took me two weeks to figure it out. + +The RPC-4000 computer had a really modern facility +called an index register. +It allowed the programmer to write a program loop +that used an indexed instruction inside; +each time through, +the number in the index register +was added to the address of that instruction, +so it would refer +to the next datum in a series. +He had only to increment the index register +each time through. +Mel never used it. + +Instead, he would pull the instruction into a machine register, +add one to its address, +and store it back. +He would then execute the modified instruction +right from the register. +The loop was written so this additional execution time +was taken into account --- +just as this instruction finished, +the next one was right under the drum's read head, +ready to go. +But the loop had no test in it. + +The vital clue came when I noticed +the index register bit, +the bit that lay between the address +and the operation code in the instruction word, +was turned on --- +yet Mel never used the index register, +leaving it zero all the time. +When the light went on it nearly blinded me. + +He had located the data he was working on +near the top of memory --- +the largest locations the instructions could address --- +so, after the last datum was handled, +incrementing the instruction address +would make it overflow. +The carry would add one to the +operation code, changing it to the next one in the instruction set: +a jump instruction. +Sure enough, the next program instruction was +in address location zero, +and the program went happily on its way. + +I haven't kept in touch with Mel, +so I don't know if he ever gave in to the flood of +change that has washed over programming techniques +since those long-gone days. +I like to think he didn't. +In any event, +I was impressed enough that I quit looking for the +offending test, +telling the Big Boss I couldn't find it. +He didn't seem surprised. + +When I left the company, +the blackjack program would still cheat +if you turned on the right sense switch, +and I think that's how it should be. +I didn't feel comfortable +hacking up the code of a Real Programmer. + + This is one of hackerdom's great heroic epics, free verse or no. In a + few spare images it captures more about the esthetics and psychology + of hacking than all the scholarly volumes on the subject put together. + For an opposing point of view, see the entry for [15220]Real + Programmer. + + [1992 postscript -- the author writes: "The original submission to the + net was not in free verse, nor any approximation to it -- it was + straight prose style, in non-justified paragraphs. In bouncing around + the net it apparently got modified into the `free verse' form now + popular. In other words, it got hacked on the net. That seems + appropriate, somehow." The author adds that he likes the `free-verse' + version better...] + + [1999 update: Mel's last name is now known. The manual for the LGP-30 + refers to "Mel Kaye of Royal McBee who did the bulk of the programming + [...] of the ACT 1 system".] + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Appendix B, Next:[15221]Appendix C, Previous:[15222]Appendix A, + Up:[15223]Top + + A Portrait of J. Random Hacker + + This profile reflects detailed comments on an earlier `trial balloon' + version from about a hundred Usenet respondents. Where comparatives + are used, the implicit `other' is a randomly selected segment of the + non-hacker population of the same size as hackerdom. + + An important point: Except in some relatively minor respects such as + slang vocabulary, hackers don't get to be the way they are by + imitating each other. Rather, it seems to be the case that the + combination of personality traits that makes a hacker so conditions + one's outlook on life that one tends to end up being like other + hackers whether one wants to or not (much as bizarrely detailed + similarities in behavior and preferences are found in genetic twins + raised separately). + * [15224]General Appearance: + * [15225]Dress: + * [15226]Reading Habits: + * [15227]Other Interests: + * [15228]Physical Activity and Sports: + * [15229]Education: + * [15230]Things Hackers Detest and Avoid: + * [15231]Food: + * [15232]Politics: + * [15233]Gender and Ethnicity: + * [15234]Religion: + * [15235]Ceremonial Chemicals: + * [15236]Communication Style: + * [15237]Geographical Distribution: + * [15238]Sexual Habits: + * [15239]Personality Characteristics: + * [15240]Weaknesses of the Hacker Personality: + * [15241]Miscellaneous: + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:General Appearance, Next:[15242]Dress, Up:[15243]Appendix B + +General Appearance + + Intelligent. Scruffy. Intense. Abstracted. Surprisingly for a + sedentary profession, more hackers run to skinny than fat; both + extremes are more common than elsewhere. Tans are rare. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Dress, Next:[15244]Reading Habits, Previous:[15245]General + Appearance, Up:[15246]Appendix B + +Dress + + Casual, vaguely post-hippie; T-shirts, jeans, running shoes, + Birkenstocks (or bare feet). Long hair, beards, and moustaches are + common. High incidence of tie-dye and intellectual or humorous + `slogan' T-shirts (only rarely computer related; that would be too + obvious). + + A substantial minority prefers `outdoorsy' clothing -- hiking boots + ("in case a mountain should suddenly spring up in the machine room", + as one famous parody put it), khakis, lumberjack or chamois shirts, + and the like. + + Very few actually fit the "National Lampoon" Nerd stereotype, though + it lingers on at MIT and may have been more common before 1975. At + least since the late Seventies backpacks have been more common than + briefcases, and the hacker `look' has been more whole-earth than + whole-polyester. + + Hackers dress for comfort, function, and minimal maintenance hassles + rather than for appearance (some, perhaps unfortunately, take this to + extremes and neglect personal hygiene). They have a very low tolerance + of suits and other `business' attire; in fact, it is not uncommon for + hackers to quit a job rather than conform to a dress code. + + Female hackers almost never wear visible makeup, and many use none at + all. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Reading Habits, Next:[15247]Other Interests, + Previous:[15248]Dress, Up:[15249]Appendix B + +Reading Habits + + Omnivorous, but usually includes lots of science and science fiction. + The typical hacker household might subscribe to "Analog", "Scientific + American", "Whole-Earth Review", and "Smithsonian" (most hackers + ignore "Wired" and other self-consciously `cyberpunk' magazines, + considering them [15250]wannabee fodder). Hackers often have a reading + range that astonishes liberal arts people but tend not to talk about + it as much. Many hackers spend as much of their spare time reading as + the average American burns up watching TV, and often keep shelves and + shelves of well-thumbed books in their homes. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Other Interests, Next:[15251]Physical Activity and Sports, + Previous:[15252]Reading Habits, Up:[15253]Appendix B + +Other Interests + + Some hobbies are widely shared and recognized as going with the + culture: science fiction, music, medievalism (in the active form + practiced by the Society for Creative Anachronism and similar + organizations), chess, go, backgammon, wargames, and intellectual + games of all kinds. (Role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons + used to be extremely popular among hackers but they lost a bit of + their luster as they moved into the mainstream and became heavily + commercialized. More recently, "Magic: The Gathering" has been widely + popular among hackers.) Logic puzzles. Ham radio. Other interests that + seem to correlate less strongly but positively with hackerdom include + linguistics and theater teching. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Physical Activity and Sports, Next:[15254]Education, + Previous:[15255]Other Interests, Up:[15256]Appendix B + +Physical Activity and Sports + + Many (perhaps even most) hackers don't follow or do sports at all and + are determinedly anti-physical. Among those who do, interest in + spectator sports is low to non-existent; sports are something one + does, not something one watches on TV. + + Further, hackers avoid most team sports like the plague. Volleyball + was long a notable exception, perhaps because it's non-contact and + relatively friendly; Ultimate Frisbee has become quite popular for + similar reasons. Hacker sports are almost always primarily + self-competitive ones involving concentration, stamina, and micromotor + skills: martial arts, bicycling, auto racing, kite flying, hiking, + rock climbing, aviation, target-shooting, sailing, caving, juggling, + skiing, skating, skydiving, scuba diving. Hackers' delight in + techno-toys also tends to draw them towards hobbies with nifty + complicated equipment that they can tinker with. + + The popularity of martial arts in the hacker culture deserves special + mention. Many observers have noted it, and the connection has grown + noticeably stronger over time. In the 1970s, many hackers admired + martial arts disciplines from a distance, sensing a compatible ideal + in their exaltation of skill through rigorous self-discipline and + concentration. As martial arts became increasingly mainstreamed in the + U.S. and other western countries, hackers moved from admiring to doing + in large numbers. In 1997, for example, your humble editor recalls + sitting down with five strangers at the first Perl conference and + discovering that four of us were in active training in some sort of + martial art - and, what is more interesting, nobody at the table found + this particularly odd. + + Today (2000), martial arts seems to have become established as the + hacker exercise form of choice, and the martial-arts culture combining + skill-centered elitism with a willingness to let anybody join seems a + stronger parallel to hacker behavior than ever. Common usages in + hacker slang un-ironically analogize programming to kung fu (thus, one + hears talk of "code-fu" or in reference to specific skills like + "HTML-fu"). Albeit with slightly more irony, today's hackers readily + analogize assimilation into the hacker culture with the plot of a Jet + Li movie: the aspiring newbie studies with masters of the tradition, + develops his art through deep meditation, ventures forth to perform + heroic feats of hacking, and eventually becomes a master who trains + the next generation of newbies. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Education, Next:[15257]Things Hackers Detest and Avoid, + Previous:[15258]Physical Activity and Sports, Up:[15259]Appendix B + +Education + + Nearly all hackers past their teens are either college-degreed or + self-educated to an equivalent level. The self-taught hacker is often + considered (at least by other hackers) to be better-motivated, and may + be more respected, than his school-shaped counterpart. Academic areas + from which people often gravitate into hackerdom include (besides the + obvious computer science and electrical engineering) physics, + mathematics, linguistics, and philosophy. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Things Hackers Detest and Avoid, Next:[15260]Food, + Previous:[15261]Education, Up:[15262]Appendix B + +Things Hackers Detest and Avoid + + IBM mainframes. All the works of Microsoft. Smurfs, Ewoks, and other + forms of offensive cuteness. Bureaucracies. Stupid people. Easy + listening music. Television (with occasional exceptions for cartoons, + movies, and good SF like "Star Trek" classic or Babylon 5). Business + suits. Dishonesty. Incompetence. Boredom. COBOL. BASIC. + Character-based menu interfaces. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Food, Next:[15263]Politics, Previous:[15264]Things Hackers Detest + and Avoid, Up:[15265]Appendix B + +Food + + Ethnic. Spicy. Oriental, esp. Chinese and most esp. Szechuan, Hunan, + and Mandarin (hackers consider Cantonese vaguely déclassé). Hackers + prefer the exotic; for example, the Japanese-food fans among them will + eat with gusto such delicacies as fugu (poisonous pufferfish) and + whale. Thai food has experienced flurries of popularity. Where + available, high-quality Jewish delicatessen food is much esteemed. A + visible minority of Southwestern and Pacific Coast hackers prefers + Mexican. + + For those all-night hacks, pizza and microwaved burritos are big. + Interestingly, though the mainstream culture has tended to think of + hackers as incorrigible junk-food junkies, many have at least mildly + health-foodist attitudes and are fairly discriminating about what they + eat. This may be generational; anecdotal evidence suggests that the + stereotype was more on the mark before the early 1980s. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Politics, Next:[15266]Gender and Ethnicity, Previous:[15267]Food, + Up:[15268]Appendix B + +Politics + + Vaguely liberal-moderate, except for the strong libertarian contingent + which rejects conventional left-right politics entirely. The only safe + generalization is that hackers tend to be rather anti-authoritarian; + thus, both conventional conservatism and `hard' leftism are rare. + Hackers are far more likely than most non-hackers to either (a) be + aggressively apolitical or (b) entertain peculiar or idiosyncratic + political ideas and actually try to live by them day-to-day. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Gender and Ethnicity, Next:[15269]Religion, + Previous:[15270]Politics, Up:[15271]Appendix B + +Gender and Ethnicity + + Hackerdom is still predominantly male. However, the percentage of + women is clearly higher than the low-single-digit range typical for + technical professions, and female hackers are generally respected and + dealt with as equals. + + In the U.S., hackerdom is predominantly Caucasian with strong + minorities of Jews (East Coast) and Orientals (West Coast). The Jewish + contingent has exerted a particularly pervasive cultural influence + (see [15272]Food, above, and note that several common jargon terms are + obviously mutated Yiddish). + + The ethnic distribution of hackers is understood by them to be a + function of which ethnic groups tend to seek and value education. + Racial and ethnic prejudice is notably uncommon and tends to be met + with freezing contempt. + + When asked, hackers often ascribe their culture's gender- and + color-blindness to a positive effect of text-only network channels, + and this is doubtless a powerful influence. Also, the ties many + hackers have to AI research and SF literature may have helped them to + develop an idea of personhood that is inclusive rather than exclusive + -- after all, if one's imagination readily grants full human rights to + future AI programs, robots, dolphins, and extraterrestrial aliens, + mere color and gender can't seem very important any more. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Religion, Next:[15273]Ceremonial Chemicals, + Previous:[15274]Gender and Ethnicity, Up:[15275]Appendix B + +Religion + + Agnostic. Atheist. Non-observant Jewish. Neo-pagan. Very commonly, + three or more of these are combined in the same person. Conventional + faith-holding Christianity is rare though not unknown. + + Even hackers who identify with a religious affiliation tend to be + relaxed about it, hostile to organized religion in general and all + forms of religious bigotry in particular. Many enjoy `parody' + religions such as Discordianism and the Church of the SubGenius. + + Also, many hackers are influenced to varying degrees by Zen Buddhism + or (less commonly) Taoism, and blend them easily with their `native' + religions. + + There is a definite strain of mystical, almost Gnostic sensibility + that shows up even among those hackers not actively involved with + neo-paganism, Discordianism, or Zen. Hacker folklore that pays homage + to `wizards' and speaks of incantations and demons has too much + psychological truthfulness about it to be entirely a joke. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Ceremonial Chemicals, Next:[15276]Communication Style, + Previous:[15277]Religion, Up:[15278]Appendix B + +Ceremonial Chemicals + + Most hackers don't smoke tobacco, and use alcohol in moderation if at + all. However, there has been something of a trend towards exotic beers + since about 1995, especially among younger Linux hackers apparently + influenced by Linus Torvalds's fondness for Guiness. + + Limited use of non-addictive psychedelic drugs, such as cannabis, LSD, + psilocybin, nitrous oxide, etc., used to be relatively common and is + still regarded with more tolerance than in the mainstream culture. Use + of `downers' and opiates, on the other hand, appears to be + particularly rare; hackers seem in general to dislike drugs that make + them stupid. But [15279]on the gripping hand, many hackers regularly + wire up on caffeine and/or sugar for all-night hacking runs. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Communication Style, Next:[15280]Geographical Distribution, + Previous:[15281]Ceremonial Chemicals, Up:[15282]Appendix B + +Communication Style + + See the discussions of speech and writing styles near the beginning of + this File. Though hackers often have poor person-to-person + communication skills, they are as a rule quite sensitive to nuances of + language and very precise in their use of it. They are often better at + writing than at speaking. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Geographical Distribution, Next:[15283]Sexual Habits, + Previous:[15284]Communication Style, Up:[15285]Appendix B + +Geographical Distribution + + In the United States, hackerdom revolves on a Bay Area-to-Boston axis; + about half of the hard core seems to live within a hundred miles of + Cambridge (Massachusetts) or Berkeley (California), although there are + significant contingents in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Northwest, and + around Washington DC. Hackers tend to cluster around large cities, + especially `university towns' such as the Raleigh-Durham area in North + Carolina or Princeton, New Jersey (this may simply reflect the fact + that many are students or ex-students living near their alma maters). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Sexual Habits, Next:[15286]Personality Characteristics, + Previous:[15287]Geographical Distribution, Up:[15288]Appendix B + +Sexual Habits + + Hackerdom easily tolerates a much wider range of sexual and lifestyle + variation than the mainstream culture. It includes a relatively large + gay and bisexual contingent. Hackers are somewhat more likely to live + in polygynous or polyandrous relationships, practice open marriage, or + live in communes or group houses. In this, as in general appearance, + hackerdom semi-consciously maintains `counterculture' values. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Personality Characteristics, Next:[15289]Weaknesses of the Hacker + Personality, Previous:[15290]Sexual Habits, Up:[15291]Appendix B + +Personality Characteristics + + The most obvious common `personality' characteristics of hackers are + high intelligence, consuming curiosity, and facility with intellectual + abstractions. Also, most hackers are `neophiles', stimulated by and + appreciative of novelty (especially intellectual novelty). Most are + also relatively individualistic and anti-conformist. + + Although high general intelligence is common among hackers, it is not + the sine qua non one might expect. Another trait is probably even more + important: the ability to mentally absorb, retain, and reference large + amounts of `meaningless' detail, trusting to later experience to give + it context and meaning. A person of merely average analytical + intelligence who has this trait can become an effective hacker, but a + creative genius who lacks it will swiftly find himself outdistanced by + people who routinely upload the contents of thick reference manuals + into their brains. [During the production of the first book version of + this document, for example, I learned most of the rather complex + typesetting language TeX over about four working days, mainly by + inhaling Knuth's 477-page manual. My editor's flabbergasted reaction + to this genuinely surprised me, because years of associating with + hackers have conditioned me to consider such performances routine and + to be expected. --ESR] + + Contrary to stereotype, hackers are not usually intellectually narrow; + they tend to be interested in any subject that can provide mental + stimulation, and can often discourse knowledgeably and even + interestingly on any number of obscure subjects -- if you can get them + to talk at all, as opposed to, say, going back to their hacking. + + It is noticeable (and contrary to many outsiders' expectations) that + the better a hacker is at hacking, the more likely he or she is to + have outside interests at which he or she is more than merely + competent. + + Hackers are `control freaks' in a way that has nothing to do with the + usual coercive or authoritarian connotations of the term. In the same + way that children delight in making model trains go forward and back + by moving a switch, hackers love making complicated things like + computers do nifty stuff for them. But it has to be their nifty stuff. + They don't like tedium, nondeterminism, or most of the fussy, boring, + ill-defined little tasks that go with maintaining a normal existence. + Accordingly, they tend to be careful and orderly in their intellectual + lives and chaotic elsewhere. Their code will be beautiful, even if + their desks are buried in 3 feet of crap. + + Hackers are generally only very weakly motivated by conventional + rewards such as social approval or money. They tend to be attracted by + challenges and excited by interesting toys, and to judge the interest + of work or other activities in terms of the challenges offered and the + toys they get to play with. + + In terms of Myers-Briggs and equivalent psychometric systems, + hackerdom appears to concentrate the relatively rare INTJ and INTP + types; that is, introverted, intuitive, and thinker types (as opposed + to the extroverted-sensate personalities that predominate in the + mainstream culture). ENT[JP] types are also concentrated among hackers + but are in a minority. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Weaknesses of the Hacker Personality, Next:[15292]Miscellaneous, + Previous:[15293]Personality Characteristics, Up:[15294]Appendix B + +Weaknesses of the Hacker Personality + + Hackers have relatively little ability to identify emotionally with + other people. This may be because hackers generally aren't much like + `other people'. Unsurprisingly, hackers also tend towards + self-absorption, intellectual arrogance, and impatience with people + and tasks perceived to be wasting their time. + + As cynical as hackers sometimes wax about the amount of idiocy in the + world, they tend by reflex to assume that everyone is as rational, + `cool', and imaginative as they consider themselves. This bias often + contributes to weakness in communication skills. Hackers tend to be + especially poor at confrontation and negotiation. + + Because of their passionate embrace of (what they consider to be) the + [15295]Right Thing, hackers can be unfortunately intolerant and + bigoted on technical issues, in marked contrast to their general + spirit of camaraderie and tolerance of alternative viewpoints + otherwise. Old-time [15296]ITS partisans look down on the ever-growing + hordes of [15297]Unix hackers; Unix aficionados despise [15298]VMS and + [15299]MS-DOS; and hackers who are used to conventional command-line + user interfaces loudly loathe mouse-and-menu based systems such as the + Macintosh. Hackers who don't indulge in [15300]Usenet consider it a + huge waste of time and [15301]bandwidth; fans of old adventure games + such as [15302]ADVENT and [15303]Zork consider [15304]MUDs to be + glorified chat systems devoid of atmosphere or interesting puzzles; + hackers who are willing to devote endless hours to Usenet or MUDs + consider [15305]IRC to be a real waste of time; IRCies think MUDs + might be okay if there weren't all those silly puzzles in the way. + And, of course, there are the perennial [15306]holy wars -- + [15307]EMACS vs. [15308]vi, [15309]big-endian vs. + [15310]little-endian, RISC vs. CISC, etc., etc., etc. As in society at + large, the intensity and duration of these debates is usually + inversely proportional to the number of objective, factual arguments + available to buttress any position. + + As a result of all the above traits, many hackers have difficulty + maintaining stable relationships. At worst, they can produce the + classic [15311]computer geek: withdrawn, relationally incompetent, + sexually frustrated, and desperately unhappy when not submerged in his + or her craft. Fortunately, this extreme is far less common than + mainstream folklore paints it -- but almost all hackers will recognize + something of themselves in the unflattering paragraphs above. + + Hackers are often monumentally disorganized and sloppy about dealing + with the physical world. Bills don't get paid on time, clutter piles + up to incredible heights in homes and offices, and minor maintenance + tasks get deferred indefinitely. + + 1994-95's fad behavioral disease was a syndrome called Attention + Deficit Disorder (ADD), supposedly characterized by (among other + things) a combination of short attention span with an ability to + `hyperfocus' imaginatively on interesting tasks. In 1998-1999 another + syndrome that is said to overlap with many hacker traits entered + popular awareness: Asperger's syndrome (AS). This disorder is also + sometimes called `high-function autism', though researchers are + divided on whether AS is in fact a mild form of autism or a distinct + syndrome with a different etiology. AS patients exhibit mild to severe + deficits in interpreting facial and body-language cues and in modeling + or empathizing with others' emotions. Though some AS patients exhibit + mild retardation, others compensate for their deficits with high + intelligence and analytical ability, and frequently seek out technical + fields where problem-solving abilities are at a premium and people + skills are relatively unimportant. Both syndromes are thought to + relate to abnormalities in neurotransmitter chemistry, especially the + brain's processing of serotonin. + + Many hackers have noticed that mainstream culture has shown a tendency + to pathologize and medicalize normal variations in personality, + especially those variations that make life more complicated for + authority figures and conformists. Thus, hackers aware of the issue + tend to be among those questioning whether ADD and AS actually exist; + and if so whether they are really `diseases' rather than extremes of a + normal genetic variation like having freckles or being able to taste + DPT. In either case, they have a sneaking tendency to wonder if these + syndromes are over-diagnosed and over-treated. After all, people in + authority will always be inconvenienced by schoolchildren or workers + or citizens who are prickly, intelligent individualists - thus, any + social system that depends on authority relationships will tend to + helpfully ostracize and therapize and drug such `abnormal' people + until they are properly docile and stupid and `well-socialized'. + + So hackers tend to believe they have good reason for skepticism about + clinical explanations of the hacker personality. That being said, most + would also concede that some hacker traits coincide with indicators + for ADD and AS - the status of caffeeine as a hacker beverage of + choice may be connected to the fact that it bonds to the same neural + receptors as Ritalin, the drug most commonly prescribed for ADD. It is + probably true that boosters of both would find a rather higher rate of + clinical ADD among hackers than the supposedly mainstream-normal 3-5% + (AS is rarer and there are not yet good estimates of incidence as of + 2000). + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Miscellaneous, Previous:[15312]Weaknesses of the Hacker + Personality, Up:[15313]Appendix B + +Miscellaneous + + Hackers are more likely to have cats than dogs (in fact, it is widely + grokked that cats have the hacker nature). Many drive incredibly + decrepit heaps and forget to wash them; richer ones drive spiffy + Porsches and RX-7s and then forget to have them washed. Almost all + hackers have terribly bad handwriting, and often fall into the habit + of block-printing everything like junior draftsmen. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Appendix C, Next:[15314]Bibliography, Previous:[15315]Appendix B, + Up:[15316]Top + + Helping Hacker Culture Grow + + If you enjoyed the Jargon File, please help the culture that created + it grow and flourish. Here are several ways you can help: + + o If you are a writer or journalist, don't say or write [15317]hacker + when you mean [15318]cracker. If you work with writers or journalists, + educate them on this issue and push them to do the right thing. If you + catch a newspaper or magazine abusing the work `hacker', write them + and straighten them out (this appendix includes a model letter). + + o If you're a techie or computer hobbyist, get involved with one of + the free Unixes. Toss out that lame Microsoft OS, or confine it to one + disk partition and put Linux or FreeBSD or NetBSD on the other one. + And the next time your friend or boss is thinking about some + proprietary software `solution' that costs more than it's worth, be + ready to blow the competition away with open-source software running + over a Unix. + + o Contribute to organizations like the Free Software Foundation that + promote the production of high-quality free and open-source software. + You can reach the Free Software Foundation at gnu@gnu.org, by phone at + +1-617-542-5942, or by snail-mail at 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, + Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA. + + o Support the League for Programming Freedom, which opposes over-broad + software patents that constantly threaten to blow up in hackers' + faces, preventing them from developing innovative software for + tomorrow's needs. You can reach the League for Programming Freedom at + lpf@uunet.uu.net. by phone at +1 617 621 7084, or by snail-mail at 1 + Kendall Square #143, P.O.Box 9171, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 USA. + + o Join the continuing fight against Internet censorship, visit the + Center for Democracy and Technology Home Page at + [15319]http://www.cdt.org. + + o If you do nothing else, please help fight government attempts to + seize political control of Internet content and restrict strong + cryptography. The so-called `Communications Decency Act' was declared + unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but U.S. cryptography policy + still infringes our First Amendment rights. Surf to the Center for + Democracy and technology's home page at [15320]http://www.cdt.org to + see what you can do to help fight censorship of the net. + + Here's the text of a letter RMS wrote to the Wall Street Journal to + complain about their policy of using "hacker" only in a pejorative + sense. We hear that most major newspapers have the same policy. If + you'd like to help change this situation, send your favorite newspaper + the same letter - or, better yet, write your own letter. + + Dear Editor: + + This letter is not meant for publication, although you can publish + it if you wish. It is meant specifically for you, the editor, not + the public. + + I am a hacker. That is to say, I enjoy playing with computers -- + working with, learning about, and writing clever computer programs. + I am not a cracker; I don't make a practice of breaking computer + security. + + There's nothing shameful about the hacking I do. But when I tell + people I am a hacker, people think I'm admitting something naughty + -- because newspapers such as yours misuse the word "hacker", + giving the impression that it means "security breaker" and nothing + else. You are giving hackers a bad name. + + The saddest thing is that this problem is perpetuated deliberately. + Your reporters know the difference between "hacker" and "security + breaker". They know how to make the distinction, but you don't let + them! You insist on using "hacker" pejoratively. When reporters try + to use another word, you change it. When reporters try to explain + the other meanings, you cut it. + + Of course, you have a reason. You say that readers have become used + to your insulting usage of "hacker", so that you cannot change it + now. Well, you can't undo past mistakes today; but that is no + excuse to repeat them tomorrow. + + If I were what you call a "hacker", at this point I would threaten + to crack your computer and crash it. But I am a hacker, not a + cracker. I don't do that kind of thing! I have enough computers to + play with at home and at work; I don't need yours. Besides, it's + not my way to respond to insults with violence. My response is this + letter. + + You owe hackers an apology; but more than that, you owe us ordinary + respect. + + Sincerely, etc. + _________________________________________________________________ + + Node:Bibliography, Previous:[15321]Appendix C, Up:[15322]Top + + Bibliography + + Here are some other books you can read to help you understand the + hacker mindset. + + Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden BraidGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal + Golden Braid + Douglas Hofstadter + Basic Books, 1979 + ISBN 0-394-74502-7 + + This book reads like an intellectual Grand Tour of hacker + preoccupations. Music, mathematical logic, programming, speculations + on the nature of intelligence, biology, and Zen are woven into a + brilliant tapestry themed on the concept of encoded self-reference. + The perfect left-brain companion to "Illuminatus". + + Illuminatus! + I. "The Eye in the Pyramid" + II. "The Golden Apple" + III. "Leviathan". + Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson + Dell, 1988 + ISBN 0-440-53981-1 + + This work of alleged fiction is an incredible berserko-surrealist + rollercoaster of world-girdling conspiracies, intelligent dolphins, + the fall of Atlantis, who really killed JFK, sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, + and the Cosmic Giggle Factor. First published in three volumes, but + there is now a one-volume trade paperback, carried by most chain + bookstores under SF. The perfect right-brain companion to Hofstadter's + "Gödel, Escher, Bach". See [15323]Eris, [15324]Discordianism, + [15325]random numbers, [15326]Church of the SubGenius. + + The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy + Douglas Adams + Pocket Books, 1981 + ISBN 0-671-46149-4 + + This `Monty Python in Space' spoof of SF genre traditions has been + popular among hackers ever since the original British radio show. Read + it if only to learn about Vogons (see [15327]bogon) and the + significance of the number 42 (see [15328]random numbers) -- and why + the winningest chess program of 1990 was called `Deep Thought'. + + The Tao of Programming + James Geoffrey + Infobooks, 1987 + ISBN 0-931137-07-1 + + This gentle, funny spoof of the "Tao Te Ching" contains much that is + illuminating about the hacker way of thought. "When you have learned + to snatch the error code from the trap frame, it will be time for you + to leave." + + Hackers + Steven Levy + Anchor/Doubleday 1984 + ISBN 0-385-19195-2 + + Levy's book is at its best in describing the early MIT hackers at the + Model Railroad Club and the early days of the microcomputer + revolution. He never understood Unix or the networks, though, and his + enshrinement of Richard Stallman as "the last true hacker" turns out + (thankfully) to have been quite misleading. Despite being a bit dated + and containing some minor errors (many fixed in the paperback + edition), this remains a useful and stimulating book that captures the + feel of several important hacker subcultures. + + The Computer Contradictionary + Stan Kelly-Bootle + MIT Press, 1995 + ISBN 0-262-61112-0 + + This pastiche of Ambrose Bierce's famous work is similar in format to + the Jargon File (and quotes several entries from TNHD-2) but somewhat + different in tone and intent. It is more satirical and less + anthropological, and is largely a product of the author's literate and + quirky imagination. For example, it defines `computer science' as "a + study akin to numerology and astrology, but lacking the precision of + the former and the success of the latter" and `implementation' as "The + fruitless struggle by the talented and underpaid to fulfill promises + made by the rich and ignorant"; `flowchart' becomes "to obfuscate a + problem with esoteric cartoons". Revised and expanded from "The + Devil's DP Dictionary", McGraw-Hill 1981, ISBN 0-07-034022-6; that + work had some stylistic influence on TNHD-1. + + The Devouring Fungus: Tales from the Computer Age + Karla Jennings + Norton, 1990 + ISBN 0-393-30732-8 + + The author of this pioneering compendium knits together a great deal + of computer- and hacker-related folklore with good writing and a few + well-chosen cartoons. She has a keen eye for the human aspects of the + lore and is very good at illuminating the psychology and evolution of + hackerdom. Unfortunately, a number of small errors and awkwardnesses + suggest that she didn't have the final manuscript checked over by a + native speaker; the glossary in the back is particularly embarrassing, + and at least one classic tale (the Magic Switch story, retold here + under [15329]A Story About Magic in Appendix A is given in incomplete + and badly mangled form. Nevertheless, this book is a win overall and + can be enjoyed by hacker and non-hacker alike. + + The Soul of a New Machine + Tracy Kidder + Little, Brown, 1981 + (paperback: Avon, 1982 + ISBN 0-380-59931-7) + + This book (a 1982 Pulitzer Prize winner) documents the adventure of + the design of a new Data General computer, the MV-8000 Eagle. It is an + amazingly well-done portrait of the hacker mindset -- although largely + the hardware hacker -- done by a complete outsider. It is a bit thin + in spots, but with enough technical information to be entertaining to + the serious hacker while providing non-technical people a view of what + day-to-day life can be like -- the fun, the excitement, the disasters. + During one period, when the microcode and logic were glitching at the + nanosecond level, one of the overworked engineers departed the + company, leaving behind a note on his terminal as his letter of + resignation: "I am going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no + unit of time shorter than a season." + + Life with UNIX: a Guide for Everyone + Don Libes and Sandy Ressler + Prentice-Hall, 1989 + ISBN 0-13-536657-7 + + The authors of this book set out to tell you all the things about Unix + that tutorials and technical books won't. The result is gossipy, + funny, opinionated, downright weird in spots, and invaluable. Along + the way they expose you to enough of Unix's history, folklore and + humor to qualify as a first-class source for these things. Because so + much of today's hackerdom is involved with Unix, this in turn + illuminates many of its in-jokes and preoccupations. + + True Names ... and Other Dangers + Vernor Vinge + Baen Books, 1987 + ISBN 0-671-65363-6 + + Hacker demigod Richard Stallman used to say that the title story of + this book "expresses the spirit of hacking best". Until the subject of + the next entry came out, it was hard to even nominate another + contender. The other stories in this collection are also fine work by + an author who has since won multiple Hugos and is one of today's very + best practitioners of hard SF. + + Snow Crash + Neal Stephenson + Bantam, 1992 + ISBN 0-553-56261-4 + + Stephenson's epic, comic cyberpunk novel is deeply knowing about the + hacker psychology and its foibles in a way no other author of fiction + has ever even approached. His imagination, his grasp of the relevant + technical details, and his ability to communicate the excitement of + hacking and its results are astonishing, delightful, and (so far) + unsurpassed. + + Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier + Katie Hafner & John Markoff + Simon & Schuster 1991 + ISBN 0-671-68322-5 + + This book gathers narratives about the careers of three notorious + crackers into a clear-eyed but sympathetic portrait of hackerdom's + dark side. The principals are Kevin Mitnick, "Pengo" and "Hagbard" of + the Chaos Computer Club, and Robert T. Morris (see [15330]RTM, sense + 2) . Markoff and Hafner focus as much on their psychologies and + motivations as on the details of their exploits, but don't slight the + latter. The result is a balanced and fascinating account, particularly + useful when read immediately before or after Cliff Stoll's [15331]The + Cuckoo's Egg. It is especially instructive to compare RTM, a true + hacker who blundered, with the sociopathic phone-freak Mitnick and the + alienated, drug-addled crackers who made the Chaos Club notorious. The + gulf between [15332]wizard and [15333]wannabee has seldom been made + more obvious. + + Technobabble + John Barry + MIT Press 1991 + ISBN 0-262-02333-4 + + Barry's book takes a critical and humorous look at the `technobabble' + of acronyms, neologisms, hyperbole, and metaphor spawned by the + computer industry. Though he discusses some of the same mechanisms of + jargon formation that occur in hackish, most of what he chronicles is + actually suit-speak -- the obfuscatory language of press releases, + marketroids, and Silicon Valley CEOs rather than the playful jargon of + hackers (most of whom wouldn't be caught dead uttering the kind of + pompous, passive-voiced word salad he deplores). + + The Cuckoo's Egg + Clifford Stoll + Doubleday 1989 + ISBN 0-385-24946-2 + + Clifford Stoll's absorbing tale of how he tracked Markus Hess and the + Chaos Club cracking ring nicely illustrates the difference between + `hacker' and `cracker'. Stoll's portrait of himself, his lady Martha, + and his friends at Berkeley and on the Internet paints a marvelously + vivid picture of how hackers and the people around them like to live + and how they think. +#===================== THE JARGON FILE ENDS HERE ====================# + +References + + 1. http://www.tuxedo.org/jargon + 2. jarg422h.htm#Introduction + 3. jarg422h.htm#(dir) + 4. jarg422h.htm#(dir) + 5. mailto:esr@snark.thyrsus.com + 6. jarg422h.htm#Introduction + 7. jarg422h.htm#A%20Few%20Terms + 8. jarg422h.htm#Revision%20History + 9. jarg422h.htm#Jargon%20Construction + 10. jarg422h.htm#Hacker%20Writing%20Style + 11. jarg422h.htm#Email%20Quotes + 12. jarg422h.htm#Hacker%20Speech%20Style + 13. jarg422h.htm#International%20Style + 14. jarg422h.htm#Lamer-speak + 15. jarg422h.htm#Pronunciation%20Guide + 16. jarg422h.htm#Other%20Lexicon%20Conventions + 17. jarg422h.htm#Format%20for%20New%20Entries + 18. jarg422h.htm#The%20Jargon%20Lexicon + 19. jarg422h.htm#Appendix%20A + 20. jarg422h.htm#Appendix%20B + 21. jarg422h.htm#Appendix%20C + 22. jarg422h.htm#Bibliography + 23. jarg422h.htm#A%20Few%20Terms + 24. jarg422h.htm#Top + 25. jarg422h.htm#Top + 26. jarg422h.htm#suit + 27. jarg422h.htm#kluge + 28. jarg422h.htm#elegant + 29. jarg422h.htm#Appendix%20A + 30. jarg422h.htm#Appendix%20B + 31. jarg422h.htm#Bibliography + 32. jarg422h.htm#Revision%20History + 33. jarg422h.htm#Introduction + 34. jarg422h.htm#Top + 35. jarg422h.htm#Jargon%20Construction + 36. jarg422h.htm#kluge + 37. jarg422h.htm#cruft + 38. jarg422h.htm#foo + 39. jarg422h.htm#Jargon%20Construction + 40. jarg422h.htm#A%20Few%20Terms + 41. jarg422h.htm#Top + 42. jarg422h.htm#frob + 43. jarg422h.htm#moby + 44. jarg422h.htm#FTP + 45. jarg422h.htm#TWENEX + 46. jarg422h.htm#ITS + 47. jarg422h.htm#TWENEX + 48. jarg422h.htm#Some%20AI%20Koans + 49. jarg422h.htm#Usenet + 50. mailto:<esr@snark.thyrsus.com> + 51. mailto:<gls@think.com> + 52. mailto:jargon@thyrsus.com + 53. mailto:<jn11+@andrew.cmu.edu> + 54. mailto:<cosell@bbn.com> + 55. mailto:<boebert@SCTC.com> + 56. mailto:<jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org> + 57. mailto:<stampe@hawaii.edu> + 58. mailto:<hoequist@bnr.ca> + 59. mailto:<jgk@osc.osc.com> + 60. mailto:<bal@zurich.ai.mit.edu> + 61. mailto:<libes@cme.nist.gov> + 62. mailto:<per@front.se> + 63. mailto:<Marc_Weiser.PARC@xerox.com> + 64. mailto:<msb@sq.com> + 65. mailto:<scs@eskimo.com> + 66. mailto:<georgere@microsoft.com> + 67. mailto:<est@thyrsus.com> + 68. jarg422h.htm#Hacker%20Writing%20Style + 69. jarg422h.htm#Revision%20History + 70. jarg422h.htm#Top + 71. jarg422h.htm#Verb%20Doubling + 72. jarg422h.htm#Soundalike%20Slang + 73. jarg422h.htm#The%20-P%20convention + 74. jarg422h.htm#Overgeneralization + 75. jarg422h.htm#Spoken%20Inarticulations + 76. jarg422h.htm#Anthropomorphization + 77. jarg422h.htm#Comparatives + 78. jarg422h.htm#Soundalike%20Slang + 79. jarg422h.htm#Jargon%20Construction + 80. jarg422h.htm#win + 81. jarg422h.htm#lose + 82. jarg422h.htm#hack + 83. 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