Source Code 1992 March/Source_Code_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_March_1992.iso/usenet/altsrcs/2/2937

Internet Message Format | 1991-03-02 | 51KB

From: [e-mail] (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sources,misc.misc
Subject: The Jargon File v, part 14 of 17
Message-ID: <1ZdV2v#2b2NNR86jFpn0dOPj7B1Q1mS=[e-mail]>
Date: 2 Mar 91 18:23:07 GMT

Submitted-by: [e-mail]
Archive-name: jargon/part14

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X   systems (compare {iron}).  Contrasted with software.  See also
X   {sandbender}.
X
Xsilicon foundry: n. A company that {fab}s chips to the designs of
X   others.  As of the late 1980s, the existence of silicon foundries
X   made it much easier for hardware-designing startup companies to come
X   into being.  The downside of using a silicon foundry is that the
X   distance from the actual chip fabrication processes leads to weaker
X   designers.  This is somewhat analogous to the use of a {HLL} versus
X   coding in assembler.
X
Xsilly walk: [from Monty Python] vi. A ridiculous procedure required to
X   accomplish a task.  Like {grovel}, but more {random} and humorous.
X   "I had to silly-walk through half the /usr directories to find the
X   maps file."
X
Xsilo: n. The FIFO input-character buffer in an RS-232 line card.  So
X   called from DEC terminology used on DH and DZ line cards for the
X   VAX and PDP-11, presumably because it was this storage space for
X   fungible stuff that you put in the top and took out the bottom.
X
XSilver Book: n. Jensen & Wirth's infamous `Pascal User Manual
X   and Report', so called because of the silver cover of the
X   widely distributed Springer-Verlag second edition of 1978 (ISBN
X   0-387-90144-2).  See {{book titles}}.
X
Xsince time T equals minus infinity: adj. A long time ago; for as
X   long as anyone can remember; at the time that some particular frob
X   was first designed.  Sometimes the word `time' is omitted if there
X   is no danger of confusing `T' as a time with {T} meaning `yes'.
X   See also {time T}.
X
Xsitename: [UNIX/Internet] n. The unique electronic name of a
X   computer system, used to identify it in UUCP mail, USENET, or other
X   forms of electronic information interchange.  The folklore interest
X   of sitenames stems from the creativity and humor they often
X   display.  Interpreting a sitename is not unlike interpreting a
X   vanity license plate; one has to mentally unpack it, allowing for
X   mono-case and length restrictions and the lack of whitespace.
X   Hacker tradition deprecates dull, institutional-sounding names in
X   favor of punchy, humorous, and clever coinages (except that it is
X   considered appropriate for the official public gateway machine of
X   an organization to bear the organization's name or acronym).
X   Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal names, and
X   allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably the most popular
X   sources for sitenames (in roughly that order).  The obligatory
X   comment when discussing these is Harris's Lament: "All the good
X   ones are taken!"  See also {network address}.
X
Xskulker: n. Syn. {prowler}.
X
Xslap on the side: n. (also called a {sidecar}, or abbreviated
X   `SOTS'.)  A type of external expansion marketed by computer
X   manufacturers (e.g.  Commodore for their Amiga 500/1000 series and
X   IBM for the hideous failure they called `PCjr').  Various SOTS boxes
X   provided necessities such as memory, hard drive controllers, and
X   conventional expansion slots.
X
Xsleep: vi. On a timesharing system, a process that relinquishes its
X   claim on the scheduler until some given event occurs or a specified
X   time delay elapses is said to `go to sleep'.
X
Xslim: n. A small, derivative change (e.g., to code).
X
Xslop: n. 1. A one-sided {fudge factor}, that is, an allowance for
X   error but only in one of two directions.  For example, if you need
X   a piece of wire ten feet long and have to guess when you cut it,
X   you make very sure to cut it too long, by a large amount if
X   necessary, rather than too short by even a little bit, because you
X   can always cut off the slop but you can't paste it back on again.
X   When discrete quantities are involved, slop is often introduced to
X   avoid the possibility of a {fencepost error}.  2. The ratio of
X   the size of code generated by a compiler to the size of equivalent
X   assembler code produced by {hand-hacking}, minus 1; i.e., the
X   space (or maybe time) you lose because you didn't do it yourself.
X   This number is often used as a measure of the goodness of a
X   compiler; slop below 5% is very good, and 10% is usually acceptable
X   for most purposes.  With modern compiler technology, esp. on RISC
X   machines, the compiler's slop may actually be *negative*; that
X   is, humans may be unable to generate code as good.  This is one of
X   the reasons assembler programming is no longer common.
X
Xslopsucker: n. A lowest-priority task that must wait around until
X   everything else has `had its fill' of machine resources.  Only
X   when the machine would otherwise be idle is the task allowed to
X   `suck up the slop.'  Also called a {hungry puppy}.  One common
X   variety of slopsucker hunts for large prime numbers.  Compare
X   {background}.
X
Xslurp: vt. To read a large data file entirely into core before working
X   on it.  This may be contrasted with the strategy of reading a small
X   piece at a time, processing it, and then reading the next piece.
X   "This program slurps in a 1K-by-1K matrix and does an FFT."
X
Xsmart: adj. Said of a program that does the {Right Thing} in a wide
X   variety of complicated circumstances.  There is a difference
X   between calling a program smart and calling it intelligent; in
X   particular, there do not exist any intelligent programs (yet).
X   Compare {robust} (smart programs can be {brittle}).
X
Xsmart terminal: n. A terminal that has enough computing capability to
X   perform useful work independently of the main computer.  The
X   development of workstations and personal computers has made this
X   term and the product it describes semi-obsolescent, but one may
X   still hear variants of the phrase "act like a smart terminal"
X   used to describe the behavior of workstations/PCs with respect to
X   programs that execute almost entirely out of a remote {server}'s
X   storage, using said devices as displays.  Compare {glass tty}.
X
X   There's a classic quote from Rob Pike (inventor of the {blit}
X   terminal): "A smart terminal is not a smart*ass* terminal,
X   but rather a terminal you can educate."  This illustrates a common
X   design problem; the attempt to make peripherals (or anything else)
X   intelligent sometimes results in finicky, rigid "special
X   features" that become just so much dead weight if you try to use
X   the device in any way the designer didn't anticipate.  Flexibility
X   and programmability, on the other hand, are *really* smart.
X   Compare {hook}.
X
Xsmash case: vi. To lose or obliterate the uppercase/lowercase
X   distinction in text input.  "MS-DOS will automatically smash case
X   in the names of all the files you create."  Compare {fold case}.
X
Xsmash the stack: [C programming] n. On many C implementations it is
X   possible to corrupt the execution stack by writing past the end of
X   an array declared auto in a routine.  Code that does this is said
X   to `smash the stack', and can cause return from the routine to jump
X   to a random text address.  This can produce some of the most
X   insidious data-dependent bugs known to mankind.  Variants include
X   `trash' the stack, {scribble} the stack, {mangle} the stack;
X   {mung} the stack is not used as this is never done intentionally.
X   See {spam}; see also {aliasing bug}, {fandango on core}, {memory
X   leak}, {precedence lossage}, {overrun screw}.
X
Xsmiley: n. See {emoticon}.
X
Xsmoke test: n. 1. A rudimentary form of testing applied to
X   electronic equipment following repair or reconfiguration, in which
X   power is applied and the tester checks for sparks, smoke, or other
X   dramatic signs of fundamental failure.  2. By extension, the first
X   run of a piece of software after construction or a critical change.
X   See {magic smoke}, and compare {reality check}.
X
X   Note: There is an interesting parallel to this term among
X   typographers and printers.  When punchcutting new typefaces by
X   hand, a `smoke test' (hold the letter in candle smoke, then press
X   onto paper) is used to check out new dies.
X
Xsmoking clover: [ITS] n. A {display hack} originally due to Bill
X   Gosper.  Many convergent lines are drawn on a color monitor in
X   {AOS} mode (so that every pixel struck has its color
X   incremented).  The lines all have one endpoint in the middle of the
X   screen; the other endpoints are spaced one pixel apart around the
X   perimeter of a large square.  The color map is then repeatedly
X   rotated.  This results in a striking, rainbow-hued, shimmering
X   four-leaf clover.  Gosper joked about keeping it hidden from the
X   FDA (the U.S.'s Food and Drug Administration) lest it be banned.
X
XSMOP: /smop/ [Simple (or Small) Matter of Programming] n. 1. A piece
X   of code, not yet written, whose anticipated length is significantly
X   greater than its complexity.  Usage: used to refer to a program
X   that could obviously be written, but is not worth the trouble.  It
X   is also used ironically to imply that a difficult problem can be
X   easily solved because a program can be written to do it; the irony
X   is that it is very clear that writing such a program will be a
X   great deal of work.  Example: "It's easy to enhance a FORTRAN
X   compiler to compile COBOL as well; it's just a SMOP."  2. Often
X   used ironically by the intended victim when a suggestion for a
X   program is made which seems easy to the suggester, but is obviously
X   a lot of work to the programmer.
X
XSNAFU principle: [from WWII army acronym for "Situation Normal,
X   all Fucked Up"] n. "True communication is only possible between
X   equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for
X   telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth"
X   --- a central tenet of {Discordianism} often invoked by hackers
X   to explain the reason authoritarian hierarchies screw up so
X   reliably and systematically.  This lightly adapted version of a
X   fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon
X   perfectly:
X
X     In the beginning was the plan,
X            and then the specification;
X     And the plan was without form,
X            and the specification was void.
X
X     And darkness
X            was on the faces of the implementors thereof;
X     And they spake unto their leader,
X            saying:
X     "It is a crock of shit,
X            and smells as of a sewer."
X
X     And the leader took pity on them,
X            and spoke to the project leader:
X     "It is a crock of excrement,
X            and none may abide the odor thereof."
X
X     And the project leader
X            spake unto his section head, saying:
X     "It is a container of excrement,
X            and it is very strong, such that none may abide it."
X
X     The section head then hurried to his department manager,
X            and informed him thus:
X     "It is a vessel of fertilizer,
X            and none may abide its strength."
X
X     The department manager carried these words
X           to his general manager,
X     and spoke unto him
X           saying:
X     "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants,
X           and it is very strong."
X
X     And so it was that the General manager rejoiced
X           and delivered the good news unto the Vice President.
X     "It promoteth growth,
X           and it is very powerful."
X
X     The Vice President rushed to the President's side,
X           and joyously exclaimed:
X     "This powerful new software product
X           will promote the growth of the company!"
X
X     And the President looked upon the product,
X           and it was very good.
X
X   After the subsequent disaster, the {suit}s protect themselves by
X   saying "I was misinformed", and the implementors are demoted or
X   fired.
X
Xsnail-mail: n. Paper mail, as opposed to electronic.  Sometimes
X   written as the single word `SnailMail'.  One's postal address is,
X   correspondingly, a `snail address'.  Derives from earlier
X   coinage `USnail' for which there have been parody posters and
X   stamps made.  Oppose {email}.
X
Xsnarf: /snarf/ vt. 1. To grab, esp. a large document or file for the
X   purpose of using it either with or without the author's permission.
X   See {BLT}.  Variant: `snarf down', to snarf, sometimes with the
X   connotation of absorbing, processing, or understanding.  "I think
X   I'll snarf down the list of DDT commands so I'll know what's
X   changed recently."  2. [in the UNIX community] to fetch a file or
X   set of files across a network.  See also {blast}.  This term was
X   mainstream in the late 1960s, meaning `to eat piggishly'.
X
Xsnarf & barf: /snarf'n-barf/ n. The act of grabbing a region of text
X   using a {WIMP environment} and then stuffing the contents of that
X   region into another region or into the same region, to avoid
X   re-typing a command line.  In the late 1960s this was a
X   mainstream expression for an `Eat now, regret it later'
X   cheap-restaurant expedition.
X
Xsnark: [Lewis Carroll, via the Michigan Terminal System] n. 1. A
X   system failure.  When a user's process bombed, the operator would
X   get a message "Help, Help, Snark in MTS!".  2. More generally,
X   any kind of unexplained or threatening event on a computer.  Often
X   used to refer to an event or log file entry that might indicate an
X   attempted security violation.  3. UUCP name of snark.thyrsus.com,
X   home site of the Jargon File 2.x.x versions (this lexicon).
X
Xsneakernet: n. Term used (generally with ironic intent) for transfer
X   of electronic information by physically carrying tape, disks, or
X   some other media from one machine to another.  "Never
X   underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon filled with magtape,
X   or a 747 filled with CD-ROMs."  Also called `Tennis-Net',
X   `Armpit-Net', `Floppy-Net'.
X
Xsniff: v.,n. Synonym for {poll}.
X
Xsnivitz: /sniv'itz/ n. A hiccup in hardware or software; a small,
X   transient problem of unknown origin (less serious than a
X   {snark}).
X
XSO: /ess-oh/ n. (also `S.O.') Acronym for Significant Other,
X   almost invariably written abbreviated and pronounced /ess-oh/ by
X   hackers.  Used to refer to one's primary relationship, esp. a
X   live-in to whom one is not married.  See {MOTAS}, {MOTOS},
X   {MOTSS}.
X
Xsocial science number: [IBM] n. A statistic which is
X   {content-free}, or nearly so.  A measure derived via methods of
X   questionable validity from data of a dubious and vague nature.
X   Predictively, having a social science number in hand is seldom much
X   better than nothing and can be considerably worse.  {Management}
X   loves them.  See also {numbers}, {math-out}, {pretty
X   pictures}.
X
Xsoftcopy: n. [by analogy with `hardcopy'] A machine-readable form of
X   corresponding hardcopy.  See {bits}.
X
Xsoftware bloat: n. The results of {second-system effect} or
X   {creeping featuritis}.  Commonly cited examples include
X   `ls(1)', {X}, {BSD}, {Missed'em-five}, and {OS/2}.
X
Xsoftware rot: n. Term used to describe the tendency of software
X   which has not been used in a while; such failure may be
X   semi-humorously ascribed to {bit rot}.  More commonly,
X   `software rot' strikes when a program's assumptions become out
X   of date.  If the design was insufficiently {robust}, this may
X   cause it to fail in mysterious ways.
X
X   For example, due to endemic shortsightedness in the design of COBOL
X   programs, most will succumb to software rot when their two-digit
X   year counters {wrap around} at the beginning of the year 2000.
X   Actually, at least one instance of century wraparound recently
X   became public in 1990, when a gentleman born in 1899 applied for a
X   driver's license renewal in Raleigh, NC.  The new system refused to
X   issue the card, probably because it did some dimwitted thing like
X   if `(birthyear > (thisyear - 100)) fail()'.
X
X   Historical note: software rot in an even funnier sense than the
X   mythical one was a real problem on early research computers (e.g.,
X   the R1, see {grind crank}).  If a program that depended on a
X   peculiar instruction hadn't been run in quite a while, the user
X   might discover that the opcodes no longer did the things as they
X   used to.  ("Hey, so-and-so needs an instruction to do
X   such-and-such.  We can snarf this opcode, right?  No one uses
X   it.")
X
X   Another classic example of this sprung from the time an MIT hacker
X   found a simple way to double the speed of the unconditional jump
X   instruction on a PDP-6, so he patched the hardware.  Unfortunately,
X   this broke a delicate timing routine in a music-playing program,
X   throwing its output out of tune.  This was fixed by adding a
X   defensive initialization routine to compare the speed of a timing
X   loop with the real-time clock; in other words, it figured out how
X   fast the PDP-6 was that day, and corrected appropriately.
X
X   Compare {bit rot}.
X
Xsoftwarily: /soft-weir'i-lee/ adv. In a way pertaining to software.
X   "The system is softwarily unreliable."  The adjective
X   `softwary' is *not* used.  See {hardwarily}.
X
Xsofty: [IBM] n. Hardware hackers' term for a software expert who
X   is largely ignorant of the mysteries of hardware.
X
Xsome random X: adj. Used to indicate a member of class X, with the
X   implication that the particular X is interchangeable with most
X   other Xs in whatever context was being discussed.  "I think some
X   random cracker tripped over the guest timeout last night."  See
X   also {J. Random}.
X
Xsorcerer's apprentice mode: n. A bug in a protocol where, under
X   some circumstances, the receipt of a message causes more than one
X   message to be sent, each of which, when received, triggers the same
X   bug.  Used esp. of such behavior caused by {bounce message}
X   loops in {email} software.  Compare {broadcast storm},
X   {network meltdown}.
X
XSOS: n.,obs. /ess-oh-ess/ 1. An infamously {losing} text editor.
X   Once, back in the 1960s, when a text editor was needed for the
X   PDP-6, a hacker crufted together a {quick and dirty} `stopgap
X   editor' to be used until a better one was written.  Unfortunately,
X   the old one was never really discarded when new ones (in
X   particular, {TECO}) came along.  SOS is a descendant of that
X   editor; SOS means `Son of Stopgap', and many PDP-10 users gained
X   the dubious pleasure of its acquaintance.  Since then other
X   programs similar in style to SOS have been written, notably BILOS
X   /bye'lohs/ the Brother-In-Law Of Stopgap.  See also {TECO}.  2.
X   /sos/ n. Inverse of {AOS}, from the PDP-10 instruction set.
X
Xsource of all good bits: n. A person from whom (or a place from
X   which) information may be obtained.  If you need to know about a
X   program, a {wizard} might be the source of all good bits.  The
X   title is often applied to a particularly competent secretary.
X
Xspace-cadet keyboard: n. The Knight keyboard, a now-legendary device
X   used on MIT LISP machines, which inspired several still-current
X   jargon terms and influenced the design of {EMACS}.  It was inspired
X   by the Stanford keyboard and equipped with no fewer than
X   *seven* shift keys: four keys for {bucky bits} (`control',
X   `meta', `hyper', and `super') and three like a regular shift key,
X   called `shift', `top', and `front'.  Many keys had three symbols
X   on them: a letter and a symbol on the top, and a Greek letter on
X   the front.  For example, the `L' key had an `L' and a two-way
X   arrow on the top, and the Greek letter lambda on the front.  If you
X   press this key with the right hand while playing an appropriate
X   `chord' with the left hand on the shift keys, you can get the
X   following results:
X
X     L               lower-case "l"
X     shift-L         upper-case "L"
X     front-L         Greek lower-case lambda
X     front-shift-L   Greek upper-case lambda
X     top-L           two-way arrow (front and shift are ignored)
X
X   And of course each of these might also be typed with any combination
X   of the control, meta, hyper, and super keys.  On this keyboard, you
X   could type over 8000 different characters!  This allowed the user to
X   type very complicated mathematical text, and also to have thousands
X   of single-character commands at his disposal.  Many hackers were
X   actually willing to memorize the command meanings of that many
X   characters if it reduced typing time (this view rather obviously
X   shaped the interface of EMACS).  Other hackers, however, thought
X   having that many bucky bits was overkill, and objected that such a
X   keyboard can require three or four hands to operate.  See {bucky
X   bits}, {cokebottle}, {double bucky}, {meta bit}, {quadruple
X   bucky}.
X
XSPACEWAR: n. A space-combat simulation game (inspired by E. E.
X   "Doc" Smith's `Lensman' books) in which two spaceships duel
X   around a central sun, shooting torpedoes at each other and jumping
X   through hyperspace.  This game was first implemented on the PDP-1 at
X   MIT in 1960-61.  SPACEWAR aficionados formed the core of the early
X   hacker culture at MIT.  Ten years later, a descendant of the game
X   motivated Ken Thompson to build, in his spare time on a scavenged
X   PDP-7, the operating system that became {UNIX}.  Ten years after
X   that, SPACEWAR was commercialized as one of the first video games;
X   descendants are still {feep}ing in video arcades everywhere.
X
Xspaghetti code: n. Describes code with a complex and tangled
X   control structure, esp. one using many GOTOs, exceptions, or other
X   `unstructured' branching constructs.  Pejorative.  The synonym
X   `kangaroo code' has been reported.
X
Xspaghetti inheritance: n. [Encountered among users of object-oriented
X   languages that use inheritance, such as Smalltalk] A convoluted
X   class-subclass graph, often resulting from carelessly deriving
X   subclasses from other classes just for the sake of reusing their
X   code.  Coined in a (successful) attempt to discourage such
X   practice, through guilt by association with {spaghetti code}.
X
Xspam: [from the {MUD} community] vt. To crash a program by overrunning
X   a fixed-size buffer with excessively large input data.  See also
X   {buffer overflow}, {overrun screw}, {smash the stack}.
X
Xspecial-case: vt. To write unique code to handle input or command
X   to a program that is somehow distinguished from normal processing.
X   This would be used for processing of mode switches or interrupt
X   characters in an interactive interface (as opposed, say, to text
X   entry or normal commands); or for processing of {hidden flag}s in
X   the input of a batch program or {filter}.
X
Xspell: n. Syn. {incantation}.
X
Xspiffy: /spi'fee/ adj. 1. Said of programs having a pretty, clever,
X   or exceptionally well-designed interface. "Have you seen the
X   spiffy {X} version of {empire} yet?"  2. Said sarcastically of
X   programs that are perceived to have little more than a flashy
X   interface going for them.  Which meaning should be drawn depends
X   delicately on tone of voice and context.  This word was common
X   mainstream slang during the 1940s, in a sense close to #1.
X
Xspin: vi. Equivalent to {buzz}.  More common among C and UNIX
X   programmers.
X
Xspin-lock: [Cambridge] n. A {busy-wait}.  Preferred in Britain.
X
Xspl: /ess-pee-ell/ [abbrev, from Set Priority Level] The way
X   traditional UNIX kernels implement mutual exclusion by running code
X   at high interrupt levels.  Used in jargon to describe the act of
X   tuning in or tuning out ordinary communication.  Classically, spl
X   levels run from 1 to 7; "Fred's at spl 6 today" would mean he's
X   very hard to interrupt.  "Wait till I finish this, I'll spl down
X   then."  See also {interrupts locked out}.
X
Xsplat: n. 1. Name used in many places (DEC, IBM, and others) for
X   the asterisk (`*') character (ASCII #b0101010).  This may derive
X   from the `squashed-bug' appearance of the asterisk on many early
X   line printers.  2. [MIT] Name used by some people for the
X   number-sign (`#') character (ASCII #b0100011).  3. [Rochester
X   Institute of Technology] The command key on a Mac (same as {ALT},
X   sense #2).  4. [Stanford] Name used by some people for the
X   Stanford/ITS extended ASCII
X   circle-x
X   character.
X   This character is also called `blobby', and
X   `frob', among other names; it is used by mathematicians as a
X   notation for `cross-product'.  5. [Stanford] Name for the
X   semi-mythical extended ASCII
X   circle-plus
X
X   character.  6. Canonical name for an output routine that outputs
X   whatever the local interpretation of `splat' is.
X
X   With ITS and WAITS gone senses 4-6 are now historical.  See also
X   {{ASCII}}.
X
Xspooge: /spooj/ 1. n. Inexplicable or arcane code, or random and
X   probably incorrect output from a computer program.  2. vi. To
X   generate code or output as in definition 1.
X
Xspool: [from early IBM `Simultaneous Peripheral Operation Off-Line',
X   but this acronym is widely thought to have been contrived for
X   effect] vt. To send files to some device or program (a `spooler')
X   that queues them up and does something useful with them later.  The
X   spooler usually understood is the `print spooler' controlling
X   output of jobs to a printer, but the term has been used in
X   connection with other peripherals (especially plotters and graphics
X   devices).
X
Xstack: n. A person's stack is the set of things he has to do in the
X   future.  One speaks of the next project to be attacked as having
X   risen to the top of the stack.  "I'm afraid I've got real work to
X   do, so this'll have to be pushed way down on my stack."  "I
X   haven't done it yet because every time I pop my stack something new
X   gets pushed."  If you are interrupted several times in the middle
X   of a conversation, "my stack overflowed" means "I forget what we
X   were talking about" (the implication is that too many items were
X   pushed onto the stack than could be remembered, and so the least
X   recent items were lost).  The usual physical example of a stack is
X   to be found in a cafeteria: a pile of plates sitting on a spring in
X   a well in a cart, so that when you put a plate on the top they all
X   sink down, and when you take one off the top the rest spring up a
X   bit.  See also {push} and {pop}.
X
X   At MIT, all the {stack} usages used to be more commonly found
X   with {pdl}, and this may still be true.  Everywhere else
X   {stack} seems to be the preferred term.  {Knuth} writes (in
X   `The Art of Computer Programming' 2nd edition, vol 1, page 236
X   in section 2.2.1):
X
X        Many people who realized the important of stacks and queues
X        independently have given other names to these structures:
X        stacks have been called push-down lists, reversion storages,
X        cellars, nesting stores, piles, last-in-first-out ("LIFO")
X        lists, and even yo-yo lists!
X
Xstack puke: n. Some computers are said to `puke their guts onto the
X   stack' to save their internal state during exception processing.
X   On a pipelined machine this can take a while (up to 92 bytes for a
X   bus fault on the 68020, for example).
X
Xstale pointer bug: n. Synonym for {aliasing bug} used esp. among
X   microcomputer hackers.
X
Xstate: n. 1. Condition, situation.  "What's the state of your latest
X   hack?"  "It's winning away.".  Or "The system tried to read and
X   write the disk simultaneously and got into a totally wedged
X   state."  A standard question is "What's your state?" which means
X   "What are you doing?" or "What are you about to do?"  Typical
X   answers might be "About to gronk out", or "Hungry".
X   Another standard question is "What's the state of the world?"
X   meaning "What's new?" or "What's going on?".  The more terse and
X   humorous way of asking these conventions would be "State-p?".  2.
X   Information being maintained in non-permanent memory (electronic or
X   human).
X
Xstiffy: [Lowell University] n. 3.5" {microfloppies}, so called
X   because their jackets are more firm than the 5.25" and 8" floppy.
X
Xstir-fried random: alt. `stir-fried mumble' n. Term used for frequent
X   best dish of those hackers who can cook.  Consists of random fresh
X   veggies and meat wokked with random spices.  Tasty and economical.
X   See {random}, {great-wall}, {ravs}, {{Oriental Food}}; see also
X   {mumble}.
X
Xstomp on: vt. To inadvertently overwrite something important, usually
X   automatically.  Example: "All the work I did this weekend got
X   stomped on last night by the nightly server script."  Compare
X   {scribble}, {mangle}, {trash}, {scrog}, {roach}.
X
XStone Age: n.,adj. 1. In computer folklore, an ill-defined period
X   from ENIAC (c.1943) to the mid-1950s; the great age of
X   electromechanical {dinosaur}s.  Sometimes used for the entire
X   period up to 1960-61 (see {Iron Age}); however, it is funnier and
X   more descriptive to characterize the latter half in terms of a
X   `Bronze Age' era of all-transistor, pre-ferrite-core machines
X   with drum or CRT mass storage (as opposed to just mercury delay
X   lines and/or relays).  See also {Iron Age}.  2. More generally, a
X   pejorative for any crufty, ancient piece of hardware or software
X   technology.  Note that this is used even by people who were there
X   for the {Stone Age} (sense #1).
X
Xstoppage: /sto'p@j/ n. Extreme {lossage} resulting in something
X   (usually vital) becoming completely unusable.  "The recent system
X   stoppage was caused by a {fried} transformer."
X
Xstubroutine: /stuhb'roo-teen/ [contr. of `stub routine'] n. Tiny,
X   often vacuous placeholder for a subroutine to be written or fleshed
X   out later.
X
Xstudlycaps: /stuhd'lee-kaps/ n. A hackish form of silliness similar
X   to {BiCapitalization}, but applied randomly and to random text
X   rather than to trademarks.  ThE oRigiN and SigNificaNce of thIs
X   pRacTicE iS oBscuRe.
X
Xstunning: adj. Mind-bogglingly stupid.  Usually used in sarcasm.
X   "You want to code *what* in ADA?  That's...a stunning idea!"
X   See also {non-optimal solution}.
X
Xsubshell: [UNIX, MS-DOS] n. An OS command interpreter (see {shell})
X   spawned from within a program, such that exit from the command
X   interpreter returns one to the parent program in a state that
X   allows it to continue execution.  Oppose {chain}.
X
Xsucking mud: [Applied Digital Research] adj. (also `pumping
X   mud') Crashed or wedged.  Usually said of a machine that provides
X   some service to a network, such as a file server.  This Dallas
X   regionalism derives from the East Texas oil field lament, "Shut
X   'er down, Ma, she's a-suckin' mud."  Often used as a query.  "We
X   are going to reconfigure the network, are you ready to suck mud?"
X
Xsuit: n. 1. Ugly and uncomfortable `business clothing' often worn
X   by non-hackers.  Invariably worn with a `tie', a strangulation
X   device which partially cuts off the blood supply to the brain.  It
X   is thought that this explains much about the behavior of
X   suit-wearers.  2. A person who habitually wears suits, as distinct
X   from a techie or hacker.  See {loser}, {burble} and
X   {brain-damaged}.  English, BTW, is relatively kind; our Soviet
X   correspondent informs us that the corresponding idiom in Russian
X   hacker jargon is `sovok', lit. a tool for grabbing garbage.
X
Xsuitable win: n. See {win}.
X
Xsun-stools: n. Unflattering hackerism for SunTools, a pre-X windowing
X   environment notorious in its day for size, slowness, and misfeatures
X   ({X}, however, is larger and slower; see {second-system effect}).
X
Xsunspots: n. 1. Notional cause of an odd error.  "Why did the
X   program suddenly turn the screen blue?"  "Sunspots, I guess".
X   2. Also the cause of {bit rot}, from the myth that sunspots
X   will increase {cosmic rays} that can flip single bits in memory.
X   See {cosmic rays}, {phase of the moon}.
X
Xsuperprogrammer: n. A prolific programmer; one who can code
X   exceedingly well and quickly.  Not all hackers are
X   superprogrammers, but many are.  (Productivity can vary from one
X   programmer to another by factors of as much as 1000.  For example,
X   one programmer might be able to write an average of 3 lines of
X   working code in one day, while another, with the proper tools and
X   skill, might be able to write 3,000 lines of working code in one
X   day.  This variance is astonishing, matched in very few other areas
X   of human endeavor.)  The term superprogrammer is more commonly used
X   within such places as IBM than in the hacker community.  It tends
X   to stress naive measures of productivity and underweight creativity
X   or ingenuity.  Hackers tend to prefer the terms {hacker} and
X   {wizard}.
X
Xsupport: n. After-sale handholding; something many software vendors
X   promise, but few deliver.  To hackers, most support people are
X   useless --- because by the time a hacker calls support he/she will
X   usually know the relevant manuals better than the support people
X   (sadly, this is *not* a joke or exaggeration).  A hacker's
X   idea of `support' is a one-on-one with the software's designer.
X
XSuzie COBOL: /soo'zee koh'bol/ 1. [IBM, prob. from Frank Zappa's
X   `Suzy Creamcheese'] n. A coder straight out of training school who
X   knows everything except the benefits of comments in plain English.
X   Also (fashionable among personkind wishing to avoid accusations of
X   sexism) `Sammy Cobol' or (in some non-IBM circles) `Cobol Charlie'.
X   2. [proposed] Meta-name for any {code grinder}, analogous to
X   {J. Random Hacker}.
X
Xswab: /swob/ [From the mnemonic for the PDP-11 `byte swap'
X   instruction, as immortalized in the dd(1) option `conv=swab'
X   (see {dd})] 1. vt. To solve the {NUXI problem} by swapping
X   bytes in a file.  2. n. The program in V7 UNIX used to perform this
X   action, or anything functionally equivalent to it.  See also
X   {big-endian}, {little-endian}, {middle-endian},
X   {bytesexual}.
X
Xswap: [from mainstream verb meaning to exchange] vt. To move
X   information from a fast-access memory to a slow-access memory
X   (`swap out'), or vice versa (`swap in').  This is a
X   technical term in computer science, and often specifically refers
X   to the use of disks as `virtual memory'.  As pieces of data or
X   program are needed, they are swapped into main memory for
X   processing; when they are no longer needed for the nonce they are
X   swapped out again.  The jargon use of these terms is as a fairly
X   exact analogy referring to people's memories.  Cramming for an exam
X   might be spoken of as swapping in.  If you temporarily forget
X   someone's name, but then remember it, your excuse is that it was
X   swapped out.  To `keep something swapped in' means to keep it
X   fresh in your memory: "I reread the TECO manual every few months
X   to keep it swapped in."  If someone interrupts you just got a good
X   idea, you might say, "Wait a moment while I write this down so I
X   can swap it out", implying that the piece of paper is your
X   secondary memory and if you don't swap the info out by writing it
X   down, it will get overwritten and lost as you talk.  Compare {page
X   in}, {page out}.
X
Xswap space: n. Storage space, especially temporary storage space
X   used during a move or reconfiguration.  "I'm just using that corner
X   of the machine room for swap space".
X
Xswapped: adj. From the older (per-task) method of using secondary
X   storage devices to implement support for multitasking.  Something
X   which is `swapped in' is available for immediate use in main
X   memory, and otherwise is `swapped out'.  Often used metaphorically
X   to refer to people's memories ("I read the Scheme Report every few
X   months to keep the information swapped in.") or to their own
X   availability ("I'll swap you in as soon as I finish looking at
X   this other problem.").  Compare {page in}, {page out}.
X
Xswizzle: v. To convert external names or references within a data
X   structure into direct pointers when the data structure is brought
X   into main memory from external storage; also called `pointer
X   swizzling'; the converse operation is sometimes termed
X   `unswizzling'.
X
Xsync: /sink/ [UNIX] (var. `synch') n.,vi. 1. [techspeak] To
X   force all pending I/O to the disk.  2. More generally, to force a
X   number of competing processes or agents to a state that would be
X   `safe' if the system were to crash; thus, to checkpoint.  See
X   {flush}, sense #2.
X
Xsyntactic sugar: [coined by Peter Landin] n. Features added to a
X   language or formalism to make it `sweeter' for humans, that do not
X   affect the expressiveness of the formalism (compare {chrome}).
X   Used esp. when there is an obvious and trivial translation of the
X   `sugar' feature into other constructs already present in the
X   notation.  Example: C's `a[i]' notation is syntactic sugar for
X   `*(a + i)'.  "Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the
X   semicolon."  --- Alan Perlis.
X
Xsys-frog: /sis'frog/ [the PLATO system] n. Playful hackish variant
X   of `sysprog', which is in turn short for `systems programmer'.
X
Xsysop: /sis'op/ n. [BBS] The operator (and usually owner) of a
X   bulletin-board system.  A common neophyte mistake on {FidoNet} is
X   to address a message to `sysop' in an international {echo}, thus
X   sending it to hundreds of sysops world-wide.
X
Xsystem: n. 1. The supervisor program or OS on a computer.  2. The
X   entire computer system, including input/output devices, the
X   supervisor program or OS, and possibly other software.  3. Any
X   large-scale program.  4. Any method or algorithm.  5. The way
X   things are usually done.  Usage: a fairly ambiguous word.  "You
X   can't beat the system."  6. `System hacker': one who hacks the
X   system (in sense #1 only; for sense #3 one mentions the particular
X   program: e.g., `LISP hacker')
X
Xsystem mangler: n. Humorous synonym for `system programmer';
X   compare {sys-frog}.  Refers specifically to a systems programmer
X   in charge of administration, software maintainance, and updates at
X   some site.  Unlike {admin}, this term emphasizes the technical
X   end of the skills involved.
X
X= T =
X=====
X
XT: /tee/ 1. [from LISP terminology for `true'] Yes.  Usage: used
X   in reply to a question (particularly one asked using the `-P'
X   convention).  In LISP, the name T means `true', among other things.
X   Some hackers use `T' and `NIL' instead of `Yes' and `No' almost
X   reflexively.  This sometimes causes misunderstandings.  When a
X   waiter or flight attendant asks whether a hacker wants coffee, he
X   may well respond "T", meaning that he wants coffee; but of course
X   he will be brought a cup of tea instead.  As it happens, most
X   hackers like tea at least as well as coffee, particularly those who
X   frequent Chinese restaurants, so it's not that big a problem.  2.
X   See {time T}.  3. In transaction-processing circles, an
X   abbreviation for the noun `transaction'.  4. [Purdue]
X   Alternate spelling of {tee}.
X
Xtail recursion: n. If you haven't already, see {tail recursion}.
X
Xtalk mode: n. The state a terminal is in when linked to another via a
X   bidirectional character pipe, to support on-line dialogue between
X   two or more users.  Talk mode has a special set of jargon words,
X   used to save typing, which are not used orally.  Some of these are
X   identical to (and probably derived from) Morse-code jargon used by
X   ham-radio amateurs going back to the 1920s.
X
X     BCNU      Be seeing you.
X     BTW       By the way...  Lower-case also works.
X     BYE?      Are you ready to unlink?  (This is the standard way to
X               end a talk mode conversation; the other person types BYE
X               to confirm, or else continues the conversation.)
X     CUL       See you later.
X     ENQ?      Are you busy?  Expects ACK or NAK in return.
X     FOO?      A greeting, also meaning R U THERE?  Often used in the
X               case of unexpected links, meaning also "Sorry if I
X               butted in..." (linker) or "What's up?" (linkee).
X     FYI       For your information...
X     FYA       For your amusement...
X     GA        Go ahead (used when two people have tried to type
X               simultaneously;
X               this cedes the right to type to the other).
X     GRMBL     grumble --- expresses disquiet or disagreement.
X     HELLOP    A greeting, also meaning R U THERE?  (An instance of the
X               "-P" convention.)
X     JAM       Just a minute... Equivalent to SEC...
X     NIL       No (see {NIL}).
X     O         Over to you (lower-case works too).
X     OO        Over and out (lower-case works too).
X     /         Another form of "Over to you" (from x/y as "x over y")
X     OBTW      Oh, by the way...
X     R U THERE?  Are you there?
X     SEC       Wait a second (sometimes written SEC...).
X     T         Yes (see the main entry for {T}).
X     TNX       Thanks.
X     TNX 1.0E6 Thanks a million (humorous).
X     WRT       With Regard To or With Respect To.
X     WTF       The universal interrogative particle.  WTF knows what
X               it means?
X     WTH       What the hell?
X     <double CRLF> When the typing party has finished, he types two CRLFs
X               to signal that he is done; this leaves a blank line between
X               individual "speeches" in the conversation, making it easier to
X               re-read the preceding text.
X     <name>:   When three or more terminals are linked, each speech is
X               preceded by the typist's login name and a colon (or a hyphen) to
X               indicate who is typing.  The login name often is shortened to a
X               unique prefix (possibly a single letter) during a very long
X               conversation.
X     /\/\/\    A giggle or chuckle (rare).  On a MUD, this usually means
X               `earthquake fault'.
X
X   Most of the above sub-jargon is used at both Stanford and MIT.
X   Several of these are also common in {email}, esp. FYI, FYA, BTW,
X   BCNU, and CUL.  A few other abbreviations have been reported from
X   commercial networks such as GEnie and CompuServe where on-line
X   `live' chat including more than two people is common and usually
X   involves a more `social' context, notably
X
X     <g>      grin
X     BBL      be back later
X     BRB      be right back
X     HHOJ     ha ha only joking
X     HHOS     {ha ha only serious}
X     IMHO     in my humble opinion (see {IMHO})
X     LOL      laughing out loud
X     ROTF     rolling on the floor
X     ROTFL    rolling on the floor laughing
X     AFK      away from keyboard
X     b4       before
X     CU l8tr  see you later
X     MORF     Male or Female?
X     TTFN     ta-ta for now
X     OIC      Oh, I see
X     rehi     hello again
X
X   These are not used at universities or in the UNIX world;
X   conversely, most of the people who know these are unfamiliar with
X   FOO?, BCNU, HELLOP, {NIL}, and {T}.
X
X   The {MUD} community uses a mixture of USENET/Internet emoticons, a
X   few of the more natural of the old-style talk mode abbrevs, and
X   some of the `social' list above; specifically, MUD respondents
X   report use of BBL, BRB, LOL, b4, BTW, WTF, and WTH.  The use of
X   rehi is also common; in fact, mudders are fond of re- compounds and
X   will frequently `rehug' or `rebonk' (see {bonk/oif}) people.  The
X   word `re' by itself is verbed as `re-greet' In general, though,
X   MUDders express a preference for typing things out in full rather
X   than using abbreviations; this may be due to the relative youth of
X   the MUD cultures, which tend to include many touch typists and
X   assume high-speed links.  The following uses specific to MUDs are
X   reported:
X
X     UOK?      Are you OK?
X     THX       Thanks (mutant of TNX)
X     CU l8er   See you later (mutant of CU l8tr)
X     OTT       over the top (excessive, uncalled for)
X
X   Some {BIFF}isms (notably the variant spelling `d00d') appear to be
X   passing into wider use among some subgroups of mudders.  See also
X   {hakspek}, {emoticon}, {bonk/oif}.
X
Xtalker system: n. British hackerism for software that enables
X   real-time chat or {talk mode}.
X
Xtall card: n. A PC/AT-sized expansion card (these can be larger
X   than IBM-PC or XT cards because the AT case is bigger).  See also
X   {short card}.
X
Xtanked: adj. Same as {down}, used primarily by UNIX hackers.  See
X   also {hosed}.  Popularized as a synonym for `drunk' by Steve
X   Dallas in the late lamented `Bloom County' comics.
X
Xtar and feather: [from UNIX `tar(1)'] vt. To create a
X   transportable archive from a group of files by first sticking them
X   together with the Tape ARchiver `tar(1)' and then compressing
X   the result (see {compress}).  The latter is dubbed `feathering'
X   by analogy to what you do with an airplane propeller to decrease
X   wind resistance, or with an oar to reduce water resistance; smaller
X   files, after all, slip through comm links more easily.
X
Xtaste: [primarily MIT-DMS] n. 1. The quality in programs which
X   tends to be inversely proportional to the number of features,
X   hacks, and kluges programmed into it.  Also, `tasty',
X   `tasteful', `tastefulness'.  "This feature comes in N
X   tasty flavors."  Although `tasteful' and `flavorful' are
X   essentially synonyms, `taste' and {flavor} are not.  Taste
X   refers to sound judgement on the part of the creator; a program or
X   feature can *exhibit* taste but cannot `have' taste.  On
X   the other hand, a feature can have {flavor}.  Also, {flavor}
X   has the additional meaning of `kind' or `variety' not shared by
X   `taste'.  {flavor} is a more popular word among hackers than
X   `taste', though both are used.  2. Alt. sp. of {tayste}.
X
Xtayste: n. Also as {taste}; two bits.  Syn. {crumb}, {quarter}.
X   Compare {{byte}}, {dynner}, {playte}, {nybble}, {quad}.
X
XTCB: /tee see bee/ [IBM] n. 1. Trouble Came Back.  Intermittent or
X   difficult-to reproduce problem which has failed to respond to
X   neglect.  Compare {heisenbug}.  Not to be confused with: 2. Trusted
X   Computing Base, an `official' jargon term from the {Orange Book}.
X
Xtea, ISO standard cup of: [South Africa] n. A cup of tea with milk
X   and one teaspoon of sugar, where the milk was poured into the cup
X   before the tea.  Variations are ISO 0, with no sugar; ISO 2, with
X   two spoons of sugar; and so on.
X
X   Note: like many ISO standards, this one has a faintly alien ring in
X   North America, wherein hackers generally shun the decadent British
X   practice of adulterating perfectly good tea with *dairy
X   products* and prefer instead to add a wedge of lemon, if anything.
X   If one were feeling extremely silly, one might hypothesize an
X   analogous `ANSI standard cup of tea' and wind up with a
X   political situation distressingly similar to several that arise in
X   much more serious technical contexts.  Milk and lemon don't mix
X   very well.
X
XTechRef: [MS-DOS] n. The original `IBM PC Technical Reference
X   Manual', including the BIOS listing and complete schematics for the
X   PC.  The only PC documentation in the issue package that's
X   considered serious by real hackers.
X
XTECO: /tee'koh/ obs. 1. vt. Originally, to edit using the TECO editor
X   in one of its infinite variations (see below); sometimes still used
X   to mean `to edit' even when not using TECO!  Usage: rare and now
X   primarily historical.  2. [originally an acronym for `(paper)
X   Tape Editor and COrrector'; later, `Text Editor and
X   Corrector'] n. A text editor developed at MIT and modified by
X   just about everybody.  If all the dialects are included, TECO might
X   have been the single most prolific editor in use before {EMACS},
X   to which it was directly ancestral.  Noted for its powerful
X   programming-language-like features and its incredibly hairy syntax.
X   It is literally the case that every possible sequence of {{ASCII}}
X   characters is a valid, though probably uninteresting, TECO program;
X   one common hacker game used to be mentally working out what the
X   TECO commands corresponding to human names did.  As an example,
X   here is a TECO program that takes a list of names like this:
X
X     Loser, J. Random
X     Quux, The Great
X     Dick, Moby
X
X   sorts them alphabetically according to last name, and then puts the
X   last name last, removing the comma, to produce this:
X
X     Moby Dick
X     J. Random Loser
X     The Great Quux
X
X   The program is:
X
X     [1 J^P$L$$
X     J <.-Z; .,(S,$ -D .)FX1 @F^B $K :L I $ G1 L>$$
X
X   (where ^B means `Control-B' (ASCII #b0000010) and $ is actually an
X   {ALT} or escape (ASCII #b0011011) character).
X
X   In fact, this very program was used to produce the second, sorted
X   list from the first list!  The first hack at it had a {bug}: GLS
X   (the author) had accidentally omitted the `@' in front of
X   `F^B', which as anyone can see is clearly the {Wrong Thing}.  It
X   worked fine the second time.  There is no space to describe all the
X   features of TECO, but it may be of interest that `^P' means
X   `sort' and `J<.-Z; ... L>' is an idiomatic series of commands
X   for `do once for every line'.
X
X   In mid-1991, TECO is now pretty much one with the dust of history,
X   having been replaced in the affections of hackerdom by {EMACS}.  It
X   can still be found lurking on VMS and a couple of crufty PDP-11
X   operating systems, however, and remains the focus of some antiquarian
X   interest.  See also {write-only language}.
X
Xtee: n.,vt. [Purdue] A carbon copy of an electronic transmission.
X   "Oh, you're sending him the {bits} to that?  Slap on a tee for
X   me."  From the UNIX command `tee(1)', itself named after a
X   pipe fitting (see {plumbing}, {pipeline}).  Can also mean `save
X   one for me' as in "Tee a slice for me!".  Also spelled `T'.
X
XTelerat: /tel'@-rat/ n. Unflattering hackerism for `Teleray', a
X   line of extremely losing terminals.  See also {terminak},
X   {sun-stools}, {HP-SUX}.
X
XTELNET: /tel'net/ vt. To communicate with another Internet host
SHAR_EOF
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