Complete Bookshop/CompleteWorkshop.iso/jokes/jf281a/jarg281a.cap

Text File | 1991-03-23 | 116KB | 2,226 lines

Article #8705 (8725 is last):
From: [e-mail] (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups:
alt.folklore.computers,comp.misc,comp.arch,comp.unix.wizards,misc.misc,alt.sourc
es.d
Subject: The Jargon File version 2.8.1, 22 MAR 1991 has been released
Date: Fri Mar 22 18:37:03 1991


  The Jargon File 2.8.1, 22 MAR 1991 has been released for review.  You can
snarf it via FTP from these locations:

        mc.lcs.mit.edu          18.26.0.179     under /pub/jargon
        pit-manager.mit.edu     18.72.1.58      under /pub/jargon

   Look for a file called `jargon.<nnn>', where <nnn> is the digits
of the current version number (that is, version 5.6.7 would be `jargon.567').

   The Jargon File will also be available (in pieces) from a mail server at:

        [e-mail]

   People can mail the mail server a message containing "send
jargon/index" in the subject or body in order to get a list of the
available files, or "send help" to get general information about the
mail server.

  If you are reading this on the USENET groups alt.folklore.computers,comp.misc
or are on the jargon-distrib list of collaborators without news or FTP
access, this note will be followed by 19 shar files which are all
the parts of the Jargon File.  NOTE: THIS 2.8.1 POSTING WILL PROBABLY
BE THE *LAST* FULL POSTING TO GENERAL-DISTRIBUTION GROUPS BEFORE DEADLINE!

  This version is a draft for "The New Hacker's Dictionary", now
expected to come out from MIT Press sometime in summer 1991.  This
draft is being circulated to the hacker community for criticism and
additions. Your comments and new entries are welcomed; mail them to
[e-mail] or ...!uunet!snark!jargon.

  There are more new entries this time than one might have predicted
from the trend curve for previous revisions.  This is due to
incorporation of a lump of material from the legendary TMRC
Dictionary.  Also, many of the revised entries have been changed in
the course of a complete reorganization of the material on
quantification prefixes.

Here are the new entries:
        -oid                                    2.7.2
        AI-complete                             2.7.2
        angry fruit salad                       2.7.2
        archive                                 2.7.2
        avatar                                  2.7.2
        bang on                                 2.7.2
        BITNET                                  2.7.2
        bit twiddling                           2.7.2
        black magic                             2.7.2
        blat                                    2.7.2
        bozotic                                 2.7.2
        buried treasure                         2.7.2
        careware                                2.7.2
        charityware                             2.7.2
        chicken head                            2.7.2
        control-c                               2.7.2
        control-o                               2.7.2
        control-s                               2.7.2
        DEADBEEF                                2.7.2
        doc                                     2.7.2
        droid                                   2.7.2
        friodes                                 2.7.2
        FUBAR                                   2.7.2
        G                                       2.7.2
        geef                                    2.7.2
        go root                                 2.7.2
        Godzillagram                            2.7.2
        Green's Theorem                         2.7.2
        gronked                                 2.7.2
        gronk out                               2.7.2
        gunch                                   2.7.2
        Hackintosh                              2.7.2
        juggling eggs                           2.7.2
        LER                                     2.7.2
        link-dead                               2.7.2
        live data                               2.7.2
        machinable                              2.7.2
        Macintoy                                2.7.2
        meeces                                  2.7.2
        munching                                2.7.2
        nano                                    2.7.2
        Objectionable-C                         2.7.2
        patch space                             2.7.2
        pilot error                             2.7.2
        plokta                                  2.7.2
        POPJ                                    2.7.2
        pound on                                2.7.2
        proglet                                 2.7.2
        psyton                                  2.7.2
        quantifiers                             2.7.2
        quote chapter and verse                 2.7.2
        root mode                               2.7.2
        Saturday night special                  2.7.2
        SED                                     2.7.2
        Shub-Internet                           2.7.2
        snail                                   2.7.2
        store                                   2.7.2
        sufficiently small                      2.7.2
        superuser                               2.7.2
        swapped in                              2.7.2
        swapped out                             2.7.2
        suitably small                          2.7.2
        thud                                    2.7.2
        tiger team                              2.7.2
        to a first approximation                2.7.2
        UNIX brain damage                       2.7.2
        VR                                      2.7.2
        wedgie                                  2.7.2
        womb box                                2.7.2
        XOFF                                    2.7.2
        zorch                                   2.7.2
        zorkmid                                 2.7.2

Deleted entries:
        humungous                               2.7.2
        swapped                                 2.7.2
        what                                    2.7.2

The changed old entries:                  (last changed)
        ALT                                     2.7.2
        AOS                                     2.7.2
        ASCII                                   2.7.2
        bagbiter                                2.7.2
        barf                                    2.7.2
        baz                                     2.7.2
        Berzerkeley                             2.7.2
        bit                                     2.7.2
        bit bucket                              2.7.2
        blinkenlights                           2.7.2
        BLT                                     2.7.2
        bounce                                  2.7.2
        bucky bits                              2.7.2
        cross-post                              2.7.2
        cruft                                   2.7.2
        dike                                    2.7.2
        drunk mouse syndrome                    2.7.2
        DWIM                                    2.7.2
        exa-                                    2.7.2
        firefighting                            2.7.2
        for free                                2.7.2
        G                                       2.7.2
        gig                                     2.7.2
        giga-                                   2.7.2
        gronk                                   2.7.2
        i14y                                    2.7.2
        K                                       2.7.2
        ken                                     2.7.2
        kilo-                                   2.7.2
        kluge                                   2.7.2
        M                                       2.7.2
        meg                                     2.7.2
        mega-                                   2.7.2
        micro-                                  2.7.2
        milliLampson                            2.7.2
        moby                                    2.7.2
        mumble                                  2.7.2
        nano-                                   2.7.2
        overflow bit                            2.7.2
        page in                                 2.7.2
        page out                                2.7.2
        parm                                    2.7.2
        patch                                   2.7.2
        path                                    2.7.2
        pathological                            2.7.2
        peta-                                   2.7.2
        phase of the moon                       2.7.2
        pico-                                   2.7.2
        PIP                                     2.7.2
        pizza box                               2.7.2
        platinum-iridium                        2.7.2
        poll                                    2.7.2
        pop                                     2.7.2
        precedence screw                        2.7.2
        program                                 2.7.2
        programming                             2.7.2
        pubic directory                         2.7.2
        punt                                    2.7.2
        QWERTY                                  2.7.2
        random                                  2.7.2
        random numbers                          2.7.2
        rape                                    2.7.2
        rare                                    2.7.2
        recursive acronyms                      2.7.2
        root                                    2.7.2
        RTM                                     2.7.2
        SO                                      2.7.2
        SOS                                     2.7.2
        system manager                          2.7.2
        talk mode                               2.7.2
        tall card                               2.7.2
        tera-                                   2.7.2
        terpri                                  2.7.2
        thunk                                   2.7.2
        toaster                                 2.7.2
        tool                                    2.7.2
        toy                                     2.7.2
        trampoline                              2.7.2
        tunafish                                2.7.2
        vaxocentrism                            2.7.2
        voice                                   2.7.2
        waldo                                   2.7.2

Entries restored from the chaff file by popular demand:
        chine nual                              2.7.2
        JRST                                    2.7.2

  Entries with only trivial changes (spelling, punctuation,
references, minor changes of phrasing) have been omitted from the
change list.

  The "Sports" and "Miscellaneous" section in Appendix B have been
added to.

  The schwa character is now "*", not "@".  This was done for
TeXnichal typsetting reasons.

  Future versions up to 2.9.1 (whenever that is) will be posted as
context diffs.

  Please get your comments and revisions in soon.  The freeze deadline
for the manuscript is almost upon us.

  I can also be reached by USnail at 22 S. Warren Ave., Malvern PA 19355
or by phone at (215)-296-5718.  However, I *strongly* prefer
submissions, comments and criticism to be communicated via email.



Article #8706 (8725 is last):
From: [e-mail] (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.misc
Subject: The Jargon File v2.8.1, 22 MAR 1991, part 2 of 19
Date: Fri Mar 22 18:37:51 1991

Submitted-by: [e-mail]
Archive-name: jargon/part02

---- Cut Here and feed the following to sh ----
#!/bin/sh
# this is jargon.02 (part 2 of jargon)
# do not concatenate these parts, unpack them in order with /bin/sh
# file jargon.ascii continued
#
if test ! -r _shar_seq_.tmp; then
        echo 'Please unpack part 1 first!'
        exit 1
fi
(read Scheck
 if test "$Scheck" != 2; then
        echo Please unpack part "$Scheck" next!
        exit 1
 else
        exit 0
 fi
) < _shar_seq_.tmp || exit 1
if test -f _shar_wnt_.tmp; then
sed 's/^X//' << 'SHAR_EOF' >> 'jargon.ascii' &&
Xemotional state is expressed, people tend to forget everything about
Xother parties except what is presented over that ASCII link.  This has
Xboth good and bad effects.  The good one is that it encourages
Xhonesty and tends to break down hierarchical authority relationships;
Xthe bad is that it may encourage depersonalization and gratuitous
Xrudeness.
X
XPerhaps in response to this, experienced netters often display a sort
Xof conscious formal politesse in their writing that has passed out of
Xfashion in other spoken and written media (for example, the phrase
X"Well said, sir!" is not uncommon).
X
XMany introverted hackers who are next to inarticulate in person
Xcommunicate with considerable fluency over the net, perhaps precisely
Xbecause they can forget on an unconscious level that they are dealing
Xwith people and thus don't feel stressed and anxious as they would
Xface to face.
X
XThough it is considered gauche to publicly criticize posters for poor
Xspelling or grammar, the network definitely places a premium on
Xliteracy and clarity of expression.  It may well be that future
Xhistorians of literature will see in it a revival of the great
Xtradition of personal letters as art.
X
XInternational Style
X===================
X
XAlthough the Jargon File remains primarily a lexicon of hacker usage
Xin American English, we have made some effort to get input from
Xabroad.  Though the hacker-speak of other languages often uses
Xtranslations of jargon from English (often as transmitted to them by
Xearlier Jargon File versions!), the local variations are interesting,
Xand knowledge of them may be of some use to travelling hackers.
X
XThere are some references herein to `Commonwealth English'.  These are
Xintended to describe some variations in hacker usage as reported in
Xthe English spoken in Great Britain and the Commonwealth (Canada,
XAustralia, India, etc., though Canada is heavily influenced by
XAmerican usage).  There is also an entry on {{Commonwealth Hackish}}
Xreporting some general phonetic and vocabulary differences from U.S.
Xhackish.
X
XHackers in Western Europe and (especially) Scandinavia are reported
Xto often use a mixture of English and their native languages for
Xtechnical conversation.  Occasionally they develop idioms in their
XEnglish usage which are influenced by their native-language styles.
XSome of these are reported here.
X
XA note or two on hackish usages in Russian have been added where they
Xare parallel with English idioms and thus comprehensible to
XEnglish-speakers.
X
XPronunciation Guide
X===================
X
XPronunciation keys are provided in the jargon listing for all
Xentries that are neither dictionary words pronounced as in standard
XEnglish nor obvious compounds of same.  Slashes bracket a phonetic
Xpronunciation to be interpreted using the following conventions:
X
X  1. Syllables are hyphen-separated, except that an apostrophe
X     or back-apostrophe follows each accented syllable (the
X     back apostrophe marks a secondary accent in some words of
X     four or more syllables).
X
X  2. Consonants are pronounced as in American English.  The letter `g' is
X     always hard (as in "got" rather than "giant"); `ch' is soft
X     ("church" rather than "chemist").  The letter `j' is the sound
X     that occurs twice in "judge".  The letter `s' is always as in
X     "pass", never a z sound (but it is sometimes doubled at the end of
X     syllables to emphasize this).
X     The digraph `kh' is the guttural of "loch" or "l'chaim".
X
X  3. Vowels are represented as follows:
X
X          a    back, that
X          ah   father, palm
X          ar   far, mark
X          aw   flaw, caught
X          ay   bake, rain
X          e    less, men
X          ee   easy, ski
X          eir  their, software
X          i    trip, hit
X          ie   life, sky
X          o    cot, top
X          oh   flow, sew
X          oo   loot, through
X          or   more, door
X          ow   out, how
X          oy   boy, coin
X          uh   but, some
X          u    put, foot
X          y    yet
X          yoo  few
X          [y]oo        /oo/ with optional fronting as in `news' (/nooz/ or
/nyooz/)
X
XA /*/ is used for the `schwa' sound of unstressed or occluded
Xvowels (the one that is often written with an upside-down `e').  The
Xschwa vowel is omitted in syllables containing vocalic r, l, m or n;
Xthat is, `kitten' and `color' would be rendered /kit'n/ and /kuhl'r/,
Xnot /kit'*n/ and /kuhl'*r/.
X
XEntries with a pronunciation of `//' are written-only usages (no,
XUNIX weenies, this does *not* mean `pronounce like previous
Xpronunciation!)
X
XOther Lexicon Conventions
X=========================
X
XEntries are sorted in case-blind ASCII collation order (rather than
Xthe letter-by-letter order ignoring interword spacing common in
Xmainstream dictionaries), except that all entries beginning with
Xnonalphabetic characters are sorted to the beginning.  The
Xcase-blindness is a feature, not a bug.
X
XThe `OED' referred to in several entries is, of course, the Oxford
XEnglish Dictionary.
X
XIn pure ASCII renderings of the Jargon File, you will see {} used
Xto bracket words which themselves have entries in the File.  This
Xisn't done all the time for every such word, but it is done everywhere
Xthat a reminder seems useful that the term has a jargon meaning and one
Xmight wish to refer to its entry.
X
XIn this all-ASCII version, headwords for topic entries are
Xdistinguished from those for ordinary entries by being followed by
X"::" rather than ":"; similarly, references are surrounded by
X"{{" and "}}" rather than "{" and "}".
X
XReferences such as `malloc(3)' and `patch(1)' are to UNIX
Xfacilities (some of which, such as `patch(1)', are actually freeware
Xdistributed over USENET).  The UNIX manuals use `foo(n)' to refer
Xto item foo in section (n) of the manual, where n=1 is utilities, n=2
Xis system calls, n=3 is C library routines, n=6 is games, and n=8
X(where present) is system administration utilities.  Sections 4, 5,
Xand 7 have changed roles frequently and in any case are not referred
Xto from any of the entries.
X
XThe Jargon Lexicon
X******************
X
X= [^A-Za-z] (see {regexp}) =
X============================
X
X'Snooze: /snooz/ [FidoNet] n. Fidonews, the weekly official on-line
X   newsletter of FidoNet.  As the editorial policy of Fidonews is
X   "anything that arrives, we print", there are often large articles
X   completely unrelated to FidoNet, which in turn tend to elicit
X   {flamage} in subsequent issues.
X
X(TM): [USENET] ASCII rendition of the trademark-superscript symbol
X   , appended to
X   phrases that the author feels should be recorded for posterity,
X   perhaps in future editions of this lexicon.  Sometimes used
X   ironically as a form of protest against the recent spate of
X   software and algorithm patents and `look and feel' lawsuits.  See
X   also {UN*X}.
X
X-oid: [from `android'] suff. Used to form faintly derisory terms
X   for classes of people.  This has recently (as of 1991) gone
X   mainstream (most notably in the term `trendoid' for victims of
X   terminal hipness), probably under the influence of the term
X   `droid' in `Star Wars' and its sequels.  However, coinages
X   of this form have been common in science fiction for at least fifty
X   years, and hackers (who are often science-fiction fans) have
X   probably been making `-oid' jargon for almost that long [though GLS
X   and I can personally only confirm that the construction was already
X   common in the mid-1970s --- ESR].  See {droid}.
X
X   This suffix is expecially used to indicate a poor imitation,
X   counterfeit, or otherwise slightly bogus resemblance: "He's a
X   nerdoid" means someone who superficially resembles a nerd but
X   can't make the grade; a `modemoid' might be a 300-baud box (Real
X   Modems run at 9600), a `computeroid' might be any {bitty box},
X   etc.  The word `keyboid' could be used to describe a {chiclet
X   keyboard}, but would have to be written; spoken, it would confuse
X   the listener as to the speaker's city of origin.
X
X-ware: [from `software'] suff.  Commonly used to form jargon terms
X   for classes of software.  For examples, see {careware},
X   {crippleware}, {crudware}, {freeware}, {fritterware},
X   {guiltware}, {liveware}, {meatware}, {payware},
X   {psychedelicware}, {shareware}, {shelfware}, {vaporware},
X   {wetware}.
X
X/dev/null: /dev-nuhl/ [from the UNIX null device, used as a data
X   sink] n. A notional `black hole' in any information space being
X   discussed, used or referred to.  A controversial posting, for
X   example, might end "Kudos to [e-mail], flames to
X   /dev/null".  See {bit bucket}, {null device}.
X
X120 reset: [from 120 volts, U.S. wall current] n. To cycle power on
X   a machine in order to reset or unjam it.  Compare {Big Red
X   Switch}, {power cycle}.
X
X2: infix. In translation software written by hackers, infix 2 often
X   represents the syllable *to* with the connotation
X   `translate to'; as in dvi2ps (DVI to PostScript), int2string
X   (integer to string) and texi2roff (Texinfo to [nt]roff).
X
X@-party: /at'par`tee/ [from the @-sign in an Internet address] n.
X   (also `@-sign party' /at'sien par`tee/) Semi-closed parties thrown
X   at science-fiction conventions (esp. the annual Worldcon) for
X   hackers; one must have a {network address} to get in, or at least
X   be in company with someone who does.  One of the most reliable
X   opportunities for hackers to meet face to face with people who
X   might otherwise be represented by mere phosphor dots on their
X   screens.  Compare {boink}.
X
X@Begin: // [primarily CMU] n. Equivalent of {\begin} in the
X   Scribe text formatting language; used as an idiom by Scribe users.
X
X\begin: // [from the LaTeX command] With \end, used
X   humorously in writing to indicate a context or to remark on the
X   surrounded text.  For example:
X
X     \begin{flame}
X     Predicate logic is the only good programming language.
X     Anyone who would use anything else is an idiot.  Also,
X     computers should be tredecimal instead of binary.
X     \end{flame}
X
X   The Scribe users at CMU and elsewhere used to use @Begin/@End in
X   an identical way.  On USENET, this construct would more frequently
X   be rendered as "<FLAME ON>" and "<FLAME OFF>".
X
X= A =
X=====
X
Xabbrev: /*'breev/, /*'brev/ n. Common abbreviation for
X   `abbreviation'.
X
Xabend: [ABnormal END] /ab'end/ n. Abnormal termination (of
X   software); {crash}; {lossage}.  Derives from an error message
X   on the IBM 360; used jokingly by hackers but seriously mainly by
X   {code grinder}s.
X
Xaccumulator: n. Archaic term for a register.  Cited here because
X   on-line use of it is a fairly reliable indication that the user has
X   been around for quite a while and/or that the architecture under
X   discussion is quite old.  The term in full is almost never used of
X   microprocessor registers, for example, though symbolic names for
X   arithmetic registers beginning in `A' derive from historical use of
X   `accumulator' (and not, actually, from `arithmetic'!).
X   Confusingly, though, an `a' register name prefix may also stand for
X   `address', as for example on the Motorola 680x0 family.
X
XACK: /ak/ interj. 1. [from the ASCII mnemonic for #b0000110]
X   Acknowledge.  Used to register one's presence (compare mainstream
X   *Yo!*).  An appropriate response to {ping} or {ENQ}.
X   2. [prob. from the Bloom County comic strip] An exclamation of
X   surprised disgust, esp. in "Oop ack!".  Semi-humorous.
X   Generally this sense is distinguished by a following exclamation
X   point.  3. Used to politely interrupt someone to tell them you
X   understand their point.  See {NAK}.  Thus, for example, you might
X   cut off an overly long explanation with "Ack.  Ack.  Ack.  I get
X   it now".  See also {NAK}.
X
X   There is also a usage "ACK?" (from sense #1) meaning "Are you
X   there?", often used in email when earlier mail has produced no
X   reply, or during a lull in {talk mode} to see if the person has
X   gone away (the standard humorous response is of course {NAK}
X   (sense #2), i.e., "I'm not here").
X
Xad-hockery: /ad-hok'*r-ee/ [Purdue] n. 1. Gratuitous assumptions
X   made inside certain programs, esp. expert systems, which lead to
X   the appearance of semi-intelligent behavior, but are in fact
X   entirely arbitrary.  2. Special-case code to cope with some awkward
X   input which would otherwise cause a program to {choke}, presuming
X   normal inputs are dealt with in some cleaner and more regular way.
X   Also called `ad-hackery', `ad-hocity' (/ad-hos'*-tee/).
X
XAda:: n. A {{Pascal}}-descended language that has been made
X   mandatory for Department of Defense software projects by the
X   Pentagon.  Hackers are nearly unanimous in observing that,
X   technically, it is precisely what one might expect given that kind
X   of endorsement by fiat; designed by committee, crockish, difficult
X   to use, and overall a disastrous, multi-billion-dollar boondoggle
X   (one common description is "The PL/I of the 1980s").  Hackers find
X   Ada's exception-handling and inter-process communication features
X   particularly hilarious.  Ada Lovelace (the daughter of Lord Byron
X   who became the world's first programmer while cooperating with
X   Babbage on the design of his mechanical computing engines in the
X   mid-1800s) would almost certainly blanch at the use her name has
X   been latterly put to; the kindest thing that has been said about it
X   is that there is probably a good small language screaming to get
X   out from inside its vast, {elephantine} bulk.
X
Xadger: /adj'r/ [UCLA] vt. To make a bonehead move with consequences
X   that could have been foreseen with a slight amount of mental
X   effort.  E.g., "He started removing files and promptly adgered the
X   whole project."  Compare {dumbass attack}.
X
Xadmin: /ad-min'/ n. Short for `administrator'; very commonly used
X   in speech or on-line to refer to the systems person in charge on a
X   computer.  Common constructions on this include `sysadmin' and
X   `site admin' (emphasizing the administrator's role as a site
X   contact for email and news) or `newsadmin' (focusing on the
X   latter).  Compare {postmaster}, {sysop}, {system mangler}.
X
XADVENT: /ad'vent/ n. The prototypical computer adventure game, first
X   implemented on the {PDP-10} by Will Crowther as an attempt at
X   computer-refereed fantasy gaming, and expanded into a
X   puzzle-oriented game by Don Woods.  Now better known as Adventure,
X   but the {TOPS-10} operating system only permitted 6-letter
X   filenames.  See also {vadding}.
X
X   This game defined the terse, dryly humorous style now expected in
X   text adventure games, and popularized several tag lines that have
X   become fixtures of hacker-speak.  "A huge green fierce snake bars
X   the way!"  "I see no X here." (for some noun X).  "You are in a
X   maze of twisty little passages, all alike."  "You are in a little
X   maze of twisty passages, all different."  The "magic words"
X   {xyzzy} and {plugh} also derive from this game.
X
X   Crowther, by the way, participated in the exploration of the
X   Mammoth/Flint Ridge cave system; it actually *has* a `Colossal
X   Cave' and a `Bedquilt' as in the game, and the `Y2' that also turns
X   up is cavers' jargon for a map reference to a secondary entrance.
X
XAI-complete: [MIT, Stanford, by analogy with `NP-complete']
X   adj.  Used to describe problems or subproblems in AI, to indicate
X   that the solution presupposes a solution to the `strong AI problem'
X   (that is, the synthesis of a human-level intelligence).  A problem
X   that is AI-complete is, in other words, just too hard.
X
X   Examples of AI-complete problems are `The Vision Problem',
X   building a system that can see as well as a human, and `The
X   Natural Language Problem', building a system that can understand
X   and speak a natural language as well as a human.  These may appear
X   to be modular, but all attempts so far (1991) to solve them have
X   foundered on the amount of context information and `intelligence'
X   they seem to require.
X
XAI koans: pl.n. A series of pastiches of Zen teaching riddles
X   created by Danny Hillis at the MIT AI Lab around various major
X   figures of the Lab's culture.  A selection are included in Appendix
X   A.  See also {ha ha only serious} and {{Humor, Hacker}}.
X
XAIDS: /aydz/ n. Short for A* Infected Disk Syndrome ("A*" matches,
X   but not limited to, Apple), this condition is the quite often the
X   result of practicing unsafe {SEX}.  See {virus}, {worm}, {Trojan
X   horse}, {virgin}.
X
Xairplane rule: n. "Complexity increases the possibility of
X   failure; a twin-engine airplane has twice as many engine problems
X   as a single-engine airplane."  By analogy, in both software and
X   electronics, the rule that simplicity increases robustness (see
X   also {KISS Principle}).  It is correspondingly argued that the
X   right way to build reliable systems is to design to put all your
X   eggs in one basket, after making sure that you've built a
X   *really good* basket.
X
Xaliasing bug: n. A class of subtle programming errors which can
X   arise in code that does dynamic allocation, esp.  via
X   `malloc(3)' or equivalent.  If more than one pointer addresses
X   (`aliases for') a given hunk of storage, it may happen that the
X   storage is freed through one alias and then referenced through
X   another, leading to subtle (and possibly intermittent) lossage
X   depending on the state and the allocation history of the malloc
X   {arena}.  Avoidable by use of allocation strategies that never
X   alias allocated core.  Also avoidable by use of higher-level
X   languages such as {LISP} which employ a garbage collector (see
X   {GC}).  Also called a {stale pointer bug}.  See also
X   {precedence lossage}, {smash the stack}, {fandango on core},
X   {memory leak}, {overrun screw}, {spam}.
X
X   Historical note: Though this term is nowadays associated with C
X   programming, it was already in use in a very similar sense in the
X   Algol-60 and FORTRAN communities in the 1960s.
X
Xall-elbows: adj. Of a TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident) IBM PC
X   program, such as the N pop-up calendar and calculator utilities
X   that circulate on {BBS} systems: unsociable.  Used to describe a
X   program that rudely steals the resources that it needs without
X   considering that other TSRs may also be resident.  One particularly
X   common form of rudeness is lock-up due to programs fighting over
X   the keyboard interrupt.  See also {mess-dos}.
X
XALT: /awlt/ 1. n. The ALT shift key on an IBM PC or {clone}.
X   2. [possibly lowercased] n. The `clover' or `Command' key on a
X   Macintosh; use of this term usually reveals that the speaker hacked
X   PCs before coming to the Mac (see also {command key}).  Some Mac
X   hackers, confusingly, reserve `ALT' for the Option key.  3. n.obs.
X   [PDP-10] Alternate name for the ASCII ESC character, after the
X   keycap labeling on some older terminals.  Also `ALTMODE'.  This
X   character was almost never pronounced "escape" on an ITS system,
X   in {TECO}, or under TOPS-10 --- always ALT, as in "Type ALT ALT
X   to end a TECO command" or "ALT U onto the system" (for "log
X   onto the [ITS] system").  This was probably because ALT is more
X   convenient to say than "escape", especially when followed by
X   another ALT or a character (or another ALT *and* a character,
X   for that matter!).
X
Xalt bit: /awlt bit/ [from alternate] adj. See {meta bit}.
X
XAluminum Book: [MIT] n. `Common Lisp: The Language', by Guy L.
X   Steele Jr., Digital Press, first edition, 1984, second edition
X   1990.  Strictly speaking, only the first edition is the aluminum
X   book, since the second edition has a yucky pale green cover.  See
X   also {{book titles}}.
X
Xamoeba: /*-mee'b*/ n. Humorous term for the Commodore Amiga
X   personal computer.
X
Xamp off: [Purdue] vt. To run in {background}.  From the UNIX shell `&'
X   operator.
X
Xangle brackets: n. Either of the characters `<' and `>'
X   (ASCII less-than or greater-than signs).  The {Real World} angle
X   brackets used by typographers are actually taller than a less-than
X   or greater-than sign.
X   See {broket}, {{ASCII}}.
X
Xangry fruit salad: n. A bad interface design that uses too many colors.
X
XAOS: 1. /aws/ (East coast), /ay-os/ (West coast) [based on a PDP-10
X   increment instruction] vt.,obs. To increase the amount of
X   something.  "Aos the campfire."  Usage: considered silly, and now
X   obsolete.  See {SOS}.  Now largely supplanted by {bump}.  2. A
X   crufty {Multics}-derived OS supported at one time by Data
X   General.  This was pronounced /ay-oh-ess/ or /ay-os/, the latter
X   being prevalent internally at DG.  A spoof of the standard AOS
X   system administrator's manual (`How to load and generate your
X   AOS system') was created, issued a part number, and allegedly
X   released.  It was called `How to goad and levitate your chaos
X   system'.
X
X   Historical note: AOS in sense #1 was the name of a {PDP-10}
X   instruction that took any memory location in the computer and added
X   one to it; AOS meant `Add One and do not Skip'.  Why, you may ask,
X   does the `S' stand for `do not Skip' rather than for `Skip'?  Ah,
X   here was a beloved piece of PDP-10 folklore.  There were eight such
X   instructions: AOSE added one and then skipped the next instruction
X   if the result was Equal to zero; AOSG added one and then skipped if
X   the result was Greater than zero; AOSN added one and then skipped
X   if the result was Not zero; AOSA added one and then skipped Always;
X   and so on.  Just plain AOS didn't say when to skip, so it never
X   skipped.  For similar reasons, AOJ meant `Add One and do not Jump'.
X   Even more bizarre, SKIP meant `Do not SKIP'!  If you wanted to skip
X   the next instruction, you had to say `SKIPA'.  Likewise, JUMP means
X   `Do not JUMP'; the unconditional form was JUMPA.  However, hackers
X   never did this.  By some quirk of the 10's design, the {JRST} (Jump
X   and Restore Flag with no flag specified) was actually faster, and
X   so was invariably used.  Such were the perverse mysteries of
X   assembler programming.
X
Xapp: /ap/ n. Short for `application program', as opposed to a systems
X   program.  What systems vendors are forever chasing developers to do
X   for their environments so they can sell more boxes.  Hackers tend
X   not to think of the things they themselves run as apps; thus, in
X   hacker parlance the term excludes compilers, program editors,
X   games, and messaging systems, though a user would consider all
X   those apps.  Oppose {tool}, {operating system}.
X
Xarc: [primarily MSDOS] vt. To create a compressed archive from a
X   group of files using the SEA ARC, PKWare PKARC, or compatible
X   program.  Rapidly becoming obsolete as the ARC compression method
X   is falling into disuse, having been replaced by newer compression
X   techniques.  See {tar and feather}, {zip}.
X
Xarc wars: [primarily MSDOS] n. {holy wars} over which archiving
X   program one should use.  The first arc war was sparked when System
X   Enhancement Associates (SEA) sued PKWare for copyright and
X   trademark infringement on its ARC program.  PKWare's PKARC
X   outperformed ARC on both compression and speed while largely
X   retaining compatibility (it introduced a new compression type which
X   could be disabled for backward-compatibility).  PKWare settled out
X   of court to avoid enormous legal costs (both SEA and PKWare are
X   small companies); as part of the settlement, the name of PKARC was
X   changed to PKPAK.  The public backlash against SEA for bringing
X   suit helped to hasten the demise of ARC as a standard when PKWare
X   and others introduced new, incompatible archivers with better
X   compression algorithms.
X
Xarchive: n. 1. A collection of several files bundled into one
X   file with a program such as `ar(1)', `tar(1)',
X   `cpio(1)', or {arc} for shipment or archiving (sense #2).
X   See also {tar and feather}.  2. A collection of files or
X   archives (sense #1) made available from an `archive site' via
X   {FTP} or an email server.
X
Xarena: [UNIX] n. The area of memory attached to a process by
X   `brk(2)' and `sbrk(2)' and used by `malloc(3)' as
X   dynamic storage.  So named from a semi-mythical `malloc:
X   corrupt arena' message supposedly emitted when some early versions
X   became terminally confused.  See {overrun screw}, {aliasing
X   bug}, {memory leak}, {smash the stack}.
X
Xarg: /arg/ n. Abbreviation for `argument' (to a function), used so
X   often as to have become a new word (like `piano' from
X   `pianoforte').  "The sine function takes one arg, but the
X   arc-tangent function can take either one or two args".  Compare
X   {param}, {parm}, {var}.
X
Xarmor-plated: n. Syn. for {bulletproof}.
X
Xasbestos: adj. Used as a modifier to anything intended to protect
X   one from {flame}s.  Important cases of this include {asbestos
X   longjohns} and {asbestos cork award}, but it is used more
X   generally.
X
Xasbestos cork award: n.  Once, long ago at MIT, there was a {flamer}
X   so consistently obnoxious that another hacker designed, had made,
X   and distributed posters announcing that said flamer had been
X   nominated for the `asbestos cork award'.  Persons in any doubt as
X   to the intended application of the cork should consult the
X   etymology under {flame}.  Since then, it is agreed that only a
X   select few have risen to the heights of bombast required to earn
X   this dubious dignity --- but there's no agreement on *which*
X   few.
X
Xasbestos longjohns: n. Notional garments often donned by {USENET}
X   posters just before emitting a remark they expect will elicit
X   {flamage}.  This is the most common of the {asbestos} coinages.
X   Also `asbestos underwear', `asbestos overcoat', etc.
X
XASCII:: [American Standard Code for Information Interchange]
X   /as'kee/ n. The predominant character set encoding of present-day
X   computers.  Uses 7 bits for each character, whereas most earlier
X   codes (including one version of ASCII) used fewer.  This change
X   allowed the inclusion of lowercase letters, a major {win} --- but
X   it did not provide for accented letters or any other letterforms
X   not used in English (such as the German sharp-S and the ae-ligature
X   which is a letter in, for example, Norwegian).  It could be worse,
X   though.  It could be much worse.  See {{EBCDIC}} to understand how.
X
X   Computers are much less flexible and pickier about spelling than
X   humans; thus, hackers need to be very precise when talking about
X   characters, and have developed a considerable amount of verbal
X   shorthand for talking about characters.  Every character has one or
X   more names; some formal, some concise, some silly.  Common jargon
X   names for ASCII characters are collected here.  See also individual
X   entries for {bang}, {excl}, {open}, {ques}, {semi},
X   {shriek}, {splat}, {twiddle}, and {Yu-Shiang Whole Fish}.
X
X   This list derives from revision 2.2 of the USENET ASCII
X   pronunciation guide.  Single characters are listed in ASCII order;
X   character pairs are sorted in by first member.  For each character,
X   common names are given in rough order of popularity followed by
X   names which are reported but rarely seen; official ANSI/CCITT names
X   are parenthesized.  Square brackets mark the particularly silly
X   names introduced by {INTERCAL}.
X
X     !
X          Common: {bang}, pling, excl, shriek, (exclamation mark).
X          Rare: factorial, exclam, smash, cuss, boing, yell, wow, hey,
X          wham, [spot-spark], soldier.
X
X     "
X          Common: double quote, quote.  Rare: literal mark,
X          double-glitch, (quotation marks), (dieresis), dirk,
X          [rabbit-ears].
X
X     #
X          Common: (number sign), pound, pound sign, hash, sharp,
X          {crunch}, hex, [mesh], octothorpe.  Rare: flash, crosshatch,
X          grid, pig-pen, tictactoe, scratchmark, thud, thump, {splat}.
X
X     $
X          Common: dollar, (dollar sign).  Rare: currency symbol, buck,
X          cash, string (from BASIC), escape (when used as the echo of
X          ASCII ESC), ding, cache, [big money].
X
X     %
X          Common: percent, (percent sign), mod, grapes.  Rare:
X          [double-oh-seven].
X
X     &
X          Common: (ampersand), amper, and.  Rare: address (from C),
X          reference (from C++), andpersand, bitand, background (from
X          `sh(1)'), pretzel, amp. [INTERCAL called this `ampersand';
X          what could be sillier?]
X
X     '
X          Common: single quote, quote, (apostrophe).  Rare: prime,
X          glitch, tick, irk, pop, [spark], (closing single quotation
X          mark), (acute accent).
X
X     ()
X          Common: left/right paren, left/right parenthesis, left/right,
X          paren/thesis, open/close paren, open/close, open/close
X          parenthesis, left/right banana.  Rare: lparen/rparen,
X          so/already, [wax/wane], (opening/closing parenthesis),
X          left/right ear, parenthisey/unparenthisey, open/close round
X          bracket.
X
X     *
X          Common: star, {splat}, (asterisk).  Rare: wildcard, gear,
X          dingle, mult, spider, aster, times, twinkle, glob (see
X          {glob}), {Nathan Hale}.  [INTERCAL called this `splat']
X
X     +
X          Common: (plus), add.  Rare: cross, [intersection].
X
X     ,
X          Common: (comma).  Rare: (cedilla), [tail].
X
X     -
X          Common: dash, (hyphen), (minus).  Rare: [worm], option, dak,
X          bithorpe.
X
X     .
X          Common: dot, point, (period), (decimal point).  Rare: radix
X          point, full stop, [spot].
X
X     /
X          Common: slash, stroke, (slant), forward slash.  Rare:
X          diagonal, solidus, over, slak, virgule, [slat].
X
X     :
X          Common: (colon).  Rare: [two-spot].
X
X     ;
X          Common: (semicolon), semi.  Rare: weenie, [hybrid].
X
X     <>
X          Common: (less/greater than), left/right angle bracket,
X          bra/ket, left/right broket.  Rare: from/{into,towards}, read
X          from/write to, suck/blow, comes-from/gozinta, in/out,
X          crunch/zap (all from UNIX), [angle/right angle].
X
X     =
X          Common: (equals), gets, takes.  Rare: quadrathorpe,
X          [half-mesh].
X
X     ?
X          Common: query, (question mark), {ques}.  Rare: whatmark,
X          [what], wildchar, huh, hook, buttonhook, hunchback.
X
X     @
X          Common: at sign, at, strudel.  Rare: each, vortex, whorl,
X          [whirlpool], cyclone, snail, ape, cat, rose, cabbage,
X          (commercial at).
X
X     V
X          Rare: vee, [book].
X
X     []
X          Common: left/right square bracket, (opening/closing bracket),
X          bracket/unbracket, left/right bracket.  Rare: square/unsquare,
X          [U turn/U turn back].
X
X     \
X          Common: backslash, escape (from C/UNIX), reverse slash, slosh,
X          backslant, backwhack.  Rare: bash, (reverse slant), reversed
X          virgule, [backslat].
X
X     ^
X          Common: hat, control, uparrow, caret, (circumflex).  Rare:
X          chevron, [shark (or shark-fin)], to the (`to the power of'),
X          fang.
X
X     _
X          Common: (underline), underscore, underbar, under.  Rare:
X          score, backarrow (from the ASCII-1963 graphic), [flatworm].
X
X     `
X          Common: backquote, left quote, left single quote, open quote,
X          (grave accent), grave.  Rare: backprime, [backspark],
X          unapostrophe, birk, blugle, back tick, back glitch, push,
X          (opening single quotation mark), quasiquote.
X
X     {}
X
X          Common: open/close brace, left/right brace, left/right
X          squiggly, left/right squiggly bracket/brace, left/right curly
X          bracket/brace, (opening/closing brace).  Rare: brace/unbrace,
X          left/right squirrelly, curly/uncurly, leftit/rytit,
X          [embrace/bracelet].
X
X     |
X          Common: bar, or, or-bar, v-bar, pipe, vertical bar.  Rare:
X          (vertical line), gozinta, thru, pipesinta (last three ones
X          from UNIX), [spike].
X
X     ~
X          Common: (tilde), squiggle, {twiddle}, not.  Rare: approx,
X          wiggle, swung dash, enyay, [sqiggle (sic)].
X
X   The pronunciation of `#' as `pound' is common in the U.S. but
X   a bad idea; {{Commonwealth Hackish}} has its own rather more apposite
X   use of `pound sign' (confusingly, on British keyboards the pound
X   graphic happens to replace `#'; thus Britishers sometimes call `#'
X   on a US-ASCII keyboard `pound', compounding the American error).
X   The U.S. usage derives from an old-fashioned commercial practice of
X   using a `#' suffix to tag pound weights on bills of lading.
X   The character is usually pronounced `hash' outside the U.S.
X
X   Also note that the `swung dash' or `approximation' sign is not
X   quite the same as tilde in typeset material
X   but the ASCII tilde serves for both (compare {angle
X   brackets}).
X
X   Some other common usages cause odd overlaps.  The `#',
X   `$', `>', and `&' chars, for example, are all
X   pronounced "hex" in different communities because various
X   assemblers use them as a prefix tag for hexadecimal constants (in
X   particular, `$' in the 6502 world, `>' at Texas
X   Instruments, and `&' on the Sinclair and some other Z80
X   machines).
X
X   The inability of ASCII text to correctly represent any of the
X   world's other major languages makes the designers' choice of 7 bits
X   look more and more like a serious {misfeature} as the use of
X   international networks continues to increase (see {software
X   rot}).  Hardware and software from the US still tends to embody the
X   assumption that ASCII is the *universal* character set; this
X   is a now a major irritant to people who want to use a character set
X   suited to their own language.
X
Xattoparsec: n. `atto-' is the official SI prefix for
X   multiplication by `10 ^ -18', a parsec (parallax-second) is 3.26
X   light-years; an attoparsec is thus 3.26e-18 light years, or about
X   3.1 cm (thus, 1 attoparsec/{microfortnight} equals about 1
X   inch/sec).  This unit is reported to be in use (though probably not
X   very seriously) among hackers in Great Britain.  See {micro-}
X
Xautobogotiphobia: /aw'to-boh-got'*-foh`bee-uh/ n. See {bogotify}.
X
Xautomagically: /aw-toh-maj'i-klee/ or /aw-toh-maj'i-k*l-ee/ adv.
X   Automatically, but in a way which, for some reason (typically
X   because it is too complicated, or too ugly, or perhaps even too
X   trivial), the speaker doesn't feel like explaining to you.  See
X   {magic}.  "The C-INTERCAL compiler generates C, then automagically
X   invokes `cc(1)' to produce an executable."
X
Xavatar: [CMU, Textronix] n. Syn. {root}, {superuser}.  There
X   are quite a few UNIX machines on which the name of the superuser
X   account is `avatar' rather than `root'.  This quirk was originated
X   by a CMU hacker who disliked the term `superuser' and propagated
X   through an ex-CMU hacker at Textronix.
X
Xawk: 1. n. [UNIX techspeak] An interpreted language developed by
X   Aho, Weinberg, and Kernighan (the name is from their initials).  It
X   is characterized by: C-like syntax, a BASIC-like approach to
X   variable typing and declarations, associative arrays, and
X   field-oriented text processing.  See also {Perl}.  2. n.
X   Editing term for an expression awkward to manipulate through normal
X   regular expression facilities.  3. vt. To process data using
X   `awk(1)'.
X
X= B =
X=====
X
Xback door: n. A hole in the security of a system deliberately left in
X   place by designers or maintainers.  The motivation for this is not
X   always sinister; some operating systems, for example, come out of
X   the box with privileged accounts intended for use by field service
X   or the vendor's maintenance programmers.
X
X   Historically, back doors have often lurked in systems longer than
X   anyone expected or planned, and a few have become widely known.
X   The infamous {RTM} worm of late 1988, for example, used a back door
X   in the {BSD} UNIX `sendmail(8)' utility.
X
X   Ken Thompson's 1983 Turing Award lecture to the ACM revealed the
X   existence of a back door in early UNIX versions that may have
X   qualified as the most fiendishly clever security hack of all time.
X   The binaries of the C compiler had code in them which would
X   automatically patch itself into the output executable whenever the
X   compiler itself was being recompiled, and also patch the
X   `login' command, when *it* was being recompiled, to
X   accept a password that gave Thompson entry to the computer whether
X   or not an account had been created for him!  Thompson describes
X   this hack as a {Trojan horse}.  This talk was published as
X   `Reflections on Trusting Trust', Communications of the ACM
X   27,8 (August 1984) pp. 761--763.  Although Thompson didn't say
X   whether the hacked version ever made it off site, it is commonly
X   believed that this back door was in fact propagated through
X   hundreds of machines without any clue to it ever showing up in
X   source.
X
X   Syn. {trap door}; may also be called a `wormhole'.  See also
X   {iron box}, {cracker}, {worm}, {logic bomb}.
X
Xbackbone cabal: n. A group of large-site administrators who pushed
X   through the {Great Renaming} and reined in the chaos of {USENET}
X   during most of the 1980s.  The cabal {mailing list} disbanded in late
X   1988 after a bitter internal catfight, but the net hardly noticed.
X
Xbackbone site: n. A key USENET and email site; one which processes
X   a large amount of third-party traffic, especially if it's the home
X   site of any of the regional coordinators for the USENET maps.
X   Notable backbone sites as of early 1991 include `uunet' and the
X   mail machines at Rutgers University, UC Berkeley, DEC's Western
X   Research Laboratories, Ohio State University, and the University of
X   Texas.  Compare {rib site}, {leaf site}.
X
Xbackgammon:: See {bignum}, {moby}, and {pseudoprime}.
X
Xbackground: n.,adj. 1. [techspeak] A task running in background
X   is detached from the terminal where it was started (and often
X   running at a lower priority); oppose {foreground}.  Nowadays this
X   term is primarily associated with {UNIX}, but it appears first to
X   have been used in this sense on OS/360.  2. By extension, to do a
X   task `in background' is to do it whenever {foreground}
X   matters are not claiming your undivided attention, and `to
X   background' something means to relegate it to a lower priority.
X   Note that this implies ongoing activity but at a reduced level or
X   in spare time, in contrast to mainstream `back burner' which
X   connotes benign neglect until some future resumption of activity.
X   Some people prefer to use the term for processing that they've
X   queued up for their unconscious minds (a tack that one can often
X   fruitfully take when encountering an obstacle in creative work).
X   Compare {amp off}, {slopsucker}.
X
Xbackspace and overstrike: interj. Whoa!  Back up.  Used to suggest
X   that someone just said or did something wrong.  Common among
X   APL programmers.
X
Xbackward combatability: /bak'w*rd k*m-bat'*-bil'*-tee/ [corruption
X   of "backward compatibility"] adj. A property pertaining to
X   hardware or software in which all previous protocols, formats, and
X   layouts are discarded in favor of the `new and improved'
X   protocols, formats, and layouts.  Occurs usually when making the
X   transition between major releases.  When the change is so drastic
X   that the old formats are not retained in the new version, it is
X   said to be `backward combatable'.  See {flag day}.
X
XBAD: [IBM; acronym, Broken As Designed] adj.  Said of a program
X   which is {bogus} due to bad design and misfeatures rather than
X   due to bugginess.  See {working as designed}.
X
XBad Thing: [from the 1930 Sellars & Yeatman parody `1066 And
X   all that'] n. Something which can't possibly result in improvement
X   of the subject.  This term is always capitalized, as in "Replacing
X   all of the 9600 baud modems with bicycle couriers would be a Bad
X   Thing."  Oppose {Good Thing}.  British correspondents confirm
X   that {Bad Thing} and {Good Thing} (and prob. therefore {Right
X   Thing} and {Wrong Thing}) come from the book referenced in the
X   etymology, which discusses rulers who were Good Kings, but Bad
X   Things.  This has apparently created a mainstream idiom on the
X   British side of the pond.
X
Xbagbiter: /bag'biet-*r/ n.  1. Something, such as a program or a
X   computer, that fails to work, or works in a remarkably clumsy
X   manner.  Example: "This text editor won't let me make a file with
X   a line longer than 80 characters!  What a bagbiter!"  2. A person
X   who has caused you some trouble, inadvertently or otherwise,
X   typically by failing to program the computer properly.  Synonyms:
X   {loser}, {cretin}, {chomper}.  3. adj. `bagbiting'
X   Having the quality of a bagbiter.  "This bagbiting system won't
X   let me compute the factorial of a negative number."  Compare
X   {losing}, {cretinous}, {bletcherous}, `barfucious' (under
X   {barfulous}) and `chomping' (under {chomp}).  4. `bite
X   the bag' vi. To fail in some manner.  "The computer keeps crashing
X   every five minutes."  "Yes, the disk controller is really biting
X   the bag."  The original loading of these terms was almost
X   undoubtedly obscene, possibly referring to the scrotum, but in
X   their current usage they have become almost completely sanitized.
X
X   A program on the old MIT-AI PDP-10 called Lexiphage would first
X   draw, on a selected victim's bitmapped terminal, the words "THE
X   BAG" in gothic letters and then a pair of jaws biting pieces of it
X   off.  This is the the first known example of a program
X   *intended* to be a bagbiter.
X
Xbamf: /bamf/ 1. [from old X-Men comics] interj. Notional sound made
X   by a person or object teleporting in or out of the hearer's
X   vicinity.  Often used in {virtual reality} (esp. {MUD})
X   electronic fora when a character wishes to make a dramatic entrance
X   or exit.  2. The sound of magical transformation, used in virtual
X   reality fora like sense #1.  3. [from `Don Washington's
X   Survival Guide'] n. Acronym for `Bad-Ass Mother Fucker', used to
X   refer to one of the handful of nastiest monsters on an LPMUD or
X   similar MUD.
X
Xbanana label: n. The labels often used on the sides of {macrotape}
X   reels, so called because they're shaped roughly like blunt-ended
X   bananas.  This term, like macrotapes themselves, is still current
X   but visibly headed for obsolescence.
X
Xbanana problem: n. [from the story of the little girl who said "I
X   know how to spell `banana', but I don't know when to stop"].  Not
X   knowing where or when to bring a production to a close (compare
X   {fencepost error}).  One may say there is a banana problem of an
X   algorithm with poorly defined or incorrect termination conditions,
X   or in discussing the evolution of a design that may be succumbing
X   to featuritis (see also {creeping elegance}, {creeping
X   featuritis}).  See also item 176 under {HAKMEM}.
X
Xbandwidth: n. 1. Used by hackers in a generalization of its
X   technical meaning as the volume of information per unit time that a
X   computer, person or transmission medium can handle.  "Those are
X   amazing graphics but I missed some of the detail --- not enough
X   bandwidth, I guess."  Compare {low-bandwidth}.  2. Attention
X   span.  3. On {USENET}, a measure of network capacity that is
X   often wasted by people complaining about how network news items
X   posted by others are a waste of bandwidth.
X
Xbang: 1. n. Common spoken name for `!' (ASCII #b0100001),
X   especially when used in pronouncing a {bang path} in spoken
X   hackish.  In elder days this was considered a CMUish usage, with
X   MIT and Stanford hackers preferring {excl} or {shriek}; but the
X   spread of UNIX has carried {bang} with it (esp. via the term
X   {bang path}) and it is now certainly the most common spoken name
X   for `!'.  Note that it is used exclusively for non-emphatic
X   written `!'; one would not say "Congratulations bang"
X   (except possibly for humorous purposes), but if one wanted to
X   specify the exact characters `FOO!', one would speak "Eff oh oh
X   bang".  See {shriek}, {{ASCII}}.  2. interj. An exclamation
X   signifying roughly "I have achieved enlightenment!", or "The
X   dynamite has cleared out my brain!".  Often used to acknowledge
X   that one has perpetrated a {thinko} immediately after one has
X   been called on it.
X
Xbang on: vt. To stress-test a piece of hardware or software, as in
X   "Pete, I banged on the new version of the simulator all day
X   yesterday and it didn't crash once.  I guess it is ready to
X   release."  The term {pound on} is synonymous.
X
Xbang path: n. An old-style UUCP electronic-mail address specifying
X   hops to get from some assumed-reachable location to the addressee,
X   so called because each {hop} is signified by a {bang} sign.  Thus
X   the path `...!bigsite!foovax!barbox!me' directs correspondents
X   to route their mail to machine `bigsite' (presumably a well-known
X   location accessible to everybody) and from there through the
X   machine `foovax' to the account of user `me' on `barbox'.
X
X   In the bad old days of not so long ago, before autorouting mailers
X   became commonplace, people often published compound bang addresses
X   using the { } convention (see {glob}) to give paths from
X   *several* big machines, in the hopes that one's correspondent
X   might be able to get mail to one of them reliably (example:
X   ...!{seismo, ut-sally, gatech}!rice!beta!gamma!me).  Bang paths
X   of 8 to 10 hops were not uncommon in 1981.  Late night dial-up
X   uucp links would cause week-long transmission times.  Bang paths
X   were often selected by both transmission time and reliability, as
X   messages would often get lost.  See {{Internet address}},
X   {network, the}, and {sitename}.
X
Xbanner: n. 1. The title page added to printouts by most print
X   spoolers see {spool}.  Typically includes user or account ID
X   information in very large character-graphics capitals.  2. A
X   similar printout generated (typically on multiple pages of fan-fold
X   paper) from user-specified text, e.g. by a program such as UNIX's
X   `banner([16])'.  3. On interactive software, a first screen
X   containing a logo and/or author credits and/or copyright notice.
X
Xbar: /bar/ n. 1. The second metasyntactic variable, after {foo}
X   and before {baz}.  "Suppose we have two functions FOO and BAR.
X   FOO calls BAR...."  2. Often appended to {foo} to produce
X   {foobar}.
X
Xbare metal: n. 1. New computer hardware, unadorned with such
X   snares and delusions as an {operating system}, {HLL}, or even
X   assembler.  Commonly in the phrase `programming on the bare metal',
X   which refers to the arduous work of {bit bashing} needed to
X   create these basic tools for a new machine.  Real bare-metal
X   programming involves things like building boot proms and BIOS
X   chips, implementing basic monitors used to test device drivers, and
X   writing the assemblers that will be used to write the compiler back
X   ends that will give the new machine a real development environment.
X   2. The same phrase is also used to describe a style of
X   {hand-hacking} that relies on bit-level peculiarities of a
X   particular hardware design, esp. tricks for speed and space
X   optimization that rely on crocks such as overlapping instructions
X   (or, as in the famous case described in Appendix A, interleaving of
X   opcodes on a magnetic drum to minimize fetch delays due to the
X   device's rotational latency).  This sort of thing has become less
X   common as the relative costs of programming time and machine
X   resources have changed, but is still found in heavily constrained
X   environments like industrial embedded systems.  See {real
X   programmer}.
X
X   In the personal computing world, bare metal programming (especially
X   in sense #1 but sometimes also in sense #2) is often considered a
X   {Good Thing}, or at least a necessary thing (because these
X   machines have frequently been sufficiently slow and poorly designed
X   to make it necessary; see {ill-behaved}).  There, the term
X   usually refers to bypassing the BIOS or OS interface and writing
X   the application to directly access device registers and machine
X   addresses.  "To get 19.2 on the serial port, you need to get down
X   to the bare metal."  People who can do this sort of thing are held in
X   high regard.
X
Xbarf: /barf/ [from mainstream slang meaning `vomit'] 1. interj.
X   Term of disgust.  This is the closest hackish equivalent of the
X   Valspeak `gag me with a spoon' (Like, euwww!).  See {bletch}.
X   2. To say "Barf!" or emit some similar expression of disgust. "I
X   showed him my latest hack and he barfed" means only that he
X   complained about it, not that he literally vomited.  3. vi. To fail
X   to work because of unacceptable input.  May mean to give an error
X   message.  Examples: "The division operation barfs if you try to
X   divide by zero."  (That is, the division operation checks for an
X   attempt to divide by zero, and if one is encountered it causes the
X   operation to fail in some unspecified, but generally obvious,
X   manner) "The text editor barfs if you try to read in a new file
X   before writing out the old one."  See {choke}, {gag}.  Note
X   that in Commonwealth hackish, `barf' is generally replaced by
X   `puke' or `vom'.  {barf} is sometimes also used as a
X   metasyntactic variable like {foo} or {bar}.
X
Xbarfulation: interj. Variation of {barf} used around the Stanford
X   area.  An exclamation, expressing disgust.  On seeing some
X   particularly bad code one might exclaim, "Barfulation!  Who wrote
X   this, Quux?"
SHAR_EOF
true || echo 'restore of jargon.ascii failed'
fi
echo 'End of part 2, continue with part 3'
echo 3 > _shar_seq_.tmp
exit 0



Article #8707 (8725 is last):
From: [e-mail] (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.misc
Subject: The Jargon File v2.8.1, 22 MAR 1991, part 3 of 19
Date: Fri Mar 22 18:38:18 1991

Submitted-by: [e-mail]
Archive-name: jargon/part03

---- Cut Here and feed the following to sh ----
#!/bin/sh
# this is jargon.03 (part 3 of jargon)
# do not concatenate these parts, unpack them in order with /bin/sh
# file jargon.ascii continued
#
if test ! -r _shar_seq_.tmp; then
        echo 'Please unpack part 1 first!'
        exit 1
fi
(read Scheck
 if test "$Scheck" != 3; then
        echo Please unpack part "$Scheck" next!
        exit 1
 else
        exit 0
 fi
) < _shar_seq_.tmp || exit 1
if test -f _shar_wnt_.tmp; then
sed 's/^X//' << 'SHAR_EOF' >> 'jargon.ascii' &&
X
Xbarfulous: adj. (also `barfucious') Said of something which would
X   make anyone barf, if only for esthetic reasons.
X
Xbaroque: adj. Feature-encrusted; complex; gaudy; verging on
X   excessive.  Said of hardware or (esp.) software designs, this has
X   many of the connotations of {elephantine} or {monstrosity} but is
X   less extreme and not pejorative in itself.  See also {rococo}.
X
XBartleMUD: /bar'tl-muhd/ n. Any of the MUDs which are derived from
X   the original MUD game (see {MUD}) or use the same software
X   drivers.  BartleMUDs are noted for their (usually slightly offbeat)
X   humor, dry but friendly syntax, and lack of adjectives in object
X   descriptions, so a player is likely to come across `brand172', for
X   instance (see {brand brand brand}).  Some mudders intensely
X   dislike Bartle and this term, preferring to speak of `MUD-1'.
X
Xbatch: adj. Non-interactive.  Hackers use this somewhat more
X   loosely than the traditional technical definitions justify; in
X   particular, switches on a normally interactive program that prepare
X   it to receive non-interactive command input are often referred to
X   as `batch mode' switches.  A `batch file' is a series of
X   instructions written to be handed to an interactive program running
X   in batch mode.
X
Xbathtub curve: n. Common term for the curve (resembling an
X   end-to-end section of one of those claw-footed antique bathtubs)
X   that describes the expected failure rate of electronics with time:
X   initially high, dropping to near zero for most of the system's
X   lifetime, then rising again as it `tires out'.  See also {burn-in
X   period}, {infant mortality}.
X
Xbaud: /bawd/ [simplified from its technical meaning] n. Bits per
X   second.  Hence kilobaud or Kbaud, thousand bits per second.  The
X   technical meaning is `level transitions per second'; this coincides
X   with bps only for two-level modulation with no framing or stop
X   bits.  Hackers are generally aware of these nuances but blithely
X   ignore them.
X
Xbaud barf: /bawd barf/ n. The garbage one gets on the monitor when
X   using a modem connection with some protocol setting (esp. line
X   speed) incorrect, or when someone picks up a voice extension on the
X   same line, or when really bad line noise disrupts the connection.
X   Baud barf is not completely {random}, by the way; hackers with a
X   lot of serial-line experience can usually tell whether the device
X   at the other end is expecting a higher or lower speed than the
X   terminal is set to.  *Really* experienced ones can identify
X   particular speeds.
X
Xbaz: /baz/ [Stanford corruption of {bar}] n. 1. The third
X   metasyntactic variable, after {foo} and {bar} and before
X   {quux} (or, occasionally, `qux'; or local idiosyncracies like
X   `rag', `zowie', etc.).  "Suppose we have three
X   functions FOO, BAR, and BAZ.  FOO calls BAR, which calls
X   BAZ...."  2. interj. A term of mild annoyance.  In this usage
X   the term is often drawn out for two or three seconds, producing an
X   effect not unlike the bleating of a sheep; /baaaaaaz/.
X   3. Occasionally appended to {foo} to produce `foobaz'.
X
Xbboard: /bee'bord/ [contraction of `bulletin board'] n.
X   1. Any electronic bulletin board; esp. used of {BBS} systems
X   running on personal micros, less frequently of a USENET
X   {newsgroup} (in fact, use of the term for a newsgroup generally
X   marks one either as a {newbie} fresh in from the BBS world or as
X   a real old-timer predating USENET).  2. At CMU and other colleges
X   with similar facilities, refers to campus-wide electronic bulletin
X   boards.  3. The term `physical bboard' is sometimes used to
X   refer to a old-fashioned, non-electronic cork memo board.  At CMU,
X   it refers to a particular one outside the CS Lounge.
X
X   In either of senses 1 or 2, the term is usually prefixed by the
X   name of the intended board (`the Moonlight Casino bboard' or
X   `market bboard'); however, if the context is clear, the better-read
X   bboards may be referred to by name alone, as in [at CMU] "Don't
X   post for-sale ads on general".
X
XBBS: [acronym, Bulletin Board System] n. An electronic bulletin
X   board system; that is, a message database where people can log in
X   and leave broadcast messages for others grouped (typically) into
X   topic areas.  Thousands of local BBS systems are in operation
X   throughout the U.S., typically run by amateurs for fun out of their
X   homes on MS-DOS boxes with a single modem line each.  Fans of
X   USENET and Internet or the big commercial timesharing bboards like
X   CompuServe or GEnie tend to consider local BBSes the low-rent
X   district of the hacker culture, but they serve a valuable function
X   by knitting together lots of hackers and users in the
X   personal-micro world who would otherwise be unable to exchange code
X   at all.
X
Xbeam: [from Star Trek Classic's "Beam me up, Scotty!"] vt. To
X   transfer {softcopy} of a file electronically; most often in
X   combining forms such as `beam me a copy' or `beam that over to
X   his site'.  Compare {blast}, {snarf}, {BLT}.
X
Xbeep: n.,v. Syn. {feep}.  This term seems to be preferred among micro
X   hobbyists.
X
Xbeige toaster: n. A Macintosh. See {toaster}; compare
X   {Macintrash}, {maggotbox}.
X
Xbells and whistles: [by analogy with the toyboxes on theater
X   organs] n. Features added to a program or system to make it more
X   {flavorful} from a hacker's point of view, without necessarily
X   adding to its utility for its primary function.  Distinguished from
X   {chrome}, which is intended to attract users.  "Now that we've
X   got the basic program working, let's go back and add some bells and
X   whistles."  However, no one seems to know what distinguishes a
X   bell from a whistle.
X
Xbells, whistles, and gongs: n. A standard elaborated form of
X   {bells and whistles}; typically said with a pronounced and ironic
X   accent on the `gongs'.
X
Xbenchmark: [techspeak] n. An inaccurate measure of computer
X   performance.  "In the computer industry, there are three kinds of
X   lies: lies, damn lies, and benchmarks."  Well-known ones include
X   Whetstone, Dhrystone, the Gabriel LISP benchmarks (see
X   {gabriel}), Rhealstone (see {h}), the SPECmark suite and
X   LINPACK.  See also {machoflops}, {MIPS}.
X
XBerkeley Quality Software: adj. (often abbreviated `BQS') Term used
X   in a pejorative sense to refer to software which was apparently
X   created by rather spaced-out hackers late at night to solve some
X   unique problem.  It usually has nonexistent, incomplete, or
X   incorrect documentation, has been tested on at least two examples,
X   and core dumps when anyone else attempts to use it.  This term was
X   frequently applied to early versions of the `dbx(1)' debugger.
X   See also {Berzerkeley}.
X
Xberklix: /ber'kliks/ n.,adj. [contraction of `Berkeley UNIX'] See
X   {BSD}.  Not used at Berkeley itself.  May be more common among
X   {suit}s attempting to sound like cognoscenti than among hackers,
X   who usually just say `BSD'.
X
Xberserking: vi. A {MUD} term meaning to gain points *only*
X   by killing other players and mobiles (non-player characters).
X   Hence a Berserker-Wizard is a player character that has achieved
X   enough points to become a wizard, but only by killing other
X   characters.  Berserking is sometimes frowned upon because of its
X   inherently antisocial nature, but some MUDs have a `berserker
X   mode' in which a player becomes *permanently* berserk, can
X   never flee out of a fight, cannot use magic, gets no score for
X   treasure, but *does* get double kill points.  "Berserker
X   wizards can seriously damage your elf!"
X
XBerzerkeley: [from "berserk"] /b*r-zer'klee/ [from the name of
X   a now-deceased record label] n. Humorous distortion of `Berkeley'
X   used esp. to refer to the practices or products of the {BSD}
X   UNIX hackers.  See {software bloat}, {Missed'em-five},
X   {Berkeley Quality Software}.
X
X   Mainstream use of this term in reference to the cultural and
X   political peculiarities of UC Berkeley as a whole has been reported
X   from as far back as the 1960s.
X
Xbeta: /be't*/, /bay't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/ n. 1. In the
X   {Real World}, software often goes through two stages of testing:
X   Alpha (in-house) and Beta (out-house?).  Software is said to be
X   `in beta'.  2. Anything that is new and experimental is in
X   beta. "His girlfriend is in beta."  3. Beta software is
X   notoriously buggy, so `in beta' connotes flakiness.
X
X   Historical note: More formally, to beta-test is to test a
X   pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software
X   by making it available to selected customers and users.  This term
X   derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints,
X   first used at IBM but later standard throughout the industry.
X   `Alpha Test' was the unit, module, or component test phase; `Beta
X   Test' was initial system test.  These themselves came from earlier
X   A- and B-tests for hardware.  The A-test was a feasibility and
X   manufacturability evaluation done before any commitment to design
X   and development.  The B-test was a demonstration that the
X   engineering model functioned as specified.  The C-test
X   (corresponding to today's beta) was the B-test performed on early
X   samples of the production design.
X
XBFI: n. See {brute force and ignorance}.  Also encountered in the
X   variant `BFMI', `brute force and *massive* ignorance'.
X
Xbible: n. 1. One of a small number of fundamental source books
X   such as {Knuth} and {K&R}.  2. The most detailed and
X   authoritative reference for a particular language, operating
X   system, or other complex software system.
X
XBiCapitalization: adj. The act said to have been performed on
X   trademarks such as NeXT, {NeWS}, VisiCalc, FrameMaker, TK!solver,
X   EasyWriter and others which have been raised above the hoi polloi
X   of common coinage by nonstandard capitalization.  Too many
X   {marketroid} types think this sort of thing is really cute, even
X   the 2,317th time they do it.  Compare {studlycaps}.
X
XBIFF: /bif/ [USENET] n. The most famous {pseudo}, and the
X   prototypical {newbie}.  Articles from BIFF are characterized by
X   all upper case letters sprinkled liberally with bangs, typos,
X   `cute' misspellings (EVRY BUDY LUVS GOOD OLD BIFF CUZ HE"S A K00L
X   DOOD AN HE RITES REEL AWESUM THINGZ IN CAPITULL LETTRS LIKE
X   THIS!!!), use (and often misuse) of fragments of {talk mode}
X   abbreviations, a long {sig block} (sometimes even a {doubled
X   sig}), and unbounded naivete.  BIFF posts articles using his elder
X   brother's VIC-20.  BIFF's location is a mystery, as his articles
X   appear to come from a variety of sites.  However, {BITNET} seems to
X   be the most frequent origin.  The theory that BIFF is a denizen of
X   BITNET is supported by BIFF's (unfortunately invalid) electronic
X   mail address: [e-mail].
X
Xbiff: /bif/ vt. To notify someone of incoming mail; from the BSD
X   utility `biff(1)' which was in turn named after the
X   implementor's dog (it barked whenever the mailman came).
X
XBig Grey Wall: n. What greets a {VMS} user searching for
X   documentation.  A full VMS kit comes on a pallet, the documentation
X   taking up around 15 feet of shelf space before adding layered
X   products such as compilers, databases, multivendor networking,
X   programming tools, etc.  Recent (since VMS V5) DEC documentation
X   comes with grey binders; under VMS V4 the binders were orange
X   (`big orange wall'), and under V3 they were blue.  See {VMS}.
X
Xbig iron: n. Large, expensive, ultra-fast computers.  Used generally
X   of {number-crunching} supercomputers such as Crays, but can include
X   more conventional big commercial IBMish mainframes.  Term of
X   approval; compare {heavy metal}, oppose {dinosaur}.
X
XBig Red Switch: [IBM] n. The power switch on a computer, esp. the
X   `Emergency Pull' switch on an IBM {mainframe} or the power switch
X   on an IBM PC where it really is large and red.  "This !@%$%
X   {bitty box} is hung again; time to hit the Big Red Switch."
X   Sources at IBM report that, in tune with the company's passion for
X   {TLA}s, this is often acronymized as `BRS' (this has also
X   become established on FidoNet and in the PC {clone} world).  It
X   is alleged that the emergency pull switch on an IBM 360/91 actually
X   fired a non-conducting bolt into the main power feed; the BRSes on
X   more recent machines physically drop a block into place so that
X   they can't be pushed back in.  People get fired for pulling them,
X   especially inappropriately (see also {molly-guard}).  Compare
X   {power cycle}, {three-finger salute}.
X
Xbig win: n. Serendipity.  "Yes, those two physicists discovered
X   high-temperature superconductivity in a batch of ceramic that had
X   been prepared incorrectly according to their experimental schedule.
X   Small mistake; big win!"  To `win big' (vi.) is to experience
X   serendipity.  "I went shopping and won big; there was a
X   two-for-one sale."  See {win}.
X
Xbig-endian: [From Swift's `Gulliver's Travels' via a famous
X   paper `On Holy Wars and a Plea for Peace' by Danny Cohen,
X   USC/ISI IEN 137 dated 1 April 1980] 1. adj. Describes a computer
X   architecture in which, within a given multi-byte numeric
X   representation, the most significant byte comes first (the word is
X   stored `big-end-first').  Most processors including the IBM 370
X   family and the {PDP-10}, and Motorola microprocessor families and
X   most of the various RISC designs current in mid-1991 are
X   big-endian.  See {little-endian}, {middle-endian}, {NUXI
X   problem}.  2. adj. An {{Internet address}} the wrong way round.
X   Most of the world follows the Internet standard and writes email
X   addresses starting with the name of the computer and ending up with
X   the name of the country.  In the UK the Joint Networking Team
X   decided to do it the other way round; e.g. `[e-mail]'.
X   Most gateway sites have {ad-hockery} in their mailers to handle
X   this, but can still be confused.  In particular the address above
X   could be in the UK (code `uk') or Czechoslovakia (code `cs').
X
Xbignum: /big'nuhm/ [orig. from MIT MacLISP] n.  1. [techspeak] A
X   multiple-precision computer representation for very large integers.
X   More generally, any very large number.  "Have you ever looked at
X   the United States Budget?  There's bignums for you!"
X   2. [Stanford] n. In backgammon, large numbers on the dice are
X   called `bignums', especially a roll of double fives or double
X   sixes.  See also {El Camino Bignum}.
X
X   Sense #1 may require some explanation.  Most computer languages
X   provide a kind of data called `integer', but such computer integers
X   are usually very limited in size; usually they must be smaller than
X   2 ^ 31 (2,147,483,648) or (on a losing {bitty box}) 2 ^ 15
X   (32,768).  If you want to work with numbers larger than that, you
X   have to use floating-point numbers, which are usually accurate to
X   only six or seven decimal places.  Computer languages that provide
X   bignums can perform exact calculations on very large numbers, such
X   as 1000! (the factorial of 1000, which is 1000 times 999 times 998
X   times ... times 2 times 1).  For example, this value for 1000!
X   was computed by the MacLISP system using bignums:
X
X     40238726007709377354370243392300398571937486421071
X     46325437999104299385123986290205920442084869694048
X     00479988610197196058631666872994808558901323829669
X     94459099742450408707375991882362772718873251977950
X     59509952761208749754624970436014182780946464962910
X     56393887437886487337119181045825783647849977012476
X     63288983595573543251318532395846307555740911426241
X     74743493475534286465766116677973966688202912073791
X     43853719588249808126867838374559731746136085379534
X     52422158659320192809087829730843139284440328123155
X     86110369768013573042161687476096758713483120254785
X     89320767169132448426236131412508780208000261683151
X     02734182797770478463586817016436502415369139828126
X     48102130927612448963599287051149649754199093422215
X     66832572080821333186116811553615836546984046708975
X     60290095053761647584772842188967964624494516076535
X     34081989013854424879849599533191017233555566021394
X     50399736280750137837615307127761926849034352625200
X     01588853514733161170210396817592151090778801939317
X     81141945452572238655414610628921879602238389714760
X     88506276862967146674697562911234082439208160153780
X     88989396451826324367161676217916890977991190375403
X     12746222899880051954444142820121873617459926429565
X     81746628302955570299024324153181617210465832036786
X     90611726015878352075151628422554026517048330422614
X     39742869330616908979684825901254583271682264580665
X     26769958652682272807075781391858178889652208164348
X     34482599326604336766017699961283186078838615027946
X     59551311565520360939881806121385586003014356945272
X     24206344631797460594682573103790084024432438465657
X     24501440282188525247093519062092902313649327349756
X     55139587205596542287497740114133469627154228458623
X     77387538230483865688976461927383814900140767310446
X     64025989949022222176590433990188601856652648506179
X     97023561938970178600408118897299183110211712298459
X     01641921068884387121855646124960798722908519296819
X     37238864261483965738229112312502418664935314397013
X     74285319266498753372189406942814341185201580141233
X     44828015051399694290153483077644569099073152433278
X     28826986460278986432113908350621709500259738986355
X     42771967428222487575867657523442202075736305694988
X     25087968928162753848863396909959826280956121450994
X     87170124451646126037902930912088908694202851064018
X     21543994571568059418727489980942547421735824010636
X     77404595741785160829230135358081840096996372524230
X     56085590370062427124341690900415369010593398383577
X     79394109700277534720000000000000000000000000000000
X     00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
X     00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
X     00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
X     00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
X     000000000000000000.
X
Xbigot: n. A person who is religiously attached to a particular
X   computer, language, operating system, editor or other tool (see
X   {religious issues}).  Usually found with a specifier; thus,
X   `cray bigot', `APL bigot', `VMS bigot', `EMACS
X   bigot'.  True bigots can be distinguished from mere partisans or
X   zealots by the fact that they refuse to learn alternatives even
X   when the march of time and/or technology is threatening to
X   obsolete the favored tool.  It is said "You can tell a bigot, but
X   you can't tell him much."  Compare {weenie}.
X
Xbit: [from the mainstream meaning and `binary digit'] n.
X   1. [techspeak] The unit of information; the amount of information
X   obtained by asking a yes-or-no question for which the two outcomes
X   are equally probable 2. [techspeak] A computational quantity that
X   can take on one of two values, such as true and false, or zero and
X   one.  3. A mental flag: a reminder that something should be done
X   eventually.  Example: "I have a bit set for you." (I haven't seen
X   you for a while, and I'm supposed to tell or ask you something.)
X   4. More generally, a (possibly incorrect) mental state of belief.
X   Example: "I have a bit set that says that you were the last guy to
X   hack on EMACS."  (Meaning, "I think you were the last guy who
X   hacked on EMACS, and what I am about to say is predicated on this,
X   so please stop me if this isn't true.")
X
X   "I just need one bit from you" is a polite way of indicating that
X   you intend only a short interruption for a question which can
X   presumably be answered with a yes or no.
X
X   A bit is said to be `set' if its value is true or one, and
X   `reset' or `clear' if its value is false or zero.  One
X   speaks of setting and clearing bits.  To `toggle' or
X   `invert' a bit is to change it, either from zero to one or from
X   one to zero.  See also {flag}, {trit}, {mode bit}.
X
Xbit bang: n. Transmission of data on a serial line, when
X   accomplished by rapidly tweaking a single output bit at the
X   appropriate times (popular on certain early models of Prime
X   computers, presumably when UARTs were too expensive, and on archaic
X   Z80 micros with a Zilog PIO but no SIO).  The technique is a simple
X   loop with eight OUT and SHIFT instruction pairs for each byte.
X   Input is more interesting.  And full duplex (doing input and output
X   at the same time) is one way to separate the real hackers from the
X   {wannabee}s.
X
Xbit bashing: n. (also, `bit diddling' or {bit twiddling}) Term
X   used to describe any of several kinds of low-level programming
X   characterized by manipulation of {bit}, {flag}, {nybble} and other
X   smaller-than-character-sized pieces of data: these include
X   low-level device control, encryption algorithms, checksum and
X   error-correcting codes, hash functions, some flavors of graphics
X   programming (see {bitblt}), and assembler/compiler code generation.
X   May connote either tedium or a real technical challenge (more
X   usually the former).  "The command decoding for the new tape
X   driver looks pretty solid but the bit-bashing for the control
X   registers still has bugs."  See also {bit bang}, {mode bit}.
X
Xbit twiddling: n. 1. (pejorative) An exercise in {tuning} in
X   which incredible amounts of time and effort go to produce little
X   noticeable improvement, with the frequent result that the code has
X   become incomprehensible.  2. aimless small modification to a
X   program, esp. for some pointless goal.  3. Approx. syn. for {bit
X   bashing}; esp. used for the act of frobbing the device control
X   register of a peripheral in an attempt to get it back to a known
X   state.
X
Xbit bucket: n. 1. The universal data sink (originally, the mythical
X   receptacle used to catch bits when they fall off the end of a
X   register during a shift instruction).  Data that is discarded,
X   lost, or destroyed is said to `go to the bit bucket'.  On
X   {UNIX}, often used for {/dev/null}.  Sometimes amplified as
X   `the Great Bit Bucket in the Sky'.  2. The place where all lost
X   mail and news messages eventually go.  The selection is performed
X   according to {Murphy's Law}; important mail is much more likely
X   to end in the bit bucket than junk mail, which has almost 100%
X   probability of getting delivered.  Routing to the bit bucket is
X   automatically performed by the mail transfer agents, news systems
X   and the lower layers of the network.  3. The ideal location for all
X   unwanted mail responses, e.g "Flames about this article to
X   /dev/null."  Such a request is guaranteed to overflow one's
X   mailbox with flames.  4. Excuse for all mail that has not been
X   sent.  Example: "I mailed you those figures last week, they must
X   have ended in the bit bucket."
X
X   This term is used purely in jest.  It's based on the fanciful
X   notion that bits are objects that are not destroyed, but only
X   misplaced.  This appears to have been a mutation of an earlier term
X   `bit box', about which the same legend was current; old-time
X   hackers also report that trainees used to be told that when the CPU
X   stored bits into memory it was actually pulling them "out of the
X   bit box".  See also {chad box}, {null device}.
X
X   Another variant of this legend has it that due to the `parity
X   preservation law' the number of 1 (one) bits that end into the bit
X   bucket must equal the number of 0 (zero) bits.  Any imbalance
X   results in bits filling up the bit bucket.  A qualified computer
X   techinician can empty a full bit bucket as part of scheduled
X   maintenance.
X
Xbit decay: n. See {bit rot}.  People with a physics background
X   tend to prefer this one for the analogy with particle decay.  See
X   also {computron}, {quantum bogodynamics}.
X
Xbit rot: n. Also {bit decay}.  Hypothetical disease the existence
X   of which has been deduced from the observation that unused programs
X   or features will often stop working after sufficient time has
X   passed, even if `nothing has changed'.  The theory explains that
X   bits decay as if they were radioactive.  As time passes, the
X   contents of a file or the code in a program will become
X   increasingly garbled.
X
X   There actually are physical processes that produce such effects
X   (alpha particles generated by trace radionuclides in ceramic chip
X   packages, for example, can change the contents of a computer memory
X   unpredictably, and various kinds of subtle media failures can
X   corrupt files in mass storage) but they are quite rare (and
X   computers are built with error-detecting circuitry to compensate
X   for them).  The notion long favored among hackers that {cosmic
X   rays} are among the causes of such events turns out however to be a
X   myth; see the {cosmic rays} entry.
X
X   The term {software rot} is almost synonymous.  Software rot is
X   the effect, bit rot the notional cause.
X
Xbit-paired keyboard: n. obs.  A non-standard keyboard layout which
X   seems to have originated with the Teletype ASR-33 and remained
X   common for several years on early computer equipment.  The ASR-33
X   was a mechanical device (see {EOU}), so the only way to generate
X   the character codes from keystrokes was by some physical linkage.
X   The design of the ASR-33 assigned each character key a basic
X   pattern which could be modified by flipping bits if the SHIFT or
X   CTRL key were pressed.  In order to avoid making the thing more of
X   a Rube Goldberg kluge than it already was, the design had to group
X   characters which shared the same basic bit pattern on one key.
X
X   Looking at the ASCII chart, we find:
X
X     3 high     4 low bits
X      bits      0000 0001 0010 0011 0100 0101 0110 0111 1000 1001
X       010     space   !    "    #    $    %    &    '    (    )
X       011        0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9
X
X   That's why the characters !"#$%&'() appear where they do on a
X   Teletype.  This was *not* the weirdest variant of the
X   {QWERTY} layout widely seen, by the way; that prize should
X   probably go to one of several (differing) arrangements on IBM's
X   even clunkier 026 and 029 card punches.
X
X   When electronic terminals became popular in the early 1970s there
X   was no agreement in the industry over how the keyboards should be
X   laid out.  Some vendors opted to emulate the Teletype keyboard,
X   while others used the flexibility of electronic circuitry to make
X   their product look like an office typewriter.  These alternatives
X   became known as `bit-paired' and `typewriter-paired' keyboards.  To
X   a hacker, the bit-paired keyboard seemed far more logical --- and
X   because most hackers in those days had never learned to touch-type,
X   there was little pressure from the pioneering users to adapt
X   keyboards to the typewriter standard.
X
X   The doom of the bit-paired keyboard was the large-scale
X   introduction of the computer terminal into the normal office
X   environment, where out-and-out technophobes were expected to use
X   the equipment.  The `typewriter-paired' standard became universal,
X   `bit-paired' hardware was quickly junked or relegated to dusty
X   corners, and both terms passed into disuse.
X
Xbitblt: /bit'blit/ n. [from {BLT}, q.v.] 1. Any of a closely
X   related family of algorithms for moving and copying rectangles of
X   bits between main and display memory on a bit-mapped device, or
X   between two areas of either main or display memory (the requirement
X   to do the {Right Thing} in the case of overlapping source and
X   destination rectangles is what makes BitBlt tricky).  2. Synonym
X   for {blit} or {BLT}.  Both uses are borderline techspeak.
X
XBITNET: n. Everybody's least favorite piece of the network (see
X   {network, the}).  The BITNET hosts are a collection of IBM
X   dinosaurs that communicate using 80-character {{EBCDIC}} card
X   images; thus, they tend to mangle the headers and text of
X   third-party traffic from the rest of the ASCII/RFC-822 world with
X   annoying regularity.  BITNET is also notorious as the apparent home
X   of {BIFF}.
X
Xbits: n. 1. Information.  Examples: "I need some bits about file
X   formats."  ("I need to know about file formats.")  Compare {core
X   dump}, sense #4.  2. Machine-readable representation of a document,
X   specifically as contrasted with paper.  "I have only a photocopy
X   of the Jargon File; does anyone know where I can get the bits?".
X   See {softcopy}, {source of all good bits}.
X
Xbitty box: /bit'ee boks/ n. 1. A computer sufficiently small,
X   primitive, or incapable as to cause a hacker acute claustrophobia
X   at the thought of developing for it.  Especially used of small,
X   obsolescent, single-tasking-only personal machines like the Atari
X   800, Osborne, Sinclair, VIC-20, TRS-80, or IBM PC.  2. Pejorative.
X   More generally, the opposite of `real computer' (see {Get a real
X   computer!}).  See also {mess-dos}, {toaster}, and {toy}.
X
Xbixie: /biks'ee/ n. Variant {emoticon}s used on BIX (the Byte
X   Information Exchange).  The `smiley' bixie is <@_@>, apparently
X   intending to represent two cartoon eyes and a mouth.  A few others
X   have been reported.
X
Xblack art: n. A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by
X   implication) mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular
X   application or systems area (compare {black magic}).  VLSI design
X   and compiler code optimization were (in their beginnings)
X   considered classic examples of black art; as theory developed they
X   became {deep magic}, and once standard textbooks had been written
X   became merely {heavy wizardry}.  The huge proliferation of formal
X   and informal channels for spreading around new computer-related
X   technologies during the last twenty years has made both the term
X   `black art' and what it describes less common than formerly.  See
X   also {voodoo programming}.
X
Xblack hole: n. When a piece of email or netnews disappears
X   mysteriously between its origin and destination sites (that is,
X   without returning a {bounce message}) it is commonly said to have
X   "fallen into a black hole".  Similarly, one might say "I think
X   there's a black hole at foovax!" to convey suspicion that site
X   foovax has been dropping a lot of stuff on the floor lately (see
X   {drop on the floor}).  The implied metaphor of email as
X   interstellar travel is interesting in itself.  Compare {bit
X   bucket}.
X
Xblack magic: n. A technique which works, though nobody really
X   understands why.  More obscure than {voodoo programming}, which
X   may be done by cookbook.  Compare also {black art}, {deep
X   magic}, and {magic number} (sense #2).
X
Xblast: 1. vt.,n. Synonym for {BLT}, used esp. for large data
X   sends over a network or comm line.  Opposite of {snarf}.  Usage:
X   uncommon.  The variant `blat' has been reported.  2. vt.
X   [HP/Apollo] Synonymous with {nuke} (sense #3).  Sometimes the
X   message "Unable to kill all processes.  Blast them (y/n)?" would
X   appear in the command window upon logout.
X
Xblat: n. See {thud}.
X
Xblazer: n. (also `'blazer') Nickname for the Telebit Trailblazer,
X   an expensive but extremely reliable and effective high-speed modem,
X   popular at UNIX sites that pass large volumes of {email} and
X   {USENET} news.
X
Xbletch: /blech/ [from Yiddish/German `brechen', to vomit, poss.
X   via comic-strip exclamation `blech'] interj.  Term of disgust.
X   Often in "Ugh, bletch".  Compare {barf}.
X
Xbletcherous: /blech'*-rus/ adj. Disgusting in design or function;
X   esthetically unappealing.  This word is seldom used of people.
X   "This keyboard is bletcherous!" (Perhaps the keys don't work very
X   well, or are misplaced).  See {losing}, {cretinous},
X   {bagbiter}, {bogus}, and {random}.  The term {bletcherous}
X   applies to the esthetics of the thing so described; similarly for
X   `cretinous'.  By contrast, something that is `losing' or
X   `bagbiting' may be failing to meet objective criteria.  See also
X   {bogus} and {random}, which have richer and wider shades of
X   meaning than any of the above.
X
Xblinkenlights: /blink'*n-lietz/ n. Front-panel diagnostic lights
X   on a computer, esp. a {dinosaur}.  Derives from the last word of
X   the famous blackletter-Gothic "ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS!"
X   notice in mangled pseudo-German that once graced about half the
X   computer rooms in the English-speaking world.  The sign in its
X   entirety ran:
X
X                        ACHTUNG!  ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS
X     Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben.
X     Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken
X     mit spitzensparken.  Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen.
X     Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen hans in das pockets muss;
X     relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.
X
X   This silliness dates back at least as far as 1959 at Stanford
X   University and had already gone international by the early '60s,
X   when it was reported at London University's ATLAS computing site.
X   There are several variants of it in circulation, some of which
X   actually do end with the word `blinkenlights'.  It is reported, by
X   the way, that an analogous travesty in mangled English is posted in
X   German computer laboratories.  See also {geef}.
X
Xblit: /blit/ vt. 1. To copy a large array of bits from one part
X   of a computer's memory to another part, particularly when the
X   memory is being used to determine what is shown on a display
X   screen.  "The storage allocator picks through the table and copies
X   the good parts up into high memory, and at the end {blit}s it all
X   back down again."  See {bitblt}, {BLT}, {dd}, {cat},
X   {blast}, {snarf}.  More generally, to perform some operation
X   (such as toggling) on a large array of bits while moving them.
X   2. All-capitalized as `BLIT': An early experimental bit-mapped
X   terminal designed by Rob Pike at Bell Labs, later commercialized as
X   the AT&T 5620.  The folk etymology from `Bell Labs Intelligent
X   Terminal' is incorrect.
X
Xblitter: n. A special-purpose chip or hardware system built to
X   perform {blit} operations, esp. used for fast implementation of
X   bit-mapped graphics.  The Commodore Amiga and a few other micros
X   have these, but in 1991 the trend is away from them (however, see
X   {cycle of reincarnation}).  Syn. {raster blaster}.
X
Xblivet: [allegedly from a World War II military term meaning "ten
X   pounds of manure in a five-pound bag"] n. 1. An intractable
X   problem.  2. A crucial piece of hardware which can't be fixed or
X   replaced if it breaks.  3. A tool that has been hacked over by so
X   many incompetent programmers that it has become an unmaintainable
X   tissue of hacks.  4. An out-of-control but unkillable development
X   effort.  5. An embaressing bug that pops up during a customer demo.
X
X   This term has other meanings in other technical cultures; in
X   particular, among experimental physicists and hardware engineers of
X   various kinds it seems to mean any random object of unknown purpose
X   (similar to hackish use of {frob}).  It has also been used to
X   describe an amusing trick-the-eye drawing resembling a
X   three-pronged fork which appears to depict a three-dimensional
X   object until one realizes that the parts fit together in an
X   impossible way.
X
Xblock: [from process scheduling terminology in OS theory] 1. vi.
X   To delay or sit idle while waiting for something.  "We're blocking
X   until everyone gets here."  Compare {busy-wait}.  2. `block
X   on' vt. To block, waiting for (something).  "Lunch is blocked on
X   Phil's arrival."
X
Xblock transfer computations: n. From the Dr. Who television series:
X   in the show, it referred to computations so fiendishly subtle and
X   complex that they could not be performed by machines.  Used to
X   refer to any task that should be expressible as an algorithm in
X   theory, but isn't.
X
Xblow an EPROM: v. To program a read-only memory, e.g. for use with
X   an embedded system.  This term arises because the programming
X   process for the Programmable Read-Only Memories (PROMs) that
X   preceded present-day Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memories
X   (EPROMs) involved intentionally blowing tiny electrical fuses on
X   the chip.  Thus, one was said to "blow a PROM" and the
X   terminology carried over even though the write process on EPROMs is
X   nondestructive.
X
Xblow away: vt. To remove files and directories from permanent storage
X   with extreme prejudice, generally by accident.  Oppose {nuke}.
X
Xblow out: vi. Of software, to fail spectacularly; almost as serious
X   as {crash and burn}.  See {blow past}.
X
Xblow past: vt. To {blow out} despite a safeguard.  "The server blew
X   past the 5K reserve buffer."
X
Xblow up: vi. [scientific computation] To become unstable.  Suggests
X   that the computation is diverging so rapidly that it will soon
X   overflow or at least go {nonlinear}.
X
XBLT: /bee ell tee/, /bl*t/ or (rarely) /belt/ n.,vt. Synonym
X   for {blit}.  This is the original form of {blit} and the
X   ancestor of {bitblt}.  It referred to any large bit-field copy or
X   move operation (one resource intensive memory-shuffling operation
X   done on pre-paged versions of ITS, WAITS, and TOPS- 10 was
X   sardonically referred to as `The Big BLT').  The jargon usage has
X   outlasted the {PDP-10} BLock Transfer instruction from which
X   {BLT} derives; nowadays, the assembler mnemonic {BLT} almost
X   always means `Branch if Less Than zero'.
X
XBlue Book: n. 1. Informal name for one of the three standard
X   references on the page-layout and graphics-control language
X   PostScript (`PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook', Adobe
X   Systems, Addison-Wesley 1985, QA76.73.P67P68, ISBN 0-201-10179-3);
X   the other two official guides are known as the {Green Book} and
X   {Red Book}.  2. Informal name for one of the three standard
X   references on Smalltalk: `Smalltalk-80: The Language and its
X   Implementation', David Robson, Addison-Wesley 1983, QA76.8.S635G64,
X   ISBN 0-201-11371-63 (this is also associated with green and red
X   books).  3. Any of the 1988 standards issues by the CCITT 9th
X   plenary assembly.  Until now, they have changed color each review
X   cycle (1984 was {Red Book}, 1992 would be {Green Book}); however,
X   it is rumored that this convention is going to be dropped before
X   1992.  These include, among other things, the X.400 email spec and
X   the Group 1 through 4 fax standards.  See also {{book titles}}.
X
XBlue Glue: [IBM] n. IBM's SNA (Systems Network Architecture) an
X   incredibly {losing} and {bletcherous} protocol suite widely
X   favored at commercial shops that don't know any better.  The
X   official IBM definition is "That which binds blue boxes
X   together."  See {fear and loathing}.  It may not be irrelevant
X   that {Blue Glue} is the trade name of a 3M product that is
X   commonly used to hold down the carpet squares to the removable
X   panel floors so common in computer installations.  A correspondent
X   at U. Minn. reports that the CS dept. there has about 80 bottles of
X   Blue Glue hanging about, so they often refer to any messy work to
X   be done as `using the blue glue'.
X
Xblue goo: n. Term for `police' {nanobot}s intended to prevent {gray
X   goo}, denature hazardous waste, destroy pollution, put ozone back
X   into the stratosphere, prevent halitosis, and to promote truth,
X   justice, and the American way, etc., etc.  See {{nanotechnology}}.
X
XBNF: /bee-en-ef/ n. 1. [techspeak] Acronym for `Backus-Naur
X   Form', a metasyntactic notation used to specify the syntax of
X   programming languages, command sets and the like.  Widely used for
X   language descriptions but seldom documented anywhere, so that it
X   must usually be learned by osmosis from other hackers.  Consider
X   this BNF for a postal address:
X
X      <postal-address> ::= <name-part> <street-address> <zip-part>
X
X      <name-part> ::= <first-name> [<middle-part>] <last-name> <EOL>
X
X      <middle-part> ::= <middle-name> | <middle-initial> "."
X
X      <street-address> ::= [<apt>] <street-number> <street-name> <EOL>
X
X      <zip-part> ::= <town-name> "," <state-code> <zip-code> <EOL>
X
X   This translates into English as: A postal-address consists of a
X   name-part, followed by a street-address part, followed by a
X   zip-code part.  A name-part consists of a first-name followed by an
X   optional middle-part followed by a last-name.  A middle-part
X   consists of either a middle name or a middle initial followed by a
X   dot.  A street address consists of an optional apartment specifier
X   followed by a street number, followed by a street name.  A zip-part
X   consts of a town-name, followed by a state code, followed by a
X   zip-code.  Note that many things such as the format of a
X   first-name, apartment specifier, or zip-code are left unspecified.
X   These are presumed to be obvious from context or detailed somewhere
X   nearby.  See also {parse}.
X
X   A major reason BNF is listed here is that the term is also used
X   loosely for any number of variants and extensions, possibly
X   containing some or all of the {glob} wildcards.  In fact the
X   example above isn't the pure form invented for the Algol-60 report;
X   it uses [], which was introduced a few years later in IBM's PL/I
X   definition but is now universally recognized.
X
X   2. In {{Science-Fiction Fandom}}, BNF expands to `Big Name Fan'
X   (someone famous or notorious).  Years ago a fan started handing out
X   black-on-green BNF buttons at SF conventions.  This confused the
X   hacker contingent terribly.
X
Xboa: [IBM] n. Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor
X   in a {dinosaur pen}.  Possibly so called because they display a
X   ferocious life of their own when you try to lay them straight and
X   flat after they have been coiled for some time.  It is rumored
X   within IBM that 370 channel cables are limited to 200 feet because
X   beyond that length the boas get dangerous ... and it is worth
X   noting that one of the major cable makers uses the trademark
X   `Anaconda'.
X
Xboard: n. 1. In-context synonym for {bboard}; sometimes used
X   even for USENET newsgroups.  2. An electronic circuit board
X   (compare {card}).
X
Xboat anchor: n. 1. Like {doorstop} but more severe; implies that the
X   offending hardware is irreversibly dead or useless.  2. Also used
X   of people who just take up space.
X
Xbogo-sort: n. The archetypical perversely awful algorithm (as
X   opposed to {bubble sort}, which is merely the generic *bad*
X   algorithm).  Bogo-sort is equivalent to throwing a deck of cards in
X   the air, picking them up, then testing whether they are in order.
X   If not, repeat.  Used as a sort of canonical example of awfulness.
X   Usage: when one is looking at a program and sees a dumb algorithm,
X   one might say "Oh, I see, this program uses bogo-sort."  Compare
X   {bogus}, {brute force}.
X
Xbogometer: n. See {bogosity}.  Compare the `wankometer' described
X   in the {wank} entry, also {bogus}.
X
Xbogon: /boh'gon/ [by analogy with proton/electron/neutron, but
X   doubtless reinforced after 1980 by the similarity to Douglas
X   Adams's `Vogons', see Appendix C] n. 1. The elementary particle of
X   bogosity (see {quantum bogodynamics}).  For instance, "the
X   Ethernet is emitting bogons again", meaning that it is broken or
X   acting in an erratic or bogus fashion.  2. A query packet sent from
X   a TCP/IP domain resolver to a root server, having the reply bit set
X   instead of the query bit.  3. Any bogus or incorrectly formed
X   packet sent on a network.  4. By synecdoche, used to refer to any
X   bogus thing, as in "I'd like to go to lunch with you but I've got
X   to go to the weekly staff bogon."  5. A person who is bogus or who
X   says bogus things.  This was historically the original usage, but
X   has been overtaken by its derivative senses 1--4.  See
X   also {bogosity}, {bogus}.
X
Xbogon filter: /boh'gon fil'tr/ n. Any device, software or hardware,
X   which limits or suppresses the flow and/or emission of bogons.
X   Example: "Engineering hacked a bogon filter between the Cray and
X   the VAXen and now we're getting fewer dropped packets."  See
X   also {bogosity}, {bogus}.
X
Xbogosity: /boh-go's*-tee/ n. 1. The degree to which something
X   is {bogus}.  At CMU, bogosity is measured with a {bogometer};
X   typical use: in a seminar, when a speaker says something bogus, a
X   listener might raise his hand and say, "My bogometer just
X   triggered.".  More extremely, "You just pinned my bogometer."
X   means you just said or did something so outrageously bogus that it
X   is off the scale, pinning the bogometer needle at the highest
X   possible reading (one might also say "You just redlined my
X   bogometer.").  The agreed-upon unit of bogosity is the microLenat
X   (uL).  The consensus is that this is the largest unit practical for
X   everyday use.  2. The potential field generated by a bogon flux;
X   see {quantum bogodynamics}.  See also {bogosity}, {bogus}.
X
X   [Historical note: microLenat was invented as a attack against noted
X   computer scientist Doug Lenat by a {tenured graduate student}.
X   Doug had failed him on the AI Qual after the student gave "AI is
X   bogus" as his answer to the questions.  The slur is generally
X   considered unmerited, but it has become a running gag nevertheless.
X   Some of Doug's friends argue that `of course' a microLenat is
X   bogus, since it's only one millionth of a Lenat.  Others have
X   suggested that the unit should be re-designated after the grad
X   student, as the microReid.]
X
Xbogotify: /boh-go't*-fie/ vt. To make or become bogus.  A
X   program that has been changed so many times as to become completely
X   disorganized has become bogotified.  If you tighten a nut too hard
X   and strip the threads on the bolt, the bolt has become bogotified
X   and you'd better not use it any more.  This coinage led to the
X   notional `autobogotiphobia' /aw'to-boh-got'*-foh`bee-uh/ n.,
X   defined as the fear of becoming bogotified; but is not clear that
X   the latter has ever been `live' jargon rather than a self-conscious
X   joke in jargon about jargon.  See also {bogosity}, {bogus}.
X
Xbogue out: /bohg owt/ vi. To become bogus, suddenly and
X   unexpectedly.  "His talk was relatively sane until somebody asked
X   him a trick question; then he bogued out and did nothing but
X   {flame} afterwards."  See also {bogosity}, {bogus}.
X
Xbogus: adj. 1. Non-functional.  "Your patches are bogus."
X   2. Useless.  "OPCON is a bogus program."  3. False.  "Your
X   arguments are bogus."  4. Incorrect.  "That algorithm is bogus."
X   5. Unbelievable.  "You claim to have solved the halting problem
X   for Turing Machines?  That's totally bogus."  6. Silly.  "Stop
X   writing those bogus sagas."  Astrology is bogus.  So is a bolt
X   that is obviously about to break.  So is someone who makes
X   blatantly false claims to have solved a scientific problem.  (This
X   word seems to have some, but not all, of the connotations of
X   {random}.)
X
X   It is claimed that `bogus' was originally used in the hackish sense
X   at Princeton, in the late 1960s.  It was spread to CMU and Yale by
X   Michal Shamos, a migratory Princeton alumnus.  A glossary of bogus
X   words was compiled at Yale when the word was first popularized (see
X   {autobogotiphobia} under {bogotify}). The word spread into
X   hackerdom from CMU and MIT.  By the early 1980s, it was also
X   current in something like the hackish sense in West Coast teen
X   slang, and it had gone mainstream by 1985.  A correspondent at
X   Cambridge reports, by contrast, that these uses of `bogus' grate on
X   British nerves; in Britain the word means rather specifically
X   `counterfeit' as in "a bogus pound note".
X
XBohr bug: /bohr buhg/ [from quantum physics] n. A repeatable {bug};
X   one which manifests reliably under a possibly unknown but
X   well-defined set of conditions.  Antonym of {heisenbug}.
X
Xboink: /boynk/ [USENET, perh. from the TV series `Cheers' and
X   `Moonlighting'] 1. To have sex with; compare {bounce},
X   sense #3. (This is mainstream slang.) In Commonwealth hackish the
X   variant `bonk' is more common.  2. After the original Peter
X   Korn `Boinkon' {USENET} parties, used for almost any net social
X   gathering, e.g. Miniboink, a small boink held by Nancy Gillett in
X   1988; Minniboink, a Boinkcon in Minnesota in 1989; Humpdayboinks,
X   Wednesday get-togethers held in the San Francisco Bay Area.
X   Compare {@-party}.
X
Xbomb: 1. v. General synonym for {crash} (sense #1), esp. used
X   of software or OS failures.  "Don't run Empire with less than 32K
X   stack, it'll bomb out."  2. n.,v. Atari ST and Macintosh
X   equivalents of a UNIX `panic' or Amiga {guru} (sense 2),
X   where icons of little black-powder bombs or mushroom clouds are
X   displayed indicating the system has died.  On the Mac, this may be
X   accompanied by a decimal (or occasionally hexadecimal) number
X   indicating what went wrong, similar to the Amiga GURU MEDITATION
X   number (see {guru}).  {MS-DOS} machines tend to get {locked
X   up} in this situation.
X
Xbondage-and-discipline language: A language such as Pascal, Ada,
X   APL, or Prolog that, though ostensibly general-purpose, is designed
X   so as to enforce an author's theory of `right programming' even
X   though said theory is demonstrably inadequate for systems hacking
X   or even vanilla general-purpose programming.  Often abbreviated
X   `B&D'; thus, one may speak of things "having the B&D nature", etc.
SHAR_EOF
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fi
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