eric@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) (01/04/91)
---- Cut Here and unpack ---- #!/bin/sh # This is a shell archive (shar 3.10) # made 01/03/1991 21:05 UTC by eric@snark.thyrsus.com # Source directory /usr2/eric/jargon # # existing files WILL be overwritten # # This shar contains: # length mode name # ------ ---------- ------------------------------------------ # 54590 -rw-r--r-- jsplit.ag # touch 2>&1 | fgrep '[-amc]' > /tmp/s3_touch$$ if [ -s /tmp/s3_touch$$ ] then TOUCH=can else TOUCH=cannot fi rm -f /tmp/s3_touch$$ # ============= jsplit.ag ============== sed 's/^X//' << 'SHAR_EOF' > jsplit.ag && X tactics. X X<meltdown, network> n. A state of complete network overload; the X network equivalent of <thrash>ing. See also <broadcast storm>. X X<meme> /meem/ [coined on analogy with `gene' by Richard Dawkins] n. An X idea considered as a <replicator>. Used esp. in the prase `meme X complex' denoting a group of mutually supporting memes which form X an organized belief system, such as a religion. This dictionary is X a vector of the "hacker subculture" meme complex; each entry X might be considered a meme. However, "meme" is often misused to X mean "meme complex". Use of the term connotes acceptance of the X idea that in humans (and presumably other tool-and language-using X sophonts) cultural evolution by selection of adaptive ideas has X superseded biological evolution by selection of hereditary traits. X Hackers find this idea congenial for tolerably obvious reasons. X X<meme plague> n. The spread of a successful but pernicious <meme>, X esp. one which `parasitizes' the victims into giving their all to X propagate it. Astrology, BASIC, and the other guy's religion are X often considered to be examples. This usage is given point by the X historical fact that `joiner' ideologies like Naziism or various X forms of millenarian Christianity have exhibited plague-like cycles X of exponential growth followed by collapse to small `reservoir' X populations. X X<memetics> /me-me-tiks/ [from <meme>] The study of memes. As of 1990, X this is still an extremely informal and speculative endeavor, X though the first steps towards at least statistical rigor have been X made by H. Keith Henson and others. Memetics is a popular topic X among hackers, who like to see themselves as the architects of the X new information ecologies in which memes live and replicate. X X<memory leak> [C/UNIX programmers] n. An error in a program's X dynamic-store allocation logic that causes it to fail to reclaim X discarded memory, leading to attempted hogging of main store and X eventual collapse due to memory exhaustion. Also (esp. at CMU) X called <core leak>. See <aliasing bug>, <fandango on core>, <smash X the stack>, <precedence lossage>, <overrun screw>, <leaky heap>. X X<menuitis> /men`yoo-i'tis/ n. Notional disease suffered by software X with an obsessively simple-minded menu interface and no escape. X Hackers find this intensely irritating and much prefer the X flexibility of command-line or language-style interfaces, X especially those customizable via macros or a special-purpose X language in which one can encode useful hacks. See X <user-obsequious>, <drool-proof paper>, <WIMP environment>. X X<mess-dos> /mes-dos/ [UNIX hackers] n. Derisory term for MS-DOS. Often X followed by the ritual expurgation "Just Say No!". See MS-DOS. X Most hackers (even many MS-DOS hackers) loathe MS-DOS for its X single-tasking nature, its limits on application size, its nasty X primitive interface, and its ties to IBMness (see <fear and X loathing>). Also "mess-loss", "messy-dos", "mess-dog" X "mess-loss" "mess-dross" and various combinations thereof. X X<meta> /meta@/ or /mayt'@/ [from analytic philosophy] adj. One level X of description up. Thus, a meta-syntactic variable is a variable X in notation used to describe syntax and meta-language is language X used to describe language. This is difficult to explain out of X context, but much hacker humor turns on deliberate confusion X between meta-levels. See <HUMOR, HACKER>. X X<meta bit> /meta@ bit/ or /mayt'@ bit/ n. Bit 8 of an 8-bit X character, on in values 128-255. Also called <high bit> or <alt X bit>. Some terminals and consoles (especially those designed for X LISP traditions) have a META-shift key. Others (including, X mirabile dictu, keyboards on IBM PC-class machines) have an ALT X key. See also <bucky bits>. X X<microfloppies> n. 3-1/2 inch floppies, as opposed to 5-1/4 <vanilla> X or mini-floppies and the now-obsolescent 8-inch variety. This term X may be headed for obsolescence as 5-1/4 inchers pass out of use, X only to be revived if anybody floats a sub-3-inch floppy standard. X See <stiffy>. X X<microtape> n. Occasionally used to mean a DECtape, as opposed to a X <macrotape>. A DECtape is a small reel of magnetic tape about four X inches in diameter and an inch deep. Unlike normal drivers for X standard magnetic tapes, microtape drivers allow "random access" X to the data. In their heyday they were used in pretty much the X same ways one would now use a floppy disk: as a small, portable way X to save and transport files and programs. Apparently the term X "microtape" was actually the official term used within DEC for X these tapes until someone consed up the word "DECtape", which of X course sounded sexier to the <marketroid> types. X X<middle-endian> adj. Not <big-endian> or <little-endian>. Used of X byte orders like 3-4-1-2 occasionally found in the packed-decimal X formats of minicomputer manufacturers who shall remain nameless. X X<millilampson> /mil'i-lamp-sn/ n. How fast people can talk. Most X people run about 200 millilampsons. Butler Lampson (a CS theorist X and systems implementor highly regarded among hackers) goes at X 1000. A few people speak faster. X X<MIPS> /mips/ [acronym] 1. A measure of computing speed; formally, X "Millions of Instructions Per Second"; often rendered by hackers X as "Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed". This joke X expresses a nearly universal attitude about the value of X <benchmark> claims, said attitude being one of the great cultural X divides between hackers and <marketroid>s. 2. The corporate name X of a RISC-chip maker; among other things, they supplied silicon for X the DEC 3100 workstation series. X X<misbug> [mit] n. An unintended property of a program that turns out X to be useful; something that should have been a <bug> but turns out X to be a <feature>. Usage: rare. X X<misfeature> /mis-fee'chr/ n. A feature which eventually screws X someone, possibly because it is not adequate for a new situation X which has evolved. It is not the same as a bug because fixing it X involves a gross philosophical change to the structure of the X system involved. A misfeature is different from a simple X unforeseen side effect; the term implies that the misfeature was X actually carefully planned to be that way, but future consequences X or circumstances just weren't predicted accurately. This is X different from just not having thought ahead about it at all. X Often a former feature becomes a misfeature because a tradeoff was X made whose parameters subsequently changed (possibly only in the X judgment of the implementors). "Well, yeah, it's kind of a X misfeature that file names are limited to six characters, but the X original implementors wanted to save directory space and we're X stuck with it for now." X X<Missed'em-five> n. Pejorative hackerism for AT&T System V UNIX, X generally used by <BSD> partisans in a bigoted mood. See <software X bloat>, <Berzerkely>. X X<moby> [seems to have been in use among model railroad fans years ago. X Derived from Melville's "Moby Dick" (some say from "Moby X Pickle").] 1. adj. Large, immense, complex, impressive. "A X Saturn V rocket is a truly moby frob." "Some MIT undergrads X pulled off a moby hack at the Harvard-Yale game." (see Appendix X A). 2. n. obs. The maximum address space of a machine (see X below). For a 68000 or VAX or most modern 32-bit architectures, it X is 4294967296 8-bit bytes. 3. A title of address (never of X third-person reference), usually used to show admiration, respect, X and/or friendliness to a competent hacker. "Greetings, moby Dave. X How's that address-book thing for the Mac going?" 4. adj. In X backgammon, doubles on the dice, as in "moby sixes", "moby X ones", etc. Compare this with <bignum> (sense #2): double sixes X are both bignums and moby sixes, but moby ones are not bignums (the X use of term "moby" to describe double ones is sarcastic). <moby X foo>, <moby win>, <moby loss>: standard emphatic forms. <foby X moo>: a spoonerism due to Greenblatt. X X This term entered hackerdom with the Fabritek 256K moby memory of X the MIT-AI machine. Thus, a moby is classically, 256K 36-bit words, X the size of a PDP-10 moby (it has two). Back when address X registers were narrow, the term was more generally useful; because X when a computer had virtual memory mapping it might actually X have more physical memory attached to it than any one program could X access directly. One could then say "This computer has six X mobies" to mean that the ratio of physical memory to address space X is six, without having to say specifically how much memory there X actually is. That in turn implied that the computer could X timeshare six "full-sized" programs without having to swap X programs between memory and disk. X X Nowadays the low cost of processor logic means that registers are X typically wider than the most memory you can cram onto a machine, X so most systems have much *less* than 1 theoretical `native' X moby of core. Also, more modern memory-management techniques make X the `moby count' less significant. However, there is one series of X popular chips for which the term could stand to be revived -- the X Intel 8088 and 80286 with their incredibly brain-damaged X segmented-memory design. On these, a `moby' would be the X 1-megabyte address span of a paragraph-plus-offset pair. X X<mode> n. A general state, usually used with an adjective describing X the state. Use of the word "mode" rather than "state" implies X that the state is extended over time, and probably also that some X activity characteristic of that state is being carried out. "No X time to hack; I'm in thesis mode." Usage: in its jargon sense, X "mode" is most often said of people, though it is sometimes X applied to programs and inanimate objects. "The E editor normally X uses a display terminal, but if you're on a TTY it will switch to X non-display mode." This term is normally used in a technical sense X to describe the state of a program. Extended usage --- for X example, to describe people --- is definitely slang. In X particular, see <hack mode>, <day mode>, <night mode>, <demo mode>, X <fireworks mode> and <yoyo mode>; also <talk mode>. X X One also often hears the verbs "enable" and "disable" used in X connection with slang modes. Thus, for example, a sillier way of X saying "I'm going to crash" is "I'm going to enable crash mode X now." One might also hear a request to "disable flame mode, X please". X X<modulo> /mod'yuh-low/ prep. Except for. From mathematical X terminology: one can consider saying that 4=22 "except for the X 9's" (4=22 mod 9) (the precise meaning is a bit more complicated, X but that's the idea). "Well, LISP seems to work okay now, modulo X that <GC> bug." "I feel fine today modulo a slight headache." X X<monkey up> vt. To hack together hardware for a particular task, X especially a one-shot job. Connotes an extremely <crufty> and X consciously temporary solution. X X<monstrosity> 1. n. A ridiculously <elephantine> program or system, X esp. one which is buggy or only marginally functional. 2. The X quality of being monstrous (see `Peculiar nouns' in the discussion X of jargonification). See also <baroque>. X X<Moore's Law> /morz law/ n. The observation that the logic density of X silicon integrated circuits has closely followed the curve (bits X per inch ^ 2) = 2 ^ (n - 1962); that is, the amount of X information storable in one square inch of silicon has roughly X doubled yearly every year since the technology was invented. X X<moria> /mor'i-ah/ n. Together with <nethack> and <rogue>, one of the X large PD Dungeons-and-Dragons simulation games, available for a X wide range of machines and operationg systems. Extremely addictive X and a major consumer of time better used for hacking. X X<MOTAS> /moh-tahs/ [USENET, Member Of The Appropriate Sex] n. A X potential or (less often) actual sex partner. See <MOTOS>, X <MOTSS>, <S.O>. X X<MOTOS> /moh-tohs/ [from the 1970 census forms via USENET, Member Of X The Opposite Sex] n. A potential or (less often) actual sex X partner. See <MOTAS>, <MOTSS>, <S.O.> Less common than <MOTSS> or X <MOTAS>, which has largely displaced it. X X<MOTSS> /motss/ [from the 1970 census forms via USENET, Member Of The X Same Sex] n. Esp. one considered as a possible sexual partner, e.g. X by a gay or lesbian. The gay-issues newsgroup on USENET is called X soc.motss. See <MOTOS> and <MOTAS>, which derive from it. Also X see <S.O.>. X X<mount> vt. 1. To attach a removable physical storage volume to a X machine. In elder days and on mainframes this verb was used almost X exclusively of tapes; nowadays it is more likely to refer to a disk X or disk pack. 2. By extension, to attach any removable device such X as a sensor, robot arm, or <meatware> subsystem (see Appendix A). X 3. [UNIX] To make a <logical> volume of some sort available for X use. The volume in question may or may not be removable and may be X just one partition of a physical device. X X<mouse ahead> vi. To manipulate a computer's pointing device (almost X always a mouse in this usage, but not necessarily) and its X selection or command buttons before a computer program is ready to X accept such input, in anticipation of the program accepting the X input. Handling this properly is rare, but it can help make a X <user friendly> program usable by real users, assuming they are X familiar with the behavior of the user interface. Point-and-click X analog of "type ahead". X X<mouse around> vi. To explore public portions of a large system, esp. X a network such as Internet via <FTP> or <TELNET>, looking for X interesting stuff to <snarf>. X X<mouse elbow> n. A tennis-elbow-like fatigue syndrome resulting from X excessive use of a <WIMP environment>. X X<mouso> /mow'so/ n. [by analogy with `typo'] An error in mouse usage X resulting in an inappropriate selection or graphic garbage on the X screen. Compare <thinko>. X X<MS-DOS> /em-es-dos/ [MicroSoft Disk Operating System] n. A <clone> of X <CP/M> for the 8088 crufted together in six weeks by hacker Tim X Paterson, who is said to have regretted it ever since. Numerous X features including vaguely UNIX-like but rather broken support for X subdirectories, I/O redirection, and pipelines were hacked in in X 2.0 and subsequent versions; as a result, there are two X incompatible versions of many system calls, and MS-DOS programmers X can never agree on basic things like what to use as an option X switch or whether to be case-sensitive. Now the X highest-unit-volume OS in history. Often known simply as DOS, X which annoys people familiar with other similarly-abbreviated X operating systems. See <mess-dos>, <ill-behaved>. X X<MUD> [acronym for "Multi-user Interactive Dungeons"] n. A class of X <virtual reality> experiments accessible via <Internet>. These are X real-time chat forums with structure; they have multiple X `locations' like an adventure game and may include traps, puzzles, X magic, a simple economic system, and the capability for characters X to build more structure onto the database that represents the X existing world. However, there is no notion that corresponds to X `winning' an adventure game, and interaction is primarily social. X The acronym MUD is often lower-cased and/or verbed; thus, one may X speak of "going mudding", etc. X X<multician> /muhl-ti'sh@n/ [coined at Honeywell, c.1970] n. X Competent user of <Multics>. X X<Multics> /muhl'tiks/ n. [from "MULTiplexed Information and Computing X Service"] An early (late 1960s) timesharing operating system X co-designed by a consortium including MIT, GE and Bell X Laboratories, very innovative for its time (among other things, it X introduced the idea of treating all devices uniformly as special X files). All the members but GE eventually pulled out after X determining that <second-system effect> had bloated MULTICS to the X point of practical unusability (the `lean' predecessor in question X is said to have been <CTSS>). Honeywell commercialized Multics X after buying out GE's computer group, but it was never very X successful (among other things, one was required to enter a X password to log out). One of the developers left in the lurch by X the project's breakup was Ken Thompson, a circumstance which led X directly to the birth of <UNIX>. For this and other reasons X aspects of the Multics design remain a topic of occasional debate X among hackers. See also <brain-damage>. X X<mumblage> /mum'bl@j/ n. The topic of one's mumbling (see <mumble>). X "All that mumblage" is used like "all that stuff" when it is X not quite clear what it is or how it works, or like "all that X crap" when "mumble" is being used as an implicit replacement for X obscenities. X X<mumble> interj. 1. Said when the correct response is either too X complicated to enunciate or the speaker has not thought it out. X Often prefaces a longer answer, or indicates a general reluctance X to get into a big long discussion. "Don't you think that we could X improve LISP performance by using a hybrid reference-count X transaction garbage collector, if the cache is big enough and there X are some extra cache bits for the microcode to use?" "Well, X mumble... I'll have to think about it." 2. Sometimes used as an X expression of disagreement. "I think we should buy a <VAX>." X "Mumble!" Common variant: <mumble frotz>. 3. Yet another X metasyntactic variable, like <foo>. X X<munch> [often confused with `mung', q.v.] vt. To transform X information in a serial fashion, often requiring large amounts of X computation. To trace down a data structure. Related to <crunch> X and nearly synonymous with <grovel>, but connotes less pain. X X<munching squares> n. A <display hack> dating back to the PDP-1, which X employs a trivial computation (involving XOR'ing of x-y display X coordinates --- see <HAKMEM> items 146-148) to produce an X impressive display of moving, growing, and shrinking squares. The X hack usually has a parameter (usually taken from toggle switches) X which when well-chosen can produce amazing effects. Some of these, X (re)discovered recently on the LISP machine, have been christened X <munching triangles>, <munching w's>, and <munching mazes>. More X generally, suppose a graphics program produces an impressive and X ever-changing display of some basic form foo on a display terminal, X and does it using a relatively simple program; then the program (or X the resulting display) is likely to be referred to as "munching X foos" (this is a good example of the use of the word <foo> as a X metasyntactic variable). X X<munchkin> /muhnch'kin/ n. A teenage-or-younger micro enthusiast X bashing BASIC or something else equally constricted. A term of X mild derision --- munchkins are annoying but some grow up to be X hackers after passing through a <larval stage>. The term <urchin> X is also used. See also <bitty box>. X X<mundane> [from SF fandom] n. 1. A person who is not in science X fiction fandom. 2. A person who is not in the computer industry. X In this sense, most often an adjectival modifier as in "in my X mundane life..." X X<mung> /muhng/ alt. `munge' /muhnj/ [in 1960 at MIT, "Mash Until No X Good"; sometime after that the derivation from the recursive X acronym "Mung Until No Good" became standard] vt. 1. To make X changes to a file, often large-scale, usually irrevocable. X Occasionally accidental. See <BLT>. 2. To destroy, usually X accidentally, occasionally maliciously. The system only mungs X things maliciously; this ia a consequence of Murphy's Law. See X <scribble>, <mangle>, <trash>. Reports from <USENET> suggest that X the pronunciation /muhnj/ is now usual in speech, but the spelling X `mung' is still common in program comments. 3. The kind of beans of X which the sprouts are used in Chinese food. (That's their real X name! Mung beans! Really!) X X<MUSIC> n. A common extracurricular interest of hackers (compare X <SCIENCE-FICTION FANDOM>, <ORIENTAL FOOD>; see also <filk>). It is X widely believed among hackers that there is a substantial X correlation between whatever mysterious traits underlie hacking X ability (on the one hand) and musical talent and sensitivity (on X the other). It is certainly the case that hackers, as a rule, like X music and often develop musical appreciation in unusual and X interesting directions. Folk music is very big in hacker circles; X so is the sort of elaborate instrumental jazz/rock that used to be X called `progressive' and isn't recorded much any more. Also, the X hacker's musical range tends to be wide; many can listen with equal X appreciation to (say) Talking Heads, Yes, Spirogyra, Scott Joplin, X King Sunny Ade, The Pretenders, or one of Bach's Brandenburg X Concerti. It is also apparently true that hackerdom includes a X much higher concentration of talented amateur musicians than one X would expect from a similar-sized control group of <mundane> types. X X<mutter> vt. To quietly enter a command not meant for the ears of X ordinary mortals. Frequently in "mutter an <incantation>". X X {= N =} X X<N> /en/ adj. 1. Some large and indeterminate number of objects; X "There were N bugs in that crock!"; also used in its original X sense of a variable name. 2. An arbitrarily large (and perhaps X infinite) number; "This crock has N bugs, as N goes to infinity". X 3. A variable whose value is specified by the current context. For X example, when ordering a meal at a restaurant N may be understood X to mean however many people there are at the table. From the X remark "We'd like to order N wonton soups and a family dinner for X N-1." you can deduce that one person at the table wants to eat X only soup, even though you don't know how many people there are. A X silly riddle: "How many computers does it take to shift the bits X in a register? N+1: N to hold all the bits still, and one to shove X the register over." 4. NTH: adj. The ordinal counterpart of N. X "Now for the Nth and last time..." In the specific context X "Nth-year grad student", N is generally assumed to be at least 4, X and is usually 5 or more. See also <random numbers>, X <two-to-the-n>. X X<nailed to the wall> [like a trophy] adj. Said of a bug finally X eliminated after protracted and even heroic effort. X X<NAK> [from the ASCII mnemonic for 0010101] interj. 1. On-line joke X answer to ACK? (see <ACK>) -- "I'm not here". 2. On line answer X to a request for chat -- "I'm not available". 3. Used to X politely interrupt someone to tell them you don't understand their X point or that they have suddenly stopped making sense. See <ACK>, X sense #3. "And then, after we recode the project in COBOL..." X "Nak Nak Nak! I thought I heard you say COBOL!" X X<nanoacre> /nan'o-ay-kr/ n. An areal unit (about 2mm.sq.) of X "real-estate" on a VLSI chip. The term derives its amusement X value from the fact that VLSI nanoacres have costs in the same X range as real acres once one figures in design and X fabrication-setup costs. X X<nanobot> /nan'oh-bot/ n. A robot of microscopic proportions, X presumably built by means of <nanotechnology>. As yet, only used X informally (and speculatively!). Also sometimes called a X `nanoagent'. X X<nanocomputer> /nan'oh-k@m-pyoo-tr/ n. A computer whose switching X elements are molecular in size. Designs for mechanical X nanocomputers which use single-molecule sliding rods for their X logic have been proposed. The controller for a <nanobot> would be X a nanocomputer. X X<nanotechnology> /nan'-oh-tek-naw`l@-ji/ n. A hypothetical X fabrication technology in which objects are designed and built with X the individual specification and placement of each separate atom. X The first unequivocal nano-fabrication experiments are taking place X now (1990), for example with the deposition of individual xenon X atoms on a nickel substrate to spell the logo of a certain very X large computer company by two of its physicists. Nanotechnology X has been a hot topic in the hacker subculture ever since the term X was coined by K. Eric Drexler in his book `Engines of Creation', X where he predicted that nanotechnology could give rise to X replicating assemblers, permitting an exponential growth of X productivity and personal wealth. See also <blue goo>, <gray goo>, X <nanobot>. X X<nastygram> n. 1. A protocol packet or item of email (the latter is X also called a `letterbomb') that takes advantage of misfeatures or X security holes on the target system to do untoward things. 2. X Disapproving mail, esp. from a net.god, pursuant to a violation of X <netiquette>. Compare <shitogram>. 3. (deprecated) An error reply X by mail from a <daemon>; in particular, a <bounce message>. X X<neophilia> /nee-oh-fil'-ee-uh/ n. The trait of being excited and X pleased by novelty. Common trait of most hackers, SF fans, and X members of several other connected "leading-edge" subcultures X including the pro-technology "Whole-Earth" wing of the ecology X movement, space activists, theater people, the membership of MENSA, X and the <Discordian>/neo-pagan underground. All these groups X overlap heavily and (where evidence is available) seem to share X characteristic hacker tropisms for SF, <MUSIC> and <ORIENTAL FOOD>. X X<nethack> /net'hak/ n. See <hack>, sense #12. X X<netiquette> /net'ee-ket, net'i-ket/ [portmanteau "network X ettiquette"] n. Conventions of politeness recognized on <USENET>, X such as: avoidance of cross-posting to inappropriate groups, or X refraining from commercial pluggery on the net. X X<neep-neep> /neep neep/ [onomatopoeic, from New York SF fandom] n. One X who is fascinated by computers. More general than <hacker>, as it X need not imply more skill than is required to boot games on a PC. X The gerund <neep-neeping> applies specifically to the long X conversations about computers that tend to develop in the corners X at most SF-convention parties. Fandom has a related proverb to the X effect that "Hacking is a conversational black hole!" X X<net.*> /net dot/ pref. [USENET] Prefix used to describe people and X events related to USENET. From the time before the <Great X Renaming>, when all non-local newsgroups had names beginning X "net.". Includes net.god(s) (q.v.), net.goddesses (various X charismatic women with circles of on-line admirers), net.lurkers, X (see <lurker>), net.parties (a synonym for <boink> sense #2 (q.v.)) X and many similar constructs. See also <net.police>. X X<net.god> (net god) n. Used to refer to anyone who satisfies some X combination of the following conditions: has been visible on USENET X for more than five years, ran one of the original backbone sites, X moderated an important newsgroup, wrote news software, or knows X Gene, Mark, Rick, Mel, Henry, Chuq, and Greg personally. See X <demigod>. X X<net.police> n. Those USENET readers who feel it is their X responsibility to pounce on and <flame> any posting which they X regard as offensive, or in violation of their understanding of X <netiquette>. Generally used sarcastically or pejoratively. Also X spelled `net police'. See also <net.>, <code police>. X X<network address> n. As used by hackers, means an address on <the X network> (almost always a <bang path> or <Internet address>). An X essential to be taken seriously by hackers; in particular, persons X or organizations claiming to understand, work with, sell to, or X recruit from among hackers that *don't* display net addresses X are quietly presumed to be clueless poseurs and mentally flushed X (see <flush>, sense #3). Hackers often put their net addresses on X their business cards and wear them prominently in contexts where X they expect to meet other hackers face-to-face (see also X <SCIENCE-FICTION FANDOM>). This is mostly functional, but is also X a connotative signal that one identifies with hackerdom (like lodge X pins among Masons or tie-died T-shirts among Grateful Dead fans). X Net addresses are often used in email text as a more concise X substitute for personal names; indeed, hackers may come to know X each other quite well by network names without ever learning each X others' `legal' monikers. See also <sitename>. X X<network, the> n. 1. The union of all the major academic and X noncommercial/hacker-oriented networks such as Internet, the old X ARPANET, NSFNet, BITNET and the virtual UUCP and <USENET> X "networks", plus the corporate in-house networks that gate to X them. A site is generally considered `on the network' if it can be X reached through some combination of Internet-style (@-sign) and X UUCP (bang-path) addresses. See <bang path>, <Internet address>, X <network address>. 2. A fictional conspiracy of libertarian X hacker-subversives and anti-authoritarian monkeywrenchers described X in Robert Anton Wilson's novel `Schrodinger's Cat', to which many X hackers have subsequently decided they belong (this is an example X of <ha ha only serious>). X X<New Testament> n. [C programmers] The second edition of K&R's "The C X Programming Language" (Prentice-Hall 1988, ISBN 0-13-110362-8), X describing ANSI Standard C. See <K&R>. X X<newbie> /n[y]oo'bee/ n. [orig. fr. British military & public-school X slang contraction of "new boy"] A USENET neophyte. This term X originated in the <newsgroup> "talk.bizarre" but is now in wide X use. Criteria for being considered a newbie vary wildly; a person X can be called a newbie in one newsgroup while remaining a respected X participant in another. The label "newbie" is sometimes applied X as a serious insult, to a person who has been around USENET for a X long time, but who carefully hides all evidence of having a clue. X See <biff>. X X<newgrp wars> /n[y]oo'grp wohrz/ [USENET] n. Salvos of dueling X `newgrp' and `rmgroup' messages sometimes exchanged by persons on X opposite sides of a dispute over whether a <newsgroup> should be X created netwide. These usually settle out within a week or two as X it becomes clear whether the group has a natural constituency X (usually, it doesn't). At times, especially in the completely X anarchic `alt' hierarchy, the names of newsgroups themselves become X a form of comment or humor; cf. the spinoff of X alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork from alt.tv.muppets in early 1990, X or any number of specialized abuse groups named after particularly X notorious <flamer>s. X X<newline> /n[y]oo'lien/ n. 1. [UNIX] The ASCII LF character (0001010), X used under <UNIX> as a text line terminator. A Bell-Labs-ism X rather than a Berkeleyism; interestingly (and unusually for UNIX X slang) it is said originally to have been an IBM usage (though it X appears in the ASCII standard). 2. More generally, any magic X character sequence or operation (like Pascal's writeln() function) X required to terminate a text record. See <crlf>, <terpri>. X X<newsfroup> /n[y]oos'froop/ [USENET] n. Silly written-only synonym for X <newsgroup>, originated as a typo but now in regular use on X USENET'S talk.bizarre and other not-real-tightly-wrapped groups. X X<newsgroup> [USENET] n. One of USENET's large collection of topic X groups. Among the best-known are comp.lang.c (the C-language X forum), comp.1.wizards (for UNIX wizards), rec.arts.sf-lovers X (for science-fiction fans) and talk.politics.misc (miscellaneous X political discussions and <flamage>). X X<nickle> n. A <nybble> + 1; 5 bits. Reported among developers for X Mattel's GI 1600 (the Intellivision games processor), a chip with X 16-bit-wide RAM but 10-bit-wide ROM. See also <deckle>. X X<night mode> n. See <phase> (of people). X X<nil> [from LISP terminology for "false"] No. Usage: used in reply X to a question, particularly one asked using the "-P" convention. X See T. X X<NMI> n. Non-Maskable Interrupt. See <priority interrupt>. X X<noddy> [Great Britain; from the children's books] adj. Small and X unuseful, but demonstrating a point. Noddy programs are often X written when learning a new language or system. The archetypal X noddy program is <hello world>. Noddy code may be used to X demonstrate a feature or bug of a compiler, but would not be used X in a real program. May be used of real hardware or software to X imply that it isn't worth using. "This editor's a bit noddy." X X<non-optimal (or sub-optimal) solution> n. An astoundingly stupid way X to do something. This term is generally used in deadpan sarcasm, X as its impact is greatest when the person speaking looks completely X serious. Compare <stunning>. See also <Bad Thing>. X X<nonlinear> adj. [scientific computation] Behaving in an erratic and X unpredictable fashion. When used to describe the behavior of a X machine or program, it suggests that said machine or program is X being forced to run far outside of design specifications. This X behavior may be induced by unreasonable inputs, or may be triggered X when a more mundane bug sends the computation far away from its X expected course. When describing the behavior of a person, X suggests a tantrum or a <flame>. "When you talk to Bob, don't X mention the drug problem or he'll go nonlinear for hours." X X<nontrivial> adj. Requiring real thought or significant computing X power. Often used as an understated way of saying that a problem X is quite difficult. See <trivial>, <uninteresting>, <interesting>. X X<no-op> /noh-op/ alt. NOP (nop) [no operation] n. 1. A machine X instruction that does nothing (sometimes used in assembler-level X programming as filler for data areas). 2. A person who contributes X nothing to a project, or has nothing going on upstairs, or both. X As in "he's a no-op.". 3. Any operation or sequence of operations X with no effect, such as circling the block without finding a X parking space, or putting money into a vending machine and having X it fall immediately into the coin-return box, or asking someone for X help and being told to go away. "Oh well, that was a no-op." X X<NP-> /en pee/ pref. Extremely. Used to modify adjectives describing X a level or quality of difficulty. "Getting this algorithm to X perform correctly in every case is NP-annoying." This is X generalized from the computer science terms "NP-hard" and X "NP-complete". NP is the set of Nondeterministic-Polynomial X algorithms, those which can be completed by a nondeterministic X finite state machine in an amount of time that is a polynomial X function of the size of the input. X X<nuke> vt. 1. To intentionally delete the entire contents of a given X directory or storage volume. "On UNIX, rm -r /usr will nuke X everything in the usr filesystem." Never used for accidental X deletion. Oppose <blow away>. 2. Syn. for <dike>, applied to X smaller things such as files, features or code sections. 3. Used of X processes as well as files; frequently an alias for "kill -9" on X UNIX. X X<null device> n. A <logical> input/output device connected to the <bit X bucket>; when you write to it nothing happens, when you reaad from X it you get a zero-length record full of nothing. Useful for X discarding unwanted output or using interactive programs in a X non-interactive way. See </dev/null>. X X<numbers> [scientific computation] n. Results of a computation that may X not be physically significant, but at least indicate that the X program is running. May be used to placate management, grant X sponsors, etc. <Making numbers> means running a program because X output---any output, not necessarily meaningful output---is needed X as a demonstration of progress. See <pretty pictures>. X X<NUXI problem> /nuk'see pro'blm, dh@/ n. This refers to the problem X of transferring data between machines with differing byte-order. X The string "UNIX" might look like "NUXI" on a machine with a X different "byte sex" (i.e. when transferring data from a X little-endian to a big endian or vice-versa). See also, X <big-endian>, <little-endian>, <swab>, and <bytesexual>. X X<nybble> /nib'l/ [from v. `nibble' by analogy with `bite' -> `byte'] X n. Four bits; one hexadecimal digit; a half-byte. Though `byte' X is now accepted technical jargon found in dictionaries, this useful X relative is still slang. Compare <crumb>, <taste>, <dynner>, see X also <bit>. Note: a correspondent in England alleges that this X spelling is never used on his side of the pond, as British X orthography would suggest the pronunciation /niebl/. X X {= O =} X X<Ob> /ob/ pref. Obligatory. A piece of <netiquette> that acknowledges X the author has been straying from the newsgroup's charter. For X example, if a posting in alt.sex has nothing particularly to do X with sex, the author may append "ObSex" (or "Obsex") and toss X off a question or vignette about some unusual erotic act. X X<obscure> adj. Used in an exaggeration of its normal meaning, to imply X a total lack of comprehensibility. "The reason for that last X crash is obscure." "The `find(1)' command's syntax is obscure." X The phrase <moderately obscure> implies that it could be figured X out but probably isn't worth the trouble. <Obscure in the extreme> X is a preferred emphatic form. X X<OBFUSCATED C CONTEST> n. Annual contest run since 1984 over <the X network> by Landon Curt Noll & friends. The overall winner is he X who produces the most unreadable, creative and bizarre working C X program; various other prizes are awarded at the judges' whim. X Given C's terse syntax and macro-preprocessor facilities, this X gives contestants a lot of maneuvering room. The winning programs X often manage to be simultaneously a) funny, b) breathtaking works X of art, and c) Horrible Examples of how *not* to code in C. X X This relatively short and sweet entry might help convey the flavor X of obfuscated C: X X X X X main(v,c)char**c;{for(v[c++]="Hello, world!\n)";(!!c)[*c]&& X (v--||--c&&execlp(*c,*c,c[!!c]+!!c,!c));**c=!c)write(!!*c,*c, X !!**c);} X X See also <hello, world!>. X X<octal forty> /ok'tl for'tee/ n. Hackish way of saying "I'm drawing a X blank" (octal 40 is the ASCII space character). See <wall>. X X<off-by-one error> n. Exceedingly common error induced in many ways, X such as by starting at 0 when you should have started at 1 or vice X versa, or by writing < N instead of <= N or vice-versa. Also X applied to giving an object to the person next to the one who X should have gotten it. Often confused with <fencepost error>, X which is properly a particular subtype of it. X X<off the trolley> adj. Describes the behavior of a program which X malfunctions but doesn't actually <crash> or get halted by the X operating system. See <glitch>, <bug>, <deep space>. X X<offline> adv. Not now or not here. Example: "Let's take this X discussion offline." Specifically used on <USENET> to suggest X that a discussion be taken off a public newsgroup to email. X X<old fart> n. Tribal elder. A title self-assumed with remarkable X frequency by (esp.) USENETters who have been programming for more X than about twenty five years; frequently appears in SIGs attached X to jargon file contributions of great archeological significance. X This is a term of insult in second or third person but pride in X first person. X X<Old Testament> n. [C programmers] The first edition of the book X describing <Classic C>; see <K&R>. X X<ONE BELL SYSTEM (IT WORKS)> This was the output from the old Unix V6 X "1" command. The "1" command also contained a random number X generator which gave it a one in ten chance of recursively X executing itself. X X<one-liner wars> n. Popular game among hackers who code in the X language APL (see <write-only language>). The objective is to see X who can code the most interesting and/or useful routine in one line X of operators chosen from APL's exceedingly <hairy> primitive set. X [This is not *quite* as silly as it sounds; I myself have X coded one-line <life> programs and once uttered a one-liner that X performed lexical analysis of its input string followed by a X dictionary lookup for good measure --- ESR] It has been reported X that a similar amusement was practised among <TECO> hackers. X X<ooblick> /oo'blik/ [from Dr. Seuss' "Bartholomew and the Ooblick"] X n. A bizarre semi-liquid sludge made from cornstarch and water. X Enjoyed among hackers who make batches for playtime at parties for X its amusing and extremely non-Newtonian behavior; it pours and X splatters, but resists rapid motion like a solid and will even X crack when hit by a hammer. Often found near lasers. X X<open> n. Abbreviation for "open (or left) parenthesis", used when X necessary to eliminate oral ambiguity. To read aloud the LISP form X (DEFUN FOO (X) (PLUS X 1)) one might say: "Open def-fun foo, open X eks close, open, plus ekx one, close close." See <close>. X X<open switch> [IBM, prob. fr. railroading] n. An unresolved issue. X X<operating system> n. (Often abbreviated "OS") The foundation X software of a machine, of course; that which schedules tasks, X allocates storage, and presents a default interface to the user X between applications. The facilities the operating system provides X and its general design philosophy exert an extremely strong X influence on programming style and the technical culture that grows X up around a machine. Hacker folklore has been shaped primarily by X the UNIX, ITS, TOPS-10, TOPS-20/TWENEX, VMS, CP/M, MS-DOS, and X MULTICS operating systems (most importantly by ITS and UNIX). Each X of these has its own entry, which see. X X<Orange Book> n. The U.S. Government's standards document (Trusted X Computer System Evaluation Criteria, DOD standard 5200.28-STD, X December, 1985) characterizing secure computing architectures, X defining levels A1 (most secure) through D (least). Stock UNIXes X are roughly C2. See also <Red Book>, <Blue Book>, <Green Book>, X <Silver Book>, <Purple Book>, <White Book>, <Pink-Shirt Book>, X <Dragon Book>, <Aluminum Book>. X X<ORIENTAL FOOD> n. Hackers display an intense tropism towards Oriental X cuisine, especially Chinese, and especially of the spicier X varieties such as Szechuan and Hunan. This phenomenon (which has X also been observed in subcultures which overlap heavily with X hackerdom, most notably science-fiction fandom) has never been X satisfactorily explained, but is sufficiently intense that one can X assume the target of a hackish dinner expedition to be the best X local Chinese place and be right at least 3 times out of 4. See X also <ravs>, <great-wall>, <stir-fried random>. Thai, Indian, X Korean and Vietnamese cuisines are also quite popular. X X<orphan> [UNIX] n. A process whose parent has died; one inherited by X `init(1)'. Compare <zombie>. X X<orthogonal> [from mathematics] adj. Mutually independent; X well-separated; sometimes, irrelevant to. Used in a generalization X of its mathematical meaning to describe sets of primitives or X capabilities which, like a vector basis in geometry, span the X entire `capability space' of the system and are in some sense X non-overlapping or mutually independent. For example, in X architectures such as the MC68000 where all or nearly all registers X can be used interchangeably in any role with respect to any X instruction, the register set is said to be orthogonal. Or, in X logic, the set of operators `not' and `or' is orthogonal, but the X set `nand', `or' and `not' is not (because any one of these can be X expressed in terms of the other two via De Morgan's Laws). Also X used in comment on human discourse; "This may be orthogonal to the X discussion, but...". X X<OS> /oh ess/ 1. [Operating System] n. Acronym heavily used in email, X occasionally in speech. 2. obs. n. On ITS, an output spy. See X Appendix A. X X<OS/2> (oh ess too) n. The anointed successor to MS-DOS for Intel-286 X and (allegedly) 386-based micros; proof that IBM/Microsoft couldn't X get it right the second time, either. Cited here because X mentioning it is usually good for a cheap laugh among hackers --- X the design was so <baroque> and the implementation of 1.x so bad X that three years after introduction you could still count the major X APPs shipping for it on the fingers of two hands. Often called X "Half-an-OS". A minority of DOS hackers retains hopes that the X 32-bit 2.x version will turn out a winner. See <vaporware>, X <monstrosity>, <cretinous>, <second-system effect>. X X<overrun screw> [C programming] n. A variety of <fandango on core> X produced by scribbling past the end of an array (C has no checks X for this). This is relatively benign and easy to spot if the array X is static; if it is auto, the result may be to <smash the stack>. X The term <overrun screw> is used esp. of scribbles beyond the end X of arrays allocated with `malloc(3)'; this typically trashes the X allocation header for the next block in the <arena>, producing X massive lossage within malloc and (frequently) a core dump on the X next operation to use `stdio(3)' or `malloc(3)' itself. See <spam>; see X also <memory leak>, <aliasing bug>, <precedence lossage>, <fandango X on core>. X X {= P =} X X<page in> [MIT] v. To become aware of one's surroundings again after X having paged out (see PAGE OUT). Usually confined to the sarcastic X comment, "So-and-so pages in. Film at 11." See <film at 11>. X X<page out> [MIT] v. To become unaware of one's surroundings X temporarily, due to daydreaming or preoccupation. "Can you repeat X that? I paged out for a minute." See <page in>. Compare X <glitch>, <thinko>. X X<panic> [UNIX] v. An action taken by a process or the entire operating X system when an unrecoverable error is discovered. The action X usually consists of: (1) displaying localized information on the X controlling terminal, (2) saving, or preparing for saving, a memory X image of the process or operating system, and (3) terminating the X process or rebooting the system. X X<param> /p@-ram'/ n. Speech-only shorthand for "parameter". Compare X <arg>, <var>. The plural `params' is often further compressed to X `parms'. X X<parity errors> pl.n. Those little lapses of attention or (in more X severe cases) consciousness, usually brought on by having spent all X night and most of the next day hacking. "I need to go home and X crash; I'm starting to get a lot of parity errors." Derives from a X relatively common but nearly always correctable transient error in X RAM hardware. X X<parse> [from linguistic terminology via AI research] v. 1. To X determine the syntactic structure of a sentence or other utterance X (close to the standard English meaning). Example: "That was the X one I saw you." "I can't parse that." 2. More generally, to X understand or comprehend. "It's very simple; you just kretch the X glims and then aos the zotz." "I can't parse that." 3. Of X fish, to have to remove the bones yourself (usually at a Chinese X restaurant). "I object to parsing fish" means "I don't want to X get a whole fish, but a sliced one is okay." A "parsed fish" X has been deboned. There is some controversy over whether X "unparsed" should mean "bony", or also mean "deboned". X X<patch> 1. n. A temporary addition to a piece of code, usually as a X quick-and-dirty remedy to an existing bug or misfeature. A patch X may or may not work, and may or may not eventually be incorporated X permanently into the program. 2. v. To insert a patch into a piece X of code. 3. [in the UNIX world] n. a set of differences between two X versions of source code, generated with `diff(1)' and intended to be X mechanically applied using patch(1); often used as a way of X distributing source code upgrades and fixes over <USENET>. X X<pathological> [scientific computation] adj. Purposefully engineered X as a worst case. An algorithm which can be broken by pathological X inputs may still be useful if such inputs are very unlikely to X occur in practice. The implication is that someone had to X explicitly set out to break an algorithm in order to come up with X such a crazy example. X X<PBD> [abbrev of `Programmer Brain Damage'] n. Applied to bug reports X revealing places where the program was obviously broken due to an X incompetent or short-cited programmer. Compare UBD; see also X <brain-damaged>. X X<PC-ism> n. A piece of code or coding technique that takes advantage X of the unprotected single-tasking environment in IBM PCs and the X like. e.g. by busy-waiting on a hardware register, direct diddling X of screen memory, or using hard timing loops. Compare X <ill-behaved>, <vaxism>, <unixism>. Also, <pc-ware> n., a program X full of PC-ISMs on a machine with a more capable operating system. X Pejorative. X X<PD> /pee-dee/ adj. Common abbreviation for "public domain", applied X to software distributed over <USENET> and from Internet archive X sites. Much of this software is not in fact "public domain" in X the legal sense but travels under various copyrights granting X reproduction and use rights to anyone who can <snarf> a copy. See X <copyleft>. X X<pdl> /pid'l/ or /pud'l/ [acronym for Push Down List] In ITS days, the X preferred MITism for <stack>. 2. Dave Lebling, one of the X coauthors of <Zork>; (his <network address> on the ITS machines was X at one time pdl@dms). 3. Program Design Language. Any of a large X class of formal and profoundly useless pseudo-languages in which X <management> forces one to design programs. <Management> often X expects it to be maintained in parallel with the code. Used X jokingly as in, "Have you finished the PDL?" X X<PDP-10> [Programmable Data Processor model 10] n. The machine that X made timesharing real. Looms large in hacker folklore due to early X adoption in the mid-70s by many university computing facilities and X research labs including the MIT AI lab, Stanford and CMU. Some X aspects of the instruction set (most notably the bit-field X instructions) are still considered unsurpassed. Later editions X were labelled `DECsystem-10' as a way of differentiating them from X the PDP-11. The '10 was eventually eclipsed by the PDP-11 and VAX X machines and dropped from DEC's line in the early '80s, and in 1990 X to have cut one's teeth on one is considered something of a badge X of honorable old-timerhood among hackers. See <TOPS-10>, <ITS>, X Appendix A. X X<peek/poke> n.,v. The commands in most microcomputer BASICs for X directly accessing memory contents at an absolute address; often X extended to mean the corresponding constructs in any <HLL>. Much X hacking on small, non-MMU micros consists of <peek>ing around X memory, more or less at random, to find the location where the X system keeps "interesting" stuff. Long and variably accurate, lists X of such addresses for various computers circulate. The results of X <poke>s at these addresses may be highly useful, mildly amusing, X useless but neat or (most likely) total <lossage> (see <killer X poke>). X X<percent-s> /per-sent' ess/ [From "%s", the formatting sequence in X C's `printf(3)' library function used to indicate that an arbitrary X string may be inserted] n. An unspecified person or object. "I X was just talking to some percent-s in administration." Compare X <random>. X X<perf> /perf/ n. See <chad> (sense #1). The term "perfory" is also X heard. X X<PERL> [Practical Extraction and Report Language, aka Pathologically X Eclectic Rubbish Lister] n. An interpreted language developed by X Larry Wall (lwall@jpl.nasa.gov, author of `patch(1)') and X distributed over USENET. Superficially resembles `awk(1)', but is X much more arcane (see AWK). Increasingly considered a <language of X choice> by UNIX sysadmins, who are almost always incorrigible X hackers. Perl has been described, in a parody of a famous remark X about `lex(1)', as the "Swiss-army chainsaw" of UNIX programming. X X<pessimal> /pes'i-ml/ [Latin-based antonym for "optimal"] adj. X Maximally bad. "This is a pessimal situation." Also <pessimize> X v. to make as bad as possible. These words are the obvious X Latin-based antonyms for "optimal" and "optimize", but for some X reason they do not appear in most English dictionaries, although X "pessimize" is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. X X<pessimizing compiler> /pes'i-miez-ing kuhm-pie'lr/ [antonym of X `optimizing compiler'] n. A compiler that produces object code that X is worse than the straightforward or obvious translation. The X implication is that the compiler is actually trying to optimize the X program, but through stupidity is doing the opposite. A few X pessimizing compilers have been written on purpose, however, as X pranks. X X<phase> 1. n. The phase of one's waking-sleeping schedule with respect X to the standard 24-hour cycle. This is a useful concept among X people who often work at night according to no fixed schedule. It X is not uncommon to change one's phase by as much as six hours/day X on a regular basis. "What's your phase?" "I've been getting in X about 8 PM lately, but I'm going to <wrap around> to the day X schedule by Friday." A person who is roughly 12 hours out of X phase is sometimes said to be in "night mode". (The term "day X mode" is also , but less frequently, used, meaning you're working X 9 to 5 (or more likely 10 to 6)). The act of altering one's cycle X is called "changing phase"; "phase shifting" has also been X recently reported from Caltech. 2. <change phase the hard way>: to X stay awake for a very long time in order to get into a different X phase. 3. <change phase the easy way>: To stay asleep etc. X However, some claim that either staying awake longer or sleeping X longer is easy, an that it's *shortening* your day or night X that's hard. The phenomenon of "jet lag" that afflicts travelers X who cross many time-zone boundaries may be attributed to two X distinct causes: the strain of travel per se, and the strain of X changing phase. Hackers who suddenly find that they must change X phase drastically in a short period of time, particularly the hard SHAR_EOF chmod 0644 jsplit.ag || echo "restore of jsplit.ag fails" if [ $TOUCH = can ] then touch -am 0103154591 jsplit.ag fi exit 0