eric@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) (03/03/91)
Submitted-by: jargon@thyrsus.com
Archive-name: jargon/part10
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X Common symptoms include: the perpetration of more than one 36-hour
X {hacking run} in a given week, neglect of all other activities
X including usual basics like food, sleep, and personal hygiene, and
X a chronic case of advanced bleary-eye. Can last from six months to
X two years, with the apparent median being around eighteen months.
X A few so afflicted never resume a more `normal' life, but the
X ordeal seems to be necessary to produce really wizardly (as opposed
X to merely competent) programmers. See also {wannabee}. A less
X protracted and intense version of larval stage (typically lasting
X about a month) may recur when learning a new {OS} or programming
X language.
X
Xlase: /layz/ vt. To print a given document via a laser printer.
X "OK, let's lase that sucker and see if all those graphics-macro
X calls did the right things."
X
Xlaser chicken: n. Kung Pao Chicken, a standard Chinese dish
X containing chicken, peanuts, and hot red peppers in a spicy
X pepper-oil sauce. Many hackers call it `laser chicken' for
X two reasons; it can {zap} you just like a laser, and the
X sauce has a red color reminiscent of some laser beams.
X
X In a variation on this theme, it is reported that one group of
X Australian hackers have redesignated the common dish `lemon
X chicken' as `Chernobyl Chicken'. The name is derived from the
X color of the sauce, which is considered bright enough to glow in
X the dark (mythically, like some of the inhabitants of Chernobyl).
X
Xlaundromat: n. Syn. {disk farm}; see {washing machine}.
X
XLDB: /l@'d@b/ [from the PDP-10 instruction set] vt. To extract
X from the middle. "LDB me a slice of cake, please" This usage has
X been kept alive by Common LISP's function of the same name. See
X also {DPB}.
X
Xleaf site: n. A machine that merely originates and reads USENET
X news or mail, and does not relay any third-party traffic. Often
X uttered in a critical tone; when the ratio of leaf sites to
X backbone, rib, and other relay sites gets too high, the network
X tends to develop bottlenecks. Compare {backbone site}, {rib
X site}.
X
Xleak: n. With qualifier, one of a class of resource-management bugs
X that occur when resources are not freed properly after operations
X on them are finished, leading to eventual exhaustion as new
X allocation requests come in. {memory leak} and {fd leak} have
X their own entries; one might also refer, say, to a `window handle
X leak' in a window system.
X
Xleaky heap: [Cambridge] n. Syn. {memory leak}.
X
Xlegal: adj. Loosely used to mean `in accordance with all the
X relevant rules', esp. in connection with some set of constraints
X defined by software. Thus one very frequently hears constructions
X like `legal syntax', `legal input', etc. Hackers often model their
X work as a sort of game played with the environment in which the
X objective is to maneuver through the thicket of `natural laws' to
X achieve a desired objective. Their use of `legal' is flavored as
X much by this game-playing sense as by the more conventional one
X having to do with courts and lawyers. Compare {language lawyer},
X {legalese}.
X
Xlegalese: n. Dense, pedantic verbiage in a language description,
X product specification, or interface standard; text that seems
X designed to obfuscate and requires a {language lawyer} to
X {parse} it. While hackers are not afraid of high information
X density and complexity in language (indeed, they rather enjoy
X both), they share a deep and abiding loathing for legalese; they
X associate it with deception, {suit}s, and situations in which
X hackers generally get the short end of the stick.
X
XLERP: /lerp/ vi.,n. Quasi-acronym for Linear Interpolation, used as a
X verb or noun for the operation. E.g., Bresenham's algorithm lerps
X incrementally between the two endpoints of the line.
X
Xlet the smoke out: v. To fry hardware (see {fried}). See
X {magic smoke} for the mythology behind this.
X
Xlexer: /lek'sr/ n. Common hacker shorthand for `lexical
X analyzer', the input-tokenizing stage in the parser for a language
X (the part that breaks it into word-like pieces). "Some C lexers
X get confused by the old-style compound ops like `=-'".
X
Xlife: n. 1. A cellular-automata game invented by John Horton Conway
X and first introduced publicly by Martin Gardner (Scientific
X American, October 1970). Many hackers pass through a stage of
X fascination with it, and hackers at various places contributed
X heavily to the mathematical analysis of this game (most notably
X Bill Gosper at MIT; see {Gosperism}). When a hacker mentions
X `life', he is much more likely to mean this game than the
X magazine, the breakfast cereal, or the human state of existence.
X 2. The opposite of {USENET}. As in {Get a life!}.
X
Xlight pipe: n. Fiber optic cable. Oppose {copper}.
X
Xlike kicking dead whales down the beach: adj. A slow, difficult,
X and disgusting process. First popularized by a famous quote about
X the difficulty of getting work done under one of IBM's mainframe
X OSs. "Well, you *could* write a C compiler in COBOL, but it
X would be like kicking dead whales down the beach." See also
X {fear and loathing}
X
Xlike nailing jelly to a tree: adj. Used to describe a task thought
X to be impossible, esp. one in which the difficulty arises from poor
X specification or inherent slipperiness in the problem domain.
X
Xline eater, the: [USENET] n. 1. A bug in some now-obsolete
X versions of the netnews software that used to eat up to BUFSIZ
X bytes of the article text. The bug was triggered by having the
X text of the article start with a space or tab. This bug was
X quickly personified as a mythical creature called the `line
X eater', and postings often included a dummy line of `line eater
X food'. Ironically, line eater food not preceded by whitespace
X wasn't actually eaten, since the bug was avoided; but if there
X *was* whitespace before it, then the line eater would eat the
X food *and* the beginning of the text which it was supposed to
X be protecting. The practice of `sacrificing to the line eater'
X continued for some time after the bug had been {nailed to the
X wall}, and is still humorously referred to. The bug itself is
X still (in mid-1991) occasionally reported to be lurking in some
X mail-to-netnews gateways. 2. See {NSA line eater}.
X
Xline starve: [MIT] 1. vi. To feed paper through a printer the
X wrong way by one line (most printers can't do this). On a display
X terminal, to move the cursor up to the previous line of the screen.
X Example: "To print `X squared', you just output `X', line starve,
X `2', line feed." (The line starve causes the `2' to appear on the
X line above the X, and the line feed gets back to the original
X line.) 2. n. A character (or character sequence) that causes a
X terminal to perform this action. Unlike `line feed', `line starve'
X is *not* standard {{ASCII}} terminology. Even among hackers
X it is considered a bit silly. 3. [proposed] A sequence like \c
X (used in System V echo, as well as nroff/troff) that suppresses a
X {newline} or other character(s) that would normally implicitly be
X emitted.
X
Xlink farm: [UNIX] n. A directory tree that contains many links to
X files in another, master directory tree of files. Link farms save
X space when (for example) one is maintaining several nearly
X identical copies of the same source tree, e.g. when the only
X difference is architecture-dependent object files. Example use:
X "Let's freeze the source and then rebuild the FROBOZZ-3 and
X FROBOZZ-4 link farms." Link farms may also be used to get around
X restrictions on the number of -I (include directory) arguments on
X older C preprocessors.
X
Xlint: [from UNIX's `lint(1)', named perhaps for the bits of
X fluff it picks from programs] 1. vt. To examine a program closely
X for style, language usage, and portability problems, esp. if in C,
X esp. if via use of automated analysis tools, most esp. if the
X UNIX utility `lint(1)' is used. This term used to be
X restricted to use of `lint(1)' itself but (judging by
X references on USENET) has become a shorthand for {desk check} at
X some non-UNIX shops, even in languages other than C. See also
X {delint}. 2. n. Excess verbiage in a document, as in "this
X draft has too much lint".
X
Xlion food: [IBM] n. Middle management or HQ staff (by extension,
X administrative drones in general). From an old joke about two
X lions who, escaping from the zoo, split up to increase their
X chances but agreed to meet after two months. When they finally
X meet, one is skinny and the other overweight. The thin one says
X "How did you manage? I ate a human just once and they turned out
X a small army to chase me --- guns, nets, it was terrible. Since
X then I've been reduced to eating mice, insects, even grass." The
X fat one replies "Well, *I* hid near an IBM office and ate a
X manager a day. And nobody even noticed!"
X
XLISP: [from `LISt Processing language', but mythically from
X `Lots of Irritating Superfluous Parentheses'] n. The name of
X AI's mother tongue, a language based on the ideas of (a)
X variable-length lists and trees as fundamental data types, and (b)
X the interpretation of code as data and vice-versa. Invented by
X John McCarthy at MIT in the late 1950s, it is actually older
X than any other {HLL} still in use except FORTRAN. Accordingly,
X it has undergone considerable adaptive radiation over the years;
X modern variants are quite different in detail from the original
X LISP 1.5. The hands-down favorite of a plurality of hackers until
X the early 1980s, LISP now shares the throne with {C}. See
X {languages of choice}.
X
X All LISP functions and programs are expressions that return
X values; this, together with the high memory utilization of LISPs,
X gave rise to Alan Perlis's famous quip (itself a take on an Oscar
X Wilde quote) that "LISP programmers know the value of everything
X and the cost of nothing."
X
Xliterature, the: n. Computer science journals and other
X publications vaguely gestured at to answer a question that the
X speaker believes is {trivial}. Thus, one might answer an
X annoying question "It's in the literature." Oppose {Knuth},
X which has no connotation of triviality.
X
Xlittle-endian: adj. Describes a computer architecture in which,
X within a given 16- or 32-bit word, bytes at lower addresses have
X lower significance (the word is stored `little-end-first'). The
X PDP-11 and VAX families of computers and Intel microprocessors and
X a lot of communications and networking hardware are little-endian.
X See {big-endian}, {middle-endian}, {NUXI problem}. The term
X is sometimes used to describe the ordering of units other than
X bytes; most frequently these are bits within a byte.
X
XLive Free Or Die!: imp. 1. The state motto of New Hampshire, which
X used to be on its car license plates. 2. A slogan associated with
X UNIX in the romantic days when UNIX aficionados saw themselves as a
X tiny, beleaguered underground tilting against the windmills of
X industry. The "free" referred specifically to freedom from the
X {fascist} design philosophies and crufty misfeatures common on
X commercial operating systems. Armando Stettner, one of the early
X UNIX developers, used to give out fake license plates bearing this
X motto under a large UNIX, all in New Hampshire colors of green and
X white. These are now valued collector's items.
X
Xlivelock: n. A situation in which some critical stage of a task is
X unable to finish because its clients perpetually create more work
X for it to do after they've been serviced but before it can clear.
X Differs from {deadlock} in that the process is not blocked or
X waiting for anything, but has a virtually infinite amount of work
X to do and accomplishes nothing.
X
Xliveware: n. Synonym for {wetware}. Less common.
X
Xlobotomy: n. 1. What a hacker subjected to formal management
X training is said to have undergone. At IBM and elsewhere this term
X is used by both hackers and low-level management; the latter
X doubtless intend it as a joke. 2. The act of removing the
X processor from a microcomputer in order to replace or upgrade it.
X Some very cheap {clone} systems are sold in `lobotomized' form
X --- everything but the brain.
X
Xlocked and loaded: [from military slang for an M-16 with magazine
X inserted and prepared for firing] adj. Said of a removable disk
X volume properly prepared for use --- that is, locked into the drive
X and with the heads loaded. Ironically, because their heads are
X `loaded' whenever the power is up, this description is never used
X of {{Winchester}} drives (which are named after a rifle).
X
Xlocked up: adj. Syn. for {hung}, {wedged}.
X
Xlogic bomb: n. Code surreptitiously inserted in an application or OS
X which causes it to perform some destructive or
X security-compromising activity whenever specified conditions are
X met. Compare {back door}.
X
Xlogical: [from the technical term `logical device', wherein a
X physical device is referred to by an arbitrary `logical' name] adj.
X Having the role of. If a person (say, Les Earnest at SAIL) who has
X long held a certain post left and was replaced, the replacement
X would for a while be known as the `logical' Les Earnest (this
X does not imply any judgement on the replacement). Compare
X {virtual}.
X
X At Stanford, `logical' compass directions denote a coordinate
X system in which `logical north' is toward San Francisco,
X `logical west' is toward the ocean, etc., even though logical
X north varies between physical (true) north near San Francisco and
X physical west near San Jose. (The best rule of thumb here is that,
X by definition, El Camino Real always runs logical north-and-south.)
X In giving directions, one might say, "To get to Rincon Tarasco
X restaurant, get onto {El Camino Bignum} going logical north." Using
X the word `logical' helps to prevent the recipient from worrying
X about that the fact that the sun is setting almost directly in
X front of him. The concept is reinforced by North American highways
X which are almost, but not quite, consistently labelled with logical
X rather than physical directions. A similar situation exists at
X MIT. Route 128 (famous for the electronics industry that has
X grown up along it) is a three-quarters circle surrounding Boston at
X a radius of ten miles, terminating at the coastline at each end.
X It would be most precise to describe the two directions along this
X highway as being `clockwise' and `counterclockwise', but the road
X signs all say `north' and `south', respectively. A hacker might
X describe these directions as `logical north' and `logical south',
X to indicate that they are conventional directions not corresponding
X to the usual denotation for those words. (If you went logical
X south along the entire length of route 128, you would start out
X going northwest, curve around to the south, and finish headed due
X east!)
X
Xloop through: vt. To process each element of a list of things.
X "Hold on, I've got to loop through my paper mail." Derives from
X the computer-language notion of an iterative loop; compare `cdr
X down' (under {cdr}) which is less common among C and UNIX
X programmers. ITS hackers used to say `IRP over' after an
X obscure pseudo-op in the MIDAS PDP-10 assembler.
X
Xlord high fixer: [primarily British, prob. from Gilbert & Sullivan's
X `lord high executioner'] n. The person in an organization who
X knows the most about some aspect of a system. See {wizard}.
X
Xlose: [MIT] vi. 1. To fail. A program loses when it encounters
X an exceptional condition or fails to work in the expected manner.
X 2. To be exceptionally unesthetic or crocky. 3. Of people, to
X be obnoxious or unusually stupid (as opposed to ignorant). See
X also {deserves to lose}. 4. n. Refers to something which is
X {losing}, especially in the phrases "That's a lose!" or "What
X a lose!".
X
Xlose lose: interj. A reply to or comment on an undesirable
X situation. "I accidentally deleted all my files!" "Lose,
X lose."
X
Xloser: n. An unexpectedly bad situation, program, programmer, or
X person. Someone who habitually loses (even winners can lose
X occasionally). Someone who knows not and knows not that he knows
X not. Emphatic forms are `real loser', `total loser', and
X `complete loser' (but not `moby loser', which would be a
X contradiction in terms). See {luser}.
X
Xlosing: adj. Said of anything which is or causes a {lose} or
X {lossage}.
X
Xloss: n. Something (not a person) which loses; a situation in which
X something is losing. Emphatic forms include `moby loss',
X `total loss', `complete loss'. Common interjections are
X "What a loss!" and "What a moby loss!" (`moby loss' is OK even
X though `moby loser' is not used; applied to an abstract noun, moby
X is simply a magnifier, whereas when applied to a person it implies
X substance and has positive connotations) Compare {lossage}.
X
Xlossage: /los'@j/ n. The result of a bug or malfunction. This is
X a mass or collective noun. "What a loss!" and "What lossage!"
X are nearly synonymous remarks. The former is slightly more
X particular to the speaker's present circumstances while the latter
X implies a continuing lose of which the speaker is presently victim.
X Thus (for example) a temporary hardware failure is a loss, but bugs
X in an important tool (like a compiler) are serious lossage.
X
Xlost in the noise: adj. Syn. {lost in the underflow}. This term
X is from signal processing, where signals of very small amplitude
X cannot be separated from low-intensity noise in the system. Though
X popular among hackers, it is not confined to hackerdom; physicists,
X engineers, astronomers and statisticians all use it.
X
Xlost in the underflow: adj. Too small to be worth considering;
X more specifically, small beyond the limits of accuracy or
X measurement. This is a reference to a condition called
X `floating underflow' that can occur when a floating-point
X arithmetic processor tries to handle quantities smaller than its
X limit of magnitude. It is also a pun on `undertow' (a kind of fast,
X cold current that sometimes runs just outshore of a beach and can
X be dangerous to swimmers). "Well, sure, photon pressure from the
X stadium lights alters the path of a thrown baseball, but that
X effect gets lost in the underflow." See also {overflow bit}.
X
Xlots of MIPS but no I/O: adj. Used to describe a person who is
X technically brilliant but can't seem to communicate with human
X beings effectively. Technically it describes a machine that has
X lots of processing power but is bottlenecked on I/O.
X
Xlow-bandwidth: adj. Used to indicate a talk that although not
X {content-free} was not terribly informative. "That was a
X low-bandwidth talk, but what can you expect for an audience of
X {suit}s." Compare {zero-content}, {bandwidth}, {math-out}.
X
XLPT: /lip'it/ [ITS] n. Line printer, of course. Rare under UNIX,
X commoner in hackers with MS-DOS or CP/M background. The printer
X device is called LPT: on those systems which, like ITS, were
X strongly influenced by early DEC conventions.
X
Xlunatic fringe: [IBM] n. Customers who can be relied upon to accept
X release 1 versions of software.
X
Xlurker: n. One of the `silent majority' in a electronic forum; one
X who posts occasionally or not at all but is known to read the group
X regularly. This term is not pejorative and indeed is casually used
X reflexively: "Oh, I'm just lurking." Often used in `the
X lurkers', the hypothetical audience for the group's
X {flamage}-emitting regulars.
X
Xluser: /loo'zr/ n. A {user}; esp. one who is also a {loser}.
X ({luser} and {loser} are pronounced identically.) This word
X was coined about 1975 at MIT. Under ITS, when you first walked up
X to a terminal at MIT and typed Control-Z to get the computer's
X attention, it prints out some status information, including how
X many people are already using the computer; it might print "14
X users", for example. Someone thought it would be a great joke to
X patch the system to print "14 losers" instead. There ensued a
X great controversy, as some of the users didn't particularly want to
X be called losers to their faces every time they used the computer.
X For a while several hackers struggled covertly, each changing the
X message behind the back of the others; any time you logged into the
X computer it was even money whether it would say "users" or
X "losers". Finally, someone tried the compromise `lusers', and it
X stuck. Later one of the ITS machines supported `luser' as a
X request-for-help command. ITS died the death in mid-1990, except
X as a museum piece; the usage lives on, however, and the term
X `luser' is often seen in program comments.
X
X= M =
X=====
X
XM: /em/ or /meg/ [from {mega-}; techspeak] n. A megabyte (1,024
X kilobytes, 1,048,576 = 2 ^ 20 bytes). Also written MB, in conflict
X with scientific usage in which M denotes multiplication by
X 1,000,000. See also {kilo-}, {K}.
X
Xmacdink: /mak'dink/ [from the Apple Macintosh, which is said to
X encourage such behavior] vt. To make many incremental and
X unnecessary cosmetic changes to a program or file. Frequently the
X subject of the macdinking would be better off without them. Ex:
X "When I left at 11pm last night, he was still macdinking the
X slides for his presentation." See also {fritterware}.
X
Xmachoflops: /mach'oh-flops/ [pun on `megaflops', a coinage for
X `millions of floating-point operations per second'] n. Refers to
X artificially inflated performance figures often quoted by computer
X manufacturers. Real applications are lucky to get half the quoted
X speed. See {Your mileage may vary}, {benchmark}.
X
XMacintrash: /mak'in-trash`/ n. The Apple Macintosh, as described by
X a hacker who doesn't appreciate being kept away from the *real
X computer* by the interface. The term `maggotbox' has been
X reported in regular use in the Research Triangle (Raleigh/Durham,
X NC). See also {WIMP environment}, {drool-proof paper},
X {user-friendly}.
X
Xmacro: /mak'roh/ [techspeak] n. A name (possibly followed by a
X formal {arg} list) that is equated to a text or symbolic
X expression to which it is to be expanded (possibly with the
X substitution of actual arguments) by a macro expander. This
X definition can be found in any technical dictionary; what those
X won't tell you is how the hackish connotations of the term have
X changed over time.
X
X The term `macro' originated in early assemblers, which encouraged
X use of macros as a structuring and information-hiding device.
X During the early 1970s, macro assemblers became ubiquitous and
X sometimes quite as powerful and expensive as HLLs, only to fall
X from favor as improving compiler technology marginalized assembler
X programming (see {languages of choice}). Nowadays the term is
X most often used in connection with the C preprocessor, LISP, or one
X of several special-purpose languages built around a macro-expansion
X facility (such as TeX or UNIX's [nt]roff suite).
X
X Indeed, the meaning has drifted enough that the collective `macros'
X is now sometimes used for code in any special-purpose application
X control language (whether or not the language is actually
X translated by text expansion) as well as other `expansions' such as
X the `keyboard macros' supported in some text editors (and PC TSR
X or Macintosh INIT/CDEV keyboard enhancers).
X
Xmacro-: pref. Large. Opposite of {micro-}. In the mainstream
X and among other technical cultures (for example, medical people)
X this competes with the prefix {mega-}, but hackers tend to
X restrict the latter to quantification.
X
Xmacrology: /mak-ro'l@-jee/ n. 1. Set of usually complex or crufty
X macros, e.g., as part of a large system written in {LISP},
X {TECO}, or (less commonly) assembler. 2. The art and science
X involved in comprehending a macrology in sense #1. Sometimes
X studying the macrology of a system is not unlike archeology,
X ecology, or {theology}, hence the sound-alike construction. See
X also {boxology}.
X
Xmacrotape: /ma'kroh-tayp/ n. An industry standard reel of tape, as
X opposed to a {microtape}.
X
Xmaggotbox: n. See {Macintrash}. This is even more derogatory.
X
Xmagic: adj. 1. As yet unexplained, or too complicated to explain;
X compare {automagically} and (Arthur C.) Clarke's Third Law: "Any
X sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
X "TTY echoing is controlled by a large number of magic bits."
X "This routine magically computes the parity of an eight-bit byte
X in three instructions." 2. Characteristic of something that works
X but no one really understands why. 3. [Stanford] A feature not
X generally publicized that allows something otherwise impossible,
X or a feature formerly in that category but now unveiled. Example:
X The keyboard commands which override the screen-hiding features.
X Compare {wizardly}, {deep magic}, {heavy wizardry}.
X
X For more about hackish `magic', see Appendix A.
X
Xmagic cookie: [UNIX] n. 1. Something passed between routines or
X programs that enables the receiver to perform some operation; a
X capability ticket or opaque identifier. Especially used of small
X data objects which contain data encoded in a strange or
X intrinsically machine-dependent way. E.g., on non-UNIX OSes with a
X non-byte-stream model of files, the result of `ftell(3)' may
X be a magic cookie rather than a byte offset; it can be passed to
X `fseek(3)', but not operated on in any meaningful way. The
X phrase `it hands you a magic cookie' means it returns a result
X whose contents are not defined but which can be passed back to the
X same or some other program later. 2. An in-band code for
X changing graphic rendition (e.g., inverse video or underlining) or
X performing other control functions. Some older terminals would
X leave a blank on the screen corresponding to mode-change magic
X cookies; this was also called a {glitch}. See also {cookie}.
X
Xmagic number: [UNIX/C] n. 1. In source code, some non-obvious
X constant whose value is significant to the operation of a program
X and which is inserted inconspicuously in-line ({hardcoded}),
X rather than expanded in by a symbol set by a commented
X `#define'. Magic numbers in this sense are bad style. 2. A
X number that encodes critical information used in an algorithm in
X some opaque way. The classic examples of these are the numbers
X used in hash or CRC functions, or the coefficients in a linear
X congruential generator for pseudo-random numbers. This sense
X actually predates and was ancestral to the more common #1. 3.
X Special data located at the beginning of a binary data file to
X indicate its type to a utility. Under UNIX the system and various
X applications programs (especially the linker) distinguish between
X types of executable file by looking for a magic number. Only a
X {wizard} knows the magic to create magic numbers. How do you
X choose a fresh magic number of your own? Simple --- you pick one
X at random. See? It's magic!
X
Xmagic smoke: n. A substance trapped inside IC packages that enables
X them to function (also called `blue smoke'; compare
X `phlogiston'). Its existence is demonstrated by what happens
X when a chip burns up --- the magic smoke gets let out, so it
X doesn't work any more. See {smoke test}, {let the smoke out}.
X
X USENETter Jay Maynard tells the following story: "Once, while
X hacking on a dedicated Z80 system, I was testing code by blowing
X EPROMs and plugging them in the system, then seeing what happened.
X One time, I plugged one in backwards. I only discovered that
X *after* I realized that Intel didn't put power-on lights under
X the quartz windows on the tops of their EPROMs --- the die was
X glowing white-hot. Amazingly, the EPROM worked fine after I erased
X it, filled it full of zeros, then erased it again. For all I know,
X it's still in service. Of course, this is because the magic smoke
X didn't get let out."
X
Xmailing list: n. (often shortened to `list') 1. An {email}
X address that is an alias (or {macro}, though that word is never
X used in this connection) for many other email addresses. Some
X mailing lists are simple `reflectors', redirecting mail sent to
X them to the list of recipients. Others are filtered by humans or
X programs of varying degrees of sophistication; lists filtered by
X humans are said to be `moderated'. 2. The people who receive
X your email when you send it to such an address.
X
X Mailing lists are one of the primary forms of hacker interaction,
X along with {USENET}. They predate USENET, and originated with the
X first UUCP and ARPANET connections. They are often used for
X private information-sharing on topics that would be too specialized
X for or inappropriate to public USENET groups. While some of these
X maintain purely technical content (such as the Internet Engineering
X Task Force mailing list), others (like the `sf-lovers' list
X maintained for many years by Saul Jaffe) are recreational, and
X others are purely social. Perhaps the most infamous of the social
X lists was the eccentric `bandykin' distribution; its latter-day
X progeny, `lectroids' and `tanstaafl', still include a number of the
X oddest and most interesting people in hackerdom.
X
X Mailing lists are easy to create and (unlike USENET) don't tie up a
X significant amount of machine resources. Thus, they are often
X created temporarily by working groups who can then collaborate on a
X project without ever needing to meet face-to-face. Much of the
X material in this book was criticized and polished on just such a
X mailing list (called `jargon-friends'), which included all the
X co-authors of the `The Hacker's Dictionary' first edition.
X
Xmain loop: n. Software tools are often written to perform some
X actions repeatedly on whatever input is handed to them, terminating
X when there is no more input or they are explicitly told to go away.
X In such programs, the loop that gets and processes input is called
X the `main loop'. See also {driver}.
X
Xmainframe: n. This term originally referred to the cabinet
X containing the central processor unit or `main frame' of a
X room-filling {Stone Age} batch machine. After the emergence of
X smaller `minicomputer' designs in the early Seventies, the
X traditional {big iron} machines were described as `mainframe
X computers' and eventually just as mainframes. The term carries the
X connotation of a machine designed for batch rather than interactive
X use, though possibly with an interactive timesharing operating
X system retrofitted onto it; it is especially used of machines built
X by IBM, Unisys, and the other great {dinosaur}s surviving from
X computing's {Stone Age}.
X
X It is common wisdom among hackers that the mainframe architectural
X tradition is essentially dead (outside of the tiny market for
X {number-crunching} supercomputers (see {cray})), swamped by the
X recent huge advances in IC technology and low-cost personal
X computing. As of 1991, corporate America hasn't quite figured this
X out yet, though the wave of failures, takeovers, and mergers among
X traditional mainframe makers are certainly straws in the wind.
X
Xmanagement: n. 1. Corporate power elites distinguished primarily by
X their distance from actual productive work and their chronic
X failure to manage (see also {suit}). Spoken derisively, as in
X "*Management* decided that...". 2. Mythically, a vast
X bureaucracy responsible for all the world's minor irritations.
X Hackers' satirical public notices are often signed `The Mgmt'.
X
Xmanged: /mahnjed/ [probably from the French `manger' or Italian
X `mangere', to eat; perh. influenced by English n. `mange',
X `mangy']. adj. Refers to anything that is mangled or damaged,
X usually beyond repair. "The disk was manged after the electrical
X storm." Compare {mung}.
X
Xmangle: vt. Used similarly to {mung} or {scribble}, but more violent
X in its connotations; something that is mangled has been
X irreversibly and totally trashed.
X
Xmangler: [DEC] n. A manager. Compare {mango}; see also
X {management}. Note that {system mangler} is somewhat different
X in connotation.
X
Xmango: /mang'go/ [orig. in-house jargon at Symbolics] n. A manager.
X Compare {mangler}. See also {devo} and {doco}.
X
Xmarginal: adj. 1. Extremely small. "A marginal increase in
X {core} can decrease {GC} time drastically." In everyday
X terms, this means that it's a lot easier to clean off your desk if
X you have a spare place to put some of the junk while you sort
X through it. 2. Of extremely small merit. "This proposed new
X feature seems rather marginal to me." 3. Of extremely small
X probability of {win}ning. "The power supply was rather marginal
X anyway; no wonder it fried."
X
XMarginal Hacks: n. Margaret Jacks Hall, a building into which the
X Stanford AI Lab was moved near the beginning of the 1980s (from the
X {D. C. Power Lab}).
X
Xmarginally: adv. Slightly. "The ravs here are only marginally
X better than at Small Eating Place." See {epsilon}.
X
Xmarketroid: /mar'k@-troyd/ alt. `marketing slime',
X `marketing droid', `marketeer' n. Member of a company's
X marketing department, esp. one who promises users that the next
X version of a product will have features that are not actually
X scheduled for inclusion, extremely difficult to implement, and/or
X are in violation of the laws of physics; and/or one who describes
X existing features (and misfeatures) in ebullient, buzzword-laden
X adspeak. Derogatory.
X
Xmartian: n. A packet sent on a TCP/IP network with a source address
X of the test loopback interface (127.0.0.1). This means that it
X will come back at you labelled with a source address that is
X clearly not of this earth. As in "The domain server is getting
X lots of packets from Mars. Does that gateway have a martian
X filter?"
X
Xmassage: vt. Vague term used to describe `smooth' transformations of
X a data set into a different form, esp. transformations that do
X not lose information. Connotes less pain than {munch} or {crunch}.
X "He wrote a program that massages X bitmap files into GIF
X format." Compare {slurp}.
X
Xmath-out: [poss. from `white-out' (the blizzard variety)] n. A
X paper or presentation so encrusted with mathematical or other
X formal notation as to be incomprehensible. This may be a device
X for concealing the fact that it is actually {content-free}. See
X also {numbers}, {social science number}.
X
XMatrix: [FidoNet] n. 1. What the Opus BBS software and sysops call
X {FidoNet}. 2. Fanciful term for a {cyberspace} expected to
X emerge from current networking experiments (see {network, the}).
X Some people refer to the totality of present networks this way.
X
XMbogo, Dr. Fred: [Stanford] n. The archetypal man you don't want to
X see about a problem, esp. an incompetent professional; a shyster.
X Usage: "Do you know a good eye doctor?" "Sure, try Mbogo Eye
X Care and Professional Dry Cleaning." The name comes from synergy
X between {bogus} and the original Dr. Mbogo, a witch doctor who
X was Gomez Addams' physician on the old `Addams Family' TV
X show. See also {fred}.
X
Xmeatware: n. Synonym for {wetware}. Less common.
X
Xmeg: /meg/ n. A megabyte; 1024K. See {M} and {K}.
X
Xmega-: /me'g@/ pref. Multiplier, 10 ^ 6 or 2 ^ 20. See {M},
X {kilo-}.
X
Xmegapenny: /meg'@-pen'ee/ n. $10,000 (1 cent * 10 ^ 6). Used
X semi-humorously as a unit in comparing computer cost/performance
X figures.
X
XMEGO: /me'goh/ or /mee'goh/ [My Eyes Glaze Over, often Mine Eyes
X Glazeth (sic) Over, attributed to the futurologist Herman Kahn]
X Also `MEGO factor'. 1. n. Handwaving intended to confuse the
X listener and hopefully induce agreement because the listener does
X not want to admit to not understanding what is going on. MEGO is
X usually directed at senior management by engineers and contains a
X high proportion of {TLA}s. 2. excl. An appropriate response to
X MEGO tactics. 3. Among non-hackers this term often refers not to
X behavior which causes the eyes to glaze, but the eye-glazing
X reaction itself, which may be triggered by the mere threat of
X technical detail as effectively as by an actual excess of it.
X
Xmeltdown, network: n. See {network meltdown}.
X
Xmeme: /meem/ [coined on analogy with `gene' by Richard Dawkins]
X n. An idea considered as a {replicator}, esp. with the
X connotation that memes parasitize people into propagating them much
X as viruses do. Used esp. in the phrase `meme complex'
X denoting a group of mutually supporting memes which form an
X organized belief system, such as a religion. This dictionary is an
X (epidemiological) vector of the `hacker subculture' meme
X complex; each entry might be considered a meme. However,
X `meme' is often misused to mean `meme complex'. Use of the
X term connotes acceptance of the idea that in humans (and presumably
X other tool-and language-using sophonts) cultural evolution by
X selection of adaptive ideas has superseded biological evolution by
X selection of hereditary traits. Hackers find this idea congenial
X for tolerably obvious reasons.
X
Xmeme 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 millennarian Christianity have exhibited plague-like cycles
X of exponential growth followed by collapse to small reservoir
X populations.
X
Xmemetics: /m@-met'iks/ [from {meme}] The study of memes. As of
X mid-1991, this is still an extremely informal and speculative
X endeavor, though the first steps towards at least statistical rigor
X have been made by H. Keith Henson and others. Memetics is a
X popular topic among hackers, who like to see themselves as the
X architects of the new information ecologies in which memes live and
X replicate.
X
Xmemory leak: n. An error in a program's dynamic-store allocation
X logic that causes it to fail to reclaim discarded memory, leading
X to attempted hogging of main store and eventual collapse due to
X memory exhaustion. Also (esp. at CMU) called {core leak}. See
X {aliasing bug}, {fandango on core}, {smash the stack},
X {precedence lossage}, {overrun screw}, {leaky heap}.
X
Xmenuitis: /men`yoo-ie'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 {for the rest of us}.
X
Xmess-dos: /mes-dos/ [UNIX hackers] n. Derisory term for MS-DOS.
X Often followed by the ritual expurgation "Just Say No!". See
X MS-DOS. Most hackers (even many MS-DOS hackers) loathe MS-DOS for
X its single-tasking nature, its limits on application size, its
X nasty primitive interface, and its ties to IBMness (see {fear and
X loathing}). Also `mess-loss', `messy-dos', `mess-dog',
X `mess-dross', and various combinations thereof. In Ireland it
X is even sometimes called `Domestos' after a brand of toilet
X cleanser.
X
Xmeta: /me't@/ or /may't@/ or (Commonwealth) /mee't@/ [from
X analytic philosophy] adj. One level of description up. Thus, a
X meta-syntactic variable is a variable in notation used to describe
X syntax and meta-language is language used to describe language.
X This is difficult to explain briefly, but much hacker humor turns
X on deliberate confusion between meta-levels. See {{Humor,
X Hacker}}.
X
Xmeta bit: n. The top bit of an 8-bit character, on in character
X values 128-255. Also called {high bit}, {alt bit}, or
X {hobbit}. Some terminals and consoles (see {space-cadet
X keyboard}) have a META shift key. Others (including,
X *mirabile dictu*, keyboards on IBM PC-class machines) have an
X ALT key. See also {bucky bits}.
X
XMFTL: /em-eff-tee-ell/ [acronym: My Favorite Toy Language] 1. adj.
X Describes a talk on a programming language design which is heavy on
X syntax, frequently BNF, sometimes even talks about semantics, e.g.,
X type systems, but rarely, if ever, has any content (see
X {content-free}). More broadly applied to talks even when the
X topic is not a programming language, but the subject matter is gone
X into in unnecessary and meticulous detail at the sacrifice of any
X conceptual content. Usage: "Well, it was a typical MFTL talk".
X 2. n. Describes a language developed by an individual or group,
X which they are passionate about, but which hardly anyone outside
X the group cares about. Applied to the language by those outside
X the group. "He cornered me about type resolution in his MFTL"
X
Xmickey: n. The resolution unit of mouse movement. In {OS/2}
X there is a system call `MouGetNumMickeys()'. It has been
X suggested that the `disney' will become a benchmark unit for
X animation graphics performance.
X
Xmicro-: pref. 1. Very small; this is the root of its use as a
X quantifier prefix calling for multiplication by `10 ^ -6'.
X Neither of these uses is peculiar to hackers, but hackers tend to
X fling them both around rather more freely than is countenanced in
X standard English. It is recorded, for example, that one CS
X professor used to characterize the standard length of his lectures
X as a microcentury --- that is, about 52.6 minutes (see also
X {attoparsec}, {nanoacre}, and especially {microfortnight}).
X 2. Personal or human-scale --- that is, capable of being
X maintained or comprehended or manipulated by one human being. This
X sense is generalized from `microcomputer', and esp. used in
X contrast with `macro-' (the corresponding Greek prefix meaning
X `large'). 3. Local as opposed to global (or {macro-}). Thus a
X hacker might say, for example, that buying a smaller car to reduce
X pollution only solves a microproblem; the macroproblem of getting
X to work might be better solved by using mass transit, moving to
X within walking distance, or (best of all) telecommuting.
X
Xmicrofortnight: n. About 1.2 sec. The VMS operating system has a
X lot of tuning parameters that you can set with the SYSGEN utility,
X and one of these is TIMEPROMPTWAIT, the time the system will wait
X for an operator to set the correct date and time at boot if it
X realizes that the current value is bogus. This time is specified
X in microfortnights!
X
X Multiple uses of the millifortnight (about 20 minutes) and
X {nanofortnight} have also been reported.
X
Xmicrofloppies: n. 3-1/2" floppies, as opposed to 5-1/4" {vanilla}
X or mini-floppies and the now-obsolete 8" variety. This term may be
X headed for obsolescence as 5-1/4 inchers pass out of use, only to
X be revived if anybody floats a sub-3-inch floppy standard. See
X {stiffy}, {minifloppies}.
X
XmicroLenat: n. See {bogosity}.
X
XmicroReid: n. See {bogosity}.
X
Xmicrotape: n. Occasionally used to mean a DECtape, as opposed to a
X {macrotape}. A DECtape is a small reel of magnetic tape about
X four inches in diameter and an inch across. Unlike normal drivers
X for 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 coined the word `DECtape', which, of
X course, sounded sexier to the {marketroid} types.
X
Xmiddle-endian: adj. Not {big-endian} or {little-endian}. Used
X of byte orders like 3-4-1-2 or 2-1-4-3 occasionally found in the
X packed-decimal formats of minicomputer manufacturers who shall
X remain nameless. See {NUXI problem}.
X
XmilliLampson: /mil'i-lamp`sn/ n. A unit of talking speed
X abbreviated mL. Most people run about 200 milliLampsons. Butler
X Lampson (a CS theorist and systems implementor highly regarded
X among hackers; among other things, he wrote LaTeX, the most widely
X used macro package for TeX) goes at 1000. A few people speak
X faster. This unit is sometimes used to compare the (sometimes
X widely disparate) rates at which people can generate ideas and
X actually emit them in speech. For example, noted computer
X architect J. Gordon Bell (designer of the PDP-11) is said (with
X some awe) to think at about 1200 mL but only talk at about 300; he
X is frequently reduced to fragments of sentences as his mouth tries
X to keep up with his speeding brain.
X
Xminifloppies: n. 5-1/4" {vanilla} floppy disks, as opposed to
X 3-1/2" or {microfloppies} and the now-obsolescent 8-inch variety.
X At one time, this term was a trademark of Shugart Associates for
X their SA-400 minifloppy drive. Nobody paid any attention. See
X {stiffy}.
X
XMIPS: /mips/ [acronym] n. 1. A measure of computing speed;
X formally, `Million Instructions Per Second' (that's `10 ^
X 6' per second, not `2 ^ 20'!); often rendered by hackers as
X `Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed' or in other
X unflattering ways. This joke expresses a nearly universal attitude
X about the value of most {benchmark} claims, said attitude being
X one of the great cultural divides between hackers and
X {marketroid}s. The singular is sometimes `1 MIP' even though
X this is clearly etymologically wrong. See also {KIPS} and
X {GIPS}. 2. The corporate name of a particular RISC-chip
X company; among other things, they designed the processor chips used
X in DEC's 3100 workstation series.
X
Xmisbug: /mis-buhg/ [MIT] n. An unintended property of a program
X that turns out to be useful; something that should have been a
X {bug} but turns out to be a {feature}. Usage: rare. Compare
X {green lightning}.
X
Xmisfeature: /mis-fee'chr/ or /mis'fee`chr/ n. A feature that
X eventually causes lossage, possibly because it is not adequate for
X a new situation which has evolved. It is not the same as a bug
X because fixing it involves a substantial philosophical change to
X the structure of the system involved. A misfeature is different
X from a simple unforeseen side effect; the term implies that the
X misfeature was actually carefully planned to be that way, but
X future consequences or circumstances just weren't predicted
X accurately. This is different from just not having thought ahead
X about it at all. Often a former feature becomes a misfeature
X because a tradeoff was made whose parameters subsequently changed
X (possibly only in the judgment of the implementors). "Well, yeah,
X it's kind of a misfeature that file names are limited to six
X characters, but the original implementors wanted to save directory
X space and we're stuck with it for now."
X
XMissed'em-five: n. Pejorative hackerism for AT&T System V UNIX,
X generally used by {BSD} partisans in a bigoted mood (the term
X `SysVile' is also encountered). See {software bloat},
X {Berzerkeley}.
X
Xmiswart: /mis-wort/ [from {wart} by analogy with {misbug}] n.
X A {feature} that superficially appears to be a {wart} but has been
X determined to be the {Right Thing}. For example, in some versions
X of the {EMACS} text editor, the `transpose characters' command
X exchanges the two characters on either side of the cursor on the
X screen, *except* when the cursor is at the end of a line, in
X which case the two characters before the cursor are exchanged.
X While this behavior is perhaps surprising, and certainly
X inconsistent, it has been found through extensive experimentation
X to be what most users want. This feature is a miswart.
X
Xmoby: /moh'bee/ [MIT; seems to have been in use among model
X railroad fans years ago. Derived from Melville's `Moby Dick' (some
X say from `Moby Pickle').] 1. adj. Large, immense, complex,
X impressive. "A Saturn V rocket is a truly moby frob." "Some
X MIT undergrads pulled off a moby hack at the Harvard-Yale game."
X (see Appendix A). 2. n. obs. The maximum address space of a
X machine (see below). For a 680[1234]0 or VAX or most modern 32-bit
X architectures, it is 4,294,967,296 8-bit bytes (4 gigabytes). 3.
X A title of address (never of third-person reference), usually used
X to show admiration, respect, and/or friendliness to a competent
X hacker. "Greetings, moby Dave. How's that address-book thing for
X the Mac going?" 4. adj. In backgammon, doubles on the dice, as
X in `moby sixes', `moby ones', etc. Compare this with
X {bignum} (sense #2): double sixes are both bignums and moby
X sixes, but moby ones are not bignums (the use of `moby' to
SHAR_EOF
true || echo 'restore of jargon.ascii failed'
fi
echo 'End of part 10, continue with part 11'
echo 11 > _shar_seq_.tmp
exit 0