eric@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) (03/23/91)
Submitted-by: jargon@thyrsus.com
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X Mel' in Appendix A.
X
XReal Soon Now: [orig. from SF's fanzine community, popularized by
X Jerry Pournelle's BYTE column] adj. 1. Supposed to be available
X (or fixed, or cheap, or whatever) real soon now according to
X somebody, but the speaker is quite skeptical. 2. When one's
X gods/fates/other time commitments permit one to get to it (in other
X words don't hold your breath). Often abbreviated RSN.
X
Xreal time: adv. Doing something while people are watching or waiting.
X "I asked her how to find the calling procedure's program counter
X on the stack and she came up with an algorithm in real time."
X
Xreal user: n. 1. A commercial user. One who is paying `real' money
X for his computer usage. 2. A non-hacker. Someone using the system
X for an explicit purpose (research project, course, etc.). See
X {user}. Hackers who are also students may also be real users. "I
X need this fixed so I can do a problem set. I'm not complaining out
X of randomness, but as a real user." See also {luser}.
X
XReal World: n. 1. In programming, those institutions at which
X programming may be used in the same sentence as FORTRAN, {COBOL},
X RPG, {IBM}, DBASE, etc. Places where programs do such
X commercially necessary but intellectually uninspiring things as
X compute payroll checks and invoices. 2. To programmers, the
X location of non-programmers and activities not related to
X programming. 3. A bizarre dimension in which the standard dress
X is shirt and tie and in which a person's working hours are defined
X as 9 to 5 (see {code grinder}). 4. The location of the status
X quo. 5. Anywhere outside a university. "Poor fellow, he's left
X MIT and gone into the real world." Used pejoratively by those not
X in residence there. In conversation, talking of someone who has
X entered the real world is not unlike speaking of a deceased
X person. See also {fear and loathing}, {mundane}, and
X {uninteresting}.
X
Xreality check: n. 1. The simplest kind of test of software or
X hardware; doing the equivalent of asking it what `2 + 2'
X is and seeing if you get `4'. The software equivalent of a
X {smoke test}. 2. The act of letting a {real user} try out
X prototype software. Compare {sanity check}.
X
Xreaper: n. A {prowler} that {GFR}s files. A file removed in
X this way is said to have been `reaped'.
X
Xrectangle slinger: n. See {polygon pusher}.
X
Xrecursion: n. See {recursion}. See also {tail recursion}.
X
Xrecursive acronyms:: pl.n. A hackish (and especially MIT) tradition
X is to choose acronyms that refer humorously to themselves or to
X other acronyms. The classic examples were two MIT editors called
X EINE ("EINE Is Not EMACS") and ZWEI ("ZWEI Was EINE
X Initially"). More recently, there is a Scheme compiler called
X LIAR (Liar Imitates Apply Recursively), and {GNU} (q.v., sense
X #1) is said to stand for "GNU's Not UNIX!" See also {mung},
X {EMACS}.
X
XRed Book: n. 1. Informal name for one of the three standard
X references on PostScript (`PostScript Language Reference
X Manual', Adobe Systems, Addison-Wesley 1985 QA76.73.P67P67, ISBN
X 0-201-10174-2); the others are known as the {Green Book} and {Blue
X Book}. 2. Informal name for one of the three standard references
X on Smalltalk (`Smalltalk-80: The Interactive Programming
X Environment', Adele Goldberg, Addison-Wesley 1984, QA76.8.S635G638,
X ISBN 0-201-11372-4; this is also associated with blue and green
X books). 3. Any of the 1984 standards issued by the CCITT 8th
X plenary assembly. Until now, these have changed color each review
X cycle (1988 was {Blue Book}, 1992 will be {Green Book}); however,
X it is rumored that this convention is going to be dropped before
X 1992. These include, among other things, the X.400 email spec and
X the Group 1 through 4 fax standards. 4. The new version of the
X {Green Book} (sense #4), IEEE 1003.1-1990, aka ISO 9945-1,
X is (because of the color and the fact that it is printed on A4
X paper), known in the USA as "The Ugly Red Book That Won't Fit On
X The Shelf", and in Europe as "The Ugly Red Book That's A Sensible
X Size". See also {{book titles}}.
X
Xregexp: /reg'eksp/ [UNIX] n. (alt. `regex' or `reg-ex')
X 1. Common written and spoken abbreviation for `regular
X expression', one of the wildcard patterns used, e.g., by UNIX
X utilities such as `grep(1)', `sed(1)', and `awk(1)'.
X These use conventions similar to but more elaborate than those
X described under {glob}. For purposes of this lexicon, it is
X sufficient to note that regexps also allow complemented character
X sets using `^'; thus, one can specify any non-alphabetic
X character with `[^A-Za-z]'. 2. Name of a well-known PD
X regexp-handling package in portable C, written by revered USENETter
X Henry Spencer (henry@zoo.toronto.edu).
X
Xreincarnation, cycle of: n. See {cycle of reincarnation}.
X
Xreinvent the wheel: v. To design or implement a tool equivalent to
X an existing one or part of one, with the implication that doing so
X is silly or a waste of time. This is frequently a valid criticism;
X however, automobiles don't use wooden rollers, and some kinds of
X wheel have to be re-invented many times before you get it right. On
X the other hand, it has often been pointed out that people
X reinventing the wheel tend to come up with the moral equivalent of
X a trapezoid with an offset axle....
X
Xreligious issues: n. Questions which seemingly cannot be raised
X without touching off {holy wars}, such as "What is the best
X operating system (or editor, language, architecture, shell, mail
X reader, news reader)?" and "What about that Heinlein guy, eh?".
X See {holy wars}; see also {theology}, {bigot}.
X
X This term is an example of {ha ha only serious}. People
X actually develop the most amazing and religiously intense
X attachments to their tools, even when the tools are intangible.
X The most constructive thing one can do when one stumbles into the
X crossfire is mumble {Get a life!} and leave --- unless of course
X one's *own* unassailably rational and obviously correct
X choices are being slammed....
X
Xreplicator: n. Any construct that acts to produce copies of itself;
X this could be a living organism, an idea (see {meme}), a program
X (see {worm}, {wabbit}, and {virus}), a pattern in a cellular
X automaton (see {life}, sense #1), or (speculatively) a robot or
X {nanobot}. It is even claimed by some that {UNIX} and {C}
X are the symbiotic halves of an extremely successful replicator; see
X {UNIX conspiracy}.
X
Xreply: n. See {followup}.
X
Xrestriction: n. A {bug} or design error that limits a program's
X capabilities, and which is sufficiently egregious that nobody can
X quite work up enough nerve to describe it as a {feature}. Often
X used (esp. by {marketroid} types) to make it sound as though
X some crippling bogosity had been intended by the designers all
X along, or was forced upon them by arcane technical constraints of a
X nature no mere user could possibly comprehend (these claims are
X almost invariably false).
X
X Old-time hacker Joseph M. Newcomer (jn11+@andrew.cmu.edu) passes
X along this wisdom: "Whenever choosing a quantifiable restriction,
X make it either a power of 2 or a power of 2 minus 1. If you impose
X a limit of 17 items in a list, everyone knows it is a random
X number. If the limit is 15 or 16, there is clearly some deep
X reason and you will get less {flamage}." It has been further
X observed that this is especially true if 17 = 20 (see {{random
X numbers}}) or some other `round' number in base 10.
X
Xretcon: /ret'kon/ [`retroactive continuity', from USENET's
X rec.arts.comics] 1. n. The common situation in pulp fiction
X (esp. comics or soap operas) where a new story `reveals' things
X about events in previous stories, usually leaving the `facts' the
X same (thus preserving continuity) while completely changing their
X interpretation. E.g., revealing that a whole season of Dallas was
X a dream was a retcon. 2. vt. To write such a story about (a
X character or fictitious object). "Byrne has retconned Superman's
X cape so that it is no longer unbreakable." "Marvelman's old
X adventures were retconned into synthetic dreams." "Swamp Thing
X was retconned from a transformed person into a sentient
X vegetable."
X
X [This is included because it's a good example of hackish linguistic
X innovation in a field completely unrelated to computers. The word
X `retcon' will probably spread through comics fandom and lose its
X association with hackerdom within a couple of years; for the
X record, it started here. --- ESR]
X
Xretrocomputing: /ret'-roh-k*m-pyoo'ting/ n. Refers to emulations
X of way-behind-the-state-of-the-art hardware or software, or
X implementations of never-was-state-of-the-art; esp. if such
X implementations are elaborate practical jokes and/or parodies of
X more `serious' designs. Perhaps the most widely distributed
X retrocomputing utility was the `pnch(6)' or `bcd(6)'
X program on V7 and other early UNIX versions, which would accept up
X to 80 characters of text argument and display the corresponding
X pattern in {{punched card}} code. Other well-known retrocomputing
X hacks have included the programming language {INTERCAL}, a
X {JCL}-emulating shell for UNIX, the card-punch-emulating editor named
X 029, and various elaborate PDP-11 hardware emulators and RT-11 OS
X emulators written just to keep an old, sourceless {Zork} binary
X running.
X
XRFC: /ahr ef see/ [Request For Comment] n. One of a
X long-established series of numbered Internet standards widely
X followed by commercial and PD software in the Internet and UNIX
X communities. Perhaps the single most influential one has been
X RFC-822 (the Internet mail-format standard). The RFCs are unusual
X in that they are floated by technical experts acting on their own
X initiative and reviewed by the Internet at large, rather than
X formally promulgated through an institution such as ANSI. For this
X reason, they remain known as RFCs even once adopted.
X
XRFE: n. 1. [techspeak] Request For Enhancement. 2. [from
X `Radio Free Europe' Bellcore and Sun] Radio Free Ethernet, a system
X (originated by Peter Langston) for broadcasting audio among Sun
X SPARCstations over the ethernet.
X
Xrib site: [by analogy with {backbone site}] n. A machine which
X has an on-demand high-speed link to a {backbone site} and serves
X as a regional distribution point for lots of third-party traffic in
X email and USENET news. Compare {leaf site}, {backbone site}.
X
Xrice box: [from ham radio slang] n. Any Asian-made commodity
X computer, esp. an 80*86-based machine built to IBM PC-compatible
X ISA or EISA-bus standards.
X
XRight Thing: n. That which is *compellingly* the correct or
X appropriate thing to use, do, say, etc. Often capitalized, always
X emphasized in speech as though capitalized. Use of this term often
X implies that in fact reasonable people may disagree. "What's the
X right thing for LISP to do when it sees `(mod a 0)'? Should
X it return `a', or give a divide-by-zero error?" Antonym:
X {Wrong Thing}.
X
XRL: [MUD community] n. Real Life. "Firiss laughs in RL." means
X Firiss's player is laughing. Oppose {VR}.
X
Xroach: [Bell Labs] vt. To destroy, esp. of a data structure. Hardware
X gets {toast}ed or {fried}, software gets roached.
X
Xrobust: adj. Said of a system that has demonstrated an ability to
X recover gracefully from the whole range of exceptional inputs and
X situations in a given environment. One step below {bulletproof}.
X Compare {smart}, oppose {brittle}.
X
Xrococo: adj. {Baroque} in the extreme. Used to imply that a
X program has become so encrusted with the software equivalent of
X gold leaf and curlicues that they have completely swamped the
X underlying design. Called after the later and more extreme forms
X of Baroque architecture and decoration prevalent during the
X mid-1700s in Europe.
X
Xrogue: [UNIX] n. Dungeons-And-Dragons-like game using character
X graphics, written under BSD UNIX and subsequently ported to other
X UNIX systems. The original BSD `curses(3)' screen-handling
X package was hacked together by Ken Arnold to support
X `rogue(6)' and has since become one of UNIX's most important
X and heavily used application libraries. Nethack, Omega, Larn, and
X an entire subgenre of computer dungeon games all took off from the
X inspiration provided by `rogue(6)'. See {nethack}.
X
Xroom-temperature IQ: [IBM] quant. 80 or below. Used in describing the
X expected intelligence range of the {luser}. As in "Well, but
X how's this interface gonna play with the room-temperature IQ
X crowd?" See {drool-proof paper}. This is a much more insulting
X phrase in countries that use Celsius thermometers.
X
Xroot: [UNIX] n. 1. The {superuser} account that ignores
X permission bits, user number zero on a UNIX system. This account
X has the user name `root'. The term {avatar} is also used.
X 2. The top node of the system directory structure (home directory
X of the root user). 3. By extension, the privileged
X system-maintenance login on any OS. See {root mode}.
X
Xroot mode: n. Syn. with {wizard mode} or `wheel mode'. Like
X these, it is often generalized to describe privileged states in
X systems other than OSes.
X
Xrot13: /rot ther'teen/ [USENET, from `rotate alphabet 13 places']
X n.,v. The simple Caesar-cypher encryption that replaces each
X English letter with the one 13 places forward or back along the
X alphabet, so that "The butler did it!" becomes "Gur ohgyre qvq
X vg!" Most USENET news reading and posting programs include a
X rot13 feature. It is used to enclose the text in a sealed wrapper
X that the reader must choose to open, e.g. for posting things that
X might offend some readers or answers to puzzles and the like. A
X major advantage of rot13 over rot(N) for other N is that it is
X self-inverse --- thus the same code can be used for encoding and
X decoding.
X
Xrotary debugger: [Commodore] n. Essential equipment for those late
X night or early morning debugging sessions. Mainly used as
X sustenance for the hacker. Comes in many decorator colors such as
X Sausage, Pepperoni, and Garbage. See {pizza, ANSI standard}.
X
XRSN: adj. See {Real Soon Now}.
X
XRTFAQ: /ahr-tee-ef-ay-kyoo/ [USENET; primarily written, by analogy
X with {RTFM}] imp. Abbrev. for `Read the FAQ!', an exhortation
X that the person addressed ought to read the newsgroup's {FAQ
X list} before posting questions.
X
XRTFM: /ahr-tee-ef-em/ [UNIX] imp. Abbrev. for `Read The Fucking Manual'.
X 1. Used by GURUs to brush off questions they consider trivial or
X annoying. Compare {Don't do that, then!}. 2. Used when reporting
X a problem to indicate that you aren't just asking out of
X {randomness}. "No, I can't figure out how to interface UNIX to my
X toaster, and yes, I have RTFM." Unlike sense #1, this use is
X considered polite. See also {RTFAQ}, {RTM}.
X
XRTI: /ahr-tee-ie/ interj. The mnemonic for the `return from
X interrupt' instruction on many computers including the 6502 and
X Z80. Equivalent to "Now, where was I?" or used to end a
X conversational digression. See {pop}; see also {POPJ}.
X
XRTM: /ahr-tee-em/ [USENET, acronym for `Read The Manual']
X 1. Politer variant of {RTFM}. 2. Robert T. Morris, perpetrator
X of the great Internet worm of 1988; villain to many, naive hacker
X gone wrong to a few. Morris claimed that the worm which brought
X the Internet to its knees was a benign experiment that got out of
X control due to a coding error. After the storm of negative
X publicity that followed this blunder Morris's name on ITS was
X hacked from RTM to {RTFM}.
X
Xrude: [WPI] adj. 1. (of a program) Badly written. 2. Functionally
X poor, e.g. a program which is very difficult to use because of
X gratuitously poor (random?) design decisions. See {cuspy}.
X
Xrunes: pl.n. 1. Anything that requires {heavy wizardry} or
X {black art} to {parse}; core dumps, JCL commands, or even code
X in a language you hacen't a clue how to {parse}. Compare
X {casting the runes}, {Great Runes}. 2. Special display
X characters (for example, the high-half graphics on an IBM PC).
X
Xrunic: adj. Syn. {obscure}. VMS fans sometimes refer to UNIX as
X `Runix'; UNIX fans return the compliment by expanding VMS to `Very
X Messy Syntax' or `Vachement Mauvais Systeme' (French, lit.
X "Cowlike Bad System", idiomatically "Bitchy Bad System").
X
Xrusty iron: n. Syn. {tired iron}. It has been claimed that this
X is the inevitable fate of {water MIPS}.
X
Xrusty memory: n. Mass-storage that uses iron-oxide-based magnetic
X media (esp. tape and the pre-Winchester removable disk packs used
X in {washing machine}s). Compare {donuts}.
X
X= S =
X=====
X
Xs/n ratio: n. (also `s:n ratio'). Syn. {signal-to-noise
X ratio}. Often abbreviated `SNR'.
X
Xsacred: adj. Reserved for the exclusive use of something (an
X extension of the standard meaning). Often means that anyone may
X look at the sacred object, but clobbering it will screw whatever it
X is sacred to. Example: The comment "Register 7 is sacred to the
X interrupt handler." appearing in a program would be interpreted by
X a hacker to mean if any *other* part of the program changes
X the contents of register 7 dire consequences are likely to ensue.
X
Xsaga: [WPI] n. A cuspy but bogus raving story dealing with N random
X broken people.
X
X Here is a classic example of the saga form, as told by Guy L. Steele:
X
X Jon L. White (login name JONL) and I (GLS) were office mates at MIT
X for many years. One April we both flew from Boston to California
X for a week on research business, to consult face-to-face with some
X people at Stanford, particularly our mutual friend Richard P.
X Gabriel (RPG; see {Gabriel}).
X
X RPG picked us up at the San Francisco airport and drove us back to
X Palo Alto (going {logical} south on route 101, parallel to {El
X Camino Bignum}). Palo Alto is adjacent to Stanford University, and
X about forty miles south of San Francisco. We ate at The Good
X Earth, a `health food' restaurant, very popular, the sort whose
X milkshakes all contain honey and protein powder. JONL ordered such
X a shake --- the waitress claimed the flavor of the day was
X "lalaberry". I still have no idea what that might be, but it
X became a running joke. It was the color of raspberry, and JONL
X said it tasted rather bitter. I ate a better tostada there than I
X have ever had in a Mexican restaurant.
X
X After this we went to the local Uncle Gaylord's Old Fashioned Ice
X Cream Parlor. They make ice cream fresh daily, in a variety of
X intriguing flavors. It's a chain, and they have a slogan: "If you
X don't live near an Uncle Gaylord's --- MOVE!" Also, Uncle Gaylord (a
X real person) wages a constant battle to force big-name ice cream
X makers to print their ingredients on the package (like air and
X plastic and other non-natural garbage). JONL and I had first
X discovered Uncle Gaylord's the previous August, when we had flown
X to a computer science conference in Berkeley, California, the first
X time either of us had been on the West Coast. When not in the
X conference sessions, we had spent our time wandering the length of
X Telegraph Street, which, like Harvard Square in Cambridge,
X Massachusetts, in summer was lined with picturesque street vendors
X and interesting little shops. On that street we discovered Uncle
X Gaylord's Berkeley store. The ice cream there was very good.
X During that August visit JONL went absolutely bananas (so to
X speak) over one particular flavor, ginger honey.
X
X Therefore, after eating at The Good Earth --- indeed, after every
X lunch and dinner and before bed during our April visit --- a trip
X to Uncle Gaylord's (the one in Palo Alto) was mandatory. We had
X arrived on a Wednesday, and by Thursday evening we had been there
X at least four times. Each time JONL would get ginger honey ice
X cream, and proclaim to all bystanders that "Ginger was the spice
X that drove the Europeans mad! That's why they sought a route to
X the East! They used it to preserve their otherwise off-taste
X meat." After the third or fourth repetition RPG and I were
X getting a little tired of this spiel, and began to paraphrase him:
X "Wow! Ginger! The spice that makes rotten meat taste good!"
X "Say! Why don't we find some dog that's been run over and sat in
X the sun for a week and put some *ginger* on it for dinner?!"
X "Right! With a lalaberry shake!" And so on. This failed to
X faze JONL; he took it in good humor, as long as we kept returning
X to Uncle Gaylord's. He loves ginger honey ice cream.
X
X Now RPG and his wife KBT (Kathy Tracy) were putting us up (putting
X up with us?) in their home for our visit, so to thank them JONL and
X I took them out to a nice French restaurant of their choosing. I
X unadventurously chose the filet mignon, and KBT had `je ne sais
X quoi du jour', but RPG and JONL had `lapin' (rabbit).
X (Waitress: "`Oui', we have fresh rabbit, fresh today." RPG:
X "Well, JONL, I guess we won't need any *ginger*!")
X
X We finished the meal late, about 11 PM, which is 2 AM Boston time,
X so JONL and I were rather droopy. But it wasn't yet midnight. Off
X to Uncle Gaylord's!
X
X Now the French resturant was in Redwood City, north of Palo Alto.
X In leaving Redwood City, we somehow got onto route 101 going north
X instead of south. JONL and I woudln't have known the difference
X had RPG not mentioned it. We still knew very little of the local
X geography. I did figure out, however, that we were headed in the
X direction of Berkeley, and half-jokingly suggested that we continue
X north and go to Uncle Gaylord's in Berkeley.
X
X RPG said "Fine!" and we drove on for a while and talked. I was
X drowsy, and JONL actually dropped off to sleep for five minutes.
X When he awoke, RPG said, "Gee, JONL, you must have slept all the
X way over the bridge!" referring to the one spanning San Francisco
X Bay. Just then we came to a sign that said "University Avenue".
X I mumbled something about working our way over to Telegraph Street;
X RPG said "Right!" and maneuvered some more. Eventually we pulled
X up in front of an Uncle Gaylord's.
X
X Now I hadn't really been paying attention because I was so sleepy,
X and I didn't really understand what was happening until RPG let me
X in on it a few moments later, but I was just alert enough to notice
X that we had somehow some to the Palo Alto Uncle Gaylord's after
X all.
X
X JONL noticed the resemblance to the Palo Alto store, but hadn't
X caught on. (The place is lit with red and yellow lights at night,
X and looks much different from the way it does in daylight.) He
X said, "This isn't the Uncle Gaylord's I went to in Berkeley! It
X looked like a barn! But this place looks *just like* the one
X back in Palo Alto!"
X
X RPG deadpanned, "Well, this is the one *I* alwasy come to
X when I'm in Berkeley. They've got two in San Francisco, too.
X Remember, they're a chain."
X
X JONL accepted this bit of wisdom. And he was not totally ignorant
X --- he knew perfectly well that University Avenue was in Berkeley,
X not far from Telegraph Street. What he didn't know was that there
X is a completely different University Avenue in Palo Alto.
X
X JONL went up to the counter and asked for ginger honey. The guy at
X the counter asked whether JONL would like to taste it first,
X evidently their standard procedure with that flavor, as not too
X many people like it.
X
X JONL said, "I'm sure I like it. Just give me a cone." The guy
X behind the counter insisted that JONL try just a taste first.
X "Some people think it tastes like soap." JONL insisted, "Look,
X I /love/ ginger. I eat Chinese food. I eat raw ginger roots. I
X already went through this hassle with the guy back in Palo Alto. I
X *know* I like that flavor!"
X
X At the words "back in Palo Alto" the guy behind the counter got a
X very strange look on his face, but said nothing. KBT caught his
X eye and winked. Through my stupor I still hadn't quite grasped
X what was going on, and thought RPG was rolling on the floor
X laughing and clutching his stomach just because JONL had launched
X into his spiel ("makes rotten meat a dish for princes") for the
X forty-third time. At this point RPG clued me in fully.
X
X RPG, KBT, and I retreated to a table, trying to stifle our
X chuckles. JONL remained at the counter, talking about ice cream
X with the guy b.t.c., comparing Uncle Gaylord's to other ice cream
X shops and generally having a good old time.
X
X At length the g.b.t.c. said, "How's the ginger honey?" JONL
X said, "Fine! I wonder what exactly is in it?" Now Uncle Gaylord
X publishes all his recipes and even teaches classes on how to make
X his ice cream at home. So the g.b.t.c. got out the recipe, and he
X and JONL pored over it for a while. But the g.b.t.c. could
X contain his curiosity no longer, and asked again, "You really like
X that stuff, huh?" JONL said, "Yeah, I've been eating it
X constantly back in Palo Alto for the past two days. In fact, I
X think this batch is about as good as the cones I got back in Palo
X Alto!"
X
X G.b.t.c. looked him straight in the eye and said, "You're
X *in* Palo Alto!"
X
X JONL turned slowly around, and saw the three of us collapse in a
X fit of giggles. He clapped a hand to his forehead and exclaimed,
X "I've been {hack}ed!"
X
Xsagan: /say'gn/ [from Carl Sagan's TV series `Cosmos'; think
X `Billions and Billions'] n. A large quantity of anything.
X "There's a sagan different ways to tweak EMACS." "The US
X Government spends sagans on bombs and welfare --- hard to say which
X is more destructive."
X
XSAIL: /sayl/, not /ess ay ie el/ n. 1. Stanford Artificial
X Intelligence Lab. An important site in the early development of
X LISP; with the MIT AI Lab, BBN, CMU, and the UNIX community, one of
X the major wellsprings of technical innovation and hacker-culture
X traditions (see the {WAITS} entry for details). The SAIL
X machines were shut down in late May 1990, scant weeks after the MIT
X AI lab's ITS cluster were officially decommissioned. 2. The
X Stanford Artificial Intelligence Language used at SAIL (sense #1).
X It was an Algol-60 derivative with a coroutining facility and some
X new data types intended for building search trees and association
X lists.
X
Xsalescritter: /sayls'kri`tr/ n. Pejorative hackerism for a computer
X salesperson. Hackers tell the following joke:
X
X Q. What's the difference between a used-car dealer and a computer
X salesman?
X A. The used-car dealer knows he's lying.
X
X This reflects the widespread hacker belief that salescritters are
X self-selected for stupidity (after all, if they had brains and the
X inclination to use them, they'd be in programming). The terms
X `salesthing' and `salesdroid' are also common. Compare
X {marketroid}, {suit}, {droid}.
X
Xsalt mines: n. Dense quarters housing large numbers of programmers
X working long hours on grungy projects, with some hope of seeing the
X end of the tunnel in N years. Noted for their absence of sunshine.
X Compare {playpen}, {sandbox}.
X
Xsalt substrate: [MIT] n. Collective noun used to refer to potato
X chips, pretzels, saltines, or any other form of snack food
X designed primarily as a carrier for sodium chloride. From the
X technical term `chip substrate', used to refer to the silicon on the
X top of which the active parts of integrated circuits are deposited.
X
Xsame-day-service: n. Ironic term is used to describe slow response
X time, particularly with respect to {MS-DOS} system calls. Such
X response time is a major incentive for programmers to write
X programs that are not {well-behaved}. See also {PC-ism}.
X
Xsandbender: [IBM] n. A person involved with silicon lithography and
X the physical design of chips. Compare {ironmonger}, {polygon
X pusher}.
X
Xsandbox: n. (or `sandbox, the') Common term for the R&D
X department at many software and computer companies (where hackers
X in commercial environments are likely to be found). Half-derisive,
X but reflects the truth that research is a form of creative play.
X Compare {playpen}.
X
Xsanity check: n. 1. The act of checking a piece of code for
X completely stupid mistakes. Implies that the check is to make sure
X the author was sane when it was written; e.g., if a piece of
X scientific software relied on a particular formula and was giving
X unexpected results, one might first look at the nesting of
X parentheses or the coding of the formula, as a {sanity check},
X before looking at the more complex I/O or data structure
X manipulation routines, much less the algorithm itself. Compare
X {reality check}. 2. A run-time test, either validating input
X or ensuring that the program hasn't screwed up internally
X (producing an inconsistent value or state).
X
XSaturday night special: [from police slang for a cheap handgun] n.
X A program or feature kluged together during off hours, under a
X deadline, and in response to pressure from a {salescritter}.
X Such hacks are dangerously unreliable, but all too frequently sneak
X into a production release after insufficient review.
X
Xsay: vt. In some contexts, to type to a terminal. "To list a
X directory verbosely, you have to say `ls -l'." Tends to
X imply a {newline}-terminated command (a `sentence'). A computer
X may also be said to `say' things to you even if it doesn't have a
X speech synthesizer, by displaying them on a terminal in response to
X your commands. Hackers find it odd that this usage confuses
X {mundane}s.
X
XScience-Fiction Fandom:: n. Another voluntary subculture having a
X very heavy overlap with hackerdom; most hackers read SF and/or
X fantasy fiction avidly, and many go to `cons' (SF conventions) or
X are involved in fandom-connected activities like the Society for
X Creative Anachronism. Some hacker jargon originated in SF fandom;
X see {defenestration}, {great-wall}, {cyberpunk}, {h}, {ha
X ha only serious}, {IMHO}, {mundane}, {neep-neep}, {Real
X Soon Now}. Additionally, the jargon terms {cowboy},
X {cyberspace}, {de-rezz}, {go flatline}, {ice}, {virus},
X {wetware}, {wirehead}, and {worm} originated in SF
X stories.
X
Xscram switch: [from the nuclear power industry] n. An
X emergency-power-off switch (see {Big Red Switch}), esp. one
X positioned to be easily hit by evacuating personnel. In general,
X this is *not* something you {frob} lightly; these often
X initiate expensive events like Halon dumps and are installed in a
X {dinosaur pen} for use in case of electrical fire or in case some
X luckless {field servoid} should put 120 volts across himself
X while {Easter egging}.
X
Xscratch: 1. [from `scratchpad'] adj. Describes a data
X structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or
X temporary-use purposes; one that can be {scribble}d on without
X loss. Usually in the combining forms `scratch memory',
X `scratch register', `scratch disk', `scratch tape',
X `scratch volume'. See {scratch monkey}. 2. [primarily
X IBM] vt. To delete (as in a file).
X
Xscratch monkey: n. As in, "Before testing or reconfiguring, always
X mount a scratch monkey.", a proverb used to advise caution when
X dealing with irreplaceable data or devices. Used to refer to any
X non-expendable device or scratch volume hooked to a computer, in
X memory of Mabel, the Swimming Wonder Monkey who expired when a
X computer vendor {PM}ed a machine which was regulating the gas
X mixture that the monkey was breathing at the time. See Appendix A.
X See {scratch}.
X
Xscrew: [MIT] n. A {lose}, usually in software. Especially used for
X user-visible misbehavior caused by a bug or misfeature. This use
X has become quite widespread outside MIT.
X
Xscrewage: /skroo'*j/ n. Like {lossage} but connotes that the
X failure is due to a designed-in misfeature rather than a simple
X inadequacy or mere bug.
X
Xscribble: n. To modify a data structure in a random and
X unintentionally destructive way. "Bletch! Somebody's
X disk-compactor program went berserk and scribbled on the i-node
X table." "It was working fine until one of the allocation routines
X scribbled on low core." Synonymous with {trash}; compare {mung},
X which conveys a bit more intention, and {mangle}, which is more
X violent and final.
X
Xscrog: /skrog/ [Bell Labs] vt. To damage, trash, or corrupt a data
X structure. "The cblock got scrogged." Also reported as
X `skrog', and ascribed to `The Wizard of Id' comix. Equivalent
X to {scribble} or {mangle}
X
Xscrozzle: /skroz'l/ vt. Used when a self-modifying code segment runs
X incorrectly and corrupts the running program or vital data. "The
X damn compiler scrozzled itself again!"
X
XSCSI: [Small Computer System Interface] n. A bus-independent
X standard for system-level interfacing between a computer and
X intelligent devices. Typically annotated in literature with `sexy'
X (/sek'see/), `sissy' (/sis'ee/) and `scuzzy' (/skuhz'zee/) as
X pronunciation guides --- the last being the overwhelmingly
X predominant form, much to the dismay of the designers and their
X marketing people. One can usually assume that a person who
X pronounces it /ess see ess eye/ is clueless.
X
Xsearch-and-destroy mode: n. Hackerism for the search-and-replace
X facility in an editor, so called because an incautiously chosen
X match pattern can cause {infinite} damage.
X
Xsecond-system effect: n. (sometimes, more euphoniously,
X `second-system syndrome'.) When designing the successor to a
X relatively small, elegant, and successful system, there is a
X tendency to become grandiose in one's success and design an
X {elephantine} feature-laden monstrosity. The term was first used
X by Fred Brooks in his classic book `The Mythical Man-Month'.
X It described the jump from a set of nice, simple, operating
X monitors on the IBM 70xx series to OS/360 on the 360 series. A
X similar effect can also happen in an evolving system; see
X {creeping elegance}, {creeping featurism}. See also
X {Multics}, {OS/2}, {X}, {software bloat}.
X
X This version of the jargon lexicon has been described (with
X altogether too much truth for comfort) as an example of
X second-system effect run amok on jargon-1....
X
Xsecondary damage: n. When a fatal error occurs (esp. a
X {segfault}) the immediate cause may be that a pointer is damaged
X due to a {fandango on core}. However, this fandango may have
X been due to an *earlier* fandango, so no amount of analysis
X will reveal (directly) how the damage occurred. "The data
X structure was clobbered, but it was secondary damage."
X
X This generalizes. The corruption resulting from N cascaded
X fandangoes on core is `Nth-level damage'. There is at least one
X case on record in which 17 hours of {grovel}ling with `adb'
X actually dug up the underlying bug behind an instance of 7th-level
X damage! The hacker who accomplished this near-superhuman feat was
X presented with an award by his fellows.
X
Xsecurity through obscurity: n. A name applied by hackers to most OS
X vendors' favorite way of coping with security holes --- namely,
X ignoring them and not documenting them and trusting that nobody
X will find out about them and that people who do find out about them
X won't exploit them. This never works for long and occasionally
X sets the world up for debacles like the {RTM} worm of 1988, but once
X the brief moments of panic created by such events subside most
X vendors are all too willing to turn over and go back to sleep.
X After all, actually fixing the bugs would siphon off the resources
X needed to implement the next user-interface frill on Marketing's
X wish list --- besides, if they started fixing security bugs
X customers might begin to *expect* it and imagine that their
X warranties of merchantability gave them some sort of *right*
X to a system with fewer holes in it than a shotgunned Swiss cheese,
X and then where would we be?
X
X Historical note: this term was first used in the USENET newsgroup
X in `comp.sys.apollo' during a campaign to get HP/Apollo to fix
X rampant security problems in its UNIX-lookalike Aegis/DomainOS.
X They didn't change a thing.
X
XSED: [TMRC] /ess-ee-dee/ n. Smoke emitting diode. A {friode}
X that lost the war.
X
Xsegfault: n.,vi. Syn. {segment}, {seggie}.
X
Xseggie: /seg'ee/ [UNIX] n. Shorthand for {segmentation fault}
X reported from Britain.
X
Xsegment: /seg'ment/ vi. To experience a {segmentation fault}.
X Confusingly, this is often prnounced more like the noun `segment'
X than like mainstream v. segment; this is because it's actually a
X noun shorthand that has been verbed.
X
Xsegmentation fault: n. [UNIX] 1. Error in which a running program
X attempts to access memory not allocated to it and {core dump}s
X with a segmentation violation error. 2. To lose a train of
X thought or a line of reasoning. Also uttered as an exclamation at
X the point of befuddlement.
X
Xsegv: /seg'vee/ n.,vi. Yet another synonym for {segmentation fault}.
X
Xself-reference: n. See {self-reference}.
X
Xselvage: /sel'v*j/ [from sewing] n. See {chad} (sense #1).
X
Xsemi: /se'mee/ or /se'mie/ 1. n. Abbreviation for `semicolon', when
X speaking. "Commands to {grind} are prefixed by semi-semi-star."
X means that the prefix is `;;*', not 1/4 of a star. 2. Prefix with
X words such as `immediately', as a qualifier. "When is the system
X coming up?" "Semi-immediately." (that is, maybe not for an
X hour). "We did consider that possibility semi-seriously." See
X also {infinite}.
X
Xsenior bit: [IBM] n. Syn. {meta bit}.
X
Xserver: n. A kind of {daemon} that performs a service for the
X requester, which often runs on a computer other than the one on
X which the server runs. A particularly common term on the Internet,
X which is rife with `name servers', `domain servers', `news
X servers', `finger servers', and the like.
X
XSEX: [Sun User's Group & elsewhere] n. 1. Software EXchange. A
X technique invented by the blue-green algae hundreds of millions of
X years ago to speed up their evolution, which had been terribly slow
X up until then. Today, SEX parties are popular among hackers and
X others (of course, these are no longer limited to exchanges of
X genetic software). 2. The rather Freudian mnemonic often used
X for Sign EXtend, a machine instruction found in the PDP-11 and many
X architectures.
X
X DEC's engineers nearly got a PDP-11 assembler that used the `SEX'
X mnemonic out the door at one time, but (for once) marketing wasn't
X asleep and forced a change. That wasn't the last time this
X happened, either. The author of `The Intel 8086 Primer', who
X was one of the original designers of the 8086, noted that there was
X originally a `SEX' instruction on that processor, too. He says
X that Intel management got cold feet and decreed that it be changed,
X and thus the instruction was renamed `CBW' and `CWD' (depending on
X what was being extended). Amusingly, the Intel 8048 (the
X microcontroller used in IBM PC keyboards) is also missing straight
X `SEX' but has logical-or and logical-and instructions `ORL' and
X `ANL'.
X
Xsex changer: n. Syn. {gender mender}.
X
Xshareware: n. {Freeware} (sense #1) for which the author requests
X some payment, usually in the accompanying documentation files or in
X an announcement made by the software itself. Such payment may or
X may not buy additional support or functionality. See
X {guiltware}, {crippleware}.
X
Xshelfware: n. Software purchased on a whim (by an individual user) or
X in accordance with policy (by a corporation or government), but not
X actually required for any particular use. Therefore, it often ends
X up on some shelf.
X
Xshell: [UNIX, now used elsewhere] n. 1. [techspeak] The command
X interpreter used to pass commands to an operating system; so called
X because it's the part of the operating system that interfaces to
X the outside world. 2. More generally, any interface program
X which mediates access to a special resource or {server} for
X convenience, efficiency, or security reasons; for this meaning, the
X usage is usually `a shell around' whatever. This sort of
X program is also called a `wrapper'.
X
Xshell out: [UNIX] n. To spawn an interactive {subshell} from
X within a program (e.g. a mailer or editor). "Bang foo runs foo in
X a subshell, while bang alone shells out."
X
Xshift left (or right) logical: [from any of various machines'
X instruction sets] 1. vi. To move oneself to the left (right). To
X move out of the way. 2. imper. "Get out of that (my) seat! You
X can shift to that empty one to the left (right)." Usage: often
X used without the `logical', or as `left shift' instead of
X `shift left'. Sometimes heard as LSH /l*sh/, from the PDP-10
X instruction set. See {Programmer's Cheer}.
X
Xshitogram: /shit'oh-gram/ n. A *really* nasty piece of email.
X Compare {nastygram}, {flame}.
X
Xshort card: n. A half-length IBM PC expansion card or adapter that
X will fit in one of the two short slots located towards the right
X rear of a standard chassis (tucked behind the floppy disk drives).
X See also {tall card}.
X
Xshotgun debugging: n. The software equivalent of {Easter egging};
X the making of relatively undirected changes to software in the hope
X that a bug will be perturbed out of existence. This almost never
X works, and usually introduces more bugs.
X
Xshowstopper: n. A hardware or (especially) software bug that makes
X an implementation effectively unusable; one that absolutely has to
X be fixed before development can go on. Opposite in connotation
X from its original theatrical use, which refers to something
X stunningly *good*.
X
Xshriek: n. See {excl}. Occasional CMU usage, also in common use
X among APL fans and mathematicians, especially category theorists.
X
XShub-Internet: [MUD; from H. P. Lovecraft's evil fictional deity
X `Shub-Niggurath', the Black Goat with a Thousand Young] pn.
X The harsh personification of the Internet, Beast of a Thousand
X Processes, Eater of Characters, Avatar of Line Noise, and Imp of
X Call Waiting; the hideous multi-tendriled entity formed of all the
X manifold connections of the net. A sect of MUDders worships
X Shub-Internet, sacrificing objects and praying for good
X connections. To no avail -- its purpose is malign and evil, and is
X the cause of all network slowdown. Often heard as in, "Freela
X casts a tac nuke at Shub-Internet for slowing her down." (A
X forged message often follows, "Shub-Internet gulps down the tac
X nuke and burps happily.") Also cursed by users of {FTP} and
X {telnet} when the system slows down. The dread name of
X Shub-Internet is seldom spoken aloud, as it is said that repeating
X it three times will cause the being to wake, deep within its lair
X beneath the Pentagon.
X
Xsidecar: n. 1. Syn. {slap on the side}. Esp. used of add-ons for
X the late and unlamented IBM PCjr. 2. The IBM PC compatibility box
X that could be bolted on to the side of an Amiga. Designed and
X produced by Commodore and broke all of their design rules. If it
X worked with any other peripherals, it was by {magic}.
X
Xsig block: /sig blok/ [UNIX; often written ".sig" there] n. Short
X for `signature', used specifically to refer to the electronic
X signature block that most UNIX mail- and news-posting software
X will allow you to automatically append to outgoing mail and news.
X The composition of one's sig can be quite an art form, including an
X ASCII logo or one's choice of witty sayings (see {sig quote}); but
X many consider large sigs a waste of {bandwidth}, and it has been
X observed that the size of one's sig block is usually inversely
X proportional to one's longevity and level of prestige on the net.
X
Xsig quote: /sig kwoht/ [USENET] n. A maxim, quote, proverb, joke,
X or slogan embedded in one's {sig block} and intended to convey
X something of one's philosophical stance, pet peeves, or sense of
X humor. "Calm down, it's only ones and zeroes."
X
Xsignal-to-noise ratio: [from analog electronics] n. Used by hackers
X in a generalization of its technical meaning. `Signal' refers to
X useful information conveyed by some communications medium and
X `noise' to anything else on that medium. Hence a low ratio implies
X that it is not worth paying attention to the medium in question.
X Figures for such metaphorical ratios are never given. The term is
X most often applied to {USENET} newsgroups during {flame war}s.
X Compare {bandwidth}. See also {coefficient of x}, {lost in
X the noise}.
X
Xsilicon: n. Hardware, esp. ICs or microprocessor-based computer
X systems (compare {iron}). Contrasted with software. See also
X {sandbender}.
X
Xsilicon foundry: n. A company that {fab}s chips to the designs of
X others. As of the late 1980s, the combination of silicon foundries
X and good computer-aided design software made it much easier for
X hardware-designing startup companies to come into being. The
X downside of using a silicon foundry is that the distance from the
X actual chip fabrication processes reduces designers' leverage.
X This is somewhat analogous to the use of a {HLL} versus coding in
X assembler.
X
Xsilly walk: [from Monty Python's Flying Circus] vi. A ridiculous
X procedure required to accomplish a task. Like {grovel}, but more
X {random} and humorous. "I had to silly-walk through half the
X /usr directories to find the maps file."
X
Xsilo: n. The FIFO input-character buffer in an RS-232 line card. So
X called from DEC terminology used on DH and DZ line cards for the
X VAX and PDP-11, presumably because it was a storage space for
X fungible stuff that you put in the top and took out the bottom.
X
XSilver Book: n. Jensen & Wirth's infamous `Pascal User Manual
X and Report', so called because of the silver cover of the
X widely distributed Springer-Verlag second edition of 1978 (ISBN
X 0-387-90144-2). See {{book titles}}.
X
Xsince time T equals minus infinity: adj. A long time ago; for as
X long as anyone can remember; at the time that some particular frob
X was first designed. Usually the word `time' is omitted. See also
X {time T}.
X
Xsitename: [UNIX/Internet] n. The unique electronic name of a
X computer system, used to identify it in UUCP mail, USENET, or other
X forms of electronic information interchange. The folklore interest
X of sitenames stems from the creativity and humor they often
X display. Interpreting a sitename is not unlike interpreting a
X vanity license plate; one has to mentally unpack it, allowing for
X mono-case and length restrictions and the lack of whitespace.
X Hacker tradition deprecates dull, institutional-sounding names in
X favor of punchy, humorous, and clever coinages (except that it is
X considered appropriate for the official public gateway machine of
X an organization to bear the organization's name or acronym).
X Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal names, and
X allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably the most popular
X sources for sitenames (in roughly descending order). The
X obligatory comment when discussing these is Harris's Lament: "All
X the good ones are taken!" See also {network address}.
X
Xskulker: n. Syn. {prowler}.
X
Xslap on the side: n. (also called a {sidecar}, or abbreviated
X `SOTS'.) A type of external expansion hardware marketed by
X computer manufacturers (e.g. Commodore for their Amiga 500/1000
X series and IBM for the hideous failure they called `PCjr').
X Various SOTS boxes provided necessities such as memory, hard drive
X controllers, and conventional expansion slots.
X
Xsleep: vi. 1. [techspeak] On a timesharing system, a process that
X relinquishes its claim on the scheduler until some given event
X occurs or a specified time delay elapses is said to `go to
X sleep'. 2. In jargon, used very similarly to v. {block}; also
X in `sleep on', syn. with `block on'. Often used to
X indicate that the speaker has relinquished a demand for resources
X until some (possibly unspecified) external event: "They can't get
X the fix I've been asking for into the next release, so I'm going to
X sleep on it until the release, then start hassling them again."
X
Xslim: n. A small, derivative change (e.g., to code).
X
Xslop: n. 1. A one-sided {fudge factor}, that is, an allowance
X for error but only in one of two directions. For example, if you
X need a piece of wire ten feet long and have to guess when you cut
X it, you make very sure to cut it too long, by a large amount if
X necessary, rather than too short by even a little bit, because you
X can always cut off the slop but you can't paste it back on again.
X When discrete quantities are involved, slop is often introduced to
X avoid the possibility of being on the losing side of a {fencepost
X error}. 2. The percentage of `extra' code code generated by a
SHAR_EOF
true || echo 'restore of jargon.ascii failed'
fi
echo 'End of part 14, continue with part 15'
echo 15 > _shar_seq_.tmp
exit 0