eric@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) (03/23/91)
Submitted-by: jargon@thyrsus.com
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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.
X 3. 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 `mangiare', 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. Compare {droid}.
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
Xmeeces: [TMRC] n. Occasional furry visitors who are not
X {urchin}s. [That is, mice. This may no longer be in live use; it
X clearly derives from the refrain of the old Tom an Jerry cartoons
X "I hate meeces to *pieces*!" -- ESR]
X
Xmeg: /meg/ n. See {{quantifiers}}.
X
Xmega-: /me'g*/ pref. See {{quantifiers}}.
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
X Dawkins] 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/ n. Derisory term for MS-DOS. Often followed
X by the ritual expurgation "Just Say No!". See MS-DOS. Most
X hackers (even many MS-DOS hackers) loathe MS-DOS for its
X single-tasking nature, its limits on application size, its nasty
X primitive interface, and its ties to IBMness (see {fear and
X loathing}). Also `mess-loss', `messy-dos', `mess-dog',
X `mess-dross', `mush-dos', and various combinations thereof.
X In Ireland it is even sometimes called `Domestos' after a brand of
X toilet 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. 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. 2. As that decimal prefix, calling for
X multiplication by `10 ^ -6' (see {{quantifiers}}).
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 3. 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'). 4. 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. 3.5-inch floppies, as opposed to 5.25-inch
X {vanilla} or mini-floppies and the now-obsolete 8-inch variety.
X This term may be headed for obsolescence as 5.25-inchers pass out
X of use, only to be revived if anybody floats a sub-3-inch floppy
X standard. See {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) goes at 1000. A few people speak faster. This unit
X is sometimes used to compare the (sometimes widely disparate) rates
X at which people can generate ideas and actually emit them in
X speech. For example, noted computer architect C. Gordon Bell
X (designer of the PDP-11) is said (with some awe) to think at about
X 1200 mL but only talk at about 300; he is frequently reduced to
X fragments of sentences as his mouth tries to keep up with his
X speeding brain.
X
Xminifloppies: n. 5.25-inch {vanilla} floppy disks, as opposed to
X 3.5-inch or {microfloppies} and the now-obsolescent 8-inch
X variety. At one time, this term was a trademark of Shugart
X Associates for their SA-400 minifloppy drive. Nobody paid any
X attention. See {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. A
X title of address (never of third-person reference), usually used to
X 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 in
X `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
X describe double ones is sarcastic). Standard emphatic forms:
X `Moby foo', `moby win', `moby loss'. `Foby moo': a
X spoonerism due to Greenblatt.
X
X This term entered hackerdom with the Fabritek 256K memory of the
X MIT-AI PDP-6 machine, which was considered unimaginably huge when
X it was installed in the 1960s (this was at a time when a more
X typical timesharing system was 72 kilobytes). Thus, a moby is
X classically 256K 36-bit words, the size of a PDP-6 or PDP-10 moby
X (they had two). Back when address registers were narrow, the term
X was more generally useful; because when a computer had virtual
X memory mapping, it might actually have more physical memory
X attached to it than any one program could access directly. One
X could then say "This computer has six mobies" to mean that the
X ratio of physical memory to address space is six, without having to
X say specifically how much memory there actually is. That in turn
X implied that the computer could timeshare six `full-sized' programs
X without having to swap programs between memory and disk.
X
X Nowadays the low cost of processor logic means that address spaces
X are usually larger than the most physical memory you can cram onto
X a machine, so most systems have much *less* than 1 theoretical
X `native' moby of core. Also, more modern memory-management
X techniques (esp. paging) make the `moby count' less significant.
X However, there is one series of popular chips for which the term
X could stand to be revived --- the Intel 8088 and 80286 with their
X incredibly {brain-damaged} segmented-memory designs. On these, a
X `moby' would be the 1-megabyte address span of a
X paragraph-plus-offset pair (by coincidence, a PDP-10 moby was
X exactly 1 megabyte of 9-bit bytes).
X
Xmod: vt.,n. 1. Short for `modify' or `modification'. Very
X commonly used --- in fact the full terms are considered markers
X that one is being formal. The plural `mods' is used esp. with
X reference to bug fixes or minor design changes in hardware or
X software, most esp. with respect to {patch} sets or a {diff}.
X 2. Short for {modulo} but *only* used for its techspeak sense.
X
Xmode: n. A general state, usually used with an adjective describing
X the state. Use of the word `mode' rather than `state' implies that
X the state is extended over time, and probably also that some
X activity characteristic of that state is being carried out. "No
X time to hack; I'm in thesis mode." Usage: in its jargon sense,
X `mode' is most often said of people, though it is sometimes applied
X to programs and inanimate objects. "The E editor normally uses a
X display terminal, but if you're on a TTY it will switch to
X non-display mode." This term is normally techspeak when used to
X describe the state of a program, but the extended usage --- for
X example, to describe people --- is definitely jargon. In
X particular, see {hack mode}, {day mode}, {night mode},
X {demo mode}, {fireworks mode}, and {yoyo mode}; also {talk
X mode}.
X
X One also often hears the verbs `enable' and `disable' used in
X connection with jargon modes. Thus, for example, a sillier way of
X saying "I'm going to crash." is "I'm going to enable crash mode
X now." One might also hear a request to "disable flame mode,
X please".
X
Xmode bit: n. A {flag}, usually in hardware, that selects between
X two (usually quite different) modes of operation. The connotations
X are different from {flag} bit in that mode bits are mainly
X written during a boot or set-up phase, are seldom read, and seldom
X change over the lifetime of an ordinary program. The classic
X example was the EBCDIC-vs.-ASCII bit (#12) of the Program Status
X Word of the IBM 360. Another was the bit on a PDP-12 that
X controlled whether it ran the PDP-8 or LINC instruction set.
X
Xmodulo: /mod'y*-low/ prep. Except for. From mathematical
X terminology: one can consider saying that `4 = 22' except for
X the 9s `(4 = 22 mod 9)'. "Well, LISP seems to work okay now,
X modulo that {GC} bug." "I feel fine today modulo a slight
X headache."
X
Xmolly-guard: [University of Illinois] n. A shield to prevent
X tripping of some {Big Red Switch} by clumsy or ignorant hands.
X Originally used of some plexiglass covers improvised for the BRS on
X an IBM 4341 after a programmer's toddler daughter (named Molly)
X frobbed it twice in one day. Later generalized to covers over
X stop/reset switches on disk drives and networking equipment.
X
XMongolian Hordes technique: n. Development by {gang bang}
X (compare the Sixties counterculture expression `Mongolian
X clusterfuck' for a public orgy). Implies that large numbers of
X inexperienced programmers are being put on a job better performed
X by a few skilled ones. Also called `Chinese Army technique';
X see also {Brooks's Law}.
X
Xmonkey up: vt. To hack together hardware for a particular task,
X especially a one-shot job. Connotes an extremely {crufty} and
X consciously temporary solution. Compare {hack up}, {kluge up},
X {cruft together}, {cruft together}.
X
Xmonstrosity: 1. n. A ridiculously {elephantine} program or system,
X esp. one which is buggy or only marginally functional. 2. The
X quality of being monstrous (see `Peculiar nouns' in the discussion
X of jargonification). See also {baroque}.
X
XMoof: /moof/ [MAC users] n. The Moof or `dogcow' is a
X semi-legendary creature that lurks in the depths of the Macintosh
X Technical Notes hypercard stack V3.1; specifically, the full story
X of the dogcow is told in technical note #31 (the particular Moof
X illustrated is properly named `Clarus'). Option-shift-click will
X cause it to emit a characteristic `Moof!' or `!fooM' sound.
X *Getting* to tech note #31 is the hard part; to discover how
X to do that, one must needs examine the stack script with a hackerly
X eye. Clue: {rot13} is involved. A dogcow also appears if you
X choose `Page Setup...' with a LaserWriter selected and click on
X the `Options' button.
X
XMoore's Law: /morz law/ prov. The observation that the logic
X density of silicon integrated circuits has closely followed the
X curve (bits per square inch) = 2 ^ (n - 1962); that is, the amount
X of information storable in one square inch of silicon has roughly
X doubled yearly every year since the technology was invented. See
X also {Parkinson's Law of Data}.
X
Xmoria: /mor'ee-*/ n. Like {nethack} and {rogue}, one of the
X large PD Dungeons-and-Dragons-like simulation games, available for
X a wide range of machines and operating systems. Extremely
X addictive and a major consumer of time better used for hacking.
X
XMOTAS: /moh-tahs/ [USENET, Member Of The Appropriate Sex] n. A
X potential or (less often) actual sex partner. See {MOTOS},
X {MOTSS}, {SO}.
X
XMOTOS: /moh-tohs/ [from the 1970 U.S. census forms via USENET,
X Member Of The Opposite Sex] n. A potential or (less often) actual
X sex partner. See {MOTAS}, {MOTSS}, {SO}. Less common than
X MOTSS or {MOTAS}, which has largely displaced it.
X
XMOTSS: /motss/ or /em-oh-tee-ess-ess/ [from the 1970 U.S. census
X forms via USENET, Member Of The Same Sex] n. Esp. one considered as
X a possible sexual partner, e.g. by a gay male or lesbian. The
X gay-issues newsgroup on USENET is called `soc.motss'. See
X {MOTOS} and {MOTAS}, which derive from it. Also see {SO}.
X
Xmouse ahead: vi. Point-and-click analog of `type ahead'. To
X manipulate a computer's pointing device (almost always a mouse in
X this usage, but not necessarily) and its selection or command
X buttons before a computer program is ready to accept such input, in
X anticipation of the program accepting the input. Handling this
X properly is rare, but it can help make a {WIMP environment} much
X more usable, assuming they are familiar with the behavior of the
X user interface.
X
Xmouse around: vi. To explore public portions of a large system, esp.
X a network such as Internet via {FTP} or {TELNET}, looking for
X interesting stuff to {snarf}.
X
Xmouse belt: n. See {rat belt}.
X
Xmouse droppings: [MSDOS] n. Pixels (usually single) which are not
X properly restored when the mouse pointer moves away from a
X particular location on the screen, producing the appearance that
X the mouse pointer has left behind droppings. The major causes for
X this problem are programs which write to the screen memory
X corresponding to the mouse pointer's current location without
X hiding the mouse pointer first and mouse drivers which do not quite
X support the graphics mode in use.
X
Xmouse elbow: n. A tennis-elbow-like fatigue syndrome resulting from
X excessive use of a {WIMP environment}. Similarly, `mouse
X shoulder'; GLS reports that he used to get this a lot before he
X taught himself to be ambimoustrous.
X
Xmouso: /mow'soh/ n. [by analogy with `typo'] An error in mouse usage
X resulting in an inappropriate selection or graphic garbage on the
X screen. Compare {thinko}, {braino}.
X
XMS-DOS: /em-es-dos/ [MicroSoft Disk Operating System] n. A
X {clone} of {CP/M} for the 8088 crufted together in six weeks by
X hacker Tim Paterson, who is said to have regretted it ever since.
X Numerous features including vaguely UNIX-like but rather broken
X support for subdirectories, I/O redirection, and pipelines were
X hacked into 2.0 and subsequent versions; as a result, there are two
X incompatible versions of many system calls, and MS-DOS programmers
X can never agree on basic things like what character to use as an
X option switch or whether to be case-sensitive. The resulting mess
X is now the highest-unit-volume OS in history. Often known simply
X as DOS, which annoys people familiar with other similarly
X abbreviated operating systems (the name goes back to the mid-1960s,
X when it was attached to IBM's first disk operating system for the
X 360). Some people like to pronounce DOS like "dose", as in "I
X don't work on dose, man!", or to compare it with a dose of
X brain-damaging drugs. See {mess-dos}, {ill-behaved}.
X
XMUD: [abbr: Multi User Dungeon] 1. n. A class of {virtual reality}
X experiments accessible via the Internet. These are real-time chat
X forums with structure; they have multiple `locations' like an
X adventure game and may include combat, traps, puzzles, magic, a
X simple economic system, and the capability for characters to build
X more structure onto the database that represents the existing
X world. 2. vi. To play a MUD (see {hack-and-slay}). The acronym MUD
X is often lower-cased and/or verbed; thus, one may speak of `going
X mudding', etc.
X
X Historically, MUDs (and their more recent progeny with names of MU-
X form) derive from an AI experiment by Richard Bartle and Roy
X Trubshaw on the University of Essex's DEC-10 in the early 1980s,
X and descendants of that game still exist today (see {BartleMUD}).
X The title `MUD' is still copyright to the commercial MUD run by
X Bartle on British Telecom (their motto: "You haven't *lived*
X 'til you've *died* on MUD!"); however, this did not stop
X students on the European academic networks from copying/improving
X on the MUD concept, from which sprung several new MUDs (VAXMUD,
X AberMUD, LPMUD). Many of these had associated bulletin-board
X systems for social interaction. Because USENET feeds have been
X spotty and difficult to get in Great Britain and the British JANET
X network doesn't support {FTP} or remote login via telnet, the
X MUDs became major foci of hackish social interaction there.
X
X AberMUD and other variants crossed the Atlantic around 1988 and
X quickly gained popularity in the US; they became nuclei for large
X hacker communities with only loose ties to traditional hackerdom
X (some observers see parallels with the growth of USENET in the
X early 1980s). The second wave of MUDs (TinyMUD and variants)
X tended to emphasize social interaction, puzzles, and cooperative
X world-building as opposed to combat and competition. In 1991, over
X 50% of MUD sites are of a third major variety, LPMUD, which
X synthesizes the combat/puzzle aspects of AberMUD and older systems
X with the extensibility of TinyMud. The trend towards greater
X programmability and flexibility will doubtless continue.
X
X The state of the art in MUD design is still moving very rapidly,
X with new simulation designs appearing (seemingly) every month.
X There is now (early 1991) a move afoot to deprecate the term
X {MUD} itself, as newer designs exhibit an exploding variety of
X names corresponding to the different simulation styles being
X explored. See also {BartleMUD}, {berserking}, {bonk/oif},
X {brand brand brand}, {FOD}, {hack-and-slay}, {link-dead},
X {mudhead}, {posing}, {talk mode}, {tinycrud}.
X
Xmudhead: n. Commonly used to refer to a {MUD} player who sleeps,
X breathes, and eats MUD. Mudheads have frequently been known to
X fail their degrees, drop out, etc., with the consolation, however,
X that they made wizard level. When encountered in person, all a
X mudhead will talk about is two topics: the tactic, character, or
X wizard that in his/her view is always unfairly stopping him/her
X from becoming a wizard or beating a favorite MUD, and the MUD
X he/she is writing/going to write because all existing MUDs are so
X dreadful! See also {wannabee}.
X
Xmultician: /muhl-ti'shn/ [coined at Honeywell, ca.1970] n.
X Competent user of {Multics}. Perhaps oddly, no one has ever
X promoted the analogous `Unician'.
X
XMultics: /muhl'tiks/ n. [from "MULTiplexed Information and
X Computing Service"] An early (late 1960s) timesharing operating
X system co-designed by a consortium including MIT, GE, and Bell
X Laboratories. Very innovative for its time --- among other things, it
X introduced the idea of treating all devices uniformly as special
X files. All the members but GE eventually pulled out after
X determining that {second-system effect} had bloated Multics to
X the point of practical unusability (the `lean' predecessor in
X question was {CTSS}). Honeywell commercialized Multics after
X buying out GE's computer group, but it was never very successful
X (among other things, on some versions one was commonly required to
X enter a password to log out). One of the developers left in the
X lurch by the project's breakup was Ken Thompson, a circumstance
X which led directly to the birth of {UNIX}. For this and other
X reasons, aspects of the Multics design remain a topic of occasional
X debate among hackers. See also {brain-damaged}.
X
Xmultitask: n. Often used of humans in the same meaning it has for
X computers, to describe a person doing several things at once (but
X see {thrash}). The term `multiplex' from communications
X technology (meaning to handle more than one channel at the same
X time) is used similarly.
X
Xmumblage: /muhm'bl*j/ n. The topic of one's mumbling (see {mumble}).
X "All that mumblage" is used like "all that stuff" when it is
X not quite clear what it is or how it works, or like "all that
X crap" when "mumble" is being used as an implicit replacement for
X obscenities.
X
Xmumble: interj. 1. Said when the correct response is either too
X complicated to enunciate or the speaker has not thought it out.
X Often prefaces a longer answer, or indicates a general reluctance
X to get into a big long discussion. "Don't you think that we could
X improve LISP performance by using a hybrid reference-count
X transaction garbage collector, if the cache is big enough and there
X are some extra cache bits for the microcode to use?" "Well,
X mumble... I'll have to think about it." 2. Sometimes used as
X an expression of disagreement. "I think we should buy a
X {VAX}." "Mumble!" Common variant: `mumble frotz' (see
X {frotz}; interestingly, one does not say `mumble frobnitz' even
X though `frotz' is short for `frobnitz'). 3. Yet another
X metasyntactic variable, like {foo}. 4. When used as a
X question ("Mumble?") means "I didn't understand you."
X 5. Sometimes used in `public' contexts on-line as a placefiller for
X things one is barred from giving details about. For example, a
X poater with pre-released hardware in his machine might say "Yup,
X my machine now has an extra 16M of mem, thanks to the card I'm
X testing for Mumbleco."
X
Xmunch: [often confused with `mung', q.v.] vt. To transform
X information in a serial fashion, often requiring large amounts of
X computation. To trace down a data structure. Related to {crunch}
X and nearly synonymous with {grovel}, but connotes less pain.
X
Xmunching: n. Exploration of security holes of someone else's
X computer for thrills, notoriety, or to annoy the system manager.
X Compare {cracker}. See also {hacked off}.
X
Xmunching squares: n. A {display hack} dating back to the PDP-1
X (c.1962, reportedly discovered by Jackson Wright), which employs a
X trivial computation (repeatedly plotting the graph Y = X XOR T for
X successive values of T --- see {HAKMEM} items 146--148) to produce
X an impressive display of moving and growing squares that devour the
X screen. The initial value of T is treated as a parameter, which,
X when well-chosen, can produce amazing effects. Some of these,
X later (re)discovered on the LISP machine, have been christened
X `munching triangles' (try AND for XOR and toggling points
X instead of plotting them), `munching w's', and `munching
X mazes'. More generally, suppose a graphics program produces an
X impressive and ever-changing display of some basic form, foo, on a
X display terminal, and does it using a relatively simple program;
X then the program (or the resulting display) is likely to be
X referred to as "munching foos" (This is a good example of the use
X of the word {foo} as a metasyntactic variable.)
X
Xmunchkin: /muhnch'kin/ [from the squeaky-voiced little people in L.
X Frank Baum's `The Wizard of Oz'] n. A teenage-or-younger micro
X enthusiast bashing BASIC or something else equally constricted. A
X term of mild derision --- munchkins are annoying but some grow up
X to be hackers after passing through a {larval stage}. The term
X {urchin} is also used. See also {wannabee}, {bitty box}.
X
Xmundane: [from SF fandom] n. 1. A person who is not in science
X fiction fandom. 2. A person who is not in the computer industry.
X In this sense, most often an adjectival modifier as in "in my
X mundane life...."
X
Xmung: /muhng/ alt. `munge' /muhnj/ [in 1960 at MIT, `Mash Until No
X Good"; sometime after that the derivation from the {{recursive
X acronyms}} `Mung Until No Good' became standard] vt. 1. To make
X changes to a file, often large-scale, usually irrevocable.
X Occasionally accidental. See {BLT}. 2. To destroy, usually
X accidentally, occasionally maliciously. The system only mungs
X things maliciously; this is a consequence of {Murphy's Law}. See
X {scribble}, {mangle}, {trash}, {nuke}. Reports from
X {USENET} suggest that the pronunciation /muhnj/ is now usual in
X speech, but the spelling `mung' is still common in program comments
X (compare the widespread confusion over the proper spelling of
X {kluge}). 3. The kind of beans of which the sprouts are used
X in Chinese food. (That's their real name! Mung beans! Really!)
X
XMurphy's Law: prov. The correct, *original* Murphy's Law reads:
X "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those
X ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it." This
X is a principle of defensive design, cited here because it's usually
X given in mutant forms which are less descriptive of the challenges of
X design for lusers. For example, you don't make a two-pin plug
X symmetrical and then label it `THIS WAY UP'; if it matters which way
X it's plugged in, then you make the design asymmetrical.
X
X Edward A. Murphy, Jr. was one of the engineers on the rocket-sled
X experiments that were done by the U.S. Air Force in 1949 to test
X human acceleration tolerances. One experiment involved a set of 16
X accelerometers mounted to different parts of the subject's body.
X There were two ways each sensor could be glued to its mount, and
X somebody methodically installed all 16 the wrong way around.
X Murphy then made the original form of his pronouncement, which the
X test subject (Major John Paul Stapp) quoted at a news conference a
X few days later.
X
X Within months `Murphy's Law' had spread to various technical
X cultures connected to aerospace engineering. Before too many years
X had gone by variants had passed into the popular imagination,
X mutating as they went. Obviously, pop-culture versions in the vein
X of "Anything that can go wrong, will." demonstrate Murphy's Law
X acting on itself!
X
XMusic:: n. A common extracurricular interest of hackers (compare
X {{Science-Fiction Fandom}}, {{Oriental Food}}; see also
X {filk}). It is widely believed among hackers that there is a
X substantial correlation between whatever mysterious traits underlie
X hacking ability (on the one hand) and musical talent and
X sensitivity (on the other). It is certainly the case that hackers,
X as a rule, like music and often develop musical appreciation in
X unusual and interesting directions. Folk music is very big in
X hacker circles; so is electronic music, and the sort of elaborate
X instrumental jazz/rock that used to be called `progressive' and
X isn't recorded much any more. The hacker's musical range tends to
X be wide; many can listen with equal appreciation to (say) Talking
X Heads, Yes, Gentle Giant, Spirogyra, Scott Joplin, Tangerine Dream,
X King Sunny Ade, The Pretenders, or Bach's Brandenburg Concerti. It
X is also apparently true that hackerdom includes a much higher
X concentration of talented amateur musicians than one would expect
X from a similar-sized control group of {mundane} types.
X
Xmutter: vt. To quietly enter a command not meant for the ears, eyes,
X or fingers of ordinary mortals. Frequently in `mutter an
X {incantation}'. See also {wizard}.
X
X= N =
X=====
X
XN: /en/ quant. 1. A large and indeterminate number of objects;
X "There were N bugs in that crock!"; also used in its original
X sense of a variable name. "This crock has N bugs, as N goes to
X infinity." 2. A variable whose value is inherited from the
X current context. For example, when ordering a meal at a
X restaurant, N may be understood to mean however many people there
X are at the table. From the remark "We'd like to order `N'
X wonton soups and a family dinner for `N - 1'.", you can
X deduce that one person at the table wants to eat only soup, even
X though you don't know how many people there are (see
X {great-wall}). 3. `Nth': adj. The ordinal counterpart of N,
X senses #1 and #2. "Now for the Nth and last time..." In the
X specific context "Nth-year grad student", N is generally assumed
X to be at least 4, and is usually 5 or more (see {tenured graduate
X student}). See also {{random numbers}}, {two-to-the-n}.
X
Xnailed to the wall: [like a trophy] adj. Said of a bug finally
X eliminated after protracted, and even heroic, effort.
X
Xnailing jelly: vi. See {like nailing jelly to a tree}.
X
Xnaive: adj. Untutored in the perversities of some particular
X program or system; one who still tries to do things in an intuitive
X way, rather than the right way (in really good designs these
X coincide, but most designs aren't `really good' in the appropriate
X sense). This is completely unrelated to general maturity or
X competence or even competence at any other program. It is a sad
X commentary on the primitive state of computing that the natural
X opposite of this term is often claimed to be `experienced user' but
X is really more like `cynical user'.
X
Xnaive user: 1. n. A {luser}. Tends to imply someone who is
X ignorant mainly due to inexperience; when applied to someone who
X *has* experience, there is a definite implication of stupidity.
X
XNAK: [from the ASCII mnemonic for #b0010101] interj. 1. On-line joke
X answer to {ACK}? --- "I'm not here". 2. On-line answer to a
X request for chat --- "I'm not available". 3. Used to politely
X interrupt someone to tell them you don't understand their point or
X that they have suddenly stopped making sense. See {ACK}, sense
X #3. "And then, after we recode the project in COBOL...."
X "Nak, Nak, Nak! I thought I heard you say COBOL!"
X
Xnano: [CMU] n. A brief period of time; a takeoff on `nanosecond'.
X "Be with you in a nano" means you really will be free shortly,
X i.e., implies what mainstream people mean by "in a jiffy"
X (whereas the hackish use of "jiffy" is quite different, see
X {jiffy}).
X
Xnano-: [in measurement, the next quantifier below {micro-};
X meaning * 10 ^ -9] pref. Smaller than {micro-}, and used in the
X same rather loose and connotative way. Thus, one has
X {{nanotechnology}} (coined by hacker K. Eric Drexler) by analogy
X with `microtechnology'; and a few machine architectures have a
X `nanocode' level below `microcode'. Tom Duff at Bell Labs
X has also pointed out that "Pi seconds is a nanocentury". See
X also {{quantifiers}}, {pico-}, {nanoacre}, {nanobot},
X {nanocomputer}, {nanofortnight}.
X
Xnanoacre: /nan'o-ay`kr/ n. An areal unit (about 2 mm square) of
X real estate on a VLSI chip. The term gets its giggle value from
X the fact that VLSI nanoacres have costs in the same range as real
X acres once one figures in design and fabrication-setup costs.
X
Xnanobot: /nan'oh-bot/ n. A robot of microscopic proportions,
X presumably built by means of {{nanotechnology}}. As yet, only used
X informally (and speculatively!). Also sometimes called a
X `nanoagent'.
X
Xnanocomputer: /nan'oh-k*m-pyoo'tr/ n. A computer whose switching
X elements are molecular in size. Designs for mechanical
X nanocomputers which use single-molecule sliding rods for their
X logic have been proposed. The controller for a {nanobot} would be
X a nanocomputer.
X
Xnanofortnight: [Adelaide University] n. 1 fortnight times 10 ^ -9,
X or about 1.2 ms. This unit was used largely by students doing
X undergraduate practicals. See {microfortnight}, {attoparsec}
X and {micro-}.
SHAR_EOF
true || echo 'restore of jargon.ascii failed'
fi
echo 'End of part 11, continue with part 12'
echo 12 > _shar_seq_.tmp
exit 0