The Jargon File v2.2.1 15 DEC 1990, part 2 of 10

Eric S. Raymond eric at snark.thyrsus.com
Sun Dec 16 13:57:25 AEST 1990


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X   (popular on certain early models of Prime computers, presumably
X   when UARTs were too expensive; and on archaic Z-80 micros with a
X   Zilog PIO but no SIO).  The technique is a simple loop with eight
X   OUT, SHIFT, OUT etc. instructions for each byte.  Input is more
X   interesting.  And full duplex (doing input and output at the same
X   time) is one way to separate the real hackers from the wannabees.
X
XBIT BASHING n. (also, "bit diddling") Term used to describe any of
X   several kinds of low-level programming characterized by
X   manipulation of BIT, FLAG, NYBBLE and other smaller-than-character
X   sized pieces of data: these include low-level device control,
X   encryption algorithms, checksum and error-correcting codes, hash
X   functions, some flavors of graphics programming (see BITBLT), and
X   assembler/compiler code generation.  May connote either tedium or a
X   real technical challenge (more usually the former)."The command
X   decoding for the new tape driver looks pretty solid but the
X   bit-bashing for the control registers still has bugs." See also
X   BIT BANG, BIT MASK.
X
XBIT BUCKET n. The great data sink in the sky (originally, the mythical
X   receptacle used to catch bits when they fall off the end of a
X   register during a shift instruction).  Data that is discarded,
X   lost, or destroyed is said to "go to the bit bucket".  On UNIX,
X   often used for /DEV/NULL (q.v.). Sometimes amplified as "the Great
X   Bit Bucket in the Sky".  This term is used purely in jest.  It's
X   based on the fanciful notion that bits are objects that are not
X   destroyed, but only misplaced. See also NULL DEVICE.
X
XBIT DECAY n. See SOFTWARE ROT.  People with a physics background tend
X   to prefer this one for the analogy with particle decay.
X
XBIT ROT n. See SOFTWARE ROT.
X
XBITBLT /bit'blit/ or /bit'belt/ n. [from BLT, q.v.] 1. Any of a
X   closely related family of algorithms for moving and copying
X   rectangles of bits between main and display memory on a bit-mapped
X   device, or between two areas of either main or display memory (the
X   requirement to do the right thing in the case of overlapping source
X   and destination rectangles is what makes BitBlt tricky).  2. Synonym for BLIT or BLT (q.v.)
X
XBITS n.  1. Information.  Examples: "I need some bits about file
X   formats."  ("I need to know about file formats.")  Compare CORE
X   DUMP, sense #4. 2.  Machine-readable representation of a document,
X   specifically as contrasted with paper.  "I only have a photocopy
X   of the Jargon File; does anyone know where I can get the bits?".
X   See SOFTCOPY.  3. Also in THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD BITS n.  A person
X   from whom (or a place from which) information may be obtained.  If
X   you need to know about a program, a WIZARD might be the source of
X   all good bits.  The title is often applied to a particularly
X   competent secretary.
X
XBITTY BOX /bit'ee boks/ n. 1. A computer sufficiently small, primitive
X   or incapable as to cause a hacker acute claustrophobia at the
X   thought of developing for it.  Especially used of small,
X   obsolescent, single-tasking-only personal machines like the Atari
X   800, Osborne, Sinclair, VIC-20, or TRS-80. 2. More generally, the
X   opposite of `real computer' (see GET A REAL COMPUTER).  Pejorative.
X   See also MESS-DOS, TOASTER, and TOY.
X
XBIXIE /biks'ee/ n. Synonym for EMOTICON (q.v.) used on BIX (the Byte
X   Information Exchange); BIXers believe (probably incorrectly) the
X   emoticon was invented there.
X
XBLACK ART n. A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication)
X   mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or
X   systems area. VLSI design and compiler code optimization were (in
X   their beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as
X   theory developed they became DEEP MAGIC, and once standard
X   textbooks had been written became merely HEAVY WIZARDRY. The huge
X   proliferation of formal and informal channels for spreading around
X   new computer-related technologies during the last twenty years has
X   made both the term "black art" and what it describes less common
X   than formerly.
X
XBLACK HOLE n. When a piece of email or netnews disappears mysteriously
X   between its origin and destination sites it is commonly said to
X   have "fallen into a black hole".  Similarly, one might say "I
X   think there's a black hole at foovax!" to convey suspicion that 
X   site foovax has been dropping a lot of stuff on the floor lately.
X   The implied metaphor of email as interstellar travel is interesting
X   in itself.
X
XBLAST vt.,n. Synonym for BLT (q.v.), used esp. for large data sends
X   over a network or comm line.  Opposite of SNARF.  Usage: uncommon.
X
XBLAZER n. Nickname for the Telebit Trailblazer, an expensive but
X   extremely reliable and effective high-speed modem, popular at UNIX
X   sites that pass large volumes of EMAIL and USENET news.
X
XBLETCH /blech/ [from Yiddish/German "brechen", to vomit] 1. interj.
X   Term of disgust.
X
XBLETCHEROUS /blech'@-rus/ adj. Disgusting in design or function;
X   aesthetically unappealing.  This word is seldom used of people.
X   "This keyboard is bletcherous!" (Perhaps the keys don't work very
X   well, or are misplaced).  See LOSING, CRETINOUS, BAGBITING, BOGUS,
X   and RANDOM.  BLETCHEROUS applies to the aesthetics of the thing so
X   described; similarly for CRETINOUS.  By contrast, something that is
X   LOSING or BAGBITING may be failing to meet objective criteria.  See
X   BOGUS and RANDOM, which have richer and wider shades of meaning
X   than any of the above.
X
XBLINKENLIGHTS /blink'@n-lietz/ n. Front-panel diagnostic lights on a
X   mainframe CPU.  Derives from the last word of the famous
X   blackletter-Gothic "ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS!" notice in
X   mangled pseudo-German that once graced about half the computer
X   rooms in the English-speaking world.  The sign in its entiretu ran:
X
X              ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS
X        Das computermachine ist nicht fur gefingerpoken und
X        mittengrabben.  Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk,
X        blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken.  Ist nicht
X        fur gewerken bei das dumpkopfen.  Das rubbernecken
X        sichtseeren keepen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen
X        und watch das blinkenlichten.
X
X   This silliness dates back at least as far as 1959 at Stanford
X   University and had already gone international by the early '60s,
X   when it was reported at London University's ATLAS computing site.
X   There are several variants of it in circulation.
X
XBLIT /blit/ vt.  1. To copy a large array of bits from one part of a
X   computer's memory to another part, particularly when the memory is
X   being used to determine what is shown on a display screen.  "The
X   storage allocator picks through the table and copies the good parts
X   up into high memory, and at the end BLITs it all back down again."
X   See BITBLT, BLT, DD, CAT, BLAST, SNARF, Appendix B.  More
X   generally, to perform some operation (such as toggling) on a large
X   array of bits while moving them.  2. An early experimental
X   bit-mapped terminal designed by Rob Pike at Bell Labs, later
X   commercialized as the AT&T 5620.
X
XBLOCK [From computer science usage] 1. vi. To delay while waiting for
X   something.  "We're blocking until everyone gets here."  2. in
X   BLOCK ON vt. To block, waiting for (something).  "Lunch is blocked
X   on Phil's arrival."
X
XBLOCK TRANSFER COMPUTATIONS n. From the Dr. Who television series: in
X   the show, it referred to computations so fiendishly subtle and
X   complex that they could not be performed by machines.  Used to
X   refer to any task that should be expressible as an algorithm in
X   theory, but isn't.
X
XBLOW AWAY vt. To remove files and directories from permanant storage
X   with extreme prejudice, generally by accident.  Oppose NUKE.
X
XBLOW OUT vi. Of software, to fail spectacularly; almost as serious as
X   CRASH AND BURN.  See BLOW PAST.
X
XBLOW PAST vi. To BLOW OUT despite a safeguard.  "The server blew past
X   the 5K reserve buffer."
X
XBLT /bee ell tee/ or (rarely) /belt/ n.,v. 1. Synonym for BLIT.  This
X   is the original form of BLIT and the ancestor of BITBLT (q.v.).  In
X   these versions the usage has outlasted the PDP-10 BLock Transfer
X   instruction for which BLT derives; nowadays, the assembler mnemonic
X   BLT almost always means `Branch if Less Than Zero'. 
X
XBLUE BOOK n. 1. Informal name for one of the three standard references
X   on the page-layout and graphics-control language PostScript; the
X   others are known as the GREEN BOOK and RED BOOK.  2. Any of the
X   1988 standards issues by the CCIT 9th plenary assembly. They change
X   color each review cycle (1984 was RED BOOK, 1992 will be GREEN
X   BOOK). These include, among other things, the X.400 email spec and
X   the Group 1 through 4 fax standards. See also RED BOOK, GREEN BOOK,
X   SILVER BOOK, PURPLE BOOK, ORANGE BOOK, WHITE BOOK, PINK-SHIRT BOOK,
X   DRAGON BOOK.
X
XBLUE GLUE [IBM] n. IBM's SNA (Systems Network Architecture) an
X   incredibly losing and bletcherous protocol suite widely favored at
X   commercial shops that don't know any better.  See FEAR AND
X   LOATHING. It may not be irrelevant that BLUE GLUE is the trade name
X   of a 3M product that is commonly used to hold down the carpet
X   squares to the removable panel floors so common in computer
X   installations.  A correspondent at U.Minn. reports "The CS dept
X   here has about 80 bottles of BLUE GLUE hanging about, so we're
X   occasionally calling [sic] any messy work to be done `using the
X   BLUE GLUE"'.
X
XBLUE GOO n. Term for "police" NANOBOTS intended to prevent GRAY GOO
X   (q.v.), denature hazardous waste, destroy pollution, put ozone back
X   into the stratosphere, prevent halitosis, and to promote truth,
X   justice, and the American way, etc., etc.  See NANOTECHNOLOGY.
X
XBNF /bee-en-ef/ n. Hacker acronym for `Backus-Naur Form', a
X   metasyntactic notation used to specify the syntax of programming
X   languages, command sets and the like.  Widely used for language
X   descriptions but seldom documented anywhere, so that it must
X   usually be learned by osmosis from other hackers.  Consider this
X   BNF for a postal address:
X
X     <postal-address> ::= <name-part> <street-address> <zip-part>
X
X     <name-part> ::= <first-name> [<middle-part>] <last-name>
X
X     <middle-part> ::= <middle-name> |  <middle-initial> "."
X
X     <street-address> ::= [<apt>] <street-number> <street-name>
X
X     <zip-part> ::= <town-name> "," <state-code> <zip-code>
X
X   This translates into English as: A postal-address consists of a
X   name-part, followed by a street-address part, followed by a
X   zip-code part.  A name-part consists of a first-name followed by an
X   optional middle-part followed by a last-name.  A middle-part
X   consists of either a middle name or a middle initial followed by a
X   dot.  A street address consists of an optional apartment specifier
X   followed by a street number, followed by a street name.  A zip-part
X   consts of a town-name, followed by a state code, followed by a zip
X   code.  Note that many things such as the format of a first-name,
X   apartment specifier or zip-code are left unspecified.  These are
X   presumed to be obvious from context or detailed in another part of
X   the specification the BNF is part of.  See also PARSE.
X
X   It is worth noting that the term BNF is also used loosely for
X   extensions  of this notation containing some or all of the GLOB
X   wildcards.
X
XBOA [IBM] n. Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in
X   DINOSAUR PENS.  It is rumored within IBM that 370 channel cables
X   are limited to 200 feet because beyond that length the boas get
X   dangerous...
X
XBOAT ANCHOR n. Like DOORSTOP (q.v.) but more severe, implies that the
X   offending hardware is irreversibly dead or useless.
X
XBOGOMETER n. See BOGOSITY.
X
XBOGON /boh'gon/ [by analogy with proton/electron/neutron, but doubtless
X   reinforced after 1980 by the similarity to the "Vogons", see
X   Appendix C] n. 1. The elementary particle of bogosity (see QUANTUM
X   BOGODYNAMICS).  For instance, "the ethernet is emitting bogons
X   again," meaning that it is broken or acting in an erratic or bogus
X   fashion. 2. A query packet sent from a TCP/IP domain resolver to a
X   root server, having the reply bit set instead of the query bit.  3.
X   Any bogus or incorrectly formed packet sent on a network.  4. By
X   extension, used to refer metasyntactically to any bogus thing, as
X   in "I'd like to go to lunch with you but I've got to go to the
X   weekly staff bogon." 5. A person who is bogus or who says bogus
X   things.  This was historically the original usage, but has been
X   overtaken by its derivatives in 1-4.
X
XBOGON FILTER /boh'gon fil'tr/ n.  Any device, software or hardware,
X   which limits or suppresses the flow and/or emission of bogons.
X   Example: "Engineering hacked a bogon filter between the Cray and
X   the VAXen and now we're getting fewer dropped packets."
X
XBOGOSITY /boh-go's at -tee/ n. 1. The degree to which something is BOGUS
X   (q.v.).  At CMU, bogosity is measured with a BOGOMETER; typical
X   use: in a seminar, when a speaker says something bogus, a listener
X   might raise his hand and say, "My bogometer just triggered."  The
X   agreed-upon unit of bogosity is the microLenat (uL). 2. The
X   potential field generated by a bogon flux; see QUANTUM
X   BOGODYNAMICS.
X
XBOGOTIFY /boh-go't at -fie/ vt. To make or become bogus.  A program that
X   has been changed so many times as to become completely disorganized
X   has become bogotified.  If you tighten a nut too hard and strip the
X   threads on the bolt, the bolt has become bogotified and you'd
X   better not use it any more.  This coinage led to the notional
X   AUTOBOGOTIPHOBIA (aw'to-boh-got'@-foh`bee-uh) n., defined as the
X   fear of becoming bogotified; but is not clear that the latter has
X   ever been `live' slang rather than a self-conscious joke in jargon
X   about jargon.
X
XBOGUE OUT /bohg owt/ vi. to becomes bogus, suddenly and unexpectedly.
X   "His talk was relatively sane until somebody asked him a trick
X   question, then he bogued out and did nothing but FLAME
X   afterwards".
X
XBOGUS [WPI, Yale, Stanford] adj. 1. Non-functional.  "Your patches
X   are bogus."  2. Useless.  "OPCON is a bogus program."  3.
X   False.  "Your arguments are bogus."  4. Incorrect.  "That
X   algorithm is bogus."  5. Unbelievable.  "You claim to have solved
X   the halting problem for Turing Machines?  That's totally bogus."
X   6. Silly.  "Stop writing those bogus sagas."  Astrology is bogus.
X   So is a bolt that is obviously about to break.  So is someone who
X   makes blatantly false claims to have solved a scientific problem.
X   (This word seems to have some, but not all, of the connotations of
X   RANDOM.)
X
X   [Etymological note: "Bogus" was originally used in the hackish sense
X   at Princeton, in the late 60s.  It was used not particularly in the
X   CS department, but all over campus.  It came to Yale, where one of
X   us (Lehman) was an undergraduate, and (we assume) elsewhere through
X   the efforts of Princeton alumni who brought the word with them from
X   their alma mater.  In the Yale case, the alumnus is Michael Shamos,
X   who was a graduate student at Yale and is now a faculty member
X   here.  A glossary of bogus words was compiled at Yale when the word
X   was first popularized (see AUTOBOGOTIPHOBIA under BOGOTIFY).  By
X   the mid-1980s it was also current in something like the hackish
X   sense in West Coast teen slang]
X
X   Further note: A correspondent at Cambridge claims these uses of
X   bogus grate on British nerves; in Britain the word means rather
X   specifically `counterfeit' as in "a bogus pound note".
X
XBOHR BUG /bohr buhg/ [from quantum physics] n. A repeatable BUG; one
X   which manifests reliably under a possibly unknown but well-defined
X   set of conditions.  Antonym of HEISENBUG.
X
XBOINK /boynk/ [USENET] 1. To have sex with; compare BOUNCE, sense #3.
X   In Commonwealth English this the variant "bonk" is more common.
X   2. After the original Peter Korn "Boinkcon" USENET parties, used
X   for almost any net social gathering, e.g.  Miniboink, a small boink
X   held by Nancy Gillett in 1988; Minniboink, a Boinkcon in Minnesota
X   in 1989; Humpdayboinks, Wednesday get-togethers held in the San
X   Francisco Bay Area.  Compare @-SIGN PARTY.
X
XBOMB vi. 1. General synonym for CRASH, esp. used of software or OS
X   failures. "Don't run Empire with less than 32K stack, it'll bomb
X   out" 2. Atari ST and Macintosh equivalents of PANIC or GURU (sense
X   2), where icons of little black-powder bombs or mushroom clouds are
X   displayed indicating the system has died. On the Mac this may be
X   accomanied by a hexadecimal number indicating what went wrong,
X   similar to the Amiga GURU MEDITION number.  MESS-DOS machines tend
X   to get LOCKED UP in this situation.
X
XBONDAGE-AND-DISCIPLINE LANGUAGE A language such as Pascal, APL, or
X   Prolog that, though ostensibly general-purpose, is designed so as
X   to enforce an author's theory of "right programming" even though
X   said theory is demonstrably inadequate for systems or even vanilla
X   general-purpose programming.  See LANGUAGES OF CHOICE.
X
XBOOT [from "by one's bootstraps"] vi.,n. To load and initialize the
X   operating system on a machine.  This usage is no longer slang
X   (having become jargon in the strict sense), but it is sometimes
X   used of human thought processes, as in the following exchange:
X   "You've lost me." "O.K., reboot.  Here's the theory...".  Also
X   found in the variants COLD BOOT (from power-off condition) and WARM
X   BOOT (with the CPU and all devices already powered up, as after a
X   hardware reset or software crash).
X
XBOTTLENECKED adj. 1. Used by hackers specifically to describe hardware
X   under which performance is usually limited by contention for one
X   particular resource (such as disk, memory or processor CLOCKS); the
X   opposite condition is called `balanced', which is more jargon in
X   the strict sense and may be found in technical dictionaries. 2.
X   Less often, applied to the software analogue of sense #1, a slow
X   code section or algorithm through which all computation must pass
X   (see also HOT SPOT).
X
XBOUNCE v. 1. [UNIX, perhaps from "to bounce a check"] An electronic
X   mail message which is undeliverable and returns an error
X   notification to the sender is said to `bounce'.  See also BOUNCE
X   MESSAGE. 2. [Stanford] To play volleyball.  At one time there was a
X   volleyball court next to the computer laboratory.  From 5:00 PM to
X   7:00 PM was the scheduled maintenance time for the computer, so
X   every afternoon at 5:00 the computer would become unavailable, and
X   over the intercom a voice would cry , "Bounce, bounce!"  3. To
X   engage in sexual intercourse; prob.  fr.  the expression "bouncing
X   the mattress", but influenced by Piglet's psychosexually-loaded
X   "Bounce on me too, Tigger!" from the Winnie the Pooh books.  4.
X   To casually reboot a system in order to clear up a transient
X   problem.  Reported primarily among VMS users.
X
XBOUNCE MESSAGE [UNIX] n. Notification message returned to sender by a
X   site unable to relay EMAIL to the intended INTERNET ADDRESS
X   recipient or the next link in a BANG PATH (see BOUNCE).  Reasons
X   might include a nonexistent or misspelled username or a down relay
X   site.  Bounce messages can themselves fail, with occasionally ugly
X   results; see SORCERER'S APPRENTICE MODE.
X
XBOXEN /bok'sn/ pl n. [back-formation from VAXEN] Fanciful plural of
X   `box' often encountered in the phrase `UNIX boxen', used to
X   describe commodity UNIX hardware.  The implication is that any two
X   UNIX boxen are interchangeable.
X
XBRAIN-DAMAGED [generalization of "Honeywell Brain Damage" (HBD), a
X   theoretical disease invented to explain certain utter cretinisms in
X   Honeywell MULTICS] adj.  Obviously wrong; CRETINOUS; DEMENTED.
X   There is an implication that the person responsible must have
X   suffered brain damage, because he should have known better.
X   Calling something brain-damaged is really bad; it also implies it
X   is unusable, and that its failure to work is due to poor design
X   rather than some accident.
X
XBRAIN-DEAD adj. Brain-damaged in the extreme. Not quite like
X   mainstream use, as it tends to imply terminal design failure rather
X   than malfunction or simple stupidity.
X
XBRAINO /bray'no/ n. Syn. for THINKO (q.v.).
X
XBRANCH TO FISHKILL [IBM, from the location of one of their facilities]
X   n. Any unexpected jump in a program that produces catastrophic or
X   just plain weird results.  See HYPERSPACE.
X
XBREAK v. 1. To cause to be broken (in any sense).  "Your latest patch
X   to the editor broke the paragraph commands."  2. (of a program) To
X   stop temporarily, so that it may be examined for debugging
X   purposes.  The place where it stops is a "breakpoint". 3. To send
X   an RS-232 "break" (125 msec. of line high) over a serial comm
X   line. 4. [UNIX] To strike whatever key currently causes the tty
X   driver to send SIGINT to the current process. Normally "break"
X   (sense 3) or delete does this.
X
XBREAKAGE [IBM] n. The extra people that must be added to an
X   organization because its master plan has changed; used esp. of
X   software and hardware development teams.
X
XBRITTLE adj. Said of software that's functional but easily broken by
X   changes in operating environment or configuration.  Often describes
X   the results of a research effort that were never intended to be
X   robust, but can be applied to commercially developed software.
X   Oppose ROBUST.
X
XBROADCAST STORM n. An incorrect packet broadcast on a network that
X   causes most hosts to respond all at once, typically with wrong
X   answers that start the process over again.  Also called NETWORK
X   MELTDOWN.  See also CHERNOBYL PACKET.
X
XBROKEN adj. 1. Not working properly (of programs).  2.  Behaving
X   strangely; especially (of people), exhibiting extreme depression.
X
XBROKET /broh'k at t/ or /broh'ket/ [by analogy with "bracket": a
X   "broken bracket"] (primarily Stanford) n. Either of the characters
X   "<" and ">".  This word originated as a contraction of the
X   phrase "broken bracket", that is, a bracket that is bent in the
X   middle.  (At MIT, and apparently in THE REAL WORLD (q.v.) as well,
X   these are usually called ANGLE BRACKETS.)
X
XBRUTE FORCE adj. Describes a certain kind of primitive programming
X   style.  Brute-force programs typically work by enumerating all
X   possible combinations of things in an effort to find the one
X   combination that solves the problem.  An example of a brute-force
X   program is one that sorts a thousand numbers by examining them all,
X   picking the smallest one, and saving it in another table; then
X   examining all the numbers again, and picking the smallest one
X   except for the one it already picked; and in general choosing the
X   next number by examining all one thousand numbers and choosing the
X   smallest one that hasn't yet been picked (as determined by
X   examining all the ones already picked).  Yes, the program will
X   produce the right answer, but it will be much slower than a program
X   that uses even a modicum of cleverness to avoid most of the work.
X   (A little bit of computer science---specifically, the theory of
X   algorithms---will show that if a typical large computer can sort a
X   thousand numbers in a tenth of a second using a clever sorting
X   method, the brute-force method outlined above would take about 14
X   hours.)
X
XBRUTE FORCE AND IGNORANCE n. A popular design technique at many
X   software houses --- BRUTE FORCE coding unrelieved by any knowledge
X   of how problems have been previously solved in elegant ways.
X   Dogmatic adherence to design methodologies tends to encourage it.
X   Characteristic of early LARVAL STAGE programming; unfortunately,
X   many never outgrow it.  Often abbreviated BFI, as in: "Gak, they
X   used a bubble sort!  That's strictly from BFI."  (this comment
X   might be used by a hacker to describe the example given under BRUTE
X   FORCE above).  Compare BOGOSITY.
X
XBSD /bee-ess-dee/ n. [acronym for Berkeley System Distribution] a
X   family of UNIX versions for the DEC VAX developed by Bill Joy and
X   others at University of California at Berkeley starting around
X   1980, incorporating TCP/IP networking enhancements and many other
X   features.  The BSD versions (4.1, 4.2, and 4.3) and commercial
X   versions derived from them (SunOS and Mt. Xinu) held the technical
X   lead in the UNIX world until AT&T's successful standardization
X   efforts after about 1986, and are still widely popular.  See UNIX,
X   USG UNIX.
X
XBUCKY BITS /buh'kee bits/ [primarily Stanford] n. The bits produced by
X   the CTRL and META shift keys, esp. on a Stanford (or Knight)
X   keyboard (see SPACE-CADET KEYBOARD).  It is rumored that these were
X   in fact named for Buckminster Fuller during a period when he was
X   consulting at Stanford.  Unfortunately, legend also has it that
X   "Bucky" was Niklaus Wirth's nickname when *he* was consulting at
X   Stanford and that he first suggested the idea of the meta key, so
X   its bit was named after him.  See DOUBLE BUCKY, QUADRUPLE BUCKY.
X
XBUFFER OVERFLOW n. What typically happens when an OS or application is
X   fed data faster than it can handle.  Used metaphorically of human
X   mental processes. "Sorry, I got four phone calls in three minutes
X   last night and lost your message to a buffer overflow."
X
XBUG n. An unwanted and unintended property of a program or hardware,
X   esp. one which causes it to malfunction.  Antonym of FEATURE.
X   Examples: "There's a bug in the editor: it writes things out
X   backwards."  "The system CRASHED because of a hardware bug."
X   "Fred is a winner, but he has a few bugs."  (e.g. Fred is a good
X   guy, but he has a few personality problems.)
X
X   Some have said this term came from telephone company usage: "bugs
X   in a telephone cable" were blamed for noisy lines, but this
X   appears to be a `folk etymology'.  Admiral Grace Hopper (an early
X   computing pioneer better known for inventing COBOL) liked to tell a
X   story in which a technician solved a persistent glitch in the
X   Harvard Mark II machine by pulling an actual physical bug out
X   between the contacts of one of its relays, and she subsequently
X   promulgated BUG in its hackish sense as a joke about the incident
X   (though, as she was careful to admit, she was not there when it
X   happened).  For many years the logbook associated with the incident
X   and the actual bug in question (a moth) sat in a display case at
X   the Naval Surface Warfare Center, and now resides in the
X   Smithsonian.  Interestingly, the text of the log entry, which is
X   said to read "First example of a real computer `bug"' establishes
X   that the term was already in use at the time; and a similar
X   incident is alleged to have occurred on the original ENIAC machine.
X   Indeed, the use of "bug" to mean an industrial defect was already
X   established in Thomas Edison's time, and "bug" in the sense of an
X   annoyance goes back to Shakespeare!
X
X   In any case, in hacker's slang the word almost never refers to
X   insects.  Here is a plausible conversation that never actually
X   happened:
X
X   "This ant-farm has a bug."
X
X   "What do you mean?  There aren't even any ants in it."
X
X   "That's the bug."
X
XBUG COMPATIBLE n. Said of a design or revision the design of which has
X   been badly compromised by a requirement to be compatible with
X   FOSSILS or MISFEATURES in other programs or (esp.) previous releases
X   of itself.
X
XBULLETPROOF adj. Used of an algorithm or implementation considered
X   extremely robust; lossage-resistant; capable of correctly
X   recovering from any imaginable exception condition.  This is a rare
X   and valued quality.
X
XBUM 1. vt. To make highly efficient, either in time or space, often at
X   the expense of clarity.  "I managed to bum three more instructions
X   out of that code."  2. n. A small change to an algorithm, program,
X   or hardware device to make it more efficient.  "This hardware bum
X   makes the jump instruction faster."  Usage: now uncommon, largely
X   superseded by TUNE (q.v.). Note that both these uses are rare in
X   Commonwealth English, where "bum" is interpreted as a rude
X   synonym for "buttocks".
X
XBUMP vt. Synonym for increment.  Has the same meaning as C's ++
X   operator.  Used esp. of counter variables, pointers (see POINTER
X   ARITHMETIC) and index dummies in for, while, and do-until loops.
X
XBURBLE vi. Like FLAME, but connotes that the source is truly clueless
X   and ineffectual (mere flamers can be competent).  A term of deep
X   contempt.
X
XBUSY-WAIT vi. To wait on an event by SPINning through a tight or
X   timed-delay loop that polls for the event on each pass, as opposed
X   to setting up an interrupt handler and continuing execution on
X   another part of the task.  A wasteful technique, best avoided on
X   time-sharing systems where a busy-waiting program may hog the
X   processor.  Syn. SPIN-LOCK
X
XBUZZ vi. 1. Of a program, to run with no indication of progress and
X   perhaps without guarantee of ever finishing; esp. said of programs
X   thought to be executing tight loops of code.  The state of a
X   buzzing program resembles CATATONIA, but you never get out of
X   catatonia, while a buzzing loop may eventually end of its own
X   accord.  Example: "The program buzzes for about ten seconds trying
X   to sort all the names into order." See SPIN.  2. [ETA Systems] To
X   test a wire or PCB trace for continuity by applying an AC signal as
X   opposed to applying a DC signal.  Some wire faults will pass DC
X   tests but fail a BUZZ test.
X
XBWQ /bee duhb'l-yoo kyoo/ [IBM] n. Buzz Word Quotient.  Usually
X   roughly proportional to BOGOSITY. See TLA.
X
XBYTESEXUAL /biet-seks'u- at l/ adj. Said of hardware, denotes willingness
X   to compute or pass data in either BIG ENDIAN or LITTLE ENDIAN
X   format (depending, presumably, on a mode bit somewhere).
X
X                                {= C =}
X
XC n. 1. The third letter of the Latin alphabet. 2. The name of a
X   programming language designed by Dennis Ritchie during the early
X   1970s and first used to implement UNIX (q.v.).  So called because
X   many features derived from an earlier interpreter named 'B' in
X   commemoration of *its* parent, BCPL; before Bjarne Stroustrup
X   settled the question by designing C++, there was a humorous debate
X   over whether C's successor should be named `D' or `P'.  C became
X   immensely popular outside Bell Labs after about 1980 and is now the
X   dominant language in systems and microcomputer applications
X   programming.  See LANGUAGES OF CHOICE.
X
XCAN vt. To abort a job on a time-sharing system.  Used esp. when the
X   person doing the deed is an operator, as in CANNED FROM THE
X   CONSOLE.  Frequently used in an imperative sense, as in "Can that
X   print job, the LPT just popped a sprocket!".  Synonymous with GUN.
X   It is said that the ASCII character with mnemonic CAN (0011000) was
X   used as a kill-job character on some early OSs.
X
XCALCULATOR [Cambridge] n. Syn. for BITTY BOX.
X
XCANONICAL adj. The usual or standard state or manner of something.
X   This word has a somewhat more technical meaning in mathematics.
X   For example, one sometimes speaks of a formula as being in
X   canonical form.  Two formulas such as "9 + x" and "x + 9" are
X   said to be equivalent because they mean the same thing, but the
X   second one is in canonical form because it is written in the usual
X   way, with the highest power of x first.  Usually there are fixed
X   rules you can use to decide whether something is in canonical form.
X   The slang meaning is a relaxation of the technical meaning (this
X   generalization is actually not confined to hackers, and may be
X   found throughout academia).
X
X   A true story: One Bob Sjoberg, new at the MIT AI Lab, expressed
X   some annoyance at the use of jargon.  Over his loud objections, we
X   made a point of using jargon as much as possible in his presence,
X   and eventually it began to sink in.  Finally, in one conversation,
X   he used the word "canonical" in jargon-like fashion without
X   thinking.  Steele: "Aha!  We've finally got you talking jargon
X   too!"  Stallman: "What did he say?"  Steele: "Bob just used
X   `canonical' in the canonical way."
X
XCARD WALLOPER n. An EDP programmer who works on batch programs that do
X   stupid things like print people's paychecks. Compare CODE GRINDER.
X
XCASTERS-UP MODE /cas'trz uhp mohd/ [IBM] n. Yet another synonym for
X   `broken' or `down'.
X
XCASTING THE RUNES n. The act of getting a GURU to run a particular
X   program and type at it because it never works for anyone else; esp.
X   used when nobody can ever see what the guru is doing different from
X   J. RANDOM LOSER does.  Compare INCANTATION, RUNES, EXAMINING THE
X   ENTRAILS.
X
XCAT [from "concatenate" via UNIX cat(1)] vt. To spew an entire
X   (notionally large) file to the screen or some other output sink
X   without pause; by extension, to dump large amounts of data at an
X   unprepared target or with no intention of browsing it carefully.
X   Usage: considered silly.  Rare outside UNIX sites.  See also DD,
X   BLT.
X
XCATATONIA n. A condition of suspended animation in which something is
X   so WEDGED that it makes no response.  For example, if you are
X   typing on a terminal and suddenly the computer doesn't even echo
X   the letters back to the screen as you type, let alone do what
X   you're asking it to do, then the computer is suffering from
X   catatonia (possibly because it has CRASHED).
X
XCDR /ku'dr/ [from LISP] v. To remove the first item from a list of
X   things.  In the form CDR DOWN, to trace down a list of elements.
X   "Shall we cdr down the agenda?"  Usage: silly.
X
XCHAD /chad/ n. 1. The perforated edge strips on printer paper, after
X   they have been separated from the printed portion.  Also called
X   SELVAGE and PERF. 2. obs. the confetti-like paper bits punched out
X   of cards or paper tape; this was also called `chaff'.
X
XCHAIN [orig. from BASIC's CHAIN statement] vi. When used of programming
X   languages, refers to a statement that allows a parent executable to
X   hand off execution to a child without going through the OS command
X   interpreter.  The state of the parent program is lost and there is
X   no returning to it.  Though this facility used to be common on
X   memory-limited micros and is still widely supported for backward
X   compatibility, the jargon usage is semi-obsolescent; in particular
X   most UNIX programmers will think of this as an EXEC.  Oppose the
X   more modern SUBSHELL.
X
XCHAR /keir/ or /char/; rarely, /kar/ n. Shorthand for `character'.
X   Esp.  used by C programmers, as `char' is C's typename for
X   character data.
X
XCHASE POINTERS 1. vi. To go through multiple levels of indirection, as
X   in traversing a linked list or graph structure.  Used esp. by
X   programmers in C, where explicit pointers are a very common data
X   type.  This is almost jargon in the strict sense, but remains slang
X   when used of human networks. "I'm chasing pointers.  Bob said you
X   could tell me who to talk to about..."  2. [Cambridge] POINTER
X   CHASE or POINTER HUNT: the process of going through a dump
X   (intractively or on a large piece of paper printed with hex RUNES)
X   following dynamic data-structures.  Only used in a debugging
X   context.
X
XCHEMIST [Cambridge University] n. Someone who wastes CPU time on
X   number-crunching when you'd far rather the CPU was doing something
X   more productive, such as working out anagrams of your name or
X   printing Snoopy calendars or running LIFE patterns.  May or may not
X   refer to someone who actually studies chemistry.
X
XCHERNOBYL PACKET /cher-no'b at l pa'k at t/ n. An IP Ethergram with both
X   source and destination Ether and IP address set as the respective
X   broadcast address.  So called because it induces NETWORK MELTDOWN.
X
XCHOKE vt. To reject input, often ungracefully.  "I tried building X,
X   but cpp choked on all those #define's." See BARF, GAG, VI.
X
XCHOMP vt. To lose; to chew on something of which more was bitten off
X   than one can.  Probably related to gnashing of teeth.  See
X   BAGBITER.  A hand gesture commonly accompanies this, consisting of
X   the four fingers held together as if in a mitten or hand puppet,
X   and the fingers and thumb open and close rapidly to illustrate a
X   biting action (much like what the PacMan does in the classic video
X   game, though this pantomime seems to predate that).  The gesture
X   alone means CHOMP CHOMP (see Verb Doubling).  The hand may be
X   pointed at the object of complaint, and for real emphasis you can
X   use both hands at once.  For example, to do this to a person is
X   equivalent to saying "You chomper!"  If you point the gesture at
X   yourself, it is a humble but humorous admission of some failure.
X   You might do this if someone told you that a program you had
X   written had failed in some surprising way and you felt dumb for not
X   having anticipated it.
X
XCHOMPER n. Someone or something that is chomping; a loser. See LOSER,
X   BAGBITER, CHOMP.
X
XCHRISTMAS TREE n. A kind of RS-232 line tester or breakout box
X   featuring rows of blinking red and green LEDs like Christmas
X   lights.
X
XCHRISTMAS TREE PACKET n. A packet with every single option set for
X   whatever protocol is in use.
X
XCHROME [from automotive slang via wargaming] n. Showy features added
X   to attract users, but which contribute little or nothing to the
X   power of a system. "The 3D icons in Motif are just chrome!"
X   Distinguished from BELLS AND WHISTLES by the fact that the latter
X   are usually added to gratify developers' own desires for
X   featurefulness.
X
XCHURCH OF THE SUB-GENIUS n. A mutant offshoot of DISCORDIANISM
X   launched in 1981 as a spoof of fundamentalist Christianity by the
X   "Rev."  Ivan Stang, a brilliant satirist with a gift for
X   promotion.  Popular among hackers as a rich source of bizarre
X   imagery and references such as: "Bob" the divine
X   drilling-equipment salesman, the Benevolent Space Xists and the
X   Stark Fist of Removal.  Much Sub-Genius theory is concerned with
X   the acquisition of the mystical substance or quality of "slack".
X   See also HA HA ONLY SERIOUS.
X
XCLASSIC C /klas'ik see/ [a play on `Coke Classic'] n.  The C
X   programming language as defined in the first edition of the book
X   "The C Programming Language" by "Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis
X   M. Ritchie" with some small additions.  It is also known as "K &
X   R C."  The name came into use during the standardisation process
X   for C by the ANSI X3J11 committee. Also "C CLASSIC". This is
X   sometimes generalized to "X Classic" where X = Star Trek
X   (referring to the original TV series), or X = PC (referring to
X   IBM's ISA-bus machines as opposed to the PS/2 series); this
X   generalization is especially used of product series in which the
X   newer versions are considered serious losers relative to the older
X   ones.
X
XCLEAN adj. Used of hardware or software designs, implies "elegance in
X   the small", that is a design or implementation which may not hold
X   any surprises but does things in a way that is reasonably intutive
X   and relatively easy to comprehend from the outside. The antonym is
X   GRUNGY or CRUFTY.
X
XCLOCKS n. Processor logic cycles, so called because each generally
X   corresponds to one clock pulse in the processor's timing.  The
X   relative execution times of instructions on a machine are usually
X   discussed in `clocks' rather than absolute fractions of a second.
X   Compare CYCLES.
X
XCLONE n. 1. An exact duplicate, as in "our product is a clone of
X   their product."  2. A shoddy, spurious copy, as in "their product
X   is a clone of our product."  3. A blatant ripoff, most likely
X   violating copyright, patent, or trade secret protections, as in
X   "your product is a clone of my product." This usage implies legal
X   action is pending.  4. A PC-BUS/ISA or EISA-compatible 80x86 based
X   microcomputer (in-context shorthand for "PC clone").  5. In the
X   construction UNIX CLONE: An OS designed to deliver a UNIX-lookalike
X   environment sans UNIX license fees, or with additional
X   "mission-critical" features such as support for real-time
X   programming.
X
XCLOSE /klohz/ [from the verb "to close", thus the `z' sound] 1. n.
X   Abbreviation for "close (or right) parenthesis", used when
X   necessary to eliminate oral ambiguity.  See OPEN.  2. adj.  Of a
X   delimiting character, used at the right-hand end of a grouping.
X   Used in such terms as "close parenthesis", "close bracket",
X   etc. 3. vt. To release a file or communication channel after
X   access.
X
XCLUSTERGEEKING /kluh'ster-gee`king/ [CMU] n. An activity defined by
X   spending more time at a computer cluster doing CS homework than
X   most people spend breathing.
X
XCOBOL FINGERS /koh'bol fing'grs/ n. Reported from Sweden, a
X   (hypothetical) disease one might get from programming in COBOL.
X   The language requires extremely voluminous code.  Programming too
X   much in COBOL causes the fingers to wear down (by endless typing),
X   until short stubs remain.  This malformity is called COBOL FINGERS.
X   "I refuse to type in all that source code again, it will give me
X   cobol fingers!"
X
XCODE GRINDER n. 1. A SUIT-wearing minion of the sort hired in legion
X   strength by banks and insurance companies to implement payroll
X   packages in RPG and other such unspeakable horrors.  This is about
X   as far from hackerdom as you can get and still touch a computer.
X   Connotes pity.  See REAL WORLD. 2. Used of or to a hacker, a really
X   serious slur on the person's creative ability; connotes a design
X   style characterized by primitive technique, rule-boundedness, and
X   utter lack of imagination. Compare CARD WALLOPER.
X
XCODE POLICE [by analogy with "thought police"] n. A mythical team of
X   Gestapo-like storm troopers that might burst into one's office and
X   arrest one for violating style rules.  May be used either
X   seriously, to underline a claim that a particular style violation
X   is dangerous, or ironically, to suggest that the practice under
X   discussion is condemned mainly by anal-retentive weenies.  The
X   ironic usage is perhaps more common.
X
XCODEWALKER n. A program component that traverses other programs for a
X   living.  Compilers have codewalkers in their front ends; so do
X   cross-reference generators and some database front-ends. Other
X   utility programs which try to do too much with source code may turn
X   into codewalkers. As in "This new vgrind feature would require a
X   codewalker to implement."
X
XCOKEBOTTLE /kohk'bot-l/ n. Any very unusual character, particularly
X   one that isn't on your keyboard so you can't type it.  MIT people
X   used to complain about the "control-meta-cokebottle" commands at
X   SAIL, and SAIL people complained right back about the
X   "altmode-altmode-cokebottle" commands at MIT.  Since the demise
X   of the SPACE-CADET KEYBOARD this is no longer a serious usage, but
X   may be invoked humorously to describe an (unspecified) weird or
X   non-intuitive keystroke command.
X
XCOME FROM n. A semi-mythical language construct dual to the `go to';
X   COME FROM <label> would cause the referenced label to act as a sort
X   of trapdoor, so that if the program ever reached it control would
X   quietly fall through to the statement following the COME FROM.
X   COME FROM was first proposed in a Datamation article in 1973 that
X   parodied the then-raging `structured programming' wars (see
X   CONSIDERED HARMFUL). Mythically, some variants are the "assigned
X   come from", and the "computed come from" (parodyong some nasty
X   control constructs in BASIC and FORTRAN).  Notionally,  multi-tasking
X   can be implemented by having more than one COME FROM statement
X   coming from the same label.
X
X   COME FROM was actually implemented under a different name in
X   Univac's Fortran, c.1975.  The statement "AT 100" would perform a
X   "COME FROM 100".  It was intended strictly as a debugging aid, with
X   dire consequences promised to anyone so deranged as to use it in
X   production code.  It was supported under its own name for the first
X   time fifteen years later, in C-INTERCAL (see INTERCAL,
X   RETROCOMPUTING); knowledgeable observers are still reeling from
X   shock.
X
XCOMMONWEALTH HACKISH n. Hacker slang as spoken outside the U.S., esp.
X   in the British Commonwealth.  It is reported that Commonwealth
X   speakers are more likely to pronounce "char", "soc" etc. as
X   spelled (/char/, /sok/) as opposed to American /keir/ or /sohsh/.
X   Dots in names tend to be pronounced more often (/sok dot wi'bble/
X   rather than /sohsh wib'ble/).  Preferred metasyntactic variables
X   include FRODO and BILBO; WIBBLE, WOBBLE and in emergencies WUBBLE;
X   BANANA, WOMBAT and FROG and so on and on.  Alternatives to verb
X   doubling include suffixes "-o-rama", "frenzy" (as in feeding
X   frenzy) and "city" (as in "barf city!" "hack-o-rama!" "core
X   dump frenzy!").  Finally, note that the American usages `parens'
X   `brackets' and `braces' for (), [], and {} are uncommon;
X   Commonwealth hackish prefers "bracket", "square bracket" and
X   "curly bracket".  Also, the use of "pling" for BANG is common
X   outside the U.S.. See also CALCULATOR, CHEMIST, GRUNGE, HEAVY
X   METAL, LEAKY HEAP, LORD HIGH FIXER, PSYCHEDELICWARE, PLINGNET,
X   RASTER BLASTER, SEGGIE, SPIN-LOCK, TICK-LIST FEATURES, WEEBLE,
X   WEASEL, YABA and notes or definitions under BARF, BOGUS, CHASE
X   POINTERS, COSMIC RAYS, CRIPPLEWARE, CRUNCH, DODGY, GONK, ROOT,
X   TWEAK, and BUM.
X
XCOMPRESS [UNIX] vt. When used without a qualifier, generally refers to
X   CRUNCHing of a file using a particular C implementation of
X   Lempel-Ziv compression by James A. Woods et al and widely
X   circulated via USENET. Use of CRUNCH (q.v.) itself in this sense is
X   rare among UNIX hackers.
X
XCOMPUTER GEEK n.  One who eats [computer] bugs for a living.  One who
X   fulfills all of the dreariest negative stereotypes about hackers:
X   an asocial, malodorous, pasty-faced monomaniac with all the
X   personality of a cheese grater.  Cannot be used by outsiders
X   without implied insult to all hackers; compare black-on-black usage
X   of "nigger".  A computer geek may be either a fundamentally
X   clueless individual or a true-hacker in LARVAL STAGE.  Also called
X   TURBO NERD, TURBO GEEK.  See also CLUSTERGEEKING.
X
XCOMPUTRON /kom-pyoo-tron/ n. 1. A notional unit of computing power
X   combining instruction speed and storage capacity, dimensioned
X   roughly in instructions-per-sec times megabytes-of-main-store times
X   megabytes-of-mass-storage.  "That machine can't run GNU Emacs, it
X   doesn't have enough computrons!" This usage is usually found in
X   metaphors that treat computing power as a fungible commodity good
X   like a crop yield or diesel horsepower.  See BITTY BOX, GET A REAL
X   COMPUTER, TOY, CRANK. 2. A mythical subatomic particle that bears
X   the unit quantity of computation or information, in much the same
X   way that an electron bears one unit of electric charge (see BOGON).
X   An elaborate pseudo-scientific theory of computrons has been worked
X   out based on the physical fact that the molecules in a solid object
X   move more rapidly as it is heated.  It is argued that an object
X   melts because the molecules have lost their information about where
X   they are supposed to be (that is, they have emitted computrons).
X   This explains why computers get so hot and require air
X   conditioning; they use up computrons.  Conversely, you should be
X   able to cool down an object by placing it in the path of a
X   computron beam.  It is believed that this may also explain why
X   machines that work at the factory fail in the computer room ---
X   because the computrons there have been all used up by your other
X   hardware.
X
XCONNECTOR CONSPIRACY [probably came into prominence with the
X   appearance of the KL-10, none of whose connectors match anything
X   else] n. The tendency of manufacturers (or, by extension,
X   programmers or purveyors of anything) to come up with new products
X   which don't fit together with the old stuff, thereby making you buy
X   either all new stuff or expensive interface devices.
X
XCONS /kons/ [from LISP] 1. v. To add a new element to a list, esp. at
X   the top.  2.  CONS UP: vt. To synthesize from smaller pieces: "to
X   cons up an example".
X
XCONSIDERED HARMFUL adj. Edsger Dijkstra's infamous March 1968 CACM
X   note, _Goto_Statement_Considered_Harmful_, fired the first salvo in
X   the "structured programming" wars.  In the years since then a
X   number of both serious papers and parodies have borne titles of the
X   form "X considered Y" in reference to it. The "structured
X   programming" wars eventually blew over with the realization that
X   both sides were wrong, but use of such titles has remained as a
X   persistent minor in-joke (the "considered silly" found at various
X   places in this jargon file is related).
X
XCONTENT-FREE adj. Ironic analogy with "context-free", used of a
X   message which adds nothing to the recipient's knowledge.  Though
X   this adjective is sometimes applied to FLAMAGE, it more usually
X   connotes derision for comunication styles which exalt form over
X   substance, or are centered on concerns irrelevant to the subject
X   ostensibly at hand.  Perhaps most used with reference to speeches
X   by company presidents and like animals.  "Content-free?
X   Uh...that's anything printed on glossy paper".
X
XCONWAY'S LAW n. The rule that the organization of the software and the
X   organization of the software team will be congruent; originally
X   stated as "If you have four groups working on a compiler, you'll
X   get a four-pass compiler."
X
X   This was originally promulgated by Melvin Conway, an early
X   proto-hacker who wrote an assembler for the Burroughs 220 called
X   SAVE.  "SAVE" didn't stand for anything, it was just that you
X   lost fewer decks and listings because they all had SAVE written on
X   top of them.
X
XCOOKIE MONSTER [from "Sesame Street"] n. Any of a family of early
X   (1970s) hacks reported on TOPS-10, ITS and elsewhere that would
X   lock up either the victim's terminal (on a time-sharing machine) or
X   the operator's console (on a batch mainframe), repeatedly demanding
X   "I WANT A COOKIE".  The required responses ranged in complexity
X   from "COOKIE" through "HAVE A COOKIE" and upward.  See also
X   WABBIT.
X
XCOPYLEFT /kop'ee-left/ n. 1. The copyright notice ("General Public
X   License") carried by GNU EMACS and other Free Software Foundation
X   software, granting re-use and reproduction rights to all comers
X   (but see also GENERAL PUBLIC VIRUS). 2. By extension, any copyright
X   notice intended to achieve similar aims.
X
XCORE n. Main storage or DRAM.  Dates from the days of ferrite-core
X   memory; now archaic, but still used in the UNIX community and by
X   old-time hackers or those who would sound like same.  See CORE
X   DUMP.
X
XCORE DUMP n. [UNIX] 1. A symptom of catastrophic program failure due
X   to internal error. 2. By extension, used for humans passing out,
X   vomiting, or registering extreme shock. "He dumped core.  All over
X   the floor.  What a mess." "He heard about ... and dumped core."
X   3. Occasionally used for a human rambling on pointlessly at great
X   length; esp. in apology: "Sorry I dumped core on you".  4.  A
X   recapitulation of knowledge (compare BITS, sense 1). Hence, spewing
X   all one knows about a topic, esp. in a lecture or answer to an exam
X   question.  "Short, concise answers are better than core dumps"
X   [From the instructions to a qual exam at Columbia].  See
X   CORE.
X
XCORE LEAK n. Syn. with MEMORY LEAK (q.v.).
X
XCORE WARS n. A game between "assembler" programs in a simulated
X   machine, where the objective is to kill your opponent's program by
X   overwriting it.  This was popularized by A.K. Dewdney's column in
X   _Scientific_American_.  It is rumored that the game is a civilized
X   version of an amusement common on pre-MMU multitasking machines.
X   See CORE.
X
XCORGE /korj/ [originally, the name of a cat] n. Yet another
X   meta-syntactic variable, invented by Mike Gallaher and propagated
X   by the Gosmacs documentation.  See GRAULT.
X
XCOSMIC RAYS n. Notionally, the cause of BIT ROT (q.v.). However, this
X   is a semi-independent usage which may be invoked as a humorous way
X   of HANDWAVING away any minor RANDOMNESS that doesn't seem worth the
X   bother of investigating. "Hey, Eric --- I just got a burst of
X   garbage on my TUBE, where did that come from?" "Cosmic rays, I
X   guess". Compare SUNSPOTS, PHASE OF THE MOON.  The British seem to
X   prefer the usage `cosmic showers'.
X
XCP/M (see-pee-em) [Control Program for Microcomputers] An early
X   microcomputer OS written by hacker Gary Kildall for 8080 and Z-80
X   based machines, very popular in the late 1970s until virtually
X   wiped out by MS-DOS after the release of the IBM PC in 1981 (legend
X   has it that Kildall's company blew their chance to write the PC's
X   OS because Kildall decided to spend the day IBM's reps wanted to
X   meet with him enjoying the perfect flying weather in his private
X   plane).  Many of its features and conventions strongly resemble
X   those of early DEC operating systems such as OS-8, RSTS and RSX-11.
X   See MS-DOS, OPERATING SYSTEM.
X
XCPU WARS n. A 1979 large-format comic by Chas Andres chronicling the
X   attempts of the brainwashed androids of "IPM" (Impossible to
X   Program Machines) to conquer and destroy the peaceful denizens of
X   HEC (Human Engineered Computers).  This rather transparent allegory
SHAR_EOF
chmod 0644 jsplit.ab || echo "restore of jsplit.ab fails"
if [ $TOUCH = can ]
then
    touch -am 1215215290 jsplit.ab
fi
exit 0



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