Henry van Dyke - "Music and Other Poems"

Catherine Parr Traill - "In The Forest"

John Bunyan - "The Works of John Bunyan Volume 3"

Anthony Trollope - "He Knew He Was Right"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The New Hacker\'s Dictionary version 4.2.2

V >> Various editors >> The New Hacker\'s Dictionary version 4.2.2




in which the trapdoor is just after the statement labeled 10. (This is
particularly surprising because the label doesn't appear to have
anything to do with the flow of control at all!)

While sufficiently astonishing to the unsuspecting reader, this form
of COME FROM statement isn't completely general. After all, control
will eventually pass to the following statement. The implementation of
the general form was left to Univac FORTRAN, ca. 1975 (though a
roughly similar feature existed on the IBM 7040 ten years earlier).
The statement AT 100 would perform a COME FROM 100. It was intended
strictly as a debugging aid, with dire consequences promised to anyone
so deranged as to use it in production code. More horrible things had
already been perpetrated in production languages, however; doubters
need only contemplate the ALTER verb in [2801]COBOL.

COME FROM was supported under its own name for the first time 15 years
later, in C-INTERCAL (see [2802]INTERCAL, [2803]retrocomputing);
knowledgeable observers are still reeling from the shock.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:comm mode, Next:[2804]command key, Previous:[2805]COME FROM,
Up:[2806]= C =

comm mode /kom mohd/ n.

[ITS: from the feature supporting on-line chat; the term may spelled
with one or two m's] Syn. for [2807]talk mode.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:command key, Next:[2808]comment out, Previous:[2809]comm mode,
Up:[2810]= C =

command key n.

[Mac users] Syn. [2811]feature key.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:comment out, Next:[2812]Commonwealth Hackish,
Previous:[2813]command key, Up:[2814]= C =

comment out vt.

To surround a section of code with comment delimiters or to prefix
every line in the section with a comment marker; this prevents it from
being compiled or interpreted. Often done when the code is redundant
or obsolete, but is being left in the source to make the intent of the
active code clearer; also when the code in that section is broken and
you want to bypass it in order to debug some other part of the code.
Compare [2815]condition out, usually the preferred technique in
languages (such as [2816]C) that make it possible.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Commonwealth Hackish, Next:[2817]compact, Previous:[2818]comment
out, Up:[2819]= C =

Commonwealth Hackish n.

Hacker jargon as spoken in English outside the U.S., esp. in the
British Commonwealth. It is reported that Commonwealth speakers are
more likely to pronounce truncations like `char' and `soc', etc., as
spelled (/char/, /sok/), as opposed to American /keir/ and /sohsh/.
Dots in [2820]newsgroup names (especially two-component names) tend to
be pronounced more often (so soc.wibble is /sok dot wib'l/ rather than
/sohsh wib'l/).

Preferred [2821]metasyntactic variables include [2822]blurgle, eek,
ook, frodo, and bilbo; [2823]wibble, wobble, and in emergencies
wubble; flob, banana, tom, dick, harry, wombat, frog, [2824]fish,
[2825]womble and so on and on (see [2826]foo, sense 4). Alternatives
to verb doubling include suffixes `-o-rama', `frenzy' (as in feeding
frenzy), and `city' (examples: "barf city!" "hack-o-rama!" "core dump
frenzy!").

All the generic differences within the anglophone world inevitably
show themselves in the associated hackish dialects. The Greek letters
beta and zeta are usually pronounced /bee't*/ and /zee't*/; meta may
also be pronounced /mee't*/. Various punctuators (and even letters - Z
is called `zed', not `zee') are named differently: most crucially, for
hackish, where Americans use `parens', `brackets' and `braces' for (),
[] and {}, Commonwealth English uses `brackets', `square brackets' and
`curly brackets', though `parentheses' may be used for the first; the
exclamation mark, `!', is called pling rather than bang and the pound
sign, `#', is called hash; furthermore, the term `the pound sign' is
understood to mean the pound currency symbol (of course).

See also [2827]attoparsec, [2828]calculator, [2829]chemist,
[2830]console jockey, [2831]fish, [2832]go-faster stripes,
[2833]grunge, [2834]hakspek, [2835]heavy metal, [2836]leaky heap,
[2837]lord high fixer, [2838]loose bytes, [2839]muddie, [2840]nadger,
[2841]noddy, [2842]psychedelicware, [2843]plingnet, [2844]raster
blaster, [2845]RTBM, [2846]seggie, [2847]spod, [2848]sun lounge,
[2849]terminal junkie, [2850]tick-list features, [2851]weeble,
[2852]weasel, [2853]YABA, and notes or definitions under [2854]Bad
Thing, [2855]barf, [2856]bogus, [2857]bum, [2858]chase pointers,
[2859]cosmic rays, [2860]crippleware, [2861]crunch, [2862]dodgy,
[2863]gonk, [2864]hamster, [2865]hardwarily, [2866]mess-dos,
[2867]nybble, [2868]proglet, [2869]root, [2870]SEX, [2871]tweak,
[2872]womble, and [2873]xyzzy.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:compact, Next:[2874]compiler jock, Previous:[2875]Commonwealth
Hackish, Up:[2876]= C =

compact adj.

Of a design, describes the valuable property that it can all be
apprehended at once in one's head. This generally means the thing
created from the design can be used with greater facility and fewer
errors than an equivalent tool that is not compact. Compactness does
not imply triviality or lack of power; for example, C is compact and
FORTRAN is not, but C is more powerful than FORTRAN. Designs become
non-compact through accreting [2877]features and [2878]cruft that
don't merge cleanly into the overall design scheme (thus, some fans of
[2879]Classic C maintain that ANSI C is no longer compact).
_________________________________________________________________

Node:compiler jock, Next:[2880]compo, Previous:[2881]compact,
Up:[2882]= C =

compiler jock n.

See [2883]jock (sense 2).
_________________________________________________________________

Node:compo, Next:[2884]compress, Previous:[2885]compiler jock,
Up:[2886]= C =

compo n.

[[2887]demoscene] Finnish-originated slang for `competition'. Demo
compos are held at a [2888]demoparty. The usual protocol is that
several groups make demos for a compo, they are shown on a big screen,
and then the party participants vote for the best one. Prizes (from
sponsors and party entrance fees) are given. Standard compo formats
include [2889]intro compos (4k or 64k demos), music compos, graphics
compos, quick [2890]demo compos (build a demo within 4 hours for
example), etc.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:compress, Next:[2891]Compu$erve, Previous:[2892]compo, Up:[2893]=
C =

compress [Unix] vt.

When used without a qualifier, generally refers to [2894]crunching of
a file using a particular C implementation of compression by Joseph M.
Orost et al. and widely circulated via [2895]Usenet; use of
[2896]crunch itself in this sense is rare among Unix hackers.
Specifically, compress is built around the Lempel-Ziv-Welch algorithm
as described in "A Technique for High Performance Data Compression",
Terry A. Welch, "IEEE Computer", vol. 17, no. 6 (June 1984), pp. 8-19.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Compu$erve, Next:[2897]computer confetti,
Previous:[2898]compress, Up:[2899]= C =

Compu$erve n.

See [2900]CI$. Synonyms CompuSpend and Compu$pend are also reported.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:computer confetti, Next:[2901]computer geek,
Previous:[2902]Compu$erve, Up:[2903]= C =

computer confetti n.

Syn. [2904]chad. Though this term is common, this use of punched-card
chad is not a good idea, as the pieces are stiff and have sharp
corners that could injure the eyes. GLS reports that he once attended
a wedding at MIT during which he and a few other guests
enthusiastically threw chad instead of rice. The groom later grumbled
that he and his bride had spent most of the evening trying to get the
stuff out of their hair.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:computer geek, Next:[2905]computron, Previous:[2906]computer
confetti, Up:[2907]= C =

computer geek n.

1. One who eats (computer) bugs for a living. One who fulfills all the
dreariest negative stereotypes about hackers: an asocial, malodorous,
pasty-faced monomaniac with all the personality of a cheese grater.
Cannot be used by outsiders without implied insult to all hackers;
compare black-on-black vs. white-on-black usage of `nigger'. A
computer geek may be either a fundamentally clueless individual or a
proto-hacker in [2908]larval stage. Also called `turbo nerd', `turbo
geek'. See also [2909]propeller head, [2910]clustergeeking, [2911]geek
out, [2912]wannabee, [2913]terminal junkie, [2914]spod, [2915]weenie.
2. Some self-described computer geeks use this term in a positive
sense and protest sense 1 (this seems to have been a post-1990
development). For one such argument, see
[2916]http://www.darkwater.com/omni/geek.html. See also [2917]geek
code.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:computron, Next:[2918]con, Previous:[2919]computer geek,
Up:[2920]= C =

computron /kom'pyoo-tron`/

n. 1. [common] A notional unit of computing power combining
instruction speed and storage capacity, dimensioned roughly in
instructions-per-second times megabytes-of-main-store times
megabytes-of-mass-storage. "That machine can't run GNU Emacs, it
doesn't have enough computrons!" This usage is usually found in
metaphors that treat computing power as a fungible commodity good,
like a crop yield or diesel horsepower. See [2921]bitty box, [2922]Get
a real computer!, [2923]toy, [2924]crank. 2. A mythical subatomic
particle that bears the unit quantity of computation or information,
in much the same way that an electron bears one unit of electric
charge (see also [2925]bogon). An elaborate pseudo-scientific theory
of computrons has been developed based on the physical fact that the
molecules in a solid object move more rapidly as it is heated. It is
argued that an object melts because the molecules have lost their
information about where they are supposed to be (that is, they have
emitted computrons). This explains why computers get so hot and
require air conditioning; they use up computrons. Conversely, it
should be possible to cool down an object by placing it in the path of
a computron beam. It is believed that this may also explain why
machines that work at the factory fail in the computer room: the
computrons there have been all used up by the other hardware. (The
popularity of this theory probably owes something to the "Warlock"
stories by Larry Niven, the best known being "What Good is a Glass
Dagger?", in which magic is fueled by an exhaustible natural resource
called `mana'.)
_________________________________________________________________

Node:con, Next:[2926]condition out, Previous:[2927]computron,
Up:[2928]= C =

con n.

[from SF fandom] A science-fiction convention. Not used of other sorts
of conventions, such as professional meetings. This term, unlike many
others imported from SF-fan slang, is widely recognized even by
hackers who aren't [2929]fans. "We'd been corresponding on the net for
months, then we met face-to-face at a con."
_________________________________________________________________

Node:condition out, Next:[2930]condom, Previous:[2931]con, Up:[2932]=
C =

condition out vt.

To prevent a section of code from being compiled by surrounding it
with a conditional-compilation directive whose condition is always
false. The [2933]canonical examples of these directives are #if 0 (or
#ifdef notdef, though some find the latter [2934]bletcherous) and
#endif in C. Compare [2935]comment out.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:condom, Next:[2936]confuser, Previous:[2937]condition out,
Up:[2938]= C =

condom n.

1. The protective plastic bag that accompanies 3.5-inch microfloppy
diskettes. Rarely, also used of (paper) disk envelopes. Unlike the
write protect tab, the condom (when left on) not only impedes the
practice of [2939]SEX but has also been shown to have a high failure
rate as drive mechanisms attempt to access the disk -- and can even
fatally frustrate insertion. 2. The protective cladding on a
[2940]light pipe. 3. `keyboard condom': A flexible, transparent
plastic cover for a keyboard, designed to provide some protection
against dust and [2941]programming fluid without impeding typing. 4.
`elephant condom': the plastic shipping bags used inside cardboard
boxes to protect hardware in transit. 5. n. obs. A dummy directory
/usr/tmp/sh, created to foil the [2942]Great Worm by exploiting a
portability bug in one of its parts. So named in the title of a
comp.risks article by Gene Spafford during the Worm crisis, and again
in the text of "The Internet Worm Program: An Analysis", Purdue
Technical Report CSD-TR-823.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:confuser, Next:[2943]connector conspiracy, Previous:[2944]condom,
Up:[2945]= C =

confuser n.

Common soundalike slang for `computer'. Usually encountered in
compounds such as `confuser room', `personal confuser', `confuser
guru'. Usage: silly.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:connector conspiracy, Next:[2946]cons, Previous:[2947]confuser,
Up:[2948]= C =

connector conspiracy n.

[probably came into prominence with the appearance of the KL-10 (one
model of the [2949]PDP-10), none of whose connectors matched anything
else] The tendency of manufacturers (or, by extension, programmers or
purveyors of anything) to come up with new products that don't fit
together with the old stuff, thereby making you buy either all new
stuff or expensive interface devices. The KL-10 Massbus connector was
actually patented by [2950]DEC, which reputedly refused to license the
design and thus effectively locked third parties out of competition
for the lucrative Massbus peripherals market. This policy is a source
of never-ending frustration for the diehards who maintain older PDP-10
or VAX systems. Their CPUs work fine, but they are stuck with dying,
obsolescent disk and tape drives with low capacity and high power
requirements.

(A closely related phenomenon, with a slightly different intent, is
the habit manufacturers have of inventing new screw heads so that only
Designated Persons, possessing the magic screwdrivers, can remove
covers and make repairs or install options. A good 1990s example is
the use of Torx screws for cable-TV set-top boxes. Older Apple
Macintoshes took this one step further, requiring not only a long Torx
screwdriver but a specialized case-cracking tool to open the box.)

In these latter days of open-systems computing this term has fallen
somewhat into disuse, to be replaced by the observation that
"Standards are great! There are so many of them to choose from!"
Compare [2951]backward combatability.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cons, Next:[2952]considered harmful, Previous:[2953]connector
conspiracy, Up:[2954]= C =

cons /konz/ or /kons/

[from LISP] 1. vt. To add a new element to a specified list, esp. at
the top. "OK, cons picking a replacement for the console TTY onto the
agenda." 2. `cons up': vt. To synthesize from smaller pieces: "to cons
up an example".

In LISP itself, cons is the most fundamental operation for building
structures. It takes any two objects and returns a `dot-pair' or
two-branched tree with one object hanging from each branch. Because
the result of a cons is an object, it can be used to build binary
trees of any shape and complexity. Hackers think of it as a sort of
universal constructor, and that is where the jargon meanings spring
from.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:considered harmful, Next:[2955]console, Previous:[2956]cons,
Up:[2957]= C =

considered harmful adj.

[very common] Edsger W. Dijkstra's note in the March 1968
"Communications of the ACM", "Goto Statement Considered Harmful",
fired the first salvo in the structured programming wars (text at
[2958]http://www.acm.org/classics). Amusingly, the ACM considered the
resulting acrimony sufficiently harmful that it will (by policy) no
longer print an article taking so assertive a position against a
coding practice. (Years afterwards, a contrary view was uttered in a
CACM letter called, inevitably, "`Goto considered harmful' considered
harmful'"'. In the ensuing decades, a large number of both serious
papers and parodies have borne titles of the form "X considered Y".
The structured-programming wars eventually blew over with the
realization that both sides were wrong, but use of such titles has
remained as a persistent minor in-joke (the `considered silly' found
at various places in this lexicon is related).
_________________________________________________________________

Node:console, Next:[2959]console jockey, Previous:[2960]considered
harmful, Up:[2961]= C =

console n.

1. The operator's station of a [2962]mainframe. In times past, this
was a privileged location that conveyed godlike powers to anyone with
fingers on its keys. Under Unix and other modern timesharing OSes,
such privileges are guarded by passwords instead, and the console is
just the [2963]tty the system was booted from. Some of the mystique
remains, however, and it is traditional for sysadmins to post urgent
messages to all users from the console (on Unix, /dev/console). 2. On
microcomputer Unix boxes, the main screen and keyboard (as opposed to
character-only terminals talking to a serial port). Typically only the
console can do real graphics or run [2964]X.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:console jockey, Next:[2965]content-free, Previous:[2966]console,
Up:[2967]= C =

console jockey n.

See [2968]terminal junkie.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:content-free, Next:[2969]control-C, Previous:[2970]console
jockey, Up:[2971]= C =

content-free adj.

[by analogy with techspeak `context-free'] Used of a message that adds
nothing to the recipient's knowledge. Though this adjective is
sometimes applied to [2972]flamage, it more usually connotes derision
for communication styles that exalt form over substance or are
centered on concerns irrelevant to the subject ostensibly at hand.
Perhaps most used with reference to speeches by company presidents and
other professional manipulators. "Content-free? Uh... that's anything
printed on glossy paper." (See also [2973]four-color glossies.) "He
gave a talk on the implications of electronic networks for
postmodernism and the fin-de-siecle aesthetic. It was content-free."
_________________________________________________________________

Node:control-C, Next:[2974]control-O, Previous:[2975]content-free,
Up:[2976]= C =

control-C vi.

1. "Stop whatever you are doing." From the interrupt character used on
many operating systems to abort a running program. Considered silly.
2. interj. Among BSD Unix hackers, the canonical humorous response to
"Give me a break!"
_________________________________________________________________

Node:control-O, Next:[2977]control-Q, Previous:[2978]control-C,
Up:[2979]= C =

control-O vi.

"Stop talking." From the character used on some operating systems to
abort output but allow the program to keep on running. Generally means
that you are not interested in hearing anything more from that person,
at least on that topic; a standard response to someone who is flaming.
Considered silly. Compare [2980]control-S.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:control-Q, Next:[2981]control-S, Previous:[2982]control-O,
Up:[2983]= C =

control-Q vi.

"Resume." From the ASCII DC1 or [2984]XON character (the pronunciation
/X-on/ is therefore also used), used to undo a previous
[2985]control-S.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:control-S, Next:[2986]Conway's Law, Previous:[2987]control-Q,
Up:[2988]= C =

control-S vi.

"Stop talking for a second." From the ASCII DC3 or XOFF character (the
pronunciation /X-of/ is therefore also used). Control-S differs from
[2989]control-O in that the person is asked to stop talking (perhaps
because you are on the phone) but will be allowed to continue when
you're ready to listen to him -- as opposed to control-O, which has
more of the meaning of "Shut up." Considered silly.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Conway's Law, Next:[2990]cookbook, Previous:[2991]control-S,
Up:[2992]= C =

Conway's Law prov.

The rule that the organization of the software and the organization of
the software team will be congruent; commonly stated as "If you have
four groups working on a compiler, you'll get a 4-pass compiler". The
original statement was more general, "Organizations which design
systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the
communication structures of these organizations." This first appeared
in the April 1968 issue of [2993]Datamation. Compare [2994]SNAFU
principle.

The law was named after Melvin Conway, an early proto-hacker who wrote
an assembler for the Burroughs 220 called SAVE. (The name `SAVE'
didn't stand for anything; it was just that you lost fewer card decks
and listings because they all had SAVE written on them.)

There is also Tom Cheatham's amendment of Conway's Law: "If a group of
N persons implements a COBOL compiler, there will be N-1 passes.
Someone in the group has to be the manager."
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cookbook, Next:[2995]cooked mode, Previous:[2996]Conway's Law,
Up:[2997]= C =

cookbook n.

[from amateur electronics and radio] A book of small code segments
that the reader can use to do various [2998]magic things in programs.
One current example is the "[2999]PostScript Language Tutorial and
Cookbook" by Adobe Systems, Inc (Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10179-3),
also known as the [3000]Blue Book which has recipes for things like
wrapping text around arbitrary curves and making 3D fonts. Cookbooks,
slavishly followed, can lead one into [3001]voodoo programming, but
are useful for hackers trying to [3002]monkey up small programs in
unknown languages. This function is analogous to the role of
phrasebooks in human languages.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cooked mode, Next:[3003]cookie, Previous:[3004]cookbook,
Up:[3005]= C =

cooked mode n.

[Unix, by opposition from [3006]raw mode] The normal character-input
mode, with interrupts enabled and with erase, kill and other
special-character interpretations performed directly by the tty
driver. Oppose [3007]raw mode, [3008]rare mode. This term is techspeak
under Unix but jargon elsewhere; other operating systems often have
similar mode distinctions, and the raw/rare/cooked way of describing
them has spread widely along with the C language and other Unix
exports. Most generally, `cooked mode' may refer to any mode of a
system that does extensive preprocessing before presenting data to a
program.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cookie, Next:[3009]cookie bear, Previous:[3010]cooked mode,
Up:[3011]= C =

cookie n.

A handle, transaction ID, or other token of agreement between
cooperating programs. "I give him a packet, he gives me back a
cookie." The claim check you get from a dry-cleaning shop is a perfect
mundane example of a cookie; the only thing it's useful for is to
relate a later transaction to this one (so you get the same clothes
back). Compare [3012]magic cookie; see also [3013]fortune cookie. Now
mainstream in the specific sense of web-browser cookies.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cookie bear, Next:[3014]cookie file, Previous:[3015]cookie,
Up:[3016]= C =

cookie bear n. obs.

Original term, pre-Sesame-Street, for what is now universally called a
[3017]cookie monster. A correspondent observes "In those days, hackers
were actually getting their yucks from...sit down now...Andy Williams.
Yes, that Andy Williams. Seems he had a rather hip (by the standards
of the day) TV variety show. One of the best parts of the show was the
recurring `cookie bear' sketch. In these sketches, a guy in a bear
suit tried all sorts of tricks to get a cookie out of Williams. The
sketches would always end with Williams shrieking (and I don't mean
figuratively), `No cookies! Not now, not ever...NEVER!!!' And the bear
would fall down. Great stuff."
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cookie file, Next:[3018]cookie jar, Previous:[3019]cookie bear,
Up:[3020]= C =

cookie file n.

A collection of [3021]fortune cookies in a format that facilitates
retrieval by a fortune program. There are several different cookie
files in public distribution, and site admins often assemble their own
from various sources including this lexicon.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cookie jar, Next:[3022]cookie monster, Previous:[3023]cookie
file, Up:[3024]= C =

cookie jar n.

An area of memory set aside for storing [3025]cookies. Most commonly
heard in the Atari ST community; many useful ST programs record their
presence by storing a distinctive [3026]magic number in the jar.
Programs can inquire after the presence or otherwise of other programs
by searching the contents of the jar.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cookie monster, Next:[3027]copious free time,
Previous:[3028]cookie jar, Up:[3029]= C =

cookie monster n.

[from the children's TV program "Sesame Street"] Any of a family of
early (1970s) hacks reported on [3030]TOPS-10, [3031]ITS,
[3032]Multics, and elsewhere that would lock up either the victim's
terminal (on a time-sharing machine) or the [3033]console (on a batch
[3034]mainframe), repeatedly demanding "I WANT A COOKIE". The required
responses ranged in complexity from "COOKIE" through "HAVE A COOKIE"
and upward. Folklorist Jan Brunvand (see [3035]FOAF) has described
these programs as urban legends (implying they probably never existed)
but they existed, all right, in several different versions. See also
[3036]wabbit. Interestingly, the term `cookie monster' appears to be a
[3037]retcon; the original term was [3038]cookie bear.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copious free time, Next:[3039]copper, Previous:[3040]cookie
monster, Up:[3041]= C =

copious free time n.

[Apple; orig. fr. the intro to Tom Lehrer's song "It Makes A Fellow
Proud To Be A Soldier"] 1. [used ironically to indicate the speaker's
lack of the quantity in question] A mythical schedule slot for
accomplishing tasks held to be unlikely or impossible. Sometimes used
to indicate that the speaker is interested in accomplishing the task,
but believes that the opportunity will not arise. "I'll implement the
automatic layout stuff in my copious free time." 2. [Archly] Time
reserved for bogus or otherwise idiotic tasks, such as implementation
of [3042]chrome, or the stroking of [3043]suits. "I'll get back to him
on that feature in my copious free time."
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copper, Next:[3044]copy protection, Previous:[3045]copious free
time, Up:[3046]= C =

copper n.

Conventional electron-carrying network cable with a core conductor of
copper -- or aluminum! Opposed to [3047]light pipe or, say, a
short-range microwave link.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copy protection, Next:[3048]copybroke, Previous:[3049]copper,
Up:[3050]= C =

copy protection n.

A class of methods for preventing incompetent pirates from stealing
software and legitimate customers from using it. Considered silly.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copybroke, Next:[3051]copycenter, Previous:[3052]copy protection,
Up:[3053]= C =

copybroke /kop'ee-brohk/ adj.

1. [play on `copyright'] Used to describe an instance of a
copy-protected program that has been `broken'; that is, a copy with
the copy-protection scheme disabled. Syn. [3054]copywronged. 2.
Copy-protected software which is unusable because of some bit-rot or
bug that has confused the anti-piracy check. See also [3055]copy
protection.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copycenter, Next:[3056]copyleft, Previous:[3057]copybroke,
Up:[3058]= C =

copycenter n.

[play on `copyright' and `copyleft'] 1. The copyright notice carried
by the various flavors of freeware BSD. According to Kirk McKusick at
BSDCon 1999: "The way it was characterized politically, you had
copyright, which is what the big companies use to lock everything up;
you had copyleft, which is free software's way of making sure they
can't lock it up; and then Berkeley had what we called "copycenter",
which is "take it down to the copy center and make as many copies as
you want".
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copyleft, Next:[3059]copyparty, Previous:[3060]copycenter,
Up:[3061]= C =

copyleft /kop'ee-left/ n.

[play on `copyright'] 1. The copyright notice (`General Public
License') carried by [3062]GNU [3063]EMACS and other Free Software
Foundation software, granting reuse and reproduction rights to all
comers (but see also [3064]General Public Virus). 2. By extension, any
copyright notice intended to achieve similar aims.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copyparty, Next:[3065]copywronged, Previous:[3066]copyleft,
Up:[3067]= C =

copyparty n.

[C64/amiga [3068]demoscene ]A computer party organized so demosceners
can meet other in real life, and to facilitate software copying
(mostly pirated software). The copyparty has become less common as the
Internet makes communication easier. The demoscene has gradually
evolved the [3069]demoparty to replace it.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:copywronged, Next:[3070]core, Previous:[3071]copyparty,
Up:[3072]= C =

copywronged /kop'ee-rongd/ adj.

[play on `copyright'] Syn. for [3073]copybroke.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:core, Next:[3074]core cancer, Previous:[3075]copywronged,
Up:[3076]= C =

core n.

Main storage or RAM. Dates from the days of ferrite-core memory; now
archaic as techspeak most places outside IBM, but also still used in
the Unix community and by old-time hackers or those who would sound
like them. Some derived idioms are quite current; `in core', for
example, means `in memory' (as opposed to `on disk'), and both
[3077]core dump and the `core image' or `core file' produced by one
are terms in favor. Some varieties of Commonwealth hackish prefer
[3078]store.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:core cancer, Next:[3079]core dump, Previous:[3080]core,
Up:[3081]= C =

core cancer n.

[rare] A process that exhibits a slow but inexorable resource
[3082]leak -- like a cancer, it kills by crowding out productive
`tissue'.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:core dump, Next:[3083]core leak, Previous:[3084]core cancer,
Up:[3085]= C =

core dump n.

[common [3086]Iron Age jargon, preserved by Unix] 1. [techspeak] A
copy of the contents of [3087]core, produced when a process is aborted
by certain kinds of internal error. 2. By extension, used for humans
passing out, vomiting, or registering extreme shock. "He dumped core.
All over the floor. What a mess." "He heard about X and dumped core."
3. Occasionally used for a human rambling on pointlessly at great
length; esp. in apology: "Sorry, I dumped core on you". 4. A
recapitulation of knowledge (compare [3088]bits, sense 1). Hence,
spewing all one knows about a topic (syn. [3089]brain dump), esp. in a
lecture or answer to an exam question. "Short, concise answers are
better than core dumps" (from the instructions to an exam at
Columbia). See [3090]core.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:core leak, Next:[3091]Core Wars, Previous:[3092]core dump,
Up:[3093]= C =

core leak n.

Syn. [3094]memory leak.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Core Wars, Next:[3095]corge, Previous:[3096]core leak, Up:[3097]=
C =

Core Wars n.

A game between `assembler' programs in a machine or machine simulator,
where the objective is to kill your opponent's program by overwriting
it. Popularized in the 1980s by A. K. Dewdney's column in "Scientific
American" magazine, but described in "Software Practice And
Experience" a decade earlier. The game was actually devised and played
by Victor Vyssotsky, Robert Morris Sr., and Doug McIlroy in the early
1960s (Dennis Ritchie is sometimes incorrectly cited as a co-author,
but was not involved). Their original game was called `Darwin' and ran
on a IBM 7090 at Bell Labs. See [3098]core. For information on the
modern game, do a web search for the `rec.games.corewar FAQ' or surf
to the [3099]King Of The Hill site.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:corge, Next:[3100]cosmic rays, Previous:[3101]Core Wars,
Up:[3102]= C =

corge /korj/ n.

[originally, the name of a cat] Yet another [3103]metasyntactic
variable, invented by Mike Gallaher and propagated by the
[3104]GOSMACS documentation. See [3105]grault.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cosmic rays, Next:[3106]cough and die, Previous:[3107]corge,
Up:[3108]= C =

cosmic rays n.

Notionally, the cause of [3109]bit rot. However, this is a
semi-independent usage that may be invoked as a humorous way to
[3110]handwave away any minor [3111]randomness that doesn't seem worth
the bother of investigating. "Hey, Eric -- I just got a burst of
garbage on my [3112]tube, where did that come from?" "Cosmic rays, I
guess." Compare [3113]sunspots, [3114]phase of the moon. The British
seem to prefer the usage `cosmic showers'; `alpha particles' is also
heard, because stray alpha particles passing through a memory chip can
cause single-bit errors (this becomes increasingly more likely as
memory sizes and densities increase).

Factual note: Alpha particles cause bit rot, cosmic rays do not
(except occasionally in spaceborne computers). Intel could not explain
random bit drops in their early chips, and one hypothesis was cosmic
rays. So they created the World's Largest Lead Safe, using 25 tons of
the stuff, and used two identical boards for testing. One was placed
in the safe, one outside. The hypothesis was that if cosmic rays were
causing the bit drops, they should see a statistically significant
difference between the error rates on the two boards. They did not
observe such a difference. Further investigation demonstrated
conclusively that the bit drops were due to alpha particle emissions
from thorium (and to a much lesser degree uranium) in the
encapsulation material. Since it is impossible to eliminate these
radioactives (they are uniformly distributed through the earth's
crust, with the statistically insignificant exception of uranium
lodes) it became obvious that one has to design memories to withstand
these hits.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cough and die, Next:[3115]courier, Previous:[3116]cosmic rays,
Up:[3117]= C =

cough and die v.

Syn. [3118]barf. Connotes that the program is throwing its hands up by
design rather than because of a bug or oversight. "The parser saw a
control-A in its input where it was looking for a printable, so it
coughed and died." Compare [3119]die, [3120]die horribly, [3121]scream
and die.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:courier, Next:[3122]cow orker, Previous:[3123]cough and die,
Up:[3124]= C =

courier

[BBS & cracker cultures] A person who distributes newly cracked
[3125]warez, as opposed to a [3126]server who makes them available for
download or a [3127]leech who merely downloads them. Hackers recognize
this term but don't use it themselves, as the act is not part of their
culture. See also [3128]warez d00dz, [3129]cracker, [3130]elite.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cow orker, Next:[3131]cowboy, Previous:[3132]courier, Up:[3133]=
C =

cow orker n.

[Usenet] n. fortuitous typo for co-worker, widely used in Usenet, with
perhaps a hint that orking cows is illegal. This term was popularized
by Scott Adams (the creator of [3134]Dilbert) but already appears in
the January 1996 version of the [3135]scary devil monastery FAQ. There
are plausible reports that it was in use on talk.bizarre as early as
1992. Compare [3136]hing, [3137]grilf, [3138]filk, [3139]newsfroup.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cowboy, Next:[3140]CP/M, Previous:[3141]cow orker, Up:[3142]= C =

cowboy n.

[Sun, from William Gibson's [3143]cyberpunk SF] Synonym for
[3144]hacker. It is reported that at Sun this word is often said with
reverence.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:CP/M, Next:[3145]CPU Wars, Previous:[3146]cowboy, Up:[3147]= C =

CP/M /C-P-M/ n.

[Control Program/Monitor; later [3148]retconned to Control Program for
Microcomputers] An early microcomputer [3149]OS written by hacker Gary
Kildall for 8080- and Z80-based machines, very popular in the late
1970s but virtually wiped out by MS-DOS after the release of the IBM
PC in 1981. Legend has it that Kildall's company blew its chance to
write the OS for the IBM PC because Kildall decided to spend a day
IBM's reps wanted to meet with him enjoying the perfect flying weather
in his private plane. Many of CP/M's features and conventions strongly
resemble those of early [3150]DEC operating systems such as
[3151]TOPS-10, OS/8, RSTS, and RSX-11. See [3152]MS-DOS,
[3153]operating system.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:CPU Wars, Next:[3154]crack, Previous:[3155]CP/M, Up:[3156]= C =

CPU Wars /C-P-U worz/ n.

A 1979 large-format comic by Chas Andres chronicling the attempts of
the brainwashed androids of IPM (Impossible to Program Machines) to
conquer and destroy the peaceful denizens of HEC (Human Engineered
Computers). This rather transparent allegory featured many references
to [3157]ADVENT and the immortal line "Eat flaming death, minicomputer
mongrels!" (uttered, of course, by an IPM stormtrooper). The whole
shebang is now [3158]available on the Web.

It is alleged that the author subsequently received a letter of
appreciation on IBM company stationery from the head of IBM's Thomas
J. Watson Research Laboratories (then, as now, one of the few islands
of true hackerdom in the IBM archipelago). The lower loop of the B in
the IBM logo, it is said, had been carefully whited out. See [3159]eat
flaming death.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crack, Next:[3160]crack root, Previous:[3161]CPU Wars, Up:[3162]=
C =

crack

[warez d00dz] 1. v. To break into a system (compare [3163]cracker). 2.
v. Action of removing the copy protection from a commercial program.
People who write cracks consider themselves challenged by the copy
protection measures. They will often do it as much to show that they
are smarter than the developper who designed the copy protection
scheme than to actually copy the program. 3. n. A program,
instructions or patch used to remove the copy protection of a program
or to uncripple features from a demo/time limited program. 4. An
[3164]exploit.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crack root, Next:[3165]cracker, Previous:[3166]crack, Up:[3167]=
C =

crack root v.

[very common] To defeat the security system of a Unix machine and gain
[3168]root privileges thereby; see [3169]cracking.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cracker, Next:[3170]cracking, Previous:[3171]crack root,
Up:[3172]= C =

cracker n.

One who breaks security on a system. Coined ca. 1985 by hackers in
defense against journalistic misuse of [3173]hacker (q.v., sense 8).
An earlier attempt to establish `worm' in this sense around 1981-82 on
Usenet was largely a failure.

Use of both these neologisms reflects a strong revulsion against the
theft and vandalism perpetrated by cracking rings. While it is
expected that any real hacker will have done some playful cracking and
knows many of the basic techniques, anyone past [3174]larval stage is
expected to have outgrown the desire to do so except for immediate,
benign, practical reasons (for example, if it's necessary to get
around some security in order to get some work done).

Thus, there is far less overlap between hackerdom and crackerdom than
the [3175]mundane reader misled by sensationalistic journalism might
expect. Crackers tend to gather in small, tight-knit, very secretive
groups that have little overlap with the huge, open poly-culture this
lexicon describes; though crackers often like to describe themselves
as hackers, most true hackers consider them a separate and lower form
of life.

Ethical considerations aside, hackers figure that anyone who can't
imagine a more interesting way to play with their computers than
breaking into someone else's has to be pretty [3176]losing. Some other
reasons crackers are looked down on are discussed in the entries on
[3177]cracking and [3178]phreaking. See also [3179]samurai,
[3180]dark-side hacker, and [3181]hacker ethic. For a portrait of the
typical teenage cracker, see [3182]warez d00dz.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cracking, Next:[3183]crank, Previous:[3184]cracker, Up:[3185]= C
=

cracking n.

[very common] The act of breaking into a computer system; what a
[3186]cracker does. Contrary to widespread myth, this does not usually
involve some mysterious leap of hackerly brilliance, but rather
persistence and the dogged repetition of a handful of fairly
well-known tricks that exploit common weaknesses in the security of
target systems. Accordingly, most crackers are only mediocre hackers.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crank, Next:[3187]crapplet, Previous:[3188]cracking, Up:[3189]= C
=

crank vt.

[from automotive slang] Verb used to describe the performance of a
machine, especially sustained performance. "This box cranks (or,
cranks at) about 6 megaflops, with a burst mode of twice that on
vectorized operations."
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crapplet, Next:[3190]CrApTeX, Previous:[3191]crank, Up:[3192]= C
=

crapplet n.

[portmanteau, crap + applet] A worthless applet, esp. a Java widget
attached to a web page that doesn't work or even crashes your browser.
Also spelled `craplet'.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:CrApTeX, Next:[3193]crash, Previous:[3194]crapplet, Up:[3195]= C
=

CrApTeX /krap'tekh/ n.

[University of York, England] Term of abuse used to describe TeX and
LaTeX when they don't work (when used by TeXhackers), or all the time
(by everyone else). The non-TeX-enthusiasts generally dislike it
because it is more verbose than other formatters (e.g. [3196]troff)
and because (particularly if the standard Computer Modern fonts are
used) it generates vast output files. See [3197]religious issues,
[3198]TeX.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crash, Next:[3199]crash and burn, Previous:[3200]CrApTeX,
Up:[3201]= C =

crash

1. n. A sudden, usually drastic failure. Most often said of the
[3202]system (q.v., sense 1), esp. of magnetic disk drives (the term
originally described what happens when the air gap of a hard disk
collapses). "Three [3203]lusers lost their files in last night's disk
crash." A disk crash that involves the read/write heads dropping onto
the surface of the disks and scraping off the oxide may also be
referred to as a `head crash', whereas the term `system crash'
usually, though not always, implies that the operating system or other
software was at fault. 2. v. To fail suddenly. "Has the system just
crashed?" "Something crashed the OS!" See [3204]down. Also used
transitively to indicate the cause of the crash (usually a person or a
program, or both). "Those idiots playing [3205]SPACEWAR crashed the
system." 3. vi. Sometimes said of people hitting the sack after a long
[3206]hacking run; see [3207]gronk out.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crash and burn, Next:[3208]crawling horror, Previous:[3209]crash,
Up:[3210]= C =

crash and burn vi.,n.

A spectacular crash, in the mode of the conclusion of the car-chase
scene in the movie "Bullitt" and many subsequent imitators (compare
[3211]die horribly). Sun-3 monitors losing the flyback transformer and
lightning strikes on VAX-11/780 backplanes are notable crash and burn
generators. The construction `crash-and-burn machine' is reported for
a computer used exclusively for alpha or [3212]beta testing, or
reproducing bugs (i.e., not for development). The implication is that
it wouldn't be such a disaster if that machine crashed, since only the
testers would be inconvenienced.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crawling horror, Next:[3213]cray, Previous:[3214]crash and burn,
Up:[3215]= C =

crawling horror n.

Ancient crufty hardware or software that is kept obstinately alive by
forces beyond the control of the hackers at a site. Like [3216]dusty
deck or [3217]gonkulator, but connotes that the thing described is not
just an irritation but an active menace to health and sanity. "Mostly
we code new stuff in C, but they pay us to maintain one big FORTRAN II
application from nineteen-sixty-X that's a real crawling horror...."
Compare [3218]WOMBAT.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cray, Next:[3219]cray instability, Previous:[3220]crawling
horror, Up:[3221]= C =

cray /kray/ n.

1. (properly, capitalized) One of the line of supercomputers designed
by Cray Research. 2. Any supercomputer at all. 3. The [3222]canonical
[3223]number-crunching machine.

The term is actually the lowercased last name of Seymour Cray, a noted
computer architect and co-founder of the company. Numerous vivid
legends surround him, some true and some admittedly invented by Cray
Research brass to shape their corporate culture and image.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cray instability, Next:[3224]crayola, Previous:[3225]cray,
Up:[3226]= C =

cray instability n.

1. A shortcoming of a program or algorithm that manifests itself only
when a large problem is being run on a powerful machine (see
[3227]cray). Generally more subtle than bugs that can be detected in
smaller problems running on a workstation or mini. 2. More
specifically, a shortcoming of algorithms which are well behaved when
run on gentle floating point hardware (such as IEEE-standard or
PDP-series machines) but which break down badly when exposed to a
Cray's unique `rounding' rules.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crayola, Next:[3228]crayola books, Previous:[3229]cray
instability, Up:[3230]= C =

crayola /kray-oh'l*/ n.

A super-mini or -micro computer that provides some reasonable
percentage of supercomputer performance for an unreasonably low price.
Might also be a [3231]killer micro.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crayola books, Next:[3232]crayon, Previous:[3233]crayola,
Up:[3234]= C =

crayola books n.

The [3235]rainbow series of National Computer Security Center (NCSC)
computer security standards (see [3236]Orange Book). Usage: humorous
and/or disparaging.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crayon, Next:[3237]creationism, Previous:[3238]crayola books,
Up:[3239]= C =

crayon n.

1. Someone who works on Cray supercomputers. More specifically, it
implies a programmer, probably of the CDC ilk, probably male, and
almost certainly wearing a tie (irrespective of gender). Systems types
who have a Unix background tend not to be described as crayons. 2.
Formerly, anyone who worked for Cray Research; since the buyout by
SGI, anyone they inherited from Cray. 3. A [3240]computron (sense 2)
that participates only in [3241]number-crunching. 4. A unit of
computational power equal to that of a single Cray-1. There is a
standard joke about this usage that derives from an old Crayola crayon
promotional gimmick: When you buy 64 crayons you get a free sharpener.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:creationism, Next:[3242]creep, Previous:[3243]crayon, Up:[3244]=
C =

creationism n.

The (false) belief that large, innovative software designs can be
completely specified in advance and then painlessly magicked out of
the void by the normal efforts of a team of normally talented
programmers. In fact, experience has shown repeatedly that good
designs arise only from evolutionary, exploratory interaction between
one (or at most a small handful of) exceptionally able designer(s) and
an active user population -- and that the first try at a big new idea
is always wrong. Unfortunately, because these truths don't fit the
planning models beloved of [3245]management, they are generally
ignored.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:creep, Next:[3246]creeping elegance, Previous:[3247]creationism,
Up:[3248]= C =

creep v.

To advance, grow, or multiply inexorably. In hackish usage this verb
has overtones of menace and silliness, evoking the creeping horrors of
low-budget monster movies.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:creeping elegance, Next:[3249]creeping featurism,
Previous:[3250]creep, Up:[3251]= C =

creeping elegance n.

Describes a tendency for parts of a design to become [3252]elegant
past the point of diminishing return, something which often happens at
the expense of the less interesting parts of the design, the schedule,
and other things deemed important in the [3253]Real World. See also
[3254]creeping featurism, [3255]second-system effect, [3256]tense.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:creeping featurism, Next:[3257]creeping featuritis,
Previous:[3258]creeping elegance, Up:[3259]= C =

creeping featurism /kree'ping fee'chr-izm/ n.

[common] 1. Describes a systematic tendency to load more [3260]chrome
and [3261]features onto systems at the expense of whatever elegance
they may have possessed when originally designed. See also
[3262]feeping creaturism. "You know, the main problem with [3263]BSD
Unix has always been creeping featurism." 2. More generally, the
tendency for anything complicated to become even more complicated
because people keep saying "Gee, it would be even better if it had
this feature too". (See [3264]feature.) The result is usually a
patchwork because it grew one ad-hoc step at a time, rather than being
planned. Planning is a lot of work, but it's easy to add just one
extra little feature to help someone ... and then another ... and
another.... When creeping featurism gets out of hand, it's like a
cancer. Usually this term is used to describe computer programs, but
it could also be said of the federal government, the IRS 1040 form,
and new cars. A similar phenomenon sometimes afflicts conscious
redesigns; see [3265]second-system effect. See also [3266]creeping
elegance.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:creeping featuritis, Next:[3267]cretin, Previous:[3268]creeping
featurism, Up:[3269]= C =

creeping featuritis /kree'ping fee'-chr-i:`t*s/ n.

Variant of [3270]creeping featurism, with its own spoonerization:
`feeping creaturitis'. Some people like to reserve this form for the
disease as it actually manifests in software or hardware, as opposed
to the lurking general tendency in designers' minds. (After all, -ism
means `condition' or `pursuit of', whereas -itis usually means
`inflammation of'.)
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cretin, Next:[3271]cretinous, Previous:[3272]creeping featuritis,
Up:[3273]= C =

cretin /kret'in/ or /kree'tn/ n.

Congenital [3274]loser; an obnoxious person; someone who can't do
anything right. It has been observed that many American hackers tend
to favor the British pronunciation /kret'in/ over standard American
/kree'tn/; it is thought this may be due to the insidious phonetic
influence of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cretinous, Next:[3275]crippleware, Previous:[3276]cretin,
Up:[3277]= C =

cretinous /kret'n-*s/ or /kreet'n-*s/ adj.

Wrong; stupid; non-functional; very poorly designed. Also used
pejoratively of people. See [3278]dread high-bit disease for an
example. Approximate synonyms: [3279]bletcherous, [3280]bagbiting
[3281]losing, [3282]brain-damaged.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crippleware, Next:[3283]critical mass, Previous:[3284]cretinous,
Up:[3285]= C =

crippleware n.

1. [common] Software that has some important functionality
deliberately removed, so as to entice potential users to pay for a
working version. 2. [Cambridge] Variety of [3286]guiltware that
exhorts you to donate to some charity (compare [3287]careware,
[3288]nagware). 3. Hardware deliberately crippled, which can be
upgraded to a more expensive model by a trivial change (e.g., cutting
a jumper).

An excellent example of crippleware (sense 3) is Intel's 486SX chip,
which is a standard 486DX chip with the co-processor diked out (in
some early versions it was present but disabled). To upgrade, you buy
a complete 486DX chip with working co-processor (its identity thinly
veiled by a different pinout) and plug it into the board's expansion
socket. It then disables the SX, which becomes a fancy power sink.
Don't you love Intel?
_________________________________________________________________

Node:critical mass, Next:[3289]crlf, Previous:[3290]crippleware,
Up:[3291]= C =

critical mass n.

In physics, the minimum amount of fissionable material required to
sustain a chain reaction. Of a software product, describes a condition
of the software such that fixing one bug introduces one plus
[3292]epsilon bugs. (This malady has many causes: [3293]creeping
featurism, ports to too many disparate environments, poor initial
design, etc.) When software achieves critical mass, it can never be
fixed; it can only be discarded and rewritten.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crlf, Next:[3294]crock, Previous:[3295]critical mass, Up:[3296]=
C =

crlf /ker'l*f/, sometimes /kru'l*f/ or /C-R-L-F/ n.

(often capitalized as `CRLF') A carriage return (CR, ASCII 0001101)
followed by a line feed (LF, ASCII 0001010). More loosely, whatever it
takes to get you from the end of one line of text to the beginning of
the next line. See [3297]newline, [3298]terpri. Under [3299]Unix
influence this usage has become less common (Unix uses a bare line
feed as its `CRLF').
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crock, Next:[3300]cross-post, Previous:[3301]crlf, Up:[3302]= C =

crock n.

[from the American scatologism `crock of shit'] 1. An awkward feature
or programming technique that ought to be made cleaner. For example,
using small integers to represent error codes without the program
interpreting them to the user (as in, for example, Unix make(1), which
returns code 139 for a process that dies due to [3303]segfault). 2. A
technique that works acceptably, but which is quite prone to failure
if disturbed in the least. For example, a too-clever programmer might
write an assembler which mapped instruction mnemonics to numeric
opcodes algorithmically, a trick which depends far too intimately on
the particular bit patterns of the opcodes. (For another example of
programming with a dependence on actual opcode values, see [3304]The
Story of Mel in Appendix A.) Many crocks have a tightly woven, almost
completely unmodifiable structure. See [3305]kluge, [3306]brittle. The
adjectives `crockish' and `crocky', and the nouns `crockishness' and
`crockitude', are also used.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:cross-post, Next:[3307]crossload, Previous:[3308]crock,
Up:[3309]= C =

cross-post vi.

[Usenet; very common] To post a single article simultaneously to
several newsgroups. Distinguished from posting the article repeatedly,
once to each newsgroup, which causes people to see it multiple times
(which is very bad form). Gratuitous cross-posting without a
Followup-To line directing responses to a single followup group is
frowned upon, as it tends to cause [3310]followup articles to go to
inappropriate newsgroups when people respond to only one part of the
original posting.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:crossload, Next:[3311]crudware, Previous:[3312]cross-post,
Up:[3313]= C =

crossload v.,n.

[proposed, by analogy with [3314]upload and [3315]download] To move
files between machines on a peer-to-peer network of nodes that act as
both servers and clients for a distributed file store. Esp.
appropriate for ananonymized networks like Gnutella and Freenet.
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Node:crudware, Next:[3316]cruft, Previous:[3317]crossload, Up:[3318]=
C =

crudware /kruhd'weir/ n.

Pejorative term for the hundreds of megabytes of low-quality
[3319]freeware circulated by user's groups and BBS systems in the
micro-hobbyist world. "Yet another set of disk catalog utilities for
[3320]MS-DOS? What crudware!"
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Node:cruft, Next:[3321]cruft together, Previous:[3322]crudware,
Up:[3323]= C =

cruft /kruhft/

[very common; back-formation from [3324]crufty] 1. n. An unpleasant
substance. The dust that gathers under your bed is cruft; the TMRC
Dictionary correctly noted that attacking it with a broom only
produces more. 2. n. The results of shoddy construction. 3. vt. [from
`hand cruft', pun on `hand craft'] To write assembler code for
something normally (and better) done by a compiler (see
[3325]hand-hacking). 4. n. Excess; superfluous junk; used esp. of
redundant or superseded code. 5. [University of Wisconsin] n. Cruft is
to hackers as gaggle is to geese; that is, at UW one properly says "a
cruft of hackers".
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Node:cruft together, Next:[3326]cruftsmanship, Previous:[3327]cruft,
Up:[3328]= C =

cruft together vt.

(also `cruft up') To throw together something ugly but temporarily
workable. Like vt. [3329]kluge up, but more pejorative. "There isn't
any program now to reverse all the lines of a file, but I can probably
cruft one together in about 10 minutes." See [3330]hack together,
[3331]hack up, [3332]kluge up, [3333]crufty.
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Node:cruftsmanship, Next:[3334]crufty, Previous:[3335]cruft together,
Up:[3336]= C =

cruftsmanship /kruhfts'm*n-ship / n.

[from [3337]cruft] The antithesis of craftsmanship.
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Node:crufty, Next:[3338]crumb, Previous:[3339]cruftsmanship,
Up:[3340]= C =

crufty /kruhf'tee/ adj.

[very common; origin unknown; poss. from `crusty' or `cruddy'] 1.
Poorly built, possibly over-complex. The [3341]canonical example is
"This is standard old crufty [3342]DEC software". In fact, one
fanciful theory of the origin of `crufty' holds that was originally a
mutation of `crusty' applied to DEC software so old that the `s'
characters were tall and skinny, looking more like `f' characters. 2.
Unpleasant, especially to the touch, often with encrusted junk. Like
spilled coffee smeared with peanut butter and catsup. 3. Generally
unpleasant. 4. (sometimes spelled `cruftie') n. A small crufty object
(see [3343]frob); often one that doesn't fit well into the scheme of
things. "A LISP property list is a good place to store crufties (or,
collectively, [3344]random cruft)."

This term is one of the oldest in the jargon and no one is sure of its
etymology, but it is suggestive that there is a Cruft Hall at Harvard
University which is part of the old physics building; it's said to
have been the physics department's radar lab during WWII. To this day
(early 1993) the windows appear to be full of random techno-junk. MIT
or Lincoln Labs people may well have coined the term as a knock on the
competition.
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Node:crumb, Next:[3345]crunch, Previous:[3346]crufty, Up:[3347]= C =

crumb n.

Two binary digits; a [3348]quad. Larger than a [3349]bit, smaller than
a [3350]nybble. Considered silly. Syn. [3351]tayste. General
discussion of such terms is under [3352]nybble.
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Node:crunch, Next:[3353]cryppie, Previous:[3354]crumb, Up:[3355]= C =

crunch 1. vi.

To process, usually in a time-consuming or complicated way. Connotes
an essentially trivial operation that is nonetheless painful to
perform. The pain may be due to the triviality's being embedded in a
loop from 1 to 1,000,000,000. "FORTRAN programs do mostly
[3356]number-crunching." 2. vt. To reduce the size of a file by a
complicated scheme that produces bit configurations completely
unrelated to the original data, such as by a Huffman code. (The file
ends up looking something like a paper document would if somebody
crunched the paper into a wad.) Since such compression usually takes
more computations than simpler methods such as run-length encoding,
the term is doubly appropriate. (This meaning is usually used in the
construction `file crunch(ing)' to distinguish it from
[3357]number-crunching.) See [3358]compress. 3. n. The character #.
Used at XEROX and CMU, among other places. See [3359]ASCII. 4. vt. To
squeeze program source into a minimum-size representation that will
still compile or execute. The term came into being specifically for a
famous program on the BBC micro that crunched BASIC source in order to
make it run more quickly (it was a wholly interpretive BASIC, so the
number of characters mattered). [3360]Obfuscated C Contest entries are
often crunched; see the first example under that entry.
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Node:cryppie, Next:[3361]CTSS, Previous:[3362]crunch, Up:[3363]= C =

cryppie /krip'ee/ n.

A cryptographer. One who hacks or implements cryptographic software or
hardware.
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Node:CTSS, Next:[3364]cube, Previous:[3365]cryppie, Up:[3366]= C =

CTSS /C-T-S-S/ n.

Compatible Time-Sharing System. An early (1963) experiment in the
design of interactive time-sharing operating systems, ancestral to
[3367]Multics, [3368]Unix, and [3369]ITS. The name [3370]ITS
(Incompatible Time-sharing System) was a hack on CTSS, meant both as a
joke and to express some basic differences in philosophy about the way
I/O services should be presented to user programs.
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Node:cube, Next:[3371]cubing, Previous:[3372]CTSS, Up:[3373]= C =

cube n.

1. [short for `cubicle'] A module in the open-plan offices used at
many programming shops. "I've got the manuals in my cube." 2. A NeXT
machine (which resembles a matte-black cube).
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Node:cubing, Next:[3374]cup holder, Previous:[3375]cube, Up:[3376]= C
=

cubing vi.

[parallel with `tubing'] 1. Hacking on an IPSC (Intel Personal
SuperComputer) hypercube. "Louella's gone cubing again!!" 2. Hacking
Rubik's Cube or related puzzles, either physically or mathematically.
3. An indescribable form of self-torture (see sense 1 or 2).
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Node:cup holder, Next:[3377]cursor dipped in X, Previous:[3378]cubing,
Up:[3379]= C =

cup holder n.

The tray of a CD-ROM drive, or by extension the CD drive itself. So
called because of a common tech support legend about the idiot who
called to complain that the cup holder on his computer broke. A joke
program was once distributed around the net called "cupholder.exe",
which when run simply extended the CD drive tray. The humor of this
was of course lost on people whose drive had a slot or a caddy
instead.
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Node:cursor dipped in X, Next:[3380]cuspy, Previous:[3381]cup holder,
Up:[3382]= C =

cursor dipped in X n.

There are a couple of metaphors in English of the form `pen dipped in
X' (perhaps the most common values of X are `acid', `bile', and
`vitriol'). These map over neatly to this hackish usage (the cursor
being what moves, leaving letters behind, when one is composing
on-line). "Talk about a [3383]nastygram! He must've had his cursor
dipped in acid when he wrote that one!"
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Node:cuspy, Next:[3384]cut a tape, Previous:[3385]cursor dipped in X,
Up:[3386]= C =

cuspy /kuhs'pee/ adj.

[WPI: from the [3387]DEC abbreviation CUSP, for `Commonly Used System
Program', i.e., a utility program used by many people] 1. (of a
program) Well-written. 2. Functionally excellent. A program that
performs well and interfaces well to users is cuspy. See [3388]rude.
3. [NYU] Said of an attractive woman, especially one regarded as
available. Implies a certain curvaceousness.
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Node:cut a tape, Next:[3389]cybercrud, Previous:[3390]cuspy,
Up:[3391]= C =

cut a tape vi.

To write a software or document distribution on magnetic tape for
shipment. Has nothing to do with physically cutting the medium! Early
versions of this lexicon claimed that one never analogously speaks of
`cutting a disk', but this has since been reported as live usage.
Related slang usages are mainstream business's `cut a check', the
recording industry's `cut a record', and the military's `cut an
order'.

All of these usages reflect physical processes in obsolete recording
and duplication technologies. The first stage in manufacturing an
old-style vinyl record involved cutting grooves in a stamping die with
a precision lathe. More mundanely, the dominant technology for mass
duplication of paper documents in pre-photocopying days involved
"cutting a stencil", punching away portions of the wax overlay on a
silk screen. More directly, paper tape with holes punched in it was an
important early storage medium.
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Node:cybercrud, Next:[3392]cyberpunk, Previous:[3393]cut a tape,
Up:[3394]= C =

cybercrud /si:'ber-kruhd/ n.

1. [coined by Ted Nelson] Obfuscatory tech-talk. Verbiage with a high
[3395]MEGO factor. The computer equivalent of bureaucratese. 2.
Incomprehensible stuff embedded in email. First there were the
"Received" headers that show how mail flows through systems, then MIME
(Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions) headers and part boundaries,
and now huge blocks of radix-64 for PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) or PGP
(Pretty Good Privacy) digital signatures and certificates of
authenticity. This stuff all services a purpose and good user
interfaces should hide it, but all too often users are forced to wade
through it.
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Node:cyberpunk, Next:[3396]cyberspace, Previous:[3397]cybercrud,
Up:[3398]= C =

cyberpunk /si:'ber-puhnk/ n.,adj.

[orig. by SF writer Bruce Bethke and/or editor Gardner Dozois] A
subgenre of SF launched in 1982 by William Gibson's epoch-making novel
"Neuromancer" (though its roots go back through Vernor Vinge's "True
Names" (see the [3399]Bibliography in Appendix C) to John Brunner's
1975 novel "The Shockwave Rider"). Gibson's near-total ignorance of
computers and the present-day hacker culture enabled him to speculate
about the role of computers and hackers in the future in ways hackers
have since found both irritatingly naïve and tremendously stimulating.
Gibson's work was widely imitated, in particular by the short-lived
but innovative "Max Headroom" TV series. See [3400]cyberspace,
[3401]ice, [3402]jack in, [3403]go flatline.

Since 1990 or so, popular culture has included a movement or fashion
trend that calls itself `cyberpunk', associated especially with the
rave/techno subculture. Hackers have mixed feelings about this. On the
one hand, self-described cyberpunks too often seem to be shallow
trendoids in black leather who have substituted enthusiastic
blathering about technology for actually learning and doing it.
Attitude is no substitute for competence. On the other hand, at least
cyberpunks are excited about the right things and properly respectful
of hacking talent in those who have it. The general consensus is to
tolerate them politely in hopes that they'll attract people who grow
into being true hackers.
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Node:cyberspace, Next:[3404]cycle, Previous:[3405]cyberpunk,
Up:[3406]= C =

cyberspace /si:'br-spays`/ n.

1. Notional `information-space' loaded with visual cues and navigable
with brain-computer interfaces called `cyberspace decks'; a
characteristic prop of [3407]cyberpunk SF. Serious efforts to
construct [3408]virtual reality interfaces modeled explicitly on
Gibsonian cyberspace are under way, using more conventional devices
such as glove sensors and binocular TV headsets. Few hackers are
prepared to deny outright the possibility of a cyberspace someday
evolving out of the network (see [3409]the network). 2. The Internet
or [3410]Matrix (sense #2) as a whole, considered as a crude
cyberspace (sense 1). Although this usage became widely popular in the
mainstream press during 1994 when the Internet exploded into public
awareness, it is strongly deprecated among hackers because the
Internet does not meet the high, SF-inspired standards they have for
true cyberspace technology. Thus, this use of the term usually tags a
[3411]wannabee or outsider. Oppose [3412]meatspace. 3. Occasionally,
the metaphoric location of the mind of a person in [3413]hack mode.
Some hackers report experiencing strong eidetic imagery when in hack
mode; interestingly, independent reports from multiple sources suggest
that there are common features to the experience. In particular, the
dominant colors of this subjective `cyberspace' are often gray and
silver, and the imagery often involves constellations of marching
dots, elaborate shifting patterns of lines and angles, or moire
patterns.
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Node:cycle, Next:[3414]cycle crunch, Previous:[3415]cyberspace,
Up:[3416]= C =

cycle

1. n. The basic unit of computation. What every hacker wants more of
(noted hacker Bill Gosper described himself as a "cycle junkie"). One
can describe an instruction as taking so many `clock cycles'. Often
the computer can access its memory once on every clock cycle, and so
one speaks also of `memory cycles'. These are technical meanings of
[3417]cycle. The jargon meaning comes from the observation that there
are only so many cycles per second, and when you are sharing a
computer the cycles get divided up among the users. The more cycles
the computer spends working on your program rather than someone
else's, the faster your program will run. That's why every hacker
wants more cycles: so he can spend less time waiting for the computer
to respond. 2. By extension, a notional unit of human thought power,
emphasizing that lots of things compete for the typical hacker's think
time. "I refused to get involved with the Rubik's Cube back when it
was big. Knew I'd burn too many cycles on it if I let myself." 3. vt.
Syn. [3418]bounce (sense 4), [3419]120 reset; from the phrase `cycle
power'. "Cycle the machine again, that serial port's still hung."
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Node:cycle crunch, Next:[3420]cycle drought, Previous:[3421]cycle,
Up:[3422]= C =

cycle crunch n.,obs.

A situation wherein the number of people trying to use a computer
simultaneously has reached the point where no one can get enough
cycles because they are spread too thin and the system has probably
begun to [3423]thrash. This scenario is an inevitable result of
Parkinson's Law applied to timesharing. Usually the only solution is
to buy more computer. Happily, this has rapidly become easier since
the mid-1980s, so much so that the very term `cycle crunch' now has a
faintly archaic flavor; most hackers now use workstations or personal
computers as opposed to traditional timesharing systems, and are far
more likely to complain of `bandwidth crunch' on their shared networks
rather than cycle crunch.
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Node:cycle drought, Next:[3424]cycle of reincarnation,
Previous:[3425]cycle crunch, Up:[3426]= C =

cycle drought n.

A scarcity of cycles. It may be due to a [3427]cycle crunch, but it
could also occur because part of the computer is temporarily not
working, leaving fewer cycles to go around. "The [3428]high moby is
[3429]down, so we're running with only half the usual amount of
memory. There will be a cycle drought until it's fixed."
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Node:cycle of reincarnation, Next:[3430]cycle server,
Previous:[3431]cycle drought, Up:[3432]= C =

cycle of reincarnation n.

See [3433]wheel of reincarnation.
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Node:cycle server, Next:[3434]cypherpunk, Previous:[3435]cycle of
reincarnation, Up:[3436]= C =

cycle server n.

A powerful machine that exists primarily for running large compute-,
disk-, or memory-intensive jobs (more formally called a `compute
server'). Implies that interactive tasks such as editing are done on
other machines on the network, such as workstations.
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Node:cypherpunk, Next:[3437]C|N>K, Previous:[3438]cycle server,
Up:[3439]= C =

cypherpunk n.

[from [3440]cyberpunk] Someone interested in the uses of encryption
via electronic ciphers for enhancing personal privacy and guarding
against tyranny by centralized, authoritarian power structures,
especially government. There is an active cypherpunks mailing list at
[3441]cypherpunks-request@toad.com coordinating work on public-key
encryption freeware, privacy, and digital cash. See also
[3442]tentacle.
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Node:C|N>K, Next:[3443]D. C. Power Lab, Previous:[3444]cypherpunk,
Up:[3445]= C =

C|N>K n.

[Usenet] Coffee through Nose to Keyboard; that is, "I laughed so hard
I [3446]snarfed my coffee onto my keyboard.". Common on
alt.fan.pratchett and [3447]scary devil monastery; recognized
elsewhere. The [3448]Acronymphomania FAQ on alt.fan.pratchett
recognizes variants such as T|N>K = `Tea through Nose to Keyboard' and
C|N>S = `Coffee through Nose to Screen'.
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Node:= D =, Next:[3449]= E =, Previous:[3450]= C =, Up:[3451]The
Jargon Lexicon

= D =