Books: The New Hacker\'s Dictionary version 4.2.2

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any sensible programmer would say that that was absurd. Since this
is indeed the simplest method, the programmer would be made to look
foolish in front of his boss, who would of course have happened to
turn up, as bosses are wont to do. The effect would be no less
devastating for the programmer having been correct.

INTERCAL has many other peculiar features designed to make it even
more unspeakable. The Woods-Lyons implementation was actually used by
many (well, at least several) people at Princeton. The language has
been recently reimplemented as C-INTERCAL and is consequently enjoying
an unprecedented level of unpopularity; there is even an
alt.lang.intercal newsgroup devoted to the study and ... appreciation
of the language on Usenet.

Inevitably, INTERCAL has a home page on the Web:
[7229]http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/intercal/. An extended version,
implemented in (what else?) [7230]Perl and adding object-oriented
features, is available at [7231]http://dd-sh.assurdo.com/INTERCAL. See
also [7232]Befunge.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:interesting, Next:[7233]Internet, Previous:[7234]INTERCAL,
Up:[7235]= I =

interesting adj.

In hacker parlance, this word has strong connotations of `annoying',
or `difficult', or both. Hackers relish a challenge, and enjoy
wringing all the irony possible out of the ancient Chinese curse "May
you live in interesting times". Oppose [7236]trivial,
[7237]uninteresting.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Internet, Next:[7238]Internet address,
Previous:[7239]interesting, Up:[7240]= I =

Internet n.

The mother of all networks. First incarnated beginning in 1969 as the
ARPANET, a U.S. Department of Defense research testbed. Though it has
been widely believed that the goal was to develop a network
architecture for military command-and-control that could survive
disruptions up to and including nuclear war, this is a myth; in fact,
ARPANET was conceived from the start as a way to get most economical
use out of then-scarce large-computer resources.

As originally imagined, ARPANET's major use would have been to support
what is now called remote login and more sophisticated forms of
distributed computing, but the infant technology of electronic mail
quickly grew to dominate actual usage. Universities, research labs and
defense contractors early discovered the Internet's potential as a
medium of communication between humans and linked up in steadily
increasing numbers, connecting together a quirky mix of academics,
techies, hippies, SF fans, hackers, and anarchists. The roots of this
lexicon lie in those early years.

Over the next quarter-century the Internet evolved in many ways. The
typical machine/OS combination moved from [7241]DEC [7242]PDP-10s and
[7243]PDP-20s, running [7244]TOPS-10 and [7245]TOPS-20, to PDP-11s and
VAXes and Suns running [7246]Unix, and in the 1990s to Unix on Intel
microcomputers. The Internet's protocols grew more capable, most
notably in the move from NCP/IP to [7247]TCP/IP in 1982 and the
implementation of Domain Name Service in 1983. It was around this time
that people began referring to the collection of interconnected
networks with ARPANET at its core as "the Internet".

The ARPANET had a fairly strict set of participation guidelines -
connected institutions had to be involved with a DOD-related research
project. By the mid-80s, many of the organizations clamoring to join
didn't fit this profile. In 1986, the National Science Foundation
built NSFnet to open up access to its five regional supercomputing
centers; NSFnet became the backbone of the Internet, replacing the
original ARPANET pipes (which were formally shut down in 1990).
Between 1990 and late 1994 the pieces of NSFnet were sold to major
telecommunications companies until the Internet backbone had gone
completely commercial.

That year, 1994, was also the year the mainstream culture discovered
the Internet. Once again, the [7248]killer app was not the anticipated
one - rather, what caught the public imagination was the hypertext and
multimedia features of the World Wide Web. Subsequently the Internet
has seen off its only serious challenger (the OSI protocol stack
favored by European telecom monopolies) and is in the process of
absorbing into itself many of the proprietary networks built during
the second wave of wide-area networking after 1980. It is now (1996) a
commonplace even in mainstream media to predict that a
globally-extended Internet will become the key unifying communications
technology of the next century. See also [7249]the network and
[7250]Internet address.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Internet address, Next:[7251]Internet Death Penalty,
Previous:[7252]Internet, Up:[7253]= I =

Internet address n.

1. [techspeak] An absolute network address of the form foo@bar.baz,
where foo is a user name, bar is a [7254]sitename, and baz is a
`domain' name, possibly including periods itself. Contrast with
[7255]bang path; see also [7256]the network and [7257]network address.
All Internet machines and most UUCP sites can now resolve these
addresses, thanks to a large amount of behind-the-scenes magic and
[7258]PD software written since 1980 or so. See also [7259]bang path,
[7260]domainist. 2. More loosely, any network address reachable
through Internet; this includes [7261]bang path addresses and some
internal corporate and government networks.

Reading Internet addresses is something of an art. Here are the four
most important top-level functional Internet domains followed by a
selection of geographical domains:

com
commercial organizations

edu
educational institutions

gov
U.S. government civilian sites

mil
U.S. military sites

Note that most of the sites in the com and edu domains are in the U.S.
or Canada.

us
sites in the U.S. outside the functional domains

su
sites in the ex-Soviet Union (see [7262]kremvax).

uk
sites in the United Kingdom

Within the us domain, there are subdomains for the fifty states, each
generally with a name identical to the state's postal abbreviation.
Within the uk domain, there is an ac subdomain for academic sites and
a co domain for commercial ones. Other top-level domains may be
divided up in similar ways.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Internet Death Penalty, Next:[7263]Internet Exploder,
Previous:[7264]Internet address, Up:[7265]= I =

Internet Death Penalty

[Usenet] (often abbreviated IDP) The ultimate sanction against
[7266]spam-emitting sites - complete shunning at the router level of
all mail and packets, as well as Usenet messages, from the offending
domain(s). Compare [7267]Usenet Death Penalty, with which it is
sometimes confused.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Internet Exploder, Next:[7268]Internet Exploiter,
Previous:[7269]Internet Death Penalty, Up:[7270]= I =

Internet Exploder

[very common] Pejorative hackerism for Microsoft's "Internet Explorer"
web browser (also "Internet Exploiter"). Compare [7271]HP-SUX,
[7272]AIDX, [7273]buglix, [7274]Macintrash, [7275]Telerat,
[7276]ScumOS, [7277]sun-stools, [7278]Slowlaris.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Internet Exploiter, Next:[7279]interrupt, Previous:[7280]Internet
Exploder, Up:[7281]= I =

Internet Exploiter n.

Another common name-of-insult for Internet Explorer, Microsoft's
overweight Web Browser; more hostile than [7282]Internet Exploder.
Reflects widespread hostility to Microsoft and a sense that it is
seeking to hijack, monopolize, and corrupt the Internet. Compare
[7283]Exploder and the less pejorative [7284]Netscrape.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:interrupt, Next:[7285]interrupt list, Previous:[7286]Internet
Exploiter, Up:[7287]= I =

interrupt

1. [techspeak] n. On a computer, an event that interrupts normal
processing and temporarily diverts flow-of-control through an
"interrupt handler" routine. See also [7288]trap. 2. interj. A request
for attention from a hacker. Often explicitly spoken. "Interrupt --
have you seen Joe recently?" See [7289]priority interrupt. 3. Under
MS-DOS, nearly synonymous with `system call', because the OS and BIOS
routines are both called using the INT instruction (see
[7290]interrupt list) and because programmers so often have to bypass
the OS (going directly to a BIOS interrupt) to get reasonable
performance.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:interrupt list, Next:[7291]interrupts locked out,
Previous:[7292]interrupt, Up:[7293]= I =

interrupt list n.

[MS-DOS] The list of all known software interrupt calls (both
documented and undocumented) for IBM PCs and compatibles, maintained
and made available for free redistribution by Ralf Brown
[7294]. As of late 1992, it had grown to
approximately two megabytes in length.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:interrupts locked out, Next:[7295]intro, Previous:[7296]interrupt
list, Up:[7297]= I =

interrupts locked out adj.

When someone is ignoring you. In a restaurant, after several fruitless
attempts to get the waitress's attention, a hacker might well observe
"She must have interrupts locked out". The synonym `interrupts
disabled' is also common. Variations abound; "to have one's interrupt
mask bit set" and "interrupts masked out" are also heard. See also
[7298]spl.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:intro, Next:[7299]IRC, Previous:[7300]interrupts locked out,
Up:[7301]= I =

intro n.

[[7302]demoscene] Introductory [7303]screen of some production. 2. A
short [7304]demo, usually showing just one or two [7305]screens. 3.
Small, usually 64k, 40k or 4k [7306]demo. Sizes are generally dictated
by [7307]compo rules. See also [7308]dentro, [7309]demo.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:IRC, Next:[7310]iron, Previous:[7311]intro, Up:[7312]= I =

IRC /I-R-C/ n.

[Internet Relay Chat] A worldwide "party line" network that allows one
to converse with others in real time. IRC is structured as a network
of Internet servers, each of which accepts connections from client
programs, one per user. The IRC community and the [7313]Usenet and
[7314]MUD communities overlap to some extent, including both hackers
and regular folks who have discovered the wonders of computer
networks. Some Usenet jargon has been adopted on IRC, as have some
conventions such as [7315]emoticons. There is also a vigorous native
jargon, represented in this lexicon by entries marked `[IRC]'. See
also [7316]talk mode.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:iron, Next:[7317]Iron Age, Previous:[7318]IRC, Up:[7319]= I =

iron n.

Hardware, especially older and larger hardware of [7320]mainframe
class with big metal cabinets housing relatively low-density
electronics (but the term is also used of modern supercomputers).
Often in the phrase [7321]big iron. Oppose [7322]silicon. See also
[7323]dinosaur.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Iron Age, Next:[7324]iron box, Previous:[7325]iron, Up:[7326]= I
=

Iron Age n.

In the history of computing, 1961-1971 -- the formative era of
commercial [7327]mainframe technology, when ferrite-core
[7328]dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron Age began, ironically
enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer (the PDP-1) and
ended with the introduction of the first commercial microprocessor
(the Intel 4004) in 1971. See also [7329]Stone Age; compare
[7330]elder days.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:iron box, Next:[7331]ironmonger, Previous:[7332]Iron Age,
Up:[7333]= I =

iron box n.

[Unix/Internet] A special environment set up to trap a [7334]cracker
logging in over remote connections long enough to be traced. May
include a modified [7335]shell restricting the cracker's movements in
unobvious ways, and `bait' files designed to keep him interested and
logged on. See also [7336]back door, [7337]firewall machine,
[7338]Venus flytrap, and Clifford Stoll's account in "[7339]The
Cuckoo's Egg" of how he made and used one (see the [7340]Bibliography
in Appendix C). Compare [7341]padded cell, [7342]honey pot.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:ironmonger, Next:[7343]ISO standard cup of tea,
Previous:[7344]iron box, Up:[7345]= I =

ironmonger n.

[IBM] A hardware specialist (derogatory). Compare [7346]sandbender,
[7347]polygon pusher.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:ISO standard cup of tea, Next:[7348]ISP,
Previous:[7349]ironmonger, Up:[7350]= I =

ISO standard cup of tea n.

[South Africa] A cup of tea with milk and one teaspoon of sugar, where
the milk is poured into the cup before the tea. Variations are ISO 0,
with no sugar; ISO 2, with two spoons of sugar; and so on. This may
derive from the "NATO standard" cup of coffee and tea (milk and two
sugars), military slang going back to the late 1950s and parodying
NATO's relentless bureacratic drive to standardize parts across
European and U.S. militaries.

Like many ISO standards, this one has a faintly alien ring in North
America, where hackers generally shun the decadent British practice of
adulterating perfectly good tea with dairy products and prefer instead
to add a wedge of lemon, if anything. If one were feeling extremely
silly, one might hypothesize an analogous `ANSI standard cup of tea'
and wind up with a political situation distressingly similar to
several that arise in much more serious technical contexts. (Milk and
lemon don't mix very well.)

[2000 update: There is now, in fact, a `British Standard BS6008: How
to make a standard cup of tea.' - ESR]
_________________________________________________________________

Node:ISP, Next:[7351]ITS, Previous:[7352]ISO standard cup of tea,
Up:[7353]= I =

ISP /I-S-P/

Common abbreviation for Internet Service Provider, a kind of company
that barely existed before 1993. ISPs sell Internet access to the mass
market. While the big nationwide commercial BBSs with Internet access
(like America Online, CompuServe, GEnie, Netcom, etc.) are technically
ISPs, the term is usually reserved for local or regional small
providers (often run by hackers turned entrepreneurs) who resell
Internet access cheaply without themselves being information providers
or selling advertising. Compare [7354]NSP.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:ITS, Next:[7355]IWBNI, Previous:[7356]ISP, Up:[7357]= I =

ITS /I-T-S/ n.

1. Incompatible Time-sharing System, an influential though highly
idiosyncratic operating system written for PDP-6s and PDP-10s at MIT
and long used at the MIT AI Lab. Much AI-hacker jargon derives from
ITS folklore, and to have been `an ITS hacker' qualifies one instantly
as an old-timer of the most venerable sort. ITS pioneered many
important innovations, including transparent file sharing between
machines and terminal-independent I/O. After about 1982, most actual
work was shifted to newer machines, with the remaining ITS boxes run
essentially as a hobby and service to the hacker community. The
shutdown of the lab's last ITS machine in May 1990 marked the end of
an era and sent old-time hackers into mourning nationwide (see
[7358]high moby). 2. A mythical image of operating-system perfection
worshiped by a bizarre, fervent retro-cult of old-time hackers and
ex-users (see [7359]troglodyte, sense 2). ITS worshipers manage
somehow to continue believing that an OS maintained by
assembly-language hand-hacking that supported only monocase
6-character filenames in one directory per account remains superior to
today's state of commercial art (their venom against [7360]Unix is
particularly intense). See also [7361]holy wars, [7362]Weenix.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:IWBNI, Next:[7363]IYFEG, Previous:[7364]ITS, Up:[7365]= I =

IWBNI //

Abbreviation for `It Would Be Nice If'. Compare [7366]WIBNI.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:IYFEG, Next:[7367]J. Random, Previous:[7368]IWBNI, Up:[7369]= I =

IYFEG //

[Usenet] Abbreviation for `Insert Your Favorite Ethnic Group'. Used as
a meta-name when telling ethnic jokes on the net to avoid offending
anyone. See [7370]JEDR.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:= J =, Next:[7371]= K =, Previous:[7372]= I =, Up:[7373]The
Jargon Lexicon

= J =

* [7374]J. Random:
* [7375]J. Random Hacker:
* [7376]jack in:
* [7377]jaggies:
* [7378]Java:
* [7379]JCL:
* [7380]JEDR:
* [7381]Jeff K.:
* [7382]jello:
* [7383]jiffy:
* [7384]job security:
* [7385]jock:
* [7386]joe code:
* [7387]jolix:
* [7388]juggling eggs:
* [7389]jump off into never-never land:
* [7390]jupiter:
_________________________________________________________________

Node:J. Random, Next:[7391]J. Random Hacker, Previous:[7392]IYFEG,
Up:[7393]= J =

J. Random /J rand'm/ n.

[common; generalized from [7394]J. Random Hacker] Arbitrary; ordinary;
any one; any old. `J. Random' is often prefixed to a noun to make a
name out of it. It means roughly `some particular' or `any specific
one'. "Would you let J. Random Loser marry your daughter?" The most
common uses are `J. Random Hacker', `J. Random Loser', and `J. Random
Nerd' ("Should J. Random Loser be allowed to [7395]gun down other
people?"), but it can be used simply as an elaborate version of
[7396]random in any sense.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:J. Random Hacker, Next:[7397]jack in, Previous:[7398]J. Random,
Up:[7399]= J =

J. Random Hacker /J rand'm hak'r/ n.

[very common] A mythical figure like the Unknown Soldier; the
archetypal hacker nerd. This term is one of the oldest in the jargon,
apparently going back to MIT in the 1960s. See [7400]random,
[7401]Suzie COBOL. This may originally have been inspired by `J. Fred
Muggs', a show-biz chimpanzee whose name was a household word back in
the early days of [7402]TMRC, and was probably influenced by `J.
Presper Eckert' (one of the co-inventors of the electronic computer).
See also [7403]Fred Foobar.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:jack in, Next:[7404]jaggies, Previous:[7405]J. Random Hacker,
Up:[7406]= J =

jack in v.

To log on to a machine or connect to a network or [7407]BBS, esp. for
purposes of entering a [7408]virtual reality simulation such as a
[7409]MUD or [7410]IRC (leaving is "jacking out"). This term derives
from [7411]cyberpunk SF, in which it was used for the act of plugging
an electrode set into neural sockets in order to interface the brain
directly to a virtual reality. It is primarily used by MUD and IRC
fans and younger hackers on BBS systems.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:jaggies, Next:[7412]Java, Previous:[7413]jack in, Up:[7414]= J =

jaggies /jag'eez/ n.

The `stairstep' effect observable when an edge (esp. a linear edge of
very shallow or steep slope) is rendered on a pixel device (as opposed
to a vector display).
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Java, Next:[7415]JCL, Previous:[7416]jaggies, Up:[7417]= J =

Java

An object-oriented language originally developed at Sun by James
Gosling (and known by the name "Oak") with the intention of being the
successor to [7418]C++ (the project was however originally sold to Sun
as an embedded language for use in set-top boxes). After the great
Internet explosion of 1993-1994, Java was hacked into a
byte-interpreted language and became the focus of a relentless hype
campaign by Sun, which touted it as the new language of choice for
distributed applications.

Java is indeed a stronger and cleaner design than C++ and has been
embraced by many in the hacker community - but it has been a
considerable source of frustration to many others, for reasons ranging
from uneven support on different Web browser platforms, performance
issues, and some notorious deficiencies of some of the standard
toolkits (AWT in particular). [7419]Microsoft's determined attempts to
corrupt the language (which it rightly sees as a threat to its OS
monopoly) have not helped. As of 1999, these issues are still in the
process of being resolved.

Despite many attractive features and a good design, it is difficult to
find people willing to praise Java who have tried to implement a
complex, real-world system with it (but to be fair it is early days
yet, and no other language has ever been forced to spend its childhood
under the limelight the way Java has). On the other hand, Java has
already been a big [7420]win in academic circles, where it has taken
the place of [7421]Pascal as the preferred tool for teaching the
basics of good programming to the next generation of hackers.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:JCL, Next:[7422]JEDR, Previous:[7423]Java, Up:[7424]= J =

JCL /J-C-L/ n.

1. IBM's supremely [7425]rude Job Control Language. JCL is the script
language used to control the execution of programs in IBM's batch
systems. JCL has a very [7426]fascist syntax, and some versions will,
for example, [7427]barf if two spaces appear where it expects one.
Most programmers confronted with JCL simply copy a working file (or
card deck), changing the file names. Someone who actually understands
and generates unique JCL is regarded with the mixed respect one gives
to someone who memorizes the phone book. It is reported that hackers
at IBM itself sometimes sing "Who's the breeder of the crud that
mangles you and me? I-B-M, J-C-L, M-o-u-s-e" to the tune of the
"Mickey Mouse Club" theme to express their opinion of the beast. 2. A
comparative for any very [7428]rude software that a hacker is expected
to use. "That's as bad as JCL." As with [7429]COBOL, JCL is often used
as an archetype of ugliness even by those who haven't experienced it.
See also [7430]IBM, [7431]fear and loathing.

A (poorly documented, naturally) shell simulating JCL syntax is
available at the Retrocomputing Museum
[7432]http://www.ccil.org/retro.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:JEDR, Next:[7433]Jeff K., Previous:[7434]JCL, Up:[7435]= J =

JEDR // n.

Synonymous with [7436]IYFEG. At one time, people in the Usenet
newsgroup rec.humor.funny tended to use `JEDR' instead of [7437]IYFEG
or `'; this stemmed from a public attempt to suppress the
group once made by a loser with initials JEDR after he was offended by
an ethnic joke posted there. (The practice was [7438]retconned by the
expanding these initials as `Joke Ethnic/Denomination/Race'.) After
much sound and fury JEDR faded away; this term appears to be doing
likewise. JEDR's only permanent effect on the net.culture was to
discredit `sensitivity' arguments for censorship so thoroughly that
more recent attempts to raise them have met with immediate and
near-universal rejection.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:Jeff K., Next:[7439]jello, Previous:[7440]JEDR, Up:[7441]= J =

Jeff K.

The spiritual successor to [7442]B1FF and the archetype of
[7443]script kiddies. Jeff K. is a sixteen-year-old suburbanite who
fancies himself a "l33t haX0r", although his knowledge of computers
seems to be limited to the procedure for getting Quake up and running.
His Web page [7444]http://www.somethingawful.com/jeffk features a
number of hopelessly naive articles, essays, and rants, all filled
with the kind of misspellings, [7445]studlycaps, and number-for-letter
substitutions endemic to the script kiddie and [7446]warez d00dz
communities. Jeff's offerings, among other things, include hardware
advice (such as "AMD VERSIS PENTIUM" and "HOW TO OVARCLOAK YOUR
COMPUTAR"), his own Quake clan (Clan 40 OUNSCE), and his own comic
strip (Wacky Fun Computar Comic Jokes).

Like B1FF, Jeff K. is (fortunately) a hoax. Jeff K. was created by
internet game journalist Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka, whose web site
Something Awful (http://www.somethingawful.com) highlights
unintentionally humorous news items and Web sites, as a parody of the
kind of teenage [7447]luser who infests Quake servers, chat rooms, and
other places where computer enthusiasts congregate. He is
well-recognized in the PC game community and his influence has spread
to hacker [7448]fora like Slashdot as well.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:jello, Next:[7449]jiffy, Previous:[7450]Jeff K., Up:[7451]= J =

jello n.

[Usenet: by analogy with [7452]spam] A message that is both
excessively cross-posted and too frequently posted, as opposed to
[7453]spam (which is merely too frequently posted) or [7454]velveeta
(which is merely excessively cross-posted). This term is widely
recognized but not commonly used; most people refer to both kinds of
abuse or their combination as spam.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:jiffy, Next:[7455]job security, Previous:[7456]jello, Up:[7457]=
J =

jiffy n.

1. The duration of one tick of the system clock on your computer (see
[7458]tick). Often one AC cycle time (1/60 second in the U.S. and
Canada, 1/50 most other places), but more recently 1/100 sec has
become common. "The swapper runs every 6 jiffies" means that the
virtual memory management routine is executed once for every 6 ticks
of the clock, or about ten times a second. 2. Confusingly, the term is
sometimes also used for a 1-millisecond [7459]wall time interval. 3.
Even more confusingly, physicists semi-jokingly use `jiffy' to mean
the time required for light to travel one foot in a vacuum, which
turns out to be close to one nanosecond. 4. Indeterminate time from a
few seconds to forever. "I'll do it in a jiffy" means certainly not
now and possibly never. This is a bit contrary to the more widespread
use of the word. Oppose [7460]nano. See also [7461]Real Soon Now.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:job security, Next:[7462]jock, Previous:[7463]jiffy, Up:[7464]= J
=

job security n.

When some piece of code is written in a particularly [7465]obscure
fashion, and no good reason (such as time or space optimization) can
be discovered, it is often said that the programmer was attempting to
increase his job security (i.e., by making himself indispensable for
maintenance). This sour joke seldom has to be said in full; if two
hackers are looking over some code together and one points at a
section and says "job security", the other one may just nod.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:jock, Next:[7466]joe code, Previous:[7467]job security,
Up:[7468]= J =

jock n.

1. A programmer who is characterized by large and somewhat brute-force
programs. See [7469]brute force. 2. When modified by another noun,
describes a specialist in some particular computing area. The
compounds `compiler jock' and `systems jock' seem to be the
best-established examples.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:joe code, Next:[7470]jolix, Previous:[7471]jock, Up:[7472]= J =

joe code /joh' kohd`/ n.

1. Code that is overly [7473]tense and unmaintainable. "[7474]Perl may
be a handy program, but if you look at the source, it's complete joe
code." 2. Badly written, possibly buggy code.

Correspondents wishing to remain anonymous have fingered a particular
Joe at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and observed that usage has
drifted slightly; the original sobriquet `Joe code' was intended in
sense 1.

1994 update: This term has now generalized to ` code', used to
designate code with distinct characteristics traceable to its author.
"This section doesn't check for a NULL return from malloc()! Oh. No
wonder! It's Ed code!". Used most often with a programmer who has left
the shop and thus is a convenient scapegoat for anything that is wrong
with the project.
_________________________________________________________________

Node:jolix, Next:[7475]juggling eggs, Previous:[7476]joe code,
Up:[7477]= J =

jolix /joh'liks/ n.,adj.

386BSD, the freeware port of the BSD Net/2 release to the Intel i386
architecture by Bill Jolitz, Lynne Greer Jolitz, and friends. Used to
differentiate from BSDI's port based on the same source tape, which
used to be called BSD/386 and is now BSD/OS. See [7478]BSD.
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Node:juggling eggs, Next:[7479]jump off into never-never land,
Previous:[7480]jolix, Up:[7481]= J =

juggling eggs vi.

Keeping a lot of [7482]state in your head while modifying a program.
"Don't bother me now, I'm juggling eggs", means that an interrupt is
likely to result in the program's being scrambled. In the classic 1975
first-contact SF novel "The Mote in God's Eye", by Larry Niven and
Jerry Pournelle, an alien describes a very difficult task by saying
"We juggle priceless eggs in variable gravity." See also [7483]hack
mode and [7484]on the gripping hand.
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Node:jump off into never-never land, Next:[7485]jupiter,
Previous:[7486]juggling eggs, Up:[7487]= J =

jump off into never-never land v.

[from J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan"] Same as [7488]branch to Fishkill,
but more common in technical cultures associated with non-IBM
computers that use the term `jump' rather than `branch'. Compare
[7489]hyperspace.
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Node:jupiter, Next:[7490]K, Previous:[7491]jump off into never-never
land, Up:[7492]= J =

jupiter vt.

[IRC] To kill an [7493]IRC [7494]bot or user and then take its place
by adopting its [7495]nick so that it cannot reconnect. Named after a
particular IRC user who did this to NickServ, the robot in charge of
preventing people from inadvertently using a nick claimed by another
user. Now commonly shortened to `jupe'.
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Node:= K =, Next:[7496]= L =, Previous:[7497]= J =, Up:[7498]The
Jargon Lexicon

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