Xref: utzoo alt.folklore.computers:8410 comp.unix.internals:1719 comp.misc:11053
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cbmvax!snark!eric
From: eric@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.unix.internals,comp.misc
Subject: The Jargon File v2.3.1 03 JAN 1991, part 8 of 11
Message-ID: <1Z0vY8#7d3nZG7BOTgp20hYbK6M1nTg=eric@snark.thyrsus.com>
Date: 3 Jan 91 21:06:49 GMT
Lines: 1030

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X   way, experience something very like jet lag without travelling.
X
X<phase of the moon> n. Used humorously as a random parameter on which
X   something is said to depend.  Sometimes implies unreliability of
X   whatever is dependent, or that reliability seems to be dependent on
X   conditions nobody has been able to determine.  "This feature
X   depends on having the channel open in mumble mode, having the foo
X   switch set, and on the phase of the moon."
X
X   True story: Once upon a time, a program written by Gerry Sussman
X   (professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT) and Guy Steele had a
X   bug that really did depend on the phase of the moon!  There is a
X   little subroutine that had traditionally been used in various
X   programs at MIT to calculate an approximation to the moon's true
X   phase; the phase is then printed out at the top of program
X   listings, for example, along with the date and time, purely for
X   fun.  (Actually, since hackers spend a lot of time indoors, this
X   might be the only way they would ever know what the moon's phase
X   was!)  Steele incorporated this routine into a LISP program that,
X   when it wrote out a file, would print a `timestamp" line almost 80
X   characters long.  Very occasionally the first line of the message
X   would be too long and would overflow onto the next line, and when
X   the file was later read back in the program would <barf>.  The
X   length of the first line depended on the precise time when the
X   timestamp was printed, and so the bug literally depended on the
X   phase of the moon!
X
X   The first paper edition of the Jargon File (Steele-1983) included
X   an example of this bug, but the typesetter "corrected" it.  This
X   has since been described as the phase-of-the-moon-bug bug.
X
X<pig, run like a> adj. To run very slowly on given hardware, said of
X   software.  Distinct from <hog>.
X
X<ping> /ping/ [from TCP/IP terminology] n.,v. 1. Slang term for a
X   small network message (ICMP ECHO) sent by a computer to check for
X   the presence and aliveness of another.  Occasionally used as a
X   phone greeting.  See <ACK>, also <ENQ>. 2.  To verify the presence
X   of.  3. To get the attention of.  From the Unix command by the same
X   name (an acronym of "Packet INternet Groper) that sends an ICMP
X   ECHO packet to another host.  This was probably contrived to match
X   submariners' "ping" (sonar ranging pulse).
X
X<Pink-Shirt Book> `The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide to the IBM
X   PC'.  The original cover featured a picture of Peter Norton with a
X   silly smirk on his face, wearing a pink shirt.  Perhaps in
X   recognition of this usage, the current edition has a different
X   picture of Norton wearing a pink shirt.
X
X<PIP> /pip/ v. obs. To copy, from the program PIP on CP/M and RSX-11
X   that was used for file copying (and in RSX for just about every
X   other file operation you might want to do). Obsolete, but still
X   occasionally heard.
X
X<pipeline> [UNIX, orig. by Doug McIlroy; now also used under MS-DOS
X   and elsewhere] n. A chain of <filter> programs connected
X   "head-to-tail", so that the output of one becomes the input of
X   the next.  Under UNIX, user utilities can often be implemented or
X   at least prototyped by a suitable collection of pipelines and
X   temp-file grinding encapsulated in a shell script; this is much
X   less effort than writing C every time, and the capability is
X   considered one of UNIX's major winning features.
X
X<pizza, ANSI standard> /pee'tz@, an'see stan'd@rd/ [CMU] Pepperoni
X   and mushroom pizza.  Coined allegedly because most pizzas ordered
X   by CMU hackers during some period leading up to mid-1990 were of
X   that flavor.  See also <rotary debugger>.
X
X<plain-ASCII> Syn. <flat-ASCII>.
X
X<playpen> [IBM] n. A room where programmers work.  Compare <salt
X   mines>.
X
X<playte> /din'r/ 16 bits, by analogy with <nybble> and byte.  Usage:
X   rare and extremely silly.  See also <dynner>.
X
X<plingnet> /pling'net/ n. Syn. <UUCPNET>. Also see <COMMONWEALTH
X   HACKISH>.
X
X<plonk> [USENET] The sound a <newbie> makes as he falls to the bottom
X   of a <kill file>.  Almost exclusively used in the <newsgroup>
X   "talk.bizarre", this term (usually written "*plonk*") is a
X   form of public ridicule.
X
X<plugh> /ploogh/ [from the <ADVENT> game] v. See <xyzzy>.
X
X<PM> /pee em/ 1. [from "preventive maintenance"] v. to bring down a
X   machine for inspection or test purposes; see <scratch monkey>. 2.
X   n.  Abbrev. for "Presentation Manager", an <elephantine> OS/2
X   graphical user interface.
X
X<P.O.D.> /pee-oh-dee/ Acronym for `Piece Of Data' (as opposed to a
X   code section). Usage: pedantic and rare.
X
X<pod> n. A Diablo 630 (or, latterly, any impact letter quality
X   printer).  From the DEC-10 PODTYPE program used to feed formatted
X   text to same.
X
X<poll> v.,n. 1. The action of checking the status of an input line,
X   sensor, or memory location to see if a particular external event
X   has been registered. 2. To ask.  "I'll poll everyone and see where
X   they want to go for lunch."
X
X<polygon pusher> n. A chip designer who spends most of his/her time at
X   the physical layout level (which requires drawing *lots* of
X   multi-colored polygons). Also "rectangle slinger".
X
X<POM> /pee-oh-em/ n. <Phase of the moon>.  Usage: usually used in the
X   phrase "POM dependent" which means <flaky>.
X
X<POP> also <POPJ> /pop-jay/ [based on the stack operation that removes
X   the top of a stack, and the fact that procedure return addresses
X   are saved on the stack] 1. v.  To remove something from a <stack>
X   or <pdl>.  If a person says he has popped something from his stack,
X   he means he has finally finished working on it and can now remove
X   it from the list of things hanging over his head.  2. To return
X   from a digression (the J-form derives specifically from a <PDP-10>
X   assembler instruction).  By verb doubling, "Popj, popj" means
X   roughly, "Now let's see, where were we?"  See <RTI>.
X
X<PPN> /pip'n/ [from "Project-Programmer Number"] n. A user-ID under
X   <TOPS-10> and its various mutant progeny at SAIL and BBN and
X   CompuServe and elsewhere.  Old-time hackers from the PDP-10 era
X   sometimes use this to refer to user IDs on other systems as well.
X
X<precedence lossage> /pre's@-dens los'j/ [C programmers] n. Coding
X   error in an expression due to unexpected grouping of arithmetic or
X   logical operators by the compiler.  Used esp. of certain common
X   coding errors in C due to the nonintuitively low precedence levels
X   of &, | and ^. Can always be avoided by suitable use of
X   parentheses.  See <aliasing bug>, <memory leak>, <smash the stack>,
X   <fandango on core>, <overrun screw>.
X
X<prepend> /pree`pend'/ [by analogy with "append"] v. To prefix.
X   Like "append", but unlike "prefix" or "suffix" as a verb, the
X   direct object is always the thing being added and not the original
X   word (character string, etc).  No, this is *not* standard
X   English, yet!
X
X<pretty pictures> n. [scientific computation] The next step up from
X   <numbers>.  Interesting graphical output from a program which may
X   not have any real relationship to the reality the program is
X   intended to model.  Good for showing to <management>.
X
X<prettyprint> v. 1. To generate `pretty' human-readable output from a
X   hairy internal representation; esp. used for the process of
X   <grind>ing (sense #2) LISP code. 2. To format in some particularly
X   slick and nontrivial way.  See <grind>.
X
X<prime time> [from TV programming] n. Normal high-usage hours on a
X   timesharing system, the `day shift'. Avoidance of prime time is a
X   major reason for <night mode> hacking.
X
X<priority interrupt> [from the hardware term] n. Describes any
X   stimulus compelling enough to yank one right out of <hack mode>.
X   Classically used to describe being dragged away by an <SO> for
X   immediate sex, but may also refer to more mundane interruptions
X   such as a fire alarm going off in the near vicinity.  Also called
X   an NMI (non maskable interrupt) especially in PC-land.
X
X<Programmer's Cheer> "Shift to the left!  Shift to the right!  Push
X   down, pop up!  Byte!  Byte!  Byte!"  A joke so old it has hair on
X   it...
X
X<propeller head> n. Used by hackers, this is syn. with <computer
X   geek>.  Non-hackers sometimes use it to describe all techies.
X   Prob.  derives from SF fandom's tradition of propeller beanies as
X   fannish insignia (though nobody actually wears them except as a
X   joke).
X
X<protocol> n. See <do protocol>.
X
X<prowler> [UNIX] n. A <DEMON> that is run periodically (typically once
X   a week) to seek out and erase core files, truncate administrative
X   logfiles, nuke lost+found directories, and otherwise clean up the
X   cruft that tends to pile up in the corners of a file system.  See
X   also <GFR>, <reaper>, <skulker>.
X
X<pseudo> /soo'do/ [USENET] n. 1. An electronic-mail or <USENET>
X   persona adopted by a human for amusement value or as a means of
X   avoiding negative repercussions of his/her net.behavior; a `nom de
X   USENET', often associated with forged postings designed to conceal
X   message origins.  Perhaps the best-known and funniest hoax of this
X   type is <biff>. 2. Notionally, a <flamage>-generating AI program
X   simulating a USENET user.  Many flamers have been accused of
X   actually being such entities, despite the fact that no AI program
X   of the required sophistication exists.  However, in 1989 there was
X   a famous series of forged postings that used a
X   phrase-frequency-based travesty generator to simulate the styles of
X   several well-known flamers based on large samples of their back
X   postings.  A significant number of people were fooled by these, and
X   the debate over their authenticity was only settled when the
X   perpetrator of the hoax came publicly forward to admit the deed.
X
X<pseudoprime> n. A backgammon prime (six consecutive occupied points)
X   with one point missing.  This term is an esoteric pun derived from
X   a mathematical method which, rather than determining precisely
X   whether a number is prime (has no divisors), uses a statistical
X   technique to decide whether the number is "probably" prime.  A
X   number that passes this test is called a pseudoprime.  The hacker
X   backgammon usage stems from the idea that pseudoprime is almost as
X   good as a prime: it does the job of a prime until proven otherwise,
X   and that probably won't happen.
X
X<pseudosuit> n. A <suit> wannabee; a hacker who's decided that he
X   wants to be in management or administration and begins wearing
X   ties, sport coats and (shudder!) suits voluntarily.  Chacun a son
X   gout...
X
X<punt> [from the punch line of an old joke referring to American
X   football: "Drop back 15 yards and punt"] v. To give up, typically
X   without any intention of retrying.  "Let's punt the movie
X   tonight."  "I was going to hack all night to get this feature in,
X   but I decided to punt" may mean that you've decided not to stay up
X   all night, and may also mean you're not ever even going to put in
X   the feature.
X
X<Purple Book> n. The `System V Interface Definition'.  The covers
X   of the first editions were an amazingly nauseating shade of
X   off-lavender.  See also <Red Book>, <Blue Book>, <Green Book>,
X   <Silver Book>, <Orange Book>, <White Book>, <Pink-Shirt Book>,
X   <Dragon Book>, <Aluminum Book>.
X
X<PUSH> [based on the stack operation that puts the current information
X   on a stack, and the fact that procedure call addresses are saved on
X   the stack] Also PUSHJ (push-jay), based on the PDP-10 procedure
X   call instruction.  1. To put something onto a <stack> or <pdl>.  If
X   a person says something has been pushed onto his stack, he means
X   yet another thing has been added to the list of things hanging over
X   his head for him to do.  2. v. To enter upon a digression, to save
X   the current discussion for later.  Antonym of <POP>, <POPJ>; see
X   also <stack>, <pdl>.
X
X<psychedelicware> [Great Britain] n. Syn. <display hack>.
X
X                                {= Q =}
X
X<quadruple bucky> n., obs. On a <space-cadet keyboard>, use of all
X   four of the shifting keys control, meta, hyper, and super while
X   typing a character key.  This was very difficult to do!  One
X   accepted technique was to press the left-control and left-meta keys
X   with your left hand, the right-control and right-meta keys with
X   your right hand, and the fifth key with your nose.  Thus, this
X   combination was very seldom used in practice, because when you
X   invent a new command you usually assign it to some character that
X   is easier to type.  If you want to imply that a program has
X   ridiculously many commands or features, you can say something like
X   "Oh, the command that makes it spin all the tapes while whistling
X   Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is quadruple-bucky-cokebottle". See
X   <double bucky>, <bucky bits>.
X
X<quantum bogodynamics> /kwahn'tm boh`goh-die-nam'iks/ n. Theory which
X   characterizes the universe in terms of bogon sources (such as
X   politicians, used-car salesmen, TV evangelists, and SUITs in
X   general), bogon sinks (such as taxpayers and computers), and
X   bogosity potential fields.  Bogon absorption, of course, causes
X   human beings to behave mindlessly and machines to fail (and may
X   cause them to emit secondary bogons as well); however, the precise
X   mechanics of the bogon-computron interaction are not yet understood
X   and remain to be elucidated.  Quantum bogodynamics is most
X   frequently invoked to explain the sharp increase in hardware and
X   software failures in the presence of suits; the latter emit bogons
X   which the former absorb.  See <bogon>, <computron>, <suit>.
X
X<ques> /kwess/ 1. n. The question mark character ("?").  2. interj.
X   What?  Also frequently verb-doubled as "ques ques?"  See <wall>.
X
X<qux> /kwuhks/ The fourth of the standard metasyntactic variables,
X   after <baz> and before the QUU*X series.  See <foo>, <bar>, <baz>,
X   <quux>.  Note that this appears to a be recent mutation from
X   <quux>, and that many versions of the standard series just run
X   <foo>, <bar>, <baz>, <quux>,...
X
X<quux> /kwuhks/ [invented by Steele] Mythically, from the Latin
X   semi-deponent verb quuxo, quuxare, quuxandum iri; noun form
X   variously "quux" (plural "quuces", anglicized to "quuxes")
X   and "quuxu" (genitive plural is "quuxuum", for four u-letters
X   out of seven total).] 1.  Originally, a meta-word like <foo> and
X   <foobar>.  Invented by Guy Steele for precisely this purpose when
X   he was young and naive and not yet interacting with the real
X   computing community.  Many people invent such words; this one seems
X   simply to have been lucky enough to have spread a little.  In an
X   eloquent display of poetic justice, it has returned to the
X   originator in the form of a nickname, as punishment for inventing
X   this bletcherous word in the first place.  2. interj. See <foo>;
X   however, denotes very little disgust, and is uttered mostly for the
X   sake of the sound of it.  3. Guy L. Steele in his persona as "The
X   Great Quux", which is somewhat infamous for light verse and for
X   the "Crunchly" cartoons.  4. quuxy: adj.  Of or pertaining to a
X   quux.
X
X<QWERTY> /kwer'tee/ adj. Pertaining to a standard English typewriter
X   keyboard, as opposed to Dvorak or foreign-language layouts or a
X   <space-cadet keyboard> or APL keyboard.
X
X                                {= R =}
X
X<random> adj. 1. Unpredictable (closest to mathematical definition);
X   weird.  "The system's been behaving pretty randomly."  2.
X   Assorted; undistinguished.  "Who was at the conference?"  "Just
X   a bunch of random business types."  3.  Frivolous; unproductive;
X   undirected (pejorative).  "He's just a random loser."  4.
X   Incoherent or inelegant; not well organized.  "The program has a
X   random set of misfeatures."  "That's a random name for that
X   function."  "Well, all the names were chosen pretty randomly."
X   5.  Gratuitously wrong, i.e., poorly done and for no good apparent
X   reason.  For example, a program that handles file name defaulting
X   in a particularly useless way, or an assembler routine that could
X   easily have been coded using only three registers, but randomly
X   uses seven for assorted non-overlapping purposes, so that no one
X   else can invoke it without first saving four extra registers.  6.
X   In no particular order, though deterministic.  "The I/O channels
X   are in a pool, and when a file is opened one is chosen randomly."
X   n.  7. A random hacker; used particularly of high school students
X   who soak up computer time and generally get in the way.  8.
X   (occasional MIT usage) One who lives at Random Hall.  See also <J.
X   Random>, <some random X>.
X
X<random numbers> n. When one wishes to specify a large but random
X   number of things, and the context is inappropriate for <N>, certain
X   numbers are preferred by hacker tradition (that is, easily
X   recognized as placeholders). These include
X
X     17 Long described at MIT as "the least random number", see 23.
X     23 Sacred number of Eris, Goddess of Discord (along with 17 & 5).
X     42 The Answer to the Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.
X     69 From the sexual act. This one was favored in MIT's ITS culture.
X     105 69 hex = 105 dec, and 69 dec = 105 oct
X     666 The Number of the Beast.
X
X   For further enlightenment, consult the `Principia Discordia',
X   `The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy', any porn movie, and the
X   Christian Bible's `Book Of Revelations'. See also
X   <Discordianism>.
X
X<randomness> n. An unexplainable misfeature; gratuitous inelegance.
X   Also, a <hack> or <crock> which depends on a complex combination of
X   coincidences (or rather, the combination upon which the crock
X   depends for its accidental failure to malfunction).  "This hack
X   can output characters 40-57 by putting the character in the
X   accumulator field of an XCT and then extracting 6 bits --- the low
X   two bits of the XCT opcode are the right thing."  "What
X   randomness!"
X
X<rape> v. To (metaphorically) screw someone or something, violently;
X   in particular, to destroy a program or information irrecoverably
X   Usage: often used in describing file-system damage.  "So-and-so
X   was running a program that did absolute disk I/O and ended up
X   raping the master directory."
X
X<rare> [UNIX] adj. CBREAK mode (character-by-character with interrupts
X   enabled).  Distinguished from `raw' and `cooked'; the phrase
X   "half-cooked (rare?)" is used in the V7/BSD manuals to describe
X   the mode.  Usage: rare.
X
X<raster blaster> n. [Cambridge] Specialized hardware for <bitblt>
X   operations.  Allegedly inspired by analogy with "Rasta Blasta",
X   British slang for the sort of portable stereo/radio/tapedeck
X   Americans call a `boom box' or `ghetto blaster'.
X
X<raster burn> n. Eyestrain brought on by too many hours of looking at
X   low-res, poorly tuned or glare-ridden monitors, esp.  graphics
X   monitors.  See <terminal illness>.
X
X<rave> [WPI] v. 1. To persist in discussing a specific subject.  2. To
X   speak authoritatively on a subject about which one knows very
X   little.  3. To complain to a person who is not in a position to
X   correct the difficulty.  4. To purposely annoy another person
X   verbally.  5. To evangelize.  See <flame>.  Also used to describe a
X   less negative form of blather, such as friendly bullshitting.
X   <Rave> differs slightly from <flame> in that <rave> implies that it
X   is the manner or persistence of speaking that is annoying, while
X   <flame> implies somewhat more strongly that the subject matter is
X   annoying as well.
X
X<rave on!> imp. Sarcastic invitation to continue a <rave>, often by
X   someone who wishes the raver would get a clue but realizes this is
X   unlikely.
X
X<ravs> /ravz/, also CHINESE RAVS n.  Kuo-teh.  A Chinese appetizer,
X   known variously in the plural as dumplings, potstickers and (around
X   Boston) `Peking Ravioli'.  The term "rav" is short for
X   "ravioli", which among hackers always means the Chinese kind
X   rather than the Italian kind.  Both consist of a filling in a pasta
X   shell, but the Chinese kind uses a thinner pasta and is cooked
X   differently, either by steaming or frying.  A rav or dumpling can
X   be steamed or fried, but a potsticker is always the fried kind (so
X   called because it sticks to the frying pot and has to be scraped
X   off).  "Let's get hot-and-sour soup and three orders of ravs."
X   See also <ORIENTAL FOOD>.
X
X<READ.ME file> n. By convention, the top-level directory of a UNIX
X   source distribution always contains a file named `READ.ME' (or
X   README, or (rarely) ReadMe) which is a hacker's-eye introduction
X   containing a pointer to more detailed documentation, credits,
X   miscellaneous revision history notes, etc.
X
X<read-only user> n. Describes a <luser> who uses computers almost
X   exclusively for reading USENET, bulletin boards and email, as
X   opposed to writing code or purveying useful information.  See
X   <twink>.
X
X<real programmer> [indirectly, from the book `Real Men Don't Eat
X   Quiche'] n. A particular sub-variety of hacker, one possessed of a
X   flippant attitude towards complexity that is arrogant even when
X   justified by experience.  The archetypal `real programmer' likes to
X   program on the <bare metal>, and is very good at same; he remembers
X   the binary opcodes for every machine he's every programmed; thinks
X   that HLLs are sissy; and he uses a debugger to edit his code
X   because full-screen editors are for wimps.  Real Programmers aren't
X   satisfied with code that hasn't been <bum>med into a state of
X   <tense>ness just short of rupture.  Real Programmers never use
X   comments or write documentation; "If it was hard to write", says
X   the Real Programmer, "it should be hard to understand."  Real
X   Programmers can make machines do things that were never in their
X   spec sheets; in fact, they're seldom really happy unless doing so.
X   A Real Programmer's code can awe you with its fiendish brilliance
X   even as it appalls by its level of crockishness.  Real Programmers
X   live on junk food and coffee, hang line-printer art on their walls,
X   and terrify the crap out of other programmers --- because someday,
X   somebody else might have to try to understand their code in order
X   to change it.  Their successors generally consider it a <Good
X   Thing> that there aren't many Real Programmers around any more.
X
X<Real Soon Now> [orig. from SF's fanzine community, popularized by
X   Jerry Pournelle's BYTE column] adj.  1. Supposed to be available
X   (or fixed, or cheap, or whatever) real soon now according to
X   somebody, but the speaker is quite skeptical.  2. When the
X   gods/fates/other time commitments permit the speaker to get to it.
X   Often abbreviated RSN.
X
X<real time> adv. Doing something while people are watching or waiting.
X   "I asked her how to find the calling procedure's program counter
X   on the stack and she came up with an algorithm in real time."
X
X<real user> n. 1. A commercial user.  One who is paying "real" money
X   for his computer usage.  2. A non-hacker.  Someone using the system
X   for an explicit purpose (research project, course, etc.).  See
X   <user>.  Hackers who are also students may also be real users.  "I
X   need this fixed so I can do a problem set.  I'm not complaining out
X   of randomness, but as a real user."  See also <luser>.
X
X<Real World> n. 1. In programming, those institutions at which
X   programming may be used in the same sentence as FORTRAN, COBOL,
X   RPG, <IBM>, etc.  Places where programs do such commercially
X   necessary but intellectually uninspiring things as compute payroll
X   checks and invoices.  2. To programmers, the location of
X   non-programmers and activities not related to programming.  3. A
X   universe in which the standard dress is shirt and tie and in which
X   a person's working hours are defined as 9 to 5.  4. The location of
X   the status quo.  5. Anywhere outside a university.  "Poor fellow,
X   he's left MIT and gone into the real world."  Used pejoratively by
X   those not in residence there.  In conversation, talking of someone
X   who has entered the real world is not unlike talking about a
X   deceased person.  See also <fear and loathing>, <mundane>, and
X   <uninteresting>.
X
X<reaper> n. A <prowler> which GFRs files (see <GFR>). A file removed
X   in this way is said to have been "reaped".
X
X<rectangle slinger> n. See <polygon pusher>.
X
X<recursion> n. See <recursion>.  See also <tail recursion>.
X
X<RECURSIVE ACRONYMS> pl.n. A hackish (and especially MIT) tradition is
X   to choose acronyms which refer humorously to themselves or to other
X   acronyms.  The classic examples were two MIT editors called EINE
X   ("EINE Is Not EMACS") and ZWEI ("ZWEI Was EINE Initially").
X   More recently, <GNU> (q.v., sense #1) is said to stand for "GNU's
X   Not UNIX!"
X
X<Red Book> n. 1. Informal name for one of the three standard
X   references on PostScript (`PostScript Language Reference Manual',
X   Adobe Systems, Addison-Wesley 1985 QA76.73.P67P67, ISBN
X   0-201-10174-2); the others are known as the <Green Book> and <Blue
X   Book>.  2. `Smalltalk-80: The Interactive Programming
X   Environment', Adele Goldberg, Addison-Wesley 1984,
X   QA76.8.S635G638, ISBN 0-201-11372-4 (this is also associated with
X   blue and green books).  3. Any of the 1984 standards issued by the
X   CCIT 8th plenary assembly.  Until now, these have changed color
X   each review cycle (1988 was <Blue Book>, 1992 will be <Green
X   Book>); however, it is rumored that this convention is going to be
X   dropped befor 1992.  These include, among other things, the X.400
X   email spec and the Group 1 through 4 fax standards.  4. The new
X   version of the <Green Book> (sense #4), "IEEE 1003.1-1990", aka
X   "ISO 9945-1", is (because of the colour and the fact that it is
X   printed on A4 paper), known in the USA as "The Ugly Red Book That
X   Won't Fit On The Shelf", and in Europe as "The Ugly Red Book
X   That's A Sensible Size".  See also <Green Book>, <Blue Book>,
X   <Purple Book>, <Silver Book>, <Orange Book>, <White Book>,
X   <Pink-Shirt Book>, <Dragon Book>, <Aluminum Book>.
X
X<regexp> /reg'exp/ [UNIX] n. 1. Common written and spoken abbreviation
X   for `regular expression', one of the wildcard patterns used, e.g.,
X   by UNIX utilities such as `grep(1)', `sed(1)' and `awk(1)'. These use
X   conventions similar to but more elaborate than those described
X   under <glob>.  2. Name of a well-known PD regexp-handling package
X   in portable C, written by revered USENETter Henry Spencer
X   (henry@zoo.toronto.edu).
X
X<reincarnation, cycle of> n. Term used to refer to a well-known effect
X   whereby function in a computing system family is migrated out to
X   special purpose peripheral hardware for speed, then the peripheral
X   evolves towards more computing power as it does its job, then
X   somebody notices that it's inefficient to support two asymmetrical
X   processors in the architecture and folds the function back into the
X   main CPU, at which point the cycle begins again.  Several
X   iterations of this cycle have been observed in graphics processor
X   design, and at least one or two in communications and
X   floating-point processors.  Also known as "the Wheel of Life",
X   "the Wheel of Samsara", and other variations of the basic
X   Hindu/Buddhist theological idea.
X
X<religious issues> n. Questions which seemingly cannot be raised
X   without touching off holy wars>, such as "What is the best
X   editor/language/operating system/architecture/shell/mail
X   reader/news reader". See also <theology>.
X
X<replicator> n. Any construct that acts to produce copies of itself;
X   this could be a living organism, an idea (see <meme>), a program
X   (see <worm>, <wabbit> and <virus>), a pattern in a cellular
X   automaton (see <life>, sense #1), or (speculatively) a robot.
X
X<retcon> /ret'-con/ ["retroactive continuity", from USENET's
X   rec.arts.comics] 1. n. the common situation in pulp fiction (esp.
X   comics, soaps) where a new story "reveals" new things about
X   events previous stories, usually leaving the "facts" the same
X   (thus preserving "continuity") while completely changing their
X   interpretation.  E.g., revealing that a whole season's episodes of
X   Dallas was a dream was a retcon.  2.  v.t. To write such a story
X   about (a character or fictitious object).  Thus, "Byrne has
X   retconned Superman's cape so that it is no longer unbreakable".
X   3. v.i. Used of something "transformed" in this way -
X   "Marvelman's old adventures were retconned into synthetic
X   dreams", "Swamp Thing was retconned from a transformed person
X   into a sentient vegetable."
X
X   [This is included because it's a good example of hackish linguistic
X   innovation in a field completely unrelated to computers.  The word
X   "retcon" will probably spread through comics fandom and lose its
X   association with hackerdom within a couple of years; for the
X   record, it started here. -- ESR]
X
X<retrocomputing> /ret'-roh-k@m-pyoo'ting/ n. Refers to emulations of
X   way-behind-the state-of-the-art hardware or software, or
X   implementations of never-was-state-of-the-art; esp. if such
X   implementations are elaborate practical jokes and/or parodies of
X   more `serious' designs.  Perhaps the most widely distributed
X   retrocomputing utility was the `pnch(6)' program on V7 and other
X   early UNIX versions, which would accept up to 80 characters of text
X   argument and display the corresponding pattern in Hollerith card
X   code.  Other well-known retrocomputing hacks have included the
X   programming language <INTERCAL>, a jcl-emulating shell for UNIX,
X   the card-punch-emulating editor named 029, and various elaborate
X   PDP-11 hardware emulators and RT-11 OS emulators written just to
X   keep an old, sourceless <Zork> binary running.
X
X<RFC> /ahr ef see/ n. Request For Comment.  One of a long-established
X   series of numbered Internet standards widely followed by commercial
X   and PD software in the Internet and UNIX communities.  Perhaps the
X   single most influential one has been RFC-822 (the Internet
X   mail-format standard). The RFCs are unusual in that they are
X   floated by technical experts acting on their own initiative and
X   reviewed by the Internet at large, rather than formally promulgated
X   through an institution such as ANSI.  For this reason they remain
X   known as RFCs even once adopted.
X
X<RFE> n. 1. Request For Enhancement.  2. [Bellcore, Sun] Radio Free
X   Ethernet, a system (originated by Peter Langston) for broadcasting
X   audio among Sun SPARCstations over the ethernet.
X
X<rice box> [from ham radio slang] n. Any Asian-made commodity
X   computer, esp. an 8086, 80286, 80386 or 80486-based machine built
X   to IBM PC-compatible ISA or EISA-bus standards.
X
X<Right Thing, The> n. That which is *obviously* the correct or
X   appropriate thing to use, do, say, etc.  Often capitalized, always
X   emphasized in speech as though capitalized.  Use of this term often
X   implies that in fact reasonable people may disagree.  "Never let
X   your conscience keep you from doing the right thing!"  "What's
X   the right thing for LISP to do when it reads (a mod 0)? Should it
X   return a, or give a divide-by-zero error?"  Antonym: <Wrong
X   Thing>.
X
X<RL> [MUD community] n. Real Life. "Firiss laughs in RL" means
X   Firiss's player is laughing.
X
X<roach> [Bell Labs] v. To destroy, esp. of a data structure.  Hardware
X   gets <toast>ed, software gets roached.
X
X<robust> adj. Said of a system which has demonstrated an ability to
X   recover gracefully from the whole range of exception conditions in
X   a given environment.  One step below <bulletproof>.  Compare
X   <smart>, oppose <brittle>.
X
X<root> n. [UNIX] 1. The top node of the system directory structure
X   (home directory of the root user).  2. The "superuser" account
X   that ignores permission bits, user number zero on a UNIX system.
X   This account has the user name `root'.  3. By extension, the
X   privileged system-maintenance login on any OS.  4. Thus, <root
X   mode>: Syn.  with <wizard mode> or <wheel mode>.  Like these, it is
X   often generalized to describe privileged states in systems other
X   than OSs.  5. <go root>: to temporarily enter <root mode> in order
X   to perform a privileged operation.  This use is deprecated in
X   Australia, where v. "root" is slang for "to have sex with".
X
X<rotary debugger> [Commodore] n.  Essential equipment for those late
X   night or early morning debugging sessions.  Mainly used as
X   sustenance for the hacker.  Comes in many decorator colors such as
X   Sausage, Pepperoni, and Garbage.  See <pizza, ANSI standard>.
X
X<rogue> [UNIX] n. Graphic Dungeons-And-Dragons-like game written under
X   BSD UNIX and subsequently ported to other UNIX systems.  The
X   original BSD `curses(3)' screen-handling package was hacked together
X   by Ken Arnold to support `rogue(6)' and has since become one of
X   UNIX's most important and heavily used application libraries.
X   Nethack, Omega, Larn and an entire subgenre of computer dungeon
X   games all took off from the inspiration provided by `rogue(6)'.  See
X   <hack>.
X
X<room-temperature IQ> [IBM] 80 or below.  Used in describing the
X   expected intelligence range of the <luser>.  As in "Well, but
X   how's this interface gonna play with the room-temperature IQ
X   crowd?"  See <drool-proof paper>.
X
X<rot13> /rot-ther'teen/ [USENET, from "rotate alphabet 13 places"]
X   n.,v. The simple encryption of replacing each English letter with
X   the one 13 places forward or back along the alphabet, so that "The
X   butler did it!" becomes "Gur ohgyre qvq vg!"  Most Usenet news
X   reading and posting programs include a rot13 feature.  It is used
X   as if to enclose the text in a sealed wrapper that the reader must
X   choose to open, for posting things that might offend some readers,
X   answers to puzzles, or discussion of movie plot surprises.
X
X<RSN> adj. See <Real Soon Now>.
X
X<RTFM> /ahr-tee-ef-em/ [UNIX] Abbrev. for "Read The Fucking Manual".
X   1. Used by GURUs to brush off questions they consider trivial or
X   annoying.  Compare <Don't do that, then!>.  2. Used when reporting
X   a problem to indicate that you aren't just asking out of
X   <randomness>.  "No, I can't figure out how to interface UNIX to my
X   toaster and yes I have RTFM."  Unlike sense #1 this use is
X   considered polite.
X
X<RTI> /ahr-tee-ie/ interj. The mnemonic for the `return from
X   interrupt' instruction on Intel microprocessors.  Equivalent to
X   "Now, where was I?" or used to end a conversational digression.
X   See <POP>, <POPJ>.
X
X<rude> [WPI] adj. 1. (of a program) Badly written.  2.  Functionally
X   poor, e.g. a program which is very difficult to use because of
X   gratuitously poor (random?) design decisions.  See <cuspy>.
X
X<runes> pl.n. 1. Anything that requires <heavy wizardry> or <black
X   art> to <parse>; core dumps, JCL commands, or even code in a
X   language you don't have the faintest idea how to read.  Compare
X   <casting the runes>.  2. Special display characters (for example,
X   the high-half graphics on an IBM PC).  3. <runic> adj. Syn.
X   <obscure>.  VMS fans sometimes refer to UNIX as `Runix'; UNIX fans
X   return the compliment by expanding VMS to `Vachement Mauvais
X   Systeme' (lit. "Cowlike Bad System").
X
X                                {= S =}
X
X<sacred> adj. Reserved for the exclusive use of something (a
X   metaphorical extension of the standard meaning).  "Accumulator 7
X   is sacred to the UUO handler."  Often means that anyone may look
X   at the sacred object, but clobbering it will screw whatever it is
X   sacred to.  Example: The comment "Register 7 is sacred to the
X   interrupt handler" appearing in a program would be interpreted by
X   a hacker to mean that one part of the program, the "interrupt
X   handler", uses register 7, and if any other part of the program
X   changes the contents of register 7 dire consequences are likely to
X   ensue.
X
X<sadistics> /s@'dis'tiks/ n. University slang for statistics and
X   probability theory, often used by hackers.
X
X<saga> [WPI] n. A cuspy but bogus raving story dealing with N random
X   broken people.
X
X<sagan> [from Carl Sagan's TV series on PBS, think "Billions and
X   Billions"] n. A large quantity of anything.  "There's a sagan
X   different ways to tweak EMACS."  "The US Government spends sagans
X   on military hardware."
X
X<SAIL> n. Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Lab.  An
X   important site in the early development of LISP; with the MIT AI
X   LAB, CMU and the UNIX community, one of the major founts of hacker
X   culture traditions.  The SAIL machines were shut down in late May
X   1990, scant weeks after the MIT AI lab's ITS cluster went down for
X   the last time.
X
X<salescritter> /sayls'kri-tr/ n. Pejorative hackerism for a computer
X   salesperson.  Hackers tell the following joke:
X
X     Q. What's the difference between a used car dealer and a computer
X        salesman?
X     A. The used car dealer knows he's lying.
X
X   This reflects the widespread hacker belief that salescritters are
X   self-selected for stupidity (after all, if they had brains and the
X   inclination to use them they'd be making more money programming).
X   The term "salesthing" is also common.  Compare <marketroid>,
X   <suit>.
X
X<salt mines> n. Dense quarters housing large numbers of programmers
X   working long hours on grungy projects, with some hope of seeing the
X   end of the tunnel in N years.  Noted for their absence of sunshine.
X   Compare <playpen>.
X
X<sandbender> [IBM] n. A person involved with silicon lithography and
X   the physical design of chips.  Compare <ironmonger>, <polygon
X   pusher>.
X
X<say> v. In some contexts, to type to a terminal.  "To list a
X   directory verbosely, you have to say `ls -l'". Tends to imply
X   a carriage-return-terminated command (a `sentence').  A computer
X   may also be said to `say' things to you even if it doesn't have a
X   speech synthesizer, by displaying them on a terminal in response to
X   your commands.  Hackers find it odd that this usage confuses other
X   people.
X
X<SCIENCE-FICTION FANDOM> n. Another voluntary subculture having a very
X   heavy overlap with hackerdom; most hackers read SF and/or fantasy
X   fiction avidly, and many go to "cons" (SF conventions) or are
X   involved in fandom-connected activities like the Society for
X   Creative Anachronism.  Some hacker slang originated in SF fandom;
X   see <defenestration>, <great-wall>, <cyberpunk>, <h infix>, <ha ha
X   only serious>, <IMHO>, <mundane>, <neep-neep>, <Real Soon Now>.
X   Additionally, the jargon terms <cowboy>, <cyberspace>, <de-rez>,
X   <go flatline>, <ice>, <virus>, <wetware>, <wirehead> and <worm>
X   originated in SF itself.
X
X<scratch> [from "scratchpad"] 1. adj. A device or recording medium
X   attached to a machine for testing or temporary-use purposes; one
X   which can be <SCRIBBLED> on without loss.  Usually in the combining
X   forms "scratch memory", "scratch disk", "scratch tape",
X   "scratch volume".  See <scratch monkey>. 2. [primarily IBM] v. To
X   delete (as in a file).
X
X<scratch monkey> n. As in, "Before testing or reconfiguring, always
X   mount a". A proverb used to advise caution when dealing with
X   irreplaceable data or devices.  Used in memory of Mabel, the
X   Swimming Wonder Monkey who expired when a computer vendor PM'd a
X   machine which was regulating the gas mixture that the monkey was
X   breathing at the time.  See Appendix A.  See <scratch>.
X
X<screw> [MIT] n. A <lose>, usually in software.  Especially used for
X   user-visible misbehavior caused by a bug or misfeature.
X
X<screwage> /scroo'@j/ n. Like <lossage> but connotes that the failure
X   is due to a designed-in misfeature rather than a simple inadequacy
X   or mere bug.
X
X<scrog> /skrog/ [Bell Labs] v. To damage, trash or corrupt a data
X   structure.  "The cblock got scrogged."  Also reported as
X   "skrog", and ascribed to "The Wizard of Id" comix.  Equivalent
X   to <scribble> or <mangle>
X
X<scrozzle> /skroh'zl/ v. Used when a self-modifying code segment runs
X   incorrectly and corrupts the running program, or vital data.  "The
X   damn compiler scrozzled itself again!"
X
X<scribble> n. To modify a data structure in a random and
X   unintentionally destructive way. "Bletch! Somebody's
X   disk-compactor program went berserk and scribbled on the i-node
X   table." "It was working fine until one of the allocation routines
X   scribbled on low core."  Synonymous with <trash>; compare <mung>,
X   which conveys a bit more intention, and <mangle>, which is more
X   violent and final.
X
XSCSI /ess see ess ie/ n. Small Computer System Interface is a
X   system-level interface between a computer and intelligent devices.
X   Typically annotated in literature with "sexy" (/sek'see/) and
X   "scuzzy" (/skuhz'zee/) as pronunciation guides...the latter being
X   the predominating form, much to the dismay of the designers and
X   marketing people.
X
X<search-and-destroy mode> n. Hackerism for the search-and-replace
X   facility in an editor, so called because an incautiously chosen
X   match pattern can cause <infinite> damage.
X
X<second-system effect> n. When designing the successor to a relatively
X   small, elegant and successful system, there is a tendency to become
X   grandiose in one's success and perpetrate an <elephantine>
X   feature-laden monstrosity.  The term was first used by Fred Brooks
X   in his classic book "The Mythical Man-Month". It described the
X   jump from a set of nice, simple, operating monitors on the IBM 70xx
X   series to OS/360 on the 360 series.
X
X<segfault> n.,v. Syn for <segment>, <seggie>.
X
X<seggie> /seg'ee/ [UNIX] n. Shorthand for <segmentation fault>
X   reported from Britain.
X
X<segment> /seg'ment/ v. To experience a <segmentation fault>.
X   Confusingly, this is often accented on the first syllable rather
X   than on the second as for mainstream v. segment; this is because
X   it's actually a noun shorthand that has been verbed.
X
X<segmentation fault (or violation)> n. [UNIX] 1. Error in which a
X   running program attempts to access memory not allocated to it and
X   <core dump> with a segment violation error.  2. To lose a train of
X   thought or a line of reasoning.  Also uttered as an exclamation at
X   the point of befuddlement.
X
X<self-reference> n. See <self-reference>.
X
X<selvage> /selv'@j/ [from sewing] n. See <chad> (sense #1).
X
X<semi> /se'mee/ 1. n. Abbreviation for "semicolon", when speaking.
X   "Commands to <grind> are prefixed by semi-semi-star" means that
X   the prefix is ";;*", not 1/4 of a star.  2. Prefix with words
X   such as "immediately", as a qualifier.  "When is the system
X   coming up?"  "Semi-immediately." (That is, maybe not for an
X   hour).  "We did consider that possibility semi-seriously."  See
X   also <infinite>.
X
X<server> n. A kind of <daemon> which performs a service for the
X   requester, which often runs on a computer other than the one on
X   which the server runs.  A particularly common term on the Internet,
X   which is rife with "name servers" "domain servers" "news
X   servers" "finger servers" and the like.
X
X<SEX> [Sun User's Group & elsewhere] n. 1.  Software EXchange.  A
X   technique invented by the blue-green algae hundreds of millions of
X   years ago to speed up their evolution, which had been terribly slow
X   up until then.  Today, SEX parties are popular among hackers and
X   others. 2. The rather Freudian mnemonic often used for Sign Extend,
X   a machine instruction found in many architectures.  Amusingly, the
X   Intel 8048 (the microcontroller used in IBM PC keyboards) was
X   missing straight SEX but had logical-or and logical-and
X   instructions ORL and ANL.
X
X<shareware> n. <freeware> for which the author requests some payment,
X   usually in the accompanying documentation files or in an
X   announcement made by the software itself.  Such payment may or may
X   not buy additional support or functionality.  See <guiltware>,
X   <crippleware>.
X
X<shelfware> n. Software purchased on a whim (by an individual user) or
X   in accordance with policy (by a corporation or government) but not
X   actually required for any particular use.  Therefore, it often ends
X   up on some shelf.
X
X<shell> [UNIX, now used elsewhere] n. 1. The command interpreter used
X   to pass commands to an operating system.  2. More generally, any
X   interface program which mediates access to a special resource or
X   <server> for convenience, efficiency or security reasons; for this
X   meaning, the usage is usually "a shell around" whatever.  This
X   sort of program is also called a "wrapper".
X
X<shell out> [UNIX] n. To spawn an interactive subshell from within a
X   program such as a mailer or editor.  "Bang foo runs foo in a
X   <subshell>, while bang alone shells out."
X
X<shift left (or right) logical> [from any of various machines'
X   instruction sets] 1. v. To move oneself to the left (right).  To
X   move out of the way.  2. imper. "Get out of that (my) seat!  You
X   can move to that empty one to the left (right)."  Usage: often
X   used without the "logical", or as "left shift" instead of
X   "shift left".  Sometimes heard as LSH (lish), from the PDP-10
X   instruction set.
X
X<shitogram> /shit'oh-gram/ n. A *really* nasty piece of email.
X   Compare <nastygram>, <flame>.
X
X<shriek> See <excl>.  Occasional CMU usage, also in common use among
X   mathematicians, especially category theorists.
X
X<sig block> /sig blok/ [UNIX; often written ".sig" there] n. Short
X   for "signature", used specifically to refer to the electronic
X   signature block which most UNIX mail- and news-posting software
X   will allow you to automatically append to outgoing mail and news.
X   The composition of one's sig can be quite an art form, including an
X   ASCII logo or one's choice of witty sayings (see <sig quote>); but
X   many consider large sigs a waste of <bandwidth>, and it has been
X   observed that the size of one's sig block is usually inversely
X   proportional to one's longevity and level of prestige on the net.
X
X<sig quote> /sig kwoht/ [USENET] n. A maxim, quote, proverb, joke or
X   slogan embedded in one's <SIG> and intended to convey something of
X   one's philosophical stance, pet peeves, or sense of humor. "He
X   *must* be a Democrat --- he posted a sig quote from Dan
X   Quayle."
X
X<silicon> n. Hardware, esp.  ICs or microprocessor-based computer
X   systems (compare <iron>). Contrasted with software.
X
X<silly walk> [from Monty Python] v. A ridiculous procedure required to
X   accomplish a task.  Like <grovel>, but more <random> and humorous.
X   "I had to silly-walk through half the /usr directories to find the
X   maps file."
X
X<silo> n. The FIFO input-character buffer in an RS-232 line card.  So
X   called from DEC terminology used on DH and DZ line cards for the
X   VAX and PDP-11.
X
X<Silver Book> n. Jensen & Wirth's infamous `Pascal User Manual
X   and Report', so called because of the silver cover of the
X   widely-distributed Springer-Verlag second edition of 1978 (ISBN
X   0-387-90144-2). See <Red Book>, <Green Book>, <Blue Book>, <White
X   Book>, <Purple Book>, <Orange Book>, <Pink-Shirt Book>, <Dragon
X   Book>, <Aluminum Book>
X
X<sitename> [UNIX/Internet] n. The unique electronic name of a computer
X   system, used to identify it in UUCP mail, USENET or other forms of
X   electronic information interchange.  The folklore interest of
X   sitenames stems from the creativity and humor they often display.
X   Interpreting a sitename is not unlike interpreting a vanity license
X   plate; one has to mentally unpack it, allowing for mono-case and
X   length restrictions and the lack of whitespace.  Hacker tradition
X   deprecates dull, institutional-sounding names in favor of punchy,
X   humorous and clever coinages (except that it is considered
X   appropriate for the official public gateway machine of an
X   organization to bear the organization's name or acronym).
X   Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal names, and
X   allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably the most popular
X   sources for sitenames (in roughly that order). See also <network
X   address>.
X
X<skulker> n. Syn. <prowler>.
X
X<slap on the side> adj. A type of external expansion marketed by
X   computer manufacturers (e.g. Commodore for their Amiga 500/1000
X   series). Various SOTS boxes provided necessities such as memory,
X   hard drive controllers, and "conventional" expansion slots.
X
X<sleep> v. On a timesharing system, a process which relinquishes its
X   claim on the scheduler until some given event occurs or a specified
X   time delay elapses is said to `go to sleep'.
X
X<slim> n. A small, derivative change (e.g. to code).
X
X<slop> n. 1. A one-sided <fudge factor>, that is, an allowance for
X   error but only in one of two directions.  For example, if you need
X   a piece of wire ten feet long and have to guess when you cut it,
X   you make very sure to cut it too long, by a large amount if
X   necessary, rather than too short by even a little bit, because you
X   can always cut off the slop but you can't paste it back on again.
X   When discrete quantities are involved, slop is often introduced to
X   avoid the possibility of a <fencepost error>.  2. n. The ratio of
X   the size code generated by a compiler to the size of equivalent
X   <hand-hacked> assembler code, minus 1; i.e., the space (or maybe
X   time) you lose because you didn't do it yourself.  This number is
X   often used as a measure of the goodness of a compiler; slop below
X   5% is very good, and 10% is usually acceptable for most purposes.
X   With modern compiler technology, esp. on RISC machines, the
X   compiler's slop may actually be *negative*; that is, humans
X   may be unable to generate code as good.  This is one of the reasons
X   assembler programming is no longer common.
X
X<slopsucker> n. A lowest-priority task that must wait around until
X   everything else has "had its fill" of machine resources.  Only
X   when the machine would otherwise be idle is the task allowed to
X   "suck up the slop."  Also called a <hungry puppy>.  One common
X   variety of slopsucker hunts for large prime numbers.  Compare
X   <background>.
X
X<sluggy> /sluh'gee/ adj. Hackish variant of `sluggish'. Used only of
X   people, esp.  someone just waking up after a long <gronk out>.
X
X<slurp> v. To read a large data file entirely into core before working
X   on it (This may be contrasted with the strategy of reading a small
X   piece at a time, processing it, and then reading the next piece).
X   "This program slurps in a 1K-by-1K matrix and does an FFT."
X
X<smart> adj. Said of a program that does the <Right Thing> in a wide
X   variety of complicated circumstances.  There is a difference
X   between calling a program smart and calling it intelligent; in
X   particular, there do not exist any intelligent programs (yet).
X   Compare <robust> (smart programs can be <brittle>).
X
X<smart terminal> n. A terminal that has enough computing capability to
X   perform useful work independently of the main computer.  The
X   development of workstations and personal computers has made this
X   term and the product it describes semi-obsolescent, but one may
X   still hear variants of the phrase "act like a smart terminal"
X   used to describe the behavior of workstations/PCs with respect to
X   programs that execute almost entirely out of a remote <server>'s
X   storage, using said devices as displays.
X
X   There's a classic quote from Rob Pike (inventor of the <blit>
X   terminal): "A smart terminal is not a smart*ass* terminal,
X   but rather a terminal you can educate."  This illustrates a common
X   design problem; the attempt to make peripherals (or anything else)
X   intelligent sometimes results in finicky, rigid "special
X   features" that become just so much dead weight if you try to use
X   the device in any way the designer didn't anticipate.  Flexibility
X   and programmability, on the other hand, are *really* smart.
X
X<smash case> v. To lose or obliterate the uppercase/lowercase
X   distinction in text input.  "MS-DOS will automatically smash case
X   in the filename you give when you create one".
X
X<smash the stack> [C programming] n. On many C implementations it is
X   possible to corrupt the execution stack by writing past the end of
X   an array declared auto in a routine.  Code that does this is said
X   to `smash the stack', and can cause return from the routine to jump
SHAR_EOF
chmod 0644 jsplit.ah || echo "restore of jsplit.ah fails"
if [ $TOUCH = can ]
then
    touch -am 0103154591 jsplit.ah
fi
exit 0