Source Code 1992 March/Source_Code_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_March_1992.iso/usenet/altsrcs/2/2932

Internet Message Format | 1991-03-03 | 49.9 KB

From: [e-mail] (Eric S. Raymond)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sources,misc.misc
Subject: The Jargon File v, part 8 of 17
Message-ID: <1ZdTxQ#5kNH9z5ZtxY22dkpr00LWXm8=[e-mail]>
Date: 2 Mar 91 18:18:19 GMT

Submitted-by: [e-mail]
Archive-name: jargon/part08

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X
XGet a real computer!: imp. Typical hacker response to news that
X   somebody is having trouble getting work done on a system that (a)
X   is single-tasking, (b) has no hard disk, or (c) has an address
X   space smaller than 4 megabytes.  This is as of mid-1991; note that
X   the threshold for `real computer' rises with time, and it may well
X   be (for example) that machines with character-only displays will be
X   generally considered `unreal' in a few years (GLS points out that
X   they already are in some circles).  See {essentials}, {bitty
X   box} and {toy}.
X
XGFR: /jee eff ar/ vt. [acronym, ITS] From "Grim File Reaper", an
X   ITS utility.  To remove a file or files according to some
X   program-automated or semi-automatic manual procedure, especially
X   one designed to reclaim mass storage space or reduce namespace
X   clutter.  Often generalized to pieces of data below file level.
X   "I used to have his phone number but I guess I {GFR}ed it."  See
X   also {prowler}, {reaper}.  Compare {GC}, which discards only
X   provably worthless stuff.
X
Xgig: /jig/ or /gig/ n. Short for `gigabyte' (1024 megabytes);
X   used in describing amounts of {core} or mass storage.  Also
X   written `GB'.  "My machine just got upgraded to a quarter-gig".
X   See also {K} and {kilo-}.
X
Xgiga-: /ji'ga/ or /gi'ga/ pref. Multiplier, 10 ^ 9 or 2 ^ 30. See
X   {kilo-}.
X
XGIGO: /gie'goh/ [acronym] 1. Garbage In, Garbage out --- usually said
X   in response to {luser}s who complain that a program didn't complain
X   about faulty data.  Also commonly used to describe failures in
X   human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data.
X   2. Garbage In, Gospel Out --- this more recent expansion is a
X   sardonic comment on the tendency human beings have to put excessive
X   trust in "computerized" data.
X
Xgillion: /jill'y@n/ n. 10 ^ 9. [From {giga-}, following
X   construction of mega/million and notional tera/trillion] Same as an
X   American billion or a British `milliard'.
X
XGIPS: [analogy with MIPS] n. Gillons of Instructions per Second.
X   In 1991 this rather silly acronym is used of only a handful of
X   highly parallel machines, but this is expected to change.
X
Xglark: /glark/ vt. To figure something out from context.  "The
X   System III manuals are pretty poor, but you can generally glark the
X   meaning from context."  Interestingly, the word was originally
X   `glork'; the context was: "This gubblick contains many nonsklarkish
X   English flutzpahs, but the overall pluggandisp can be glorked [sic]
X   from context", by David Moser, quoted by Douglas Hofstadter in his
X   `Metamagical Themas' column in the January 1981 Scientific
X   American.  It is conjectured that hackish usage mutated the verb to
X   `glark' because {glork} was already an established jargon term.
X
Xglass: [IBM] n. Synonym for {silicon}.
X
Xglass tty: /glas tee-tee-wie/ or /glas ti'tee/ n. A terminal which
X   has a display screen but which, because of hardware or software
X   limitations, behaves like a teletype or other printing terminal,
X   thereby combining the disadvantages of both: like a printing
X   terminal, it can't do fancy display hacks, and like a display
X   terminal, it doesn't produce hard copy.  An example is the early
X   `dumb' version of Lear-Siegler ADM-3 (without cursor control).  See
X   {tube}, {tty}.  See Appendix A for an interesting true story
X   about a glass tty.
X
Xglassfet: /glas'fet/ [by analogy with MOSFET the acronym for
X   Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor] n.  Syn.
X   {firebottle}, a humorous way to refer to a vacuum tube.
X
Xglitch: /glich/ [from German `glitschen' to slip, via Yiddish
X   `glitshen', to slide or skid] 1. n. A sudden interruption in
X   electric service, sanity, continuity, or program function.
X   Sometimes recoverable.  An interruption in electric service is
X   specifically called a `power glitch'.  This is of grave concern
X   because it usually crashes all the computers.  More common in
X   jargon, though, a hacker who got to the middle of a sentence and
X   then forgot how he or she intended to complete it might say,
X   "Sorry, I just glitched".  2. vi. To commit a glitch.  See
X   {gritch}.  3. vt. [Stanford] To scroll a display screen several
X   lines at a time.  This derives from some oddities in the terminal
X   behavior under {WAITS}.  4. obs.  Same as {magic cookie},
X   sense #2.
X
X   All these uses of `glitch' derive from the specific technical
X   meaning the term has to hardware people.  If the inputs of a
X   circuit change, and the outputs are supposed to change to some new
X   value, and they change to some random value for some very brief
X   time before they settle down to the correct value, then that is
X   called a glitch.  This may or may not be harmful, depending on what
X   the circuit is connected to.  This term is found in electronic
X   texts.
X
Xglob: /glob/, *not* /glohb/ [UNIX] vt.,n. To expand special
X   characters in a wildcarded name, or the act of so doing (the action
X   is also called `globbing').  The UNIX conventions for filename
X   wildcarding have become sufficiently pervasive that many hackers
X   use some of them in written English, especially in email or news on
X   technical topics.  Those commonly encountered include:
X
X     *    wildcard for any string (see also {UN*X}).
X     ?    wildcard for any character (generally only read this way
X          at the beginning or in the middle of a word).
X     []   delimits a wildcard matching any of the enclosed characters.
X     {}   alternation of comma-separated alternatives.  Thus,
X          `foo{baz,qux}' would be read as `foobaz' or `fooqux'.
X
X   Some examples: "He said his name was [KC]arl" (expresses
X   ambiguity).  "That got posted to talk.politics.*" (all the
X   talk.politics subgroups on {USENET}).  Other examples are given
X   under the entry for {X}.  Compare {regexp}.
X
X   Historical note: the jargon usage derives from `glob', the
X   name of a subprogram that expanded wildcards in archaic Bourne
X   Shell versions; this was necessary because early UNIX machines had
X   so little memory
X
Xglork: /glork/ 1. interj. Term of mild surprise, usually tinged with
X   outrage, as when one attempts to save the results of two hours of
X   editing and finds that the system has just crashed.  2. Used as a
X   name for just about anything.  See {foo}.  3. vt. Similar to
X   {glitch}, but usually used reflexively.  "My program just glorked
X   itself."
X
Xglue: n. Generic term for any interface logic or protocol that
X   connects between two component blocks.  For example, the {Blue
X   Glue} is IBM's SNA protocol, and hardware designers call anything
X   used to connect large VLSI's or circuit blocks "glue logic".
X
Xgnarly: adj. Both {obscure} and {hairy} in the sense of complex.
X   "Yeech --- the tuned assembler implementation of BitBlt is really
X   gnarly!"  From a similar but less specific usage in surfer slang.
X
XGNU: /gnoo/, *not* /noo/ 1. ["GNU's Not UNIX!", see
X   {{recursive acronyms}}] A UNIX-workalike development effort of the
X   Free Software Foundation headed by Richard Stallman
X   ([e-mail]).  GNU EMACS and the GNU C compiler, two
X   tools designed for this project, have become very popular in
X   hackerdom and elsewhere.  The GNU project was designed partly to
X   proselytize for RMS's position that information is community
X   property and all software source should be shared.  One of its
X   slogans is "Help stamp out software hoarding!"  Though this
X   remains controversial (because it implicitly denies any right of
X   designers to own, assign, and sell the results of their labors),
X   many hackers who disagree with him have nevertheless cooperated to
X   produce large amounts of high-quality software available for free
X   redistribution under the Free Software Foundation imprimatur.  See
X   {EMACS}, {copyleft}, {General Public Virus}.  2. Noted UNIX
X   hacker John Gilmore ([e-mail]), founder of USENET's anarchic
X   alt.* hierarchy.
X
XGNUMACS: /gnoo'maks/ [contraction of `GNU EMACS'] Often-heard
X   abbreviated name for the {GNU} project's flagship tool, {EMACS}.
X   Used esp. in contrast with {GOSMACS}.
X
Xgo flatline: [from cyberpunk SF, refers to flattening of EEG traces
X   upon brain-death] vi., also adjectival `flatlined'. 1. To die,
X   terminate, or fail, esp. irreversibly.  In hacker parlance, this is
X   used of machines only, human death being considered somewhat too
X   serious a matter to employ jargon-jokes about.  2. To go completely
X   quiescent; said of machines undergoing controlled shutdown.  "You
X   can suffer file damage if you shut down UNIX but power off before
X   the system has gone flatline."  3. Of a video tube, to fail by
X   losing vertical scan, so all one sees is a bright horizontal line
X   bisecting the screen.
X
Xgobble: vt. To consume or to obtain.  The phrase `gobble up' tends to
X   imply `consume', while `gobble down' tends to imply `obtain'.
X   "The output spy gobbles characters out of a {tty} output buffer."
X   "I guess I'll gobble down a copy of the documentation tomorrow."
X   See also {snarf}.
X
Xgolden: adj. [perh. from folklore's `golden egg'] When used to
X   describe a magnetic medium (e.g. `golden disk', `golden tape'),
X   describes one containing a tested, up-to-spec, ready-to-ship
X   software version.  Compare {platinum-iridium}.
X
Xgolf-ball printer: n. A slow but letter-quality printing device
X   and terminal (the IBM 2741) based on the IBM Selectric typewriter.
X   The `golf ball' was a round object bearing mirror-image embossed
X   images of 88 different characters (arranged on four lines of
X   latitude); one could change the font by swapping in a different
X   golf ball.  This was the technology that enabled APL to use a
X   non-ASCII (and in fact completely non-standard) character set; this
X   put it ten years ahead of its time---where it stayed, firmly
X   rooted, for the next twenty, until ASCII-based character displays
X   gave way to programmable bit-mapped displays with the flexibility
X   to support other character sets.
X
Xgonk: /gonk/ vt.,n. 1. To prevaricate or to embellish the truth
X   beyond any reasonable recognition.  It is alleged that in German
X   the term is (fictively) `gonken', in Spanish the verb becomes
X   `gonkar'.  "You're gonking me.  That story you just told me is a
X   bunch of gonk."  In German, for example, "Du gonkst mir" (You're
X   pulling my leg).  See also {gonkulator}.  2. [British] To grab some
X   sleep at an odd time; compare {gronk} (sense #4).
X
Xgonkulator: /gon'kyoo-lay-tr/ [from the old `Hogan's Heroes' TV
X   series] n. A pretentious piece of equipment that actually serves no
X   useful purpose.  Usually used to describe one's least favorite
X   piece of computer hardware.  See {gonk}.
X
Xgonzo: /gon'zo/ [from Hunter S. Thompson] adj. Overwhelming;
X   outrageous; over the top; very large, esp. used of collections of
X   source code, source files or individual functions.  Has some of the
X   connotations of {moby} and {hairy}.
X
XGood Thing: n.,adj. Often capitalized; always pronounced as if
X   capitalized.  1. Self-evidently wonderful to anyone in a position
X   to notice: "The Trailblazer's 19.2Kbaud PEP mode with on-the-fly
X   Lempel-Ziv compression is a Good Thing for sites relaying
X   netnews."  2. Something that can't possibly have any ill
X   side-effects and may save considerable grief later: "Removing the
X   self-modifying code from that shared library would be a Good
X   Thing."  3. When said of software tools or libraries, as in "YACC
X   is a Good Thing", specifically connotes that the thing has
X   drastically reduced a programmer's work load.  Oppose {Bad
X   Thing}.
X
Xgorilla arm: n. The side-effect that destroyed touch-screens as a
X   mainstream input technology despite a promising start in the early
X   eighties.  It seems the designers of all those {spiffy}
X   touch-menu systems failed to notice that humans aren't designed to
X   hold their arms in front of their faces making small motions.
X   After more than a very few selections, the arm begins to feel sore,
X   cramped, and oversized, hence `gorilla arm'.  This is now
X   considered a classic cautionary tale to human-factors designers;
X   "Remember the gorilla arm!" is shorthand for "How's this gonna
X   fly in *real* use?".
X
Xgorp: /gorp/ [CMU, perhaps from the canonical hiker's food, Good
X   Old Raisins and Peanuts] Another metasyntactic variable, like
X   {foo} and {bar}.
X
XGOSMACS: /goz'maks/ [contraction of `Gosling EMACS'] n. The first
X   {EMACS}-in-C implementation, predating but now largely eclipsed by
X   {GNUMACS}.  Originally freeware; a commercial version is now
X   modestly popular as `UniPress EMACS'.  The author (James Gosling)
X   went on to invent {NeWS}.
X
XGosperism: /gos'p@r-iz-m/ A hack, invention, or saying by
X   arch-hacker R. William (Bill) Gosper.  This notion merits its own
X   term because there are so many of them.  Many of the entries in
X   {HAKMEM} are Gosperisms; see also {life}.
X
Xgotcha: n. A {misfeature} of a system, especially a programming
X   language or environment, that tends to breed bugs or mistakes
X   because it behaves in an unexpected way.  For example, a classic
X   gotcha in {C} is the fact that `if (a=b) {code;}' is
X   syntactically valid and sometimes even correct.  It puts the value
X   of b into a and then executes `code' if a is non-zero.  What
X   the programmer probably meant was `if (a==b) {code;}' which
X   executes `code' if a and b are equal.
X
XGPL: n. Abbrev. for `General Public License' in widespread use; see
X   {copyleft}.
X
XGPV: n. Abbrev. for {General Public Virus} in widespread use.
X
Xgrault: /grawlt/ n. Yet another meta-syntactic variable, invented by
X   Mike Gallaher and propagated by the {GOSMACS} documentation.  See
X   {corge}.
X
Xgray goo: n. A hypothetical substance composed of {sagan}s of
X   sub-micron-sized self-replicating robots programmed to make copies
X   of themselves out of whatever is available.  The image that goes
X   with the term is one of the entire biosphere of Earth being
X   eventually converted to robot goo.  This is the simplest of the
X   {{nanotechnology}} disaster scenarios, easily refuted by arguments
X   from energy requirements and elemental abundances.  Compare {blue
X   goo}.
X
XGreat Renaming: n. The {flag day} on which all of the groups on the
X   {USENET} had their names changed from the net.- format to the
X   current multiple-hierarchies scheme.
X
XGreat Runes: n. Uppercase-only text or display messages.  Some
X   archaic operating systems still emit these.  See also {runes},
X   {smash case}, {fold case}.
X
Xgreat-wall: [from SF fandom] vi.,n. A mass expedition to an
X   Oriental restaurant, esp. one where food is served family-style
X   and shared.  There is a common heuristic about the amount of food
X   to order, expressed as "Get N - 1 entrees"; the value of
X   N, which is the number of people in the group, can be inferred from
X   context (see {N}).  See {{Oriental Food}}, {ravs},
X   {stir-fried random}.
X
XGreen Book: n. 1. One of the three standard PostScript references
X   (`PostScript Language Program Design', Adobe Systems,
X   Addison-Wesley 1988, QA76.73.P67P66 ISBN 0-201-14396-8); see also
X   {Red Book}, {Blue Book}).  2. Informal name for one of the three
X   standard references on SmallTalk: `Smalltalk-80: Bits of
X   History, Words of Advice', Glenn Krasner, Addison-Wesley 1983,
X   QA76.8.S635S58, ISBN 0-201-11669-3 (this, too, is associated with
X   blue and red books).  3. The `X/Open Compatibility Guide'.
X   Defines an international standard {UNIX} environment that is a
X   proper superset of POSIX/SVID; also includes descriptions of a
X   standard utility toolkit, systems administrations features, and the
X   like.  This grimoire is taken with particular seriousness in
X   Europe.  See {Purple Book}.  4. The IEEE 1003.1 POSIX Operating
X   Systems Interface standard has been dubbed "The Ugly Green Book".
X   5. Any of the 1992 standards which will be issued by the CCITT 10th
X   plenary assembly.  Until now, these have changed color each review
X   cycle (1984 was {Red Book}, 1988 {Blue Book}); however, it is
X   rumored that this convention is going to be dropped before 1992.
X   These include, among other things, the X.400 email spec and the
X   Group 1 through 4 fax standards.  See also {{book titles}}.
X
Xgreen bytes: n. 1. Meta-information embedded in a file such as the
X   length of the file or its name; as opposed to keeping such
X   information in a separate description file or record.  The term
X   comes from an IBM user's group meeting c.1962 where these two
X   approaches were being debated and the diagram of the file on the
X   blackboard had the `green bytes' drawn in green.  2. By extension,
X   the non-data bits in any self-describing format.  "A GIF file
X   contains, among other things, green bytes describing the packing
X   method for the image."
X
Xgreen card: n. [after the `IBM System/360 Reference Data'
X   card] This is used for any summary of an assembly language, even if
X   the color is not green.  Less frequently used now because of the
X   decrease in the use of assembly language.  "I'll go get my green
X   card so I can check the addressing mode for that instruction."
X   Some green cards are actually booklets.
X
X   The original green card became a yellow card when the System/370
X   was introduced, and later a yellow booklet.  An anecdote from IBM
X   refers to a scene that took place in a programmers' terminal room
X   at Yorktown in 1978.  A luser overheard one of the programmers ask
X   another "Do you have a green card?"  The other grunted and
X   passed the first a thick yellow booklet.  At this point the luser
X   turned a delicate shade of olive and rapidly left the room, never
X   to return.  See also {card}.
X
Xgreen lightning: [IBM] n. 1. Apparently random flashing streaks on
X   the face of 3278-9 terminals while a new symbol set is being
X   downloaded.  This hardware bug was left deliberately unfixed, as
X   some genius within IBM suggested it would let the user know that
X   `something is happening'.  That, it certainly does.  Later
X   microprocessor-driven IBM color graphics displays were actually
X   *programmed* to produce green lightning!  2. [proposed] Any
X   bug perverted into an alleged feature by adroit rationalization or
X   marketing.  E.g., "Motorola calls the CISC cruft in the 88000
X   architecture `compatibility logic', but I call it green
X   lightning".  See also {feature}.
X
Xgreen machine: n. A computer or peripheral device that has been
X   designed and built to military specifications for field equipment
X   (that is, to withstand mechanical shock, extremes of temperature
X   and humidity, and so forth).  Comes from the olive-drab `uniform'
X   paint used for military equipment.
X
Xgrep: /grep/ [from the qed/ed editor idiom g/re/p , where
X   re stands for a regular expression, to Globally search for the
X   Regular Expression and Print the lines containing matches to it,
X   via {UNIX} `grep(1)'] vt. To rapidly scan a file or file set
X   looking for a particular string or pattern.  By extension, to look
X   for something by pattern.  "Grep the bulletin board for the system
X   backup schedule, would you?"  See also {vgrep}.
X
Xgrind: vt. 1. [MIT and Berkeley] To format code, especially LISP
X   code, by indenting lines so that it looks pretty.  This usage was
X   associated with the MacLISP community and is now rare;
X   {prettyprint} was and is the generic term for such operations.
X   2. [UNIX] To generate the formatted version of a document from the
X   nroff, troff, TeX, or Scribe source.  The BSD program
X   `vgrind(1)' grinds code for printing on a Versatec bitmapped
X   printer.  3. To run seemingly interminably, esp. (but not
X   necessarily) if performing some tedious and inherently useless
X   task.  Similar to {crunch} or {grovel}.  Grinding has a
X   connotation of using a lot of CPU time, but it is possible to grind
X   a disk, network, etc.  See also {hog}.  4. To make the whole
X   system slow, e.g. "Troff really grinds a PDP-11".  5. `grind
X   grind' excl. Roughly, "Isn't the machine slow today!"
X
Xgrind crank: n. A mythical accessory to a terminal.  A crank on the
X   side of a monitor, which when operated makes a zizzing noise and
X   causes the computer to run faster.  Usually one does not refer to a
X   grind crank out loud, but merely makes the appropriate gesture and
X   noise.  See {grind}, and {wugga wugga}.
X
X   Historical note: At least one real machine actually had a grind
X   crank --- the R1, a research machine built towards the the end of
X   the days of the great vacuum tube computers in 1959.  R1 (also
X   known as `The Rice Institute Computer' (TRIC) and later as `The
X   Rice University Computer' (TRUC)) had a single-step/free-run switch
X   for use when debugging programs.  Since single-stepping through a
X   large program was rather tedious, there was also a crank with a cam
X   and gear arrangement that repeatedly pushed the single-step button.
X   This allowed one to `crank' through a lot of code, then slow down
X   to single-step a bit when you got near the code of interest, poke
X   at some registers using the console typewriter, and then keep on
X   cranking.
X
Xgritch: /grich/ 1. n. A complaint (often caused by a {glitch}).  2.
X   vi. To complain.  Often verb-doubled: "Gritch gritch".  3. A
X   synonym for {glitch} (as verb or noun).
X
Xgrok: /grok/ [from the novel `Stranger in a Strange Land', by
X   Robert Heinlein, where it is a Martian word meaning literally
X   `to drink' and metaphorically `to be one with'] vt. 1. To
X   understand, usually in a global sense.  Connotes intimate and
X   exhaustive knowledge.  Contrast {zen}, similar supernal
X   understanding as a single brief flash.  2. Used of programs, may
X   connote merely sufficient understanding, e.g., "Almost all C
X   compilers grok void these days."
X
Xgronk: /gronk/ [popularized by the comic strip `B.C.' by Johnny
X   Hart, but the word apparently predates that] vt. 1. To clear the
X   state of a wedged device and restart it.  More severe than "to
X   {frob}".  2. To break.  "The teletype scanner was gronked,
X   so we took the system down."  3. `gronked': adj. Of people, the
X   condition of feeling very tired or sick.  Oppose {broken}, which
X   means about the same as {gronk} used of hardware but connotes
X   depression or mental/emotional problems in people.  4. `gronk out':
X   vi. To cease functioning.  Of people, to go home and go to sleep.
X   "I guess I'll gronk out now; see you all tomorrow."  5. The sound
X   made by many 3.5" diskette drives.  In particular, the floppies on
X   a Commodore Amiga go "grink, gronk".
X
Xgrovel: vi. 1. To work interminably and without apparent progress.
X   Often used transitively with `over' or `through'.  "The file
X   scavenger has been grovelling through the file directories for ten
X   minutes now."  Compare {grind} and {crunch}.  Emphatic form:
X   `grovel obscenely'.  2. To examine minutely or in complete detail.
X   "The compiler grovels over the entire source program before
X   beginning to translate it."  "I grovelled through all the
X   documentation, but I still couldn't find the command I wanted."
X
Xgrunge: /gruhnj/ n. 1. That which is grungy, or that which
X   makes it so.  2. [Cambridge] Code which is `dead' (can never be
X   accessed) due to changes in other parts of the program.  The
X   preferred term in North America is {dead code}.
X
Xgubbish: /guh'bish/ [a portmanteau of "garbage" and "rubbish"?]
X   n. Garbage; crap; nonsense.  "What is all this gubbish?"  The
X   opposite portmanteau "rubbage" is also reported.
X
Xguiltware: n. 1. {freeware} decorated with a message telling one how
X   long and hard the author worked on this program and intimating that
X   one is a no-good freeloader if one does not immediately send the
X   poor suffering martyr gobs of money.  2. {Shareware} that works.
X
Xgumby: /guhm'bee/ [from a class of Monty Python characters, poss.
X   themselves named after the 1960s claymation character] n. An act of
X   minor but conspicuous stupidity, often in `gumby maneuver' or
X   `pull a gumby'.
X
Xgun: [from the :GUN command on ITS] vt. To forcibly terminate a
X   program or job (computer, not career).  "Some idiot left a
X   background process running soaking up half the cycles, so I gunned
X   it."  Compare {can}.
X
Xgurfle: /ger'fl/ interj. An expression of shocked disbelief.  "He
X   said we have to recode this thing in FORTRAN by next week.
X   Gurfle!"  Compare {weeble}.
X
Xguru: n. 1. [UNIX] An expert.  Implies not only {wizard} skill but a
X   history of being a knowledge resource for others.  Less often, used
X   (with a qualifier) for other experts on other systems, as in `VMS
X   guru'.  2. Amiga equivalent of "panic" in UNIX.  When the system
X   crashes, a cryptic message "GURU MEDITATION #XXXXXXXX.YYYYYYYY"
X   appears, indicating what the problem was.  An Amiga guru can figure
X   things out from the numbers.  Generally a {guru} event must be
X   followed by a {vulcan nerve pinch}.
X
X= H =
X=====
X
Xh: [from SF fandom] infix. A method of `marking' common words,
X   i.e. calling attention to the fact that they are being used in a
X   nonstandard, ironic, or humorous way.  Orig. in the fannish
X   catchphrase "Bheer is the One True Ghod!" from decades ago.
X   H-infix marking of `Ghod' and other words spread into the Sixties
X   counterculture via underground comix, and into early hackerdom
X   either from the counterculture or SF fandom (all three overlapped
X   heavily at the time).  More recently, the h infix has become an
X   expected feature of benchmark names, e.g. Whetstone, Dhrystone,
X   Rhealstone, etc.; this is prob. patterning on the original
X   Whetstone name but influenced by the fannish/counterculture H
X   infix.
X
Xha ha only serious: [from SF fandom, orig. as mutation of HHOK,
X   "Ha Ha Only Kidding"] A phrase that aptly captures the flavor of
X   much hacker discourse (often seen abbreviated as HHOS).  Applied
X   especially to parodies, absurdities, and ironic jokes that are both
X   intended and perceived to contain a possibly disquieting amount of
X   truth, or truths which are constructed on in-joke and self-parody.
X   This lexicon contains many examples of ha-ha-only-serious in
X   both form and content.  Indeed, the entirety of hacker culture is
X   often perceived as ha-ha-only-serious by hackers themselves; to
X   take it either too lightly or too seriously marks a person as an
X   outsider, a {wannabee}, or in {larval stage}.  For further
X   enlightenment on this subject, consult any Zen master.  See also
X   {{Humor, Hacker}} and {AI koans}.
X
Xhack: 1. n. Originally a quick job that produces what is needed,
X   but not well.  2. n. An incredibly good, and perhaps very
X   time-consuming, piece of work that produces exactly what is needed.
X   3. vt. To bear emotionally or physically.  "I can't hack this
X   heat!"  4. vt. To work on something (typically a program).  In
X   specific sense: "What are you doing?"  "I'm hacking TECO."  In
X   general sense: "What do you do around here?"  "I hack TECO."
X   (The former is time-immediate, the latter time-extended.)  More
X   generally, "I hack `foo'" is roughly equivalent to
X   "`foo' is my major interest (or project)".  "I hack
X   solid-state physics."  5. vt. To pull a prank on.  See
X   definition 3 and {hacker} (sense #6).  6. vi. To interact with
X   a computer in a playful and exploratory, rather than goal-directed
X   way.  "Whatcha up to?"  "Oh, just hacking."  7. n. Short for
X   {hacker}, which see.  8. [UNIX] n. A dungeon game similar to
X   {rogue} but more elaborate, distributed in C source over
X   {USENET} and very popular at UNIX sites and on PC-class machines.
X   Recent versions are called `nethack'.
X
X   Constructions on this term abound.  They include: `happy
X   hacking', a farewell; `how's hacking?', a friendly greeting
X   among hackers; and `hack hack', a fairly content-free but
X   friendly comment, often used as a temporary farewell.  For more on
X   the meaning of {hack} see Appendix A.  See also {neat hack},
X   {real hack}.
X
Xhack attack: [poss. by analogy with `Big Mac Attack'; the variant
X   `big hack attack' is reported] n. Nearly synonymous with
X   {hacking run}, though the latter more strongly implies an
X   all-nighter.
X
Xhack mode: n. 1. What one is in when hacking, of course.  2.
X   More specifically, a Zen-like state of total focus on The Problem
X   which may be achieved when one is hacking (this is why every good
X   hacker is part mystic).  Ability to enter such concentration at
X   will correlates strongly with wizardliness; it is one of the most
X   important skills learned during {larval stage}.  Sometimes
X   amplified as `deep hack mode'.
X
X   Being yanked out of hack mode (see {priority interrupt}) may be
X   experienced as an physical shock, and the sensation of being in it
X   is more than a little habituating.  The intensity of this
X   experience is probably by itself sufficient explanation for the
X   existence of hackers, and explains why many resist being promoted
X   out of positions where they can code.  See also {cyberspace}
X   (sense #2).
X
X   Some aspects of hackish etiquette will appear quite odd to an
X   observer unaware of the high value placed on hack mode.  For
X   example, if someone appears at your door, it is perfectly okay to
X   hold up a hand (without turning one's eyes away from the screen) to
X   avoid being interrupted.  One may read, type, and interact with the
X   computer for quite some time before further acknowledging the
X   other's presence (of course, he or she is reciprocally free to
X   leave without a word).  The understanding is that you might be in
X   {hack mode} with a lot of delicate {state} (sense #2) in your
X   head, and you dare not {swap} that context out until you have
X   reached a good point to pause.
X
Xhack on: vt. To {hack}; implies that the subject is some
X   pre-existing hunk of code that one is evolving, as opposed to
X   something one might {hack up}.
X
Xhack together: vt. To throw something together so it will work.
X   Unlike `kluge together' or {cruft together}, this does not
X   necessarily have negative connotations.
X
Xhack up: vt. To {hack}, but generally implies that the result is
X   a hack in sense #1 (a quick hack).  Contrast this with {hack on}.
X   To `hack up on' implies a quick and dirty modification to an
X   existing system.  Contrast {hacked up}; compare {kluge up},
X   {monkey up}, {cruft together}.
X
Xhack value: n. Often adduced as the reason or motivation for
X   expending effort toward a seemingly useless goal, the point being
X   that the accomplished goal is a hack.  For example, MacLISP had
X   features for reading and printing Roman numerals, which were
X   installed purely for hack value.  This cannot be explained.  As a
X   great artist once said of jazz, if you hafta ask, you ain't never
X   goin' to find out.
X
Xhack-and-slay: v. (also `hack-and-slash') 1. To play a {MUD}
X   or go mudding, especially with the intention of {berserking} for
X   pleasure.  2. To undertake an all-night programming/hacking
X   session, interspersed with stints of mudding as a change of pace.
X   This term arose on the British academic network amongst students
X   who worked nights and logged onto Essex University's MUDs during
X   public-access hours (2 am to 7 am).  Usually more mudding than
X   work was done in these sessions.
X
Xhacked off: [analogous with `pissed-off'] adj. Said of system
X   administrators who have become annoyed, upset, or touchy due to
X   suspicions that their sites have been or are going to be victimized
X   by crackers, or used for inappropriate, technically illegal, or
X   even overtly criminal activities.  For example, having unreadable
X   files in your home directory called `worm', `lockpick', or `goroot'
X   would probably be an effective (as well as impressively obvious and
X   stupid) way to get your sysadmin hacked off at you.
X
Xhacked up: adj. Sufficiently patched, kluged, and tweaked that the
X   surgical scars are beginning to crowd out normal tissue (compare
X   {critical mass}).  Note that not all programs which are hacked
X   become `hacked up'; if modifications are done with some eye to
X   coherence and continued maintainability, the software may emerge
X   better for the experience.  Contrast {hack up}.
X
Xhacker: [originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe] n.
X   1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable
X   systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most
X   users who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.  2. One who
X   programs enthusiastically (even obsessively), or who enjoys
X   programming rather than just theorizing about programming.  3. A
X   person capable of appreciating {hack value}.  4. A person who
X   is good at programming quickly.  5. An expert at a particular
X   program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in
X   `a UNIX hacker'.  (Definitions 1 to 5 are correlated, and people
X   who fit them congregate.)  6. An expert of any kind.  One might
X   be an astronomy hacker, for example.  7. One who enjoys the
X   intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing
X   limitations.  8. (deprecated) A malicious meddler who tries to
X   discover sensitive information by poking around.  Hence
X   `password hacker', `network hacker'.  See {cracker}.
X
Xhacking run: [analogy with `bombing run' or `speed run'] n. A
X   hack session extended long outside normal working times, especially
X   one longer than 12 hours.  May cause you to `change phase the hard
X   way' (see {phase}).
X
XHacking X for Y: [ITS] n. The information ITS made publically
X   available about each user (the INQUIR record) was a sort of form in
X   which the user could fill out fields.  On display, two of these
X   fields were combined into a project description of the form
X   "Hacking X for Y" (e.g., `"Hacking perceptrons for
X   Minsky"').  This form of description became traditional and has
X   since been carried over to other systems with more general
X   facilities for self-advertisement (such as UNIX {plan file}s).
X
Xhackish: /hak'ish/ adj. (also {hackishness} n.) 1. Said of
X   something which is or involves a hack.  2. Of or pertaining to
X   hackers or the hacker subculture.  See also {true-hacker}.  It is
X   better to be described as hackish by others than to describe
X   oneself that way.  Hackers consider themselves something of an
X   elite, though one to which new members are gladly welcome.  It is a
X   meritocracy based on ability.  There is a certain self-satisfaction
X   in identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and
X   are not, you'll quickly be labelled {bogus}).
X
Xhackishness: n. The quality of being or involving a hack.  See
X   {hackitude}.
X
Xhackitude: n. Syn. {hackishness}; this word is considered silly.
X
Xhair: [back-formation from {hairy}] n. The complications that
X   make something hairy.  "Decoding {TECO} commands requires a
X   certain amount of hair."  Often seen in the phrase `infinite
X   hair', which connotes extreme complexity.  Also in `hairiferous'
X   (tending to promote hair growth): "GNUMACS Elisp encourages lusers
X   to write complex editing modes."  "Yeah, it's pretty hairiferous
X   all right." (or just: "Hair squared!")
X
Xhairy: adj. 1. Annoyingly complicated.  "{DWIM} is incredibly
X   hairy."  2. Incomprehensible.  "{DWIM} is incredibly hairy."
X   3. Of people, high-powered, authoritative, rare, expert, and/or
X   incomprehensible.  Hard to explain except in context: "He knows
X   this hairy lawyer who says there's nothing to worry about."  See
X   also {hirsute}.
X
XHAKMEM: /hak'mem/ n. MIT AI Memo 239 (February 1972).  A legendary
X   collection of neat mathematical and programming hacks contributed
X   by many people at MIT and elsewhere.  (The title of the memo really
X   is "HAKMEM", which is a six-letterism for `hacks memo'.)  Some of
X   them are very useful techniques, powerful theorems, or interesting
X   unsolved problems, but most fall into the category of mathematical
X   and computer trivia.  A sampling of the entries (with authors),
X   slightly paraphrased:
X
X   Item 41 (Gene Salamin): There are exactly 23,000 prime numbers less
X   than 2 ^ 18.
X
X   Item 46 (Rich Schroeppel): The most *probable* suit
X   distribution in bridge hands is 4-4-3-2, as compared to 4-3-3-3,
X   which is the most *evenly* distributed.  This is because the
X   world likes to have unequal numbers: a thermodynamic effect saying
X   things will not be in the state of lowest energy, but in the state
X   of lowest disordered energy.
X
X   Item 81 (Rich Schroeppel): Count the magic squares of order 5
X   (that is, all the 5-by-5 arrangements of the numbers from 1 to 25
X   such that all rows, columns, and diagonals add up to the same
X   number).  There are about 320 million, not counting those that
X   differ only by rotation and reflection.
X
X   Item 154 (Gosper): The myth that any given programming language is
X   machine independent is easily exploded by computing the sum of
X   powers of 2.  If the result loops with period = 1 with sign +, you
X   are on a sign-magnitude machine.  If the result loops with period =
X   1 at -1, you are on a twos-complement machine.  If the result loops
X   with period greater than 1, including the beginning, you are on a
X   ones-complement machine.  If the result loops with period greater
X   than 1, not including the beginning, your machine isn't
X   binary---the pattern should tell you the base.  If you run out of
X   memory, you are on a string or bignum system.  If arithmetic
X   overflow is a fatal error, some fascist pig with a read-only mind
X   is trying to enforce machine independence.  But the very ability to
X   trap overflow is machine dependent.  By this strategy, consider the
X   universe, or, more precisely, algebra: Let X = the sum of many
X   powers of two = ...111111 Now add X to itself: X + X = ...111110
X   Thus, 2X = X - 1, so X = -1.  Therefore algebra is run on a machine
X   (the universe) that is two's-complement.
X
X   Item 174 (Bill Gosper and Stuart Nelson): 21963283741 is the only
X   number such that if you represent it on the {PDP-10} as both an
X   integer and a floating-point number, the bit patterns of the two
X   representations are identical.
X
X   Item 176 (Gosper): The "banana phenomenon" was encountered when
X   processing a character string by taking the last 3 letters typed
X   out, searching for a random occurrence of that sequence in the
X   text, taking the letter following that occurrence, typing it out,
X   and iterating.  This ensures that every 4-letter string output
X   occurs in the original.  The program typed BANANANANANANANA....  We
X   note an ambiguity in the phrase, "the Nth occurrence of."  In one
X   sense, there are five 00's in 0000000000; in another, there are
X   nine.  The editing program TECO finds five.  Thus it finds only the
X   first ANA in BANANA, and is thus obligated to type N next.  By
X   Murphy's Law, there is but one NAN, thus forcing A, and thus a
X   loop.  An option to find overlapped instances would be useful,
X   although it would require backing up N-1 characters before seeking
X   the next N character string.
X
X   HAKMEM also contains some rather more complicated mathematical and
X   technical items, but these examples show some of its fun flavor.
X
Xhakspek: /hak'speek/ n. Generally used term to describe a method of
X   spelling to be found on many British academic bulletin boards and
X   {talker system}s.  Syllables and whole words in a sentence are
X   replaced by single ASCII characters the names of which are
X   phonetically similar or equivalent, whilst multiple letters are
X   usually dropped.  Hence, `for' becomes `4'; `two', `too', and `to'
X   become `2'; `ck' becomes `k'.  "Before I see you tomorrow"
X   becomes "b4 i c u 2moro".  First appeared in London about 1986,
X   and was probably caused by the slow speed of available talker
X   systems, which operated on archaic machines with outdated operating
X   systems, and no standard methods of communication.  Has become
X   rarer nowadays.  See also {talk mode}.
X
Xhamster: n. A particularly slick little piece of code that does one
X   thing well; a small, self-contained hack.  The image is of a
X   hamster happily spinning its exercise wheel.
X
Xhand-hacking: n. 1. The practice of translating {hot spot}s
X   from an {HLL} into hand-tuned assembler, as opposed to trying to
X   coerce the compiler into generating better code.  Both the term and
X   the practice are becoming uncommon.  See {tune}, {bum}; syn.
X   with v. {cruft}.  2. More generally, manual construction or
X   patching of data sets that would normally be generated by a
X   translation utility and interpreted by another program, and aren't
X   really designed to be read or modified by humans.
X
Xhandshaking: n. Hardware or software activity designed to start or
X   keep two machines or programs in synchronization as they {do
X   protocol}.  Often applied to human activity; thus, a hacker might
X   watch two people in conversation nodding their heads to indicate
X   that they've heard each others' points and say "Oh, they're
X   handshaking!".  See also {protocol}.
X
Xhandwave: [poss. from gestures characteristic of stage magicians]
X   1. v. To gloss over a complex point; to distract a listener; to
X   support a (possibly actually valid) point with blatantly faulty
X   logic.  2. n. The act of handwaving.  "Boy, what a handwave!"
X
X   If someone starts a sentence with "Clearly..." or
X   "Obviously..." or "It is self-evident that...", it is
X   a good bet he is about to handwave (alternatively, use of these
X   constructions in a sarcastic tone before a paraphrase of someone
X   else's argument suggests that it is a handwave).  The theory behind
X   this term is that if you wave your hands at the right moment, the
X   listener may be sufficiently distracted to not notice that what you
X   have said is {bogus}.  Failing that, if a listener does object,
X   you might try to dismiss the objection with a wave of your hand.
X
X   The use of this word is often accompanied by gestures: both hands
X   up, palms forward, swinging the hands in a vertical plane pivoting
X   at the elbows and/or shoulders (depending on the magnitude of the
X   handwave); alternatively, holding the forearms in one position
X   while rotating the hands at the wrist to make them flutter.  In
X   context, the gestures alone can suffice as a remark; if a speaker
X   makes an outrageously unsupported assumption, you might simply wave
X   your hands in this way, as an accusation, far more eloquent than
X   words could express, that his logic is faulty.
X
Xhang: v. 1. More commonly, to wait for an event that will never
X   occur.  "The system is hanging because it can't read from the
X   crashed drive".  See {wedged}, {hung}.  2. To wait for some
X   event to occur; to hang around until something happens.  "The
X   program displays a menu and then hangs until you type a
X   character."  Compare {block}.  3. To attach a peripheral
X   device, esp. in the construction `hang off'.  "We're going to
X   hang another tape drive off the file server".  Implies a device
X   attached with cables, rather than something that's strictly inside
X   the machine's chassis.
X
XHanlon's Razor: prov. A corollary of {Murphy's Law} similar to
X   Occam's Razor that reads "Never attribute to malice that which can
X   be adequately explained by stupidity."  The derivation of the
X   common title Hanlon's Razor is unknown; a similar epigram has been
X   attributed to William James.  Quoted here because it seems to be a
X   particular favorite of hackers, often showing up in {fortune
X   cookie} files and the login banners of BBS systems and commercial
X   networks.  This probably reflects the hacker's daily experience of
X   environments created by the well-intentioned but shortsighted.
X
Xhardcoded: adj. 1. Data inserted directly into a program, where
X   it cannot be easily modified, as opposed to data in some
X   {profile}, resource (see {de-rezz} sense #2), or environment
X   variable that a {user} or hacker can easily modify.  2. In C,
X   this is esp. applied to use of a literal instead of a preprocessor
X   `#define''d (see {magic number}).
X
Xhardwarily: /hard-weir'i-lee/ adv. In a way pertaining to hardware.
X   "The system is hardwarily unreliable."  The adjective
X   `hardwary' is *not* used.  See {softwarily}.
X
Xhardwired: adj. 1. In software, syn. for {hardcoded}.  2. By
X   extension, anything that is not modifiable, especially in the sense
X   of customizable to one's particular needs or tastes.
X
Xhas the X nature: [seems to derive from Zen Buddhist koans of the
X   form "Does an X have the Buddha-nature?"] adj. Common hacker
X   construction for `is an X', used for humorous emphasis.  "Anyone
X   who can't even use a program with on-screen help embedded in it
X   truly has the {loser} nature!"
X
Xhash bucket: n. A notional receptacle into which more than one
X   thing accessed by the same key or short code might be dropped.
X   This is used as techspeak with respect to code that uses actual
X   hash functions; in jargon, it is used for human associative memory
X   as well.  Thus, two things "in the same hash bucket" may be
X   confused with each other.  Compare {hash collision}.
X
Xhash collision: [from the technical usage] n. (var. `hash
X   clash') When used of people, signifies a confusion in associative
X   memory or imagination, especially a persistent one (see
X   {thinko}).  True story: one of us [ESR] was once on the phone
X   with a friend about to move out to Berkeley.  When asked what he
X   expected Berkeley to be like, the friend replied "Well, I have
X   this mental picture of naked women throwing Molotov cocktails, but
X   I think that's just a collision in my hash tables."  Compare
X   {hash bucket}.
X
XHCF: /aych-see-eff/ n. Mnemonic for `Halt and Catch Fire', any of
X   several undocumented and semi-mythical machine instructions with
X   destructive side-effects, supposedly included for test purposes on
X   several well-known architectures going as far back as the IBM 360.
X   The MC6800 microprocessor was the first for which the HCF opcode
X   became widely known.  This instruction caused the processor to
X   {toggle} a subset of the bus lines as rapidly as it can; in some
X   configurations this can actually cause lines to burn up.
X
Xheads down: [Sun] adj. Concentrating, usually so heavily and for so
X   long that everything outside the focus area is missed.  See also
X   {hack mode} and {larval stage}, although it's not confined to
X   fledgling hackers.
X
Xheartbeat: n. 1. The signal emitted by a Level 2 Ethernet
X   transceiver at the end of every packet to show that the
X   collision-detection circuit is still connected.  2. A periodic
X   synchronization signal used by software or hardware, such as a bus
X   clock or a periodic interrupt.  3. The `natural' oscillation
X   frequency of a computer's clock crystal, before frequency division
X   down to the machine's clock rate.  4. A signal emitted at regular
X   intervals by software to demonstrate that it's still alive.
X   Sometimes hardware is designed to reboot the machine if it stops
X   hearing a heartbeat.  See also {breath-of-life packet}.
X
Xheavy metal: [Cambridge] n. Syn. {big iron}.
X
Xheavy wizardry: n. Code or designs which trade on a particularly
X   intimate knowledge or experience of a particular operating system
X   or language or complex application interface.  Distinguished from
X   {deep magic}, which trades more on arcane *theoretical*
X   knowledge.  Writing device drivers is heavy wizardry; so is
X   interfacing to {X} (sense #2) without a toolkit.  Esp. found in
X   comments similar to "Heavy wizardry begins here...".  Compare
X   {voodoo programming}.
X
Xheavyweight: adj. High-overhead; {baroque}; code-intensive;
X   featureful, but costly.  Esp. used of communication protocols,
X   language designs, and any sort of implementation in which maximum
X   generality and/or ease of implementation has been pushed at the
X   expense of mundane considerations like speed, memory utilization,
X   and start-up time.  {EMACS} is a heavyweight editor; {X} is an
X   `extremely' heavyweight window system.  This term isn't
X   pejorative, but one man's heavyweight is another's {elephantine}
X   and a third's {monstrosity}.  Oppose `lightweight'.
X
Xheisenbug: /hie'zen-buhg/ [from Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle in
X   quantum physics] n. A bug that disappears or alters its behavior
X   when one attempts to probe or isolate it.  Antonym of {Bohr bug}.
X   In C, 9 out of 10 heisenbugs result from either {fandango on core}
X   phenomena (esp. lossage related to corruption of the malloc
X   {arena}) or errors that {smash the stack}.
X
XHelen Keller mode: n. State of a hardware or software system that
X   is deaf, dumb, and blind, i.e. accepting no input and generating no
X   output, usually due to an infinite loop or some other excursion
X   into {deep space}.  (Unfair to the real Helen Keller, whose
X   success at learning speech was triumphant.)  See also {go
X   flatline}, {catatonic}.
X
Xhello sailor!: interj. Occasional West Coast equivalent of {hello,
X   world}; seems to have originated at SAIL, later associated with
X   the game {Zork} (which also included "hello aviator" and "hello
X   implementor").  Originally from the traditional hooker's
X   greeting to a swabbie fresh off the boat, of course.
X
Xhello wall!: excl. See {wall}.
SHAR_EOF
true || echo 'restore of jargon.ascii failed'
fi
echo 'End of part 8, continue with part 9'
echo 9 > _shar_seq_.tmp
exit 0