The New Hacker’s Dictionary version 4.2.2 (page 6)

Node:creeping featurism, Next:[3257]creeping featuritis, Previous:[3258]creeping elegance, Up:[3259]= C =
creeping featurism /kree’ping fee’chr-izm/ n.
[common] 1. Describes a systematic tendency to load more [3260]chrome and [3261]features onto systems at the expense of whatever elegance they may have possessed when originally designed. See also [3262]feeping creaturism. “You know, the main problem with [3263]BSD Unix has always been creeping featurism.” 2. More generally, the tendency for anything complicated to become even more complicated because people keep saying “Gee, it would be even better if it had this feature too”. (See [3264]feature.) The result is usually a patchwork because it grew one ad-hoc step at a time, rather than being planned. Planning is a lot of work, but it’s easy to add just one extra little feature to help someone … and then another … and another…. When creeping featurism gets out of hand, it’s like a cancer. Usually this term is used to describe computer programs, but it could also be said of the federal government, the IRS 1040 form, and new cars. A similar phenomenon sometimes afflicts conscious redesigns; see [3265]second-system effect. See also [3266]creeping elegance.
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Node:creeping featuritis, Next:[3267]cretin, Previous:[3268]creeping featurism, Up:[3269]= C =

creeping featuritis /kree’ping fee’-chr-i:`t*s/ n.
Variant of [3270]creeping featurism, with its own spoonerization: `feeping creaturitis’. Some people like to reserve this form for the disease as it actually manifests in software or hardware, as opposed to the lurking general tendency in designers’ minds. (After all, -ism means `condition’ or `pursuit of’, whereas -itis usually means `inflammation of’.)
_________________________________________________________________
Node:cretin, Next:[3271]cretinous, Previous:[3272]creeping featuritis, Up:[3273]= C =

cretin /kret’in/ or /kree’tn/ n.

Congenital [3274]loser; an obnoxious person; someone who can’t do anything right. It has been observed that many American hackers tend to favor the British pronunciation /kret’in/ over standard American /kree’tn/; it is thought this may be due to the insidious phonetic influence of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. _________________________________________________________________
Node:cretinous, Next:[3275]crippleware, Previous:[3276]cretin, Up:[3277]= C =

cretinous /kret’n-*s/ or /kreet’n-*s/ adj.
Wrong; stupid; non-functional; very poorly designed. Also used pejoratively of people. See [3278]dread high-bit disease for an example. Approximate synonyms: [3279]bletcherous, [3280]bagbiting [3281]losing, [3282]brain-damaged.
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Node:crippleware, Next:[3283]critical mass, Previous:[3284]cretinous, Up:[3285]= C =

crippleware n.

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

An excellent example of crippleware (sense 3) is Intel’s 486SX chip, which is a standard 486DX chip with the co-processor diked out (in some early versions it was present but disabled). To upgrade, you buy a complete 486DX chip with working co-processor (its identity thinly veiled by a different pinout) and plug it into the board’s expansion socket. It then disables the SX, which becomes a fancy power sink. Don’t you love Intel?
_________________________________________________________________
Node:critical mass, Next:[3289]crlf, Previous:[3290]crippleware, Up:[3291]= C =

critical mass n.

In physics, the minimum amount of fissionable material required to sustain a chain reaction. Of a software product, describes a condition of the software such that fixing one bug introduces one plus [3292]epsilon bugs. (This malady has many causes: [3293]creeping featurism, ports to too many disparate environments, poor initial design, etc.) When software achieves critical mass, it can never be fixed; it can only be discarded and rewritten. _________________________________________________________________
Node:crlf, Next:[3294]crock, Previous:[3295]critical mass, Up:[3296]= C =

crlf /ker’l*f/, sometimes /kru’l*f/ or /C-R-L-F/ n.
(often capitalized as `CRLF’) A carriage return (CR, ASCII 0001101) followed by a line feed (LF, ASCII 0001010). More loosely, whatever it takes to get you from the end of one line of text to the beginning of the next line. See [3297]newline, [3298]terpri. Under [3299]Unix influence this usage has become less common (Unix uses a bare line feed as its `CRLF’).
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Node:crock, Next:[3300]cross-post, Previous:[3301]crlf, Up:[3302]= C =
crock n.

[from the American scatologism `crock of shit’] 1. An awkward feature or programming technique that ought to be made cleaner. For example, using small integers to represent error codes without the program interpreting them to the user (as in, for example, Unix make(1), which returns code 139 for a process that dies due to [3303]segfault). 2. A technique that works acceptably, but which is quite prone to failure if disturbed in the least. For example, a too-clever programmer might write an assembler which mapped instruction mnemonics to numeric opcodes algorithmically, a trick which depends far too intimately on the particular bit patterns of the opcodes. (For another example of programming with a dependence on actual opcode values, see [3304]The Story of Mel in Appendix A.) Many crocks have a tightly woven, almost completely unmodifiable structure. See [3305]kluge, [3306]brittle. The adjectives `crockish’ and `crocky’, and the nouns `crockishness’ and `crockitude’, are also used.
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Node:cross-post, Next:[3307]crossload, Previous:[3308]crock, Up:[3309]= C =

cross-post vi.

[Usenet; very common] To post a single article simultaneously to several newsgroups. Distinguished from posting the article repeatedly, once to each newsgroup, which causes people to see it multiple times (which is very bad form). Gratuitous cross-posting without a Followup-To line directing responses to a single followup group is frowned upon, as it tends to cause [3310]followup articles to go to inappropriate newsgroups when people respond to only one part of the original posting.
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Node:crossload, Next:[3311]crudware, Previous:[3312]cross-post, Up:[3313]= C =

crossload v.,n.

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

crudware /kruhd’weir/ n.

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

cruft /kruhft/

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

cruft together vt.

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

cruftsmanship /kruhfts’m*n-ship / n.
[from [3337]cruft] The antithesis of craftsmanship. _________________________________________________________________
Node:crufty, Next:[3338]crumb, Previous:[3339]cruftsmanship, Up:[3340]= C =

crufty /kruhf’tee/ adj.

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

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

Two binary digits; a [3348]quad. Larger than a [3349]bit, smaller than a [3350]nybble. Considered silly. Syn. [3351]tayste. General discussion of such terms is under [3352]nybble. _________________________________________________________________
Node:crunch, Next:[3353]cryppie, Previous:[3354]crumb, Up:[3355]= C =
crunch 1. vi.

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

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

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

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

cubing vi.

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

cup holder n.

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

cursor dipped in X n.

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

cuspy /kuhs’pee/ adj.

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

cut a tape vi.

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

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

cybercrud /si:’ber-kruhd/ n.

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

cyberpunk /si:’ber-puhnk/ n.,adj.
[orig. by SF writer Bruce Bethke and/or editor Gardner Dozois] A subgenre of SF launched in 1982 by William Gibson’s epoch-making novel “Neuromancer” (though its roots go back through Vernor Vinge’s “True Names” (see the [3399]Bibliography in Appendix C) to John Brunner’s 1975 novel “The Shockwave Rider”). Gibson’s near-total ignorance of computers and the present-day hacker culture enabled him to speculate about the role of computers and hackers in the future in ways hackers have since found both irritatingly naïve and tremendously stimulating. Gibson’s work was widely imitated, in particular by the short-lived but innovative “Max Headroom” TV series. See [3400]cyberspace, [3401]ice, [3402]jack in, [3403]go flatline.
Since 1990 or so, popular culture has included a movement or fashion trend that calls itself `cyberpunk’, associated especially with the rave/techno subculture. Hackers have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, self-described cyberpunks too often seem to be shallow trendoids in black leather who have substituted enthusiastic blathering about technology for actually learning and doing it. Attitude is no substitute for competence. On the other hand, at least cyberpunks are excited about the right things and properly respectful of hacking talent in those who have it. The general consensus is to tolerate them politely in hopes that they’ll attract people who grow into being true hackers.
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Node:cyberspace, Next:[3404]cycle, Previous:[3405]cyberpunk, Up:[3406]= C =

cyberspace /si:’br-spays`/ n.

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

cycle

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

cycle crunch n.,obs.

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

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

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

cycle server n.

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

cypherpunk n.

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

C|N>K n.

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

= D =

* [3452]D. C. Power Lab:
* [3453]daemon:
* [3454]daemon book:
* [3455]dahmum:
* [3456]dancing frog:
* [3457]dangling pointer:
* [3458]dark-side hacker:
* [3459]Datamation:
* [3460]DAU:
* [3461]Dave the Resurrector:
* [3462]day mode:
* [3463]dd:
* [3464]DDT:
* [3465]de-rezz:
* [3466]dead:
* [3467]dead beef attack:
* [3468]dead code:
* [3469]dead link:
* [3470]DEADBEEF:
* [3471]deadlock:
* [3472]deadly embrace:
* [3473]death code:
* [3474]Death Square:
* [3475]Death Star:
* [3476]DEC:
* [3477]DEC:
* [3478]DEC Wars:
* [3479]decay:
* [3480]deckle:
* [3481]DED:
* [3482]deep hack mode:
* [3483]deep magic:
* [3484]deep space:
* [3485]defenestration:
* [3486]defined as:
* [3487]dehose:
* [3488]deletia:
* [3489]deliminator:
* [3490]delint:
* [3491]delta:
* [3492]demented:
* [3493]demigod:
* [3494]demo:
* [3495]demo mode:
* [3496]demoeffect:
* [3497]demogroup:
* [3498]demon:
* [3499]demon dialer:
* [3500]demoparty:
* [3501]demoscene:
* [3502]dentro:
* [3503]depeditate:
* [3504]deprecated:
* [3505]derf:
* [3506]deserves to lose:
* [3507]desk check:
* [3508]despew:
* [3509]Devil Book:
* [3510]/dev/null:
* [3511]dickless workstation:
* [3512]dictionary flame:
* [3513]diddle:
* [3514]die:
* [3515]die horribly:
* [3516]diff:
* [3517]digit:
* [3518]dike:
* [3519]Dilbert:
* [3520]ding:
* [3521]dink:
* [3522]dinosaur:
* [3523]dinosaur pen:
* [3524]dinosaurs mating:
* [3525]dirtball:
* [3526]dirty power:
* [3527]disclaimer:
* [3528]Discordianism:
* [3529]disk farm:
* [3530]display hack:
* [3531]dispress:
* [3532]Dissociated Press:
* [3533]distribution:
* [3534]distro:
* [3535]disusered:
* [3536]do protocol:
* [3537]doc:
* [3538]documentation:
* [3539]dodgy:
* [3540]dogcow:
* [3541]dogfood:
* [3542]dogpile:
* [3543]dogwash:
* [3544]domainist:
* [3545]Don’t do that then!:
* [3546]dongle:
* [3547]dongle-disk:
* [3548]donuts:
* [3549]doorstop:
* [3550]DoS attack:
* [3551]dot file:
* [3552]double bucky:
* [3553]doubled sig:
* [3554]down:
* [3555]download:
* [3556]DP:
* [3557]DPB:
* [3558]DPer:
* [3559]Dr. Fred Mbogo:
* [3560]dragon:
* [3561]Dragon Book:
* [3562]drain:
* [3563]dread high-bit disease:
* [3564]Dread Questionmark Disease: * [3565]DRECNET:
* [3566]driver:
* [3567]droid:
* [3568]drone:
* [3569]drool-proof paper:
* [3570]drop on the floor:
* [3571]drop-ins:
* [3572]drop-outs:
* [3573]drugged:
* [3574]drum:
* [3575]drunk mouse syndrome:
* [3576]dub dub dub:
* [3577]Duff’s device:
* [3578]dumb terminal:
* [3579]dumbass attack:
* [3580]dumbed down:
* [3581]dump:
* [3582]dumpster diving:
* [3583]dup killer:
* [3584]dup loop:
* [3585]dusty deck:
* [3586]DWIM:
* [3587]dynner:
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Node:D. C. Power Lab, Next:[3588]daemon, Previous:[3589]C|N>K, Up:[3590]= D =

D. C. Power Lab n.

The former site of [3591]SAIL. Hackers thought this was very funny because the obvious connection to electrical engineering was nonexistent — the lab was named for a Donald C. Power. Compare [3592]Marginal Hacks.
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Node:daemon, Next:[3593]daemon book, Previous:[3594]D. C. Power Lab, Up:[3595]= D =

daemon /day’mn/ or /dee’mn/ n.

[from the mythological meaning, later rationalized as the acronym `Disk And Execution MONitor’] A program that is not invoked explicitly, but lies dormant waiting for some condition(s) to occur. The idea is that the perpetrator of the condition need not be aware that a daemon is lurking (though often a program will commit an action only because it knows that it will implicitly invoke a daemon). For example, under [3596]ITS writing a file on the [3597]LPT spooler’s directory would invoke the spooling daemon, which would then print the file. The advantage is that programs wanting (in this example) files printed need neither compete for access to nor understand any idiosyncrasies of the [3598]LPT. They simply enter their implicit requests and let the daemon decide what to do with them. Daemons are usually spawned automatically by the system, and may either live forever or be regenerated at intervals.
Daemon and [3599]demon are often used interchangeably, but seem to have distinct connotations. The term `daemon’ was introduced to computing by [3600]CTSS people (who pronounced it /dee’mon/) and used it to refer to what ITS called a [3601]dragon; the prototype was a program called DAEMON that automatically made tape backups of the file system. Although the meaning and the pronunciation have drifted, we think this glossary reflects current (2000) usage. _________________________________________________________________
Node:daemon book, Next:[3602]dahmum, Previous:[3603]daemon, Up:[3604]= D =

daemon book n.

“The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System”, by Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall Kirk McKusick, Michael J. Karels, and John S. Quarterman (Addison-Wesley Publishers, 1989, ISBN 0-201-06196-1); or “The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD Operating System” by Marshall Kirk McKusick, Keith Bostic, Michael J. Karels and John S. Quarterman (Addison-Wesley Longman, 1996, SBN 0-201-54979-4) Either of the standard reference books on the internals of [3605]BSD Unix. So called because the covers have a picture depicting a little devil (a visual play on [3606]daemon) in sneakers, holding a pitchfork (referring to one of the characteristic features of Unix, the fork(2) system call). Also known as the [3607]Devil Book. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dahmum, Next:[3608]dancing frog, Previous:[3609]daemon book, Up:[3610]= D =

dahmum /dah’mum/ n.

[Usenet] The material of which protracted [3611]flame wars, especially those about operating systems, is composed. Homeomorphic to [3612]spam. The term `dahmum’ is derived from the name of a militant [3613]OS/2 advocate, and originated when an extensively crossposted OS/2-versus-[3614]Linux debate was fed through [3615]Dissociated Press.
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Node:dancing frog, Next:[3616]dangling pointer, Previous:[3617]dahmum, Up:[3618]= D =

dancing frog n.

[Vancouver area] A problem that occurs on a computer that will not reappear while anyone else is watching. From the classic Warner Brothers cartoon “One Froggy Evening”, featuring a dancing and singing Michigan J. Frog that just croaks when anyone else is around (now the WB network mascot).
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Node:dangling pointer, Next:[3619]dark-side hacker, Previous:[3620]dancing frog, Up:[3621]= D =
dangling pointer n.

[common] A reference that doesn’t actually lead anywhere (in C and some other languages, a pointer that doesn’t actually point at anything valid). Usually this happens because it formerly pointed to something that has moved or disappeared. Used as jargon in a generalization of its techspeak meaning; for example, a local phone number for a person who has since moved to the other coast is a dangling pointer. Compare [3622]dead link. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dark-side hacker, Next:[3623]Datamation, Previous:[3624]dangling pointer, Up:[3625]= D =

dark-side hacker n.

A criminal or malicious hacker; a [3626]cracker. From George Lucas’s Darth Vader, “seduced by the dark side of the Force”. The implication that hackers form a sort of elite of technological Jedi Knights is intended. Oppose [3627]samurai.
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Node:Datamation, Next:[3628]DAU, Previous:[3629]dark-side hacker, Up:[3630]= D =

Datamation /day`t*-may’sh*n/ n.

A magazine that many hackers assume all [3631]suits read. Used to question an unbelieved quote, as in “Did you read that in `Datamation?'” (But see below; this slur may be dated by the time you read this.) It used to publish something hackishly funny every once in a while, like the original paper on [3632]COME FROM in 1973, and Ed Post’s “Real Programmers Don’t Use Pascal” ten years later, but for a long time after that it was much more exclusively [3633]suit-oriented and boring. Following a change of editorship in 1994, Datamation is trying for more of the technical content and irreverent humor that marked its early days.

Datamation now has a WWW page at [3634]http://www.datamation.com worth visiting for its selection of computer humor, including “Real Programmers Don’t Use Pascal” and the `Bastard Operator From Hell’ stories by Simon Travaglia (see [3635]BOFH). _________________________________________________________________
Node:DAU, Next:[3636]Dave the Resurrector, Previous:[3637]Datamation, Up:[3638]= D =

DAU /dow/ n.

[German FidoNet] German acronym for Dümmster Anzunehmender User (stupidest imaginable user). From the engineering-slang GAU for Grösster Anzunehmender Unfall, worst assumable accident, esp. of a LNG tank farm plant or something with similarly disastrous consequences. In popular German, GAU is used only to refer to worst-case nuclear acidents such as a core meltdown. See [3639]cretin, [3640]fool, [3641]loser and [3642]weasel.
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Node:Dave the Resurrector, Next:[3643]day mode, Previous:[3644]DAU, Up:[3645]= D =

Dave the Resurrector n.

[Usenet; also abbreviated DtR] A [3646]cancelbot that cancels cancels. Dave the Resurrector originated when some [3647]spam-spewers decided to try to impede spam-fighting by wholesale cancellation of anti-spam coordination messages in the news.admin.net-abuse.usenet newsgroup. _________________________________________________________________
Node:day mode, Next:[3648]dd, Previous:[3649]Dave the Resurrector, Up:[3650]= D =

day mode n.

See [3651]phase (sense 1). Used of people only. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dd, Next:[3652]DDT, Previous:[3653]day mode, Up:[3654]= D =
dd /dee-dee/ vt.

[Unix: from IBM [3655]JCL] Equivalent to [3656]cat or [3657]BLT. Originally the name of a Unix copy command with special options suitable for block-oriented devices; it was often used in heavy-handed system maintenance, as in “Let’s dd the root partition onto a tape, then use the boot PROM to load it back on to a new disk”. The Unix dd(1) was designed with a weird, distinctly non-Unixy keyword option syntax reminiscent of IBM System/360 JCL (which had an elaborate DD `Dataset Definition’ specification for I/O devices); though the command filled a need, the interface design was clearly a prank. The jargon usage is now very rare outside Unix sites and now nearly obsolete even there, as dd(1) has been [3658]deprecated for a long time (though it has no exact replacement). The term has been displaced by [3659]BLT or simple English `copy’. _________________________________________________________________
Node:DDT, Next:[3660]de-rezz, Previous:[3661]dd, Up:[3662]= D =
DDT /D-D-T/ n.

[from the insecticide para-dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethene] 1. Generic term for a program that assists in debugging other programs by showing individual machine instructions in a readable symbolic form and letting the user change them. In this sense the term DDT is now archaic, having been widely displaced by `debugger’ or names of individual programs like adb, sdb, dbx, or gdb. 2. [ITS] Under MIT’s fabled [3663]ITS operating system, DDT (running under the alias HACTRN, a six-letterism for `Hack Translator’) was also used as the [3664]shell or top level command language used to execute other programs. 3. Any one of several specific DDTs (sense 1) supported on early [3665]DEC hardware and CP/M. The PDP-10 Reference Handbook (1969) contained a footnote on the first page of the documentation for DDT that illuminates the origin of the term:
Historical footnote: DDT was developed at MIT for the PDP-1 computer in 1961. At that time DDT stood for “DEC Debugging Tape”. Since then, the idea of an on-line debugging program has propagated throughout the computer industry. DDT programs are now available for all DEC computers. Since media other than tape are now frequently used, the more descriptive name “Dynamic Debugging Technique” has been adopted, retaining the DDT abbreviation. Confusion between DDT-10 and another well known pesticide, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (C14-H9-Cl5) should be minimal since each attacks a different, and apparently mutually exclusive, class of bugs.

(The `tape’ referred to was, incidentally, not magnetic but paper.) Sadly, this quotation was removed from later editions of the handbook after the [3666]suits took over and [3667]DEC became much more `businesslike’.

The history above is known to many old-time hackers. But there’s more: Peter Samson, compiler of the original [3668]TMRC lexicon, reports that he named `DDT’ after a similar tool on the TX-0 computer, the direct ancestor of the PDP-1 built at MIT’s Lincoln Lab in 1957. The debugger on that ground-breaking machine (the first transistorized computer) rejoiced in the name FLIT (FLexowriter Interrogation Tape). _________________________________________________________________
Node:de-rezz, Next:[3669]dead, Previous:[3670]DDT, Up:[3671]= D =
de-rezz /dee-rez’/

[from `de-resolve’ via the movie “Tron”] (also `derez’) 1. vi. To disappear or dissolve; the image that goes with it is of an object breaking up into raster lines and static and then dissolving. Occasionally used of a person who seems to have suddenly `fuzzed out’ mentally rather than physically. Usage: extremely silly, also rare. This verb was actually invented as fictional hacker jargon, and adopted in a spirit of irony by real hackers years after the fact. 2. vt. The Macintosh resource decompiler. On a Macintosh, many program structures (including the code itself) are managed in small segments of the program file known as `resources’; `Rez’ and `DeRez’ are a pair of utilities for compiling and decompiling resource files. Thus, decompiling a resource is `derezzing’. Usage: very common. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dead, Next:[3672]dead beef attack, Previous:[3673]de-rezz, Up:[3674]= D =

dead adj.

1. Non-functional; [3675]down; [3676]crashed. Especially used of hardware. 2. At XEROX PARC, software that is working but not undergoing continued development and support. 3. Useless; inaccessible. Antonym: `live’. Compare [3677]dead code. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dead beef attack, Next:[3678]dead code, Previous:[3679]dead, Up:[3680]= D =

dead beef attack n.

[cypherpunks list, 1996] An attack on a public-key cryptosystem consisting of publishing a key having the same ID as another key (thus making it possible to spoof a user’s identity if recipients aren’t careful about verifying keys). In PGP and GPG the key ID is the last eight hex digits of (for RSA keys) the product of two primes. The attack was demonstrated by creating a key whose ID was 0xdeadbeef (see [3681]DEADBEEF).
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Node:dead code, Next:[3682]dead link, Previous:[3683]dead beef attack, Up:[3684]= D =

dead code n.

Routines that can never be accessed because all calls to them have been removed, or code that cannot be reached because it is guarded by a control structure that provably must always transfer control somewhere else. The presence of dead code may reveal either logical errors due to alterations in the program or significant changes in the assumptions and environment of the program (see also [3685]software rot); a good compiler should report dead code so a maintainer can think about what it means. (Sometimes it simply means that an extremely defensive programmer has inserted [3686]can’t happen tests which really can’t happen — yet.) Syn. [3687]grunge. See also [3688]dead, and [3689]The Story of Mel. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dead link, Next:[3690]DEADBEEF, Previous:[3691]dead code, Up:[3692]= D =

dead link n.

[very common] A World-Wide-Web URL that no longer points to the information it was written to reach. Usually this happens because the document has been moved or deleted. Lots of dead links make a WWW page frustrating and useless and are the #1 sign of poor page maintainance. Compare [3693]dangling pointer, [3694]link rot. _________________________________________________________________
Node:DEADBEEF, Next:[3695]deadlock, Previous:[3696]dead link, Up:[3697]= D =

DEADBEEF /ded-beef/ n.

The hexadecimal word-fill pattern for freshly allocated memory (decimal -21524111) under a number of IBM environments, including the RS/6000. Some modern debugging tools deliberately fill freed memory with this value as a way of converting [3698]heisenbugs into [3699]Bohr bugs. As in “Your program is DEADBEEF” (meaning gone, aborted, flushed from memory); if you start from an odd half-word boundary, of course, you have BEEFDEAD. See also the anecdote under [3700]fool and [3701]dead beef attack. _________________________________________________________________
Node:deadlock, Next:[3702]deadly embrace, Previous:[3703]DEADBEEF, Up:[3704]= D =

deadlock n.

1. [techspeak] A situation wherein two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for one of the others to do something. A common example is a program communicating to a server, which may find itself waiting for output from the server before sending anything more to it, while the server is similarly waiting for more input from the controlling program before outputting anything. (It is reported that this particular flavor of deadlock is sometimes called a `starvation deadlock’, though the term `starvation’ is more properly used for situations where a program can never run simply because it never gets high enough priority. Another common flavor is `constipation’, in which each process is trying to send stuff to the other but all buffers are full because nobody is reading anything.) See [3705]deadly embrace. 2. Also used of deadlock-like interactions between humans, as when two people meet in a narrow corridor, and each tries to be polite by moving aside to let the other pass, but they end up swaying from side to side without making any progress because they always move the same way at the same time. _________________________________________________________________
Node:deadly embrace, Next:[3706]death code, Previous:[3707]deadlock, Up:[3708]= D =

deadly embrace n.

Same as [3709]deadlock, though usually used only when exactly two processes are involved. This is the more popular term in Europe, while [3710]deadlock predominates in the United States. _________________________________________________________________
Node:death code, Next:[3711]Death Square, Previous:[3712]deadly embrace, Up:[3713]= D =

death code n.

A routine whose job is to set everything in the computer — registers, memory, flags, everything — to zero, including that portion of memory where it is running; its last act is to stomp on its own “store zero” instruction. Death code isn’t very useful, but writing it is an interesting hacking challenge on architectures where the instruction set makes it possible, such as the PDP-8 (it has also been done on the DG Nova).

Perhaps the ultimate death code is on the TI 990 series, where all registers are actually in RAM, and the instruction “store immediate 0” has the opcode “0”. The PC will immediately wrap around core as many times as it can until a user hits HALT. Any empty memory location is death code. Worse, the manufacturer recommended use of this instruction in startup code (which would be in ROM and therefore survive).
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Node:Death Square, Next:[3714]Death Star, Previous:[3715]death code, Up:[3716]= D =

Death Square n.

The corporate logo of Novell, the people who acquired USL after AT&T let go of it (Novell eventually sold the Unix group to SCO). Coined by analogy with [3717]Death Star, because many people believed Novell was bungling the lead in Unix systems exactly as AT&T did for many years. _________________________________________________________________
Node:Death Star, Next:[3718]DEC, Previous:[3719]Death Square, Up:[3720]= D =

Death Star n.

[from the movie “Star Wars”] 1. The AT&T corporate logo, which appears on computers sold by AT&T and bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star in the movie. This usage is particularly common among partisans of [3721]BSD Unix, who tend to regard the AT&T versions as inferior and AT&T as a bad guy. Copies still circulate of a poster printed by Mt. Xinu showing a starscape with a space fighter labeled 4.2 BSD streaking away from a broken AT&T logo wreathed in flames. 2. AT&T’s internal magazine, “Focus”, uses `death star’ to describe an incorrectly done AT&T logo in which the inner circle in the top left is dark instead of light — a frequent result of dark-on-light logo images.
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Node:DEC, Next:[3722]DEC Wars, Previous:[3723]Death Star, Up:[3724]= D =

DEC /dek/ n.

1. v. Verbal (and only rarely written) shorthand for decrement, i.e. `decrease by one’. Especially used by assembly programmers, as many assembly languages have a dec mnemonic. Antonym: [3725]inc. 2. n. Commonly used abbreviation for Digital Equipment Corporation, later deprecated by DEC itself in favor of “Digital” and now entirely obsolete following the buyout by Compaq. Before the [3726]killer micro revolution of the late 1980s, hackerdom was closely symbiotic with DEC’s pioneering timesharing machines. The first of the group of cultures described by this lexicon nucleated around the PDP-1 (see [3727]TMRC). Subsequently, the PDP-6, [3728]PDP-10, [3729]PDP-20, PDP-11 and [3730]VAX were all foci of large and important hackerdoms, and DEC machines long dominated the ARPANET and Internet machine population. DEC was the technological leader of the minicomputer era (roughly 1967 to 1987), but its failure to embrace microcomputers and Unix early cost it heavily in profits and prestige after [3731]silicon got cheap. Nevertheless, the microprocessor design tradition owes a major debt to the PDP-11 instruction set, and every one of the major general-purpose microcomputer OSs so far (CP/M, MS-DOS, Unix, OS/2, Windows NT) was either genetically descended from a DEC OS, or incubated on DEC hardware, or both. Accordingly, DEC was for many years still regarded with a certain wry affection even among many hackers too young to have grown up on DEC machines.
DEC reclaimed some of its old reputation among techies in the first half of the 1990s. The success of the Alpha, an innovatively-designed and very high-performance [3732]killer micro, helped a lot. So did DEC’s newfound receptiveness to Unix and open systems in general. When Compaq acquired DEC at the end of 1998 there was some concern that these gains would be lost along with the DEC nameplate, but the merged company has so far turned out to be culturally dominated by the ex-DEC side.
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Node:DEC Wars, Next:[3733]decay, Previous:[3734]DEC, Up:[3735]= D =
DEC Wars n.

A 1983 [3736]Usenet posting by Alan Hastings and Steve Tarr spoofing the “Star Wars” movies in hackish terms. Some years later, ESR (disappointed by Hastings and Tarr’s failure to exploit a great premise more thoroughly) posted a 3-times-longer complete rewrite called [3737]Unix WARS; the two are often confused. _________________________________________________________________
Node:decay, Next:[3738]deckle, Previous:[3739]DEC Wars, Up:[3740]= D =
decay n.,vi

[from nuclear physics] An automatic conversion which is applied to most array-valued expressions in [3741]C; they `decay into’ pointer-valued expressions pointing to the array’s first element. This term is borderline techspeak, but is not used in the official standard for the language.
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Node:deckle, Next:[3742]DED, Previous:[3743]decay, Up:[3744]= D =
deckle /dek’l/ n.

[from dec- and [3745]nybble; the original spelling seems to have been `decle’] Two [3746]nickles; 10 bits. Reported among developers for Mattel’s GI 1600 (the Intellivision games processor), a chip with 16-bit-wide RAM but 10-bit-wide ROM. See [3747]nybble for other such terms.
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Node:DED, Next:[3748]deep hack mode, Previous:[3749]deckle, Up:[3750]= D =

DED /D-E-D/ n.

Dark-Emitting Diode (that is, a burned-out LED). Compare [3751]SED, [3752]LER, [3753]write-only memory. In the early 1970s both Signetics and Texas instruments released DED spec sheets as [3754]AFJs (suggested uses included “as a power-off indicator”). _________________________________________________________________
Node:deep hack mode, Next:[3755]deep magic, Previous:[3756]DED, Up:[3757]= D =

deep hack mode n.

See [3758]hack mode.
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Node:deep magic, Next:[3759]deep space, Previous:[3760]deep hack mode, Up:[3761]= D =

deep magic n.

[poss. from C. S. Lewis’s “Narnia” books] An awesomely arcane technique central to a program or system, esp. one neither generally published nor available to hackers at large (compare [3762]black art); one that could only have been composed by a true [3763]wizard. Compiler optimization techniques and many aspects of [3764]OS design used to be [3765]deep magic; many techniques in cryptography, signal processing, graphics, and AI still are. Compare [3766]heavy wizardry. Esp. found in comments of the form “Deep magic begins here…”. Compare [3767]voodoo programming.
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Node:deep space, Next:[3768]defenestration, Previous:[3769]deep magic, Up:[3770]= D =

deep space n.

1. Describes the notional location of any program that has gone [3771]off the trolley. Esp. used of programs that just sit there silently grinding long after either failure or some output is expected. “Uh oh. I should have gotten a prompt ten seconds ago. The program’s in deep space somewhere.” Compare [3772]buzz, [3773]catatonic, [3774]hyperspace. 2. The metaphorical location of a human so dazed and/or confused or caught up in some esoteric form of [3775]bogosity that he or she no longer responds coherently to normal communication. Compare [3776]page out. _________________________________________________________________
Node:defenestration, Next:[3777]defined as, Previous:[3778]deep space, Up:[3779]= D =

defenestration n.

[mythically from a traditional Czech assasination method, via SF fandom] 1. Proper karmic retribution for an incorrigible punster. “Oh, ghod, that was awful!” “Quick! Defenestrate him!” 2. The act of exiting a window system in order to get better response time from a full-screen program. This comes from the dictionary meaning of `defenestrate’, which is to throw something out a window. 3. The act of discarding something under the assumption that it will improve matters. “I don’t have any disk space left.” “Well, why don’t you defenestrate that 100 megs worth of old core dumps?” 4. Under a GUI, the act of dragging something out of a window (onto the screen). “Next, defenestrate the MugWump icon.” 5. The act of completely removing Micro$oft Windows from a PC in favor of a better OS (typically Linux).
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Node:defined as, Next:[3780]dehose, Previous:[3781]defenestration, Up:[3782]= D =

defined as adj.

In the role of, usually in an organization-chart sense. “Pete is currently defined as bug prioritizer.” Compare [3783]logical. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dehose, Next:[3784]deletia, Previous:[3785]defined as, Up:[3786]= D =

dehose /dee-hohz/ vt.

To clear a [3787]hosed condition. _________________________________________________________________
Node:deletia, Next:[3788]deliminator, Previous:[3789]dehose, Up:[3790]= D =

deletia n. /d*-lee’sha/

[USENET; common] In an email reply, material omitted from the quote of the original. Usually written rather than spoken; often appears as a pseudo-tag or ellipsis in the body of the reply, as “[deletia]” or ““.
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Node:deliminator, Next:[3791]delint, Previous:[3792]deletia, Up:[3793]= D =

deliminator /de-lim’-in-ay-t*r/ n.
[portmanteau, delimiter + eliminate] A string or pattern used to delimit text into fields, but which is itself eliminated from the resulting list of fields. This jargon seems to have originated among Perl hackers in connection with the Perl split() function; however, it has been sighted in live use among Java and even Visual Basic programmers.
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Node:delint, Next:[3794]delta, Previous:[3795]deliminator, Up:[3796]= D =

delint /dee-lint/ v. obs.

To modify code to remove problems detected when [3797]linting. Confusingly, this process is also referred to as `linting’ code. This term is no longer in general use because ANSI C compilers typically issue compile-time warnings almost as detailed as lint warnings. _________________________________________________________________
Node:delta, Next:[3798]demented, Previous:[3799]delint, Up:[3800]= D =
delta n.

1. [techspeak] A quantitative change, especially a small or incremental one (this use is general in physics and engineering). “I just doubled the speed of my program!” “What was the delta on program size?” “About 30 percent.” (He doubled the speed of his program, but increased its size by only 30 percent.) 2. [Unix] A [3801]diff, especially a [3802]diff stored under the set of version-control tools called SCCS (Source Code Control System) or RCS (Revision Control System). 3. n. A small quantity, but not as small as [3803]epsilon. The jargon usage of [3804]delta and [3805]epsilon stems from the traditional use of these letters in mathematics for very small numerical quantities, particularly in `epsilon-delta’ proofs in limit theory (as in the differential calculus). The term [3806]delta is often used, once [3807]epsilon has been mentioned, to mean a quantity that is slightly bigger than [3808]epsilon but still very small. “The cost isn’t epsilon, but it’s delta” means that the cost isn’t totally negligible, but it is nevertheless very small. Common constructions include `within delta of –‘, `within epsilon of –‘: that is, `close to’ and `even closer to’.
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Node:demented, Next:[3809]demigod, Previous:[3810]delta, Up:[3811]= D =

demented adj.

Yet another term of disgust used to describe a malfunctioning program. The connotation in this case is that the program works as designed, but the design is bad. Said, for example, of a program that generates large numbers of meaningless error messages, implying that it is on the brink of imminent collapse. Compare [3812]wonky, [3813]brain-damaged, [3814]bozotic.
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Node:demigod, Next:[3815]demo, Previous:[3816]demented, Up:[3817]= D =
demigod n.

A hacker with years of experience, a world-wide reputation, and a major role in the development of at least one design, tool, or game used by or known to more than half of the hacker community. To qualify as a genuine demigod, the person must recognizably identify with the hacker community and have helped shape it. Major demigods include Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie (co-inventors of [3818]Unix and [3819]C), Richard M. Stallman (inventor of [3820]EMACS), Larry Wall (inventor of [3821]Perl), Linus Torvalds (inventor of [3822]Linux), and most recently James Gosling (inventor of Java, [3823]NeWS, and [3824]GOSMACS) and Guido van Rossum (inventor of [3825]Python). In their hearts of hearts, most hackers dream of someday becoming demigods themselves, and more than one major software project has been driven to completion by the author’s veiled hopes of apotheosis. See also [3826]net.god, [3827]true-hacker. _________________________________________________________________
Node:demo, Next:[3828]demo mode, Previous:[3829]demigod, Up:[3830]= D =

demo /de’moh/

[short for `demonstration’] 1. v. To demonstrate a product or prototype. A far more effective way of inducing bugs to manifest than any number of [3831]test runs, especially when important people are watching. 2. n. The act of demoing. “I’ve gotta give a demo of the drool-proof interface; how does it work again?” 3. n. Esp. as `demo version’, can refer either to an early, barely-functional version of a program which can be used for demonstration purposes as long as the operator uses exactly the right commands and skirts its numerous bugs, deficiencies, and unimplemented portions, or to a special version of a program (frequently with some features crippled) which is distributed at little or no cost to the user for enticement purposes. 4. [[3832]demoscene] A sequence of [3833]demoeffects (usually) combined with self-composed music and hand-drawn (“pixelated”) graphics. These days (1997) usually built to attend a [3834]compo. Often called `eurodemos’ outside Europe, as most of the [3835]demoscene activity seems to have gathered in northern Europe and especially Scandinavia. See also [3836]intro, [3837]dentro.
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Node:demo mode, Next:[3838]demoeffect, Previous:[3839]demo, Up:[3840]= D =

demo mode n.

1. [Sun] The state of being [3841]heads down in order to finish code in time for a [3842]demo, usually due yesterday. 2. A mode in which video games sit by themselves running through a portion of the game, also known as `attract mode’. Some serious [3843]apps have a demo mode they use as a screen saver, or may go through a demo mode on startup (for example, the Microsoft Windows opening screen — which lets you impress your neighbors without actually having to put up with [3844]Microsloth Windows).
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Node:demoeffect, Next:[3845]demogroup, Previous:[3846]demo mode, Up:[3847]= D =

demoeffect n.

[[3848]demoscene] What among hackers is called a [3849]display hack. Classical effects include “plasma” (colorful mess), “keftales” (x*x+y*y and other similar patterns, usually combined with color-cycling), realtime fractals, realtime 3d graphics, etc. Historically, demo effects have cheated as much as possible to gain more speed and more complexity, using low-precision math and masses of assembler code and building animation realtime are three common tricks, but use of special hardware to fake effects is a [3850]Good Thing on the demoscene (though this is becoming less common as platforms like the Amiga fade away).
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Node:demogroup, Next:[3851]demon, Previous:[3852]demoeffect, Up:[3853]= D =

demogroup n.

[[3854]demoscene] A group of [3855]demo (sense 4) composers. Job titles within a group include coders (the ones who write programs), graphicians (the ones who painstakingly pixelate the fine art), musicians (the music composers), [3856]sysops, traders/swappers (the ones who do the trading and other PR), and organizers (in larger groups). It is not uncommon for one person to do multiple jobs, but it has been observed that good coders are rarely good composers and vice versa. [How odd. Musical talent seems common among Internet/Unix hackers –ESR]
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Node:demon, Next:[3857]demon dialer, Previous:[3858]demogroup, Up:[3859]= D =

demon n.

1. [MIT] A portion of a program that is not invoked explicitly, but that lies dormant waiting for some condition(s) to occur. See [3860]daemon. The distinction is that demons are usually processes within a program, while daemons are usually programs running on an operating system. 2. [outside MIT] Often used equivalently to [3861]daemon — especially in the [3862]Unix world, where the latter spelling and pronunciation is considered mildly archaic.
Demons in sense 1 are particularly common in AI programs. For example, a knowledge-manipulation program might implement inference rules as demons. Whenever a new piece of knowledge was added, various demons would activate (which demons depends on the particular piece of data) and would create additional pieces of knowledge by applying their respective inference rules to the original piece. These new pieces could in turn activate more demons as the inferences filtered down through chains of logic. Meanwhile, the main program could continue with whatever its primary task was.
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Node:demon dialer, Next:[3863]demoparty, Previous:[3864]demon, Up:[3865]= D =

demon dialer n.

A program which repeatedly calls the same telephone number. Demon dialing may be benign (as when a number of communications programs contend for legitimate access to a [3866]BBS line) or malign (that is, used as a prank or denial-of-service attack). This term dates from the [3867]blue box days of the 1970s and early 1980s and is now semi-obsolescent among [3868]phreakers; see [3869]war dialer for its contemporary progeny.
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Node:demoparty, Next:[3870]demoscene, Previous:[3871]demon dialer, Up:[3872]= D =

demoparty n.

[[3873]demoscene] Aboveground descendant of the [3874]copyparty, with emphasis shifted away from software piracy and towards [3875]compos. Smaller demoparties, for 100 persons or less, are held quite often, sometimes even once a month, and usually last for one to two days. On the other end of the scale, huge demo parties are held once a year (and four of these have grown very large and occur annually – Assembly in Finland, The Party in Denmark, The Gathering in Norway, and NAID somewhere in north America). These parties usually last for three to five days, have room for 3000-5000 people, and have a party network with connection to the internet.
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Node:demoscene, Next:[3876]dentro, Previous:[3877]demoparty, Up:[3878]= D =

demoscene /dem’oh-seen/

[also `demo scene’] A culture of multimedia hackers located primarily in Scandinavia and northern Europe. Demoscene folklore recounts that when old-time [3879]warez d00dz cracked some piece of software they often added an advertisement of in the beginning, usually containing colorful [3880]display hacks with greetings to other cracking groups. The demoscene was born among people who decided building these display hacks is more interesting than hacking and began to build self-contained display hacks of considerable elaboration and beauty (within the culture such a hack is called a [3881]demo). The split seems to have happened at the end of the 1980s. As more of these [3882]demogroups emerged, they started to have [3883]compos at copying parties (see [3884]copyparty), which later evolved to standalone events (see [3885]demoparty). The demoscene has retained some traits from the [3886]warez d00dz, including their style of handles and group names and some of their jargon.

Traditionally demos were written in assembly language, with lots of smart tricks, self-modifying code, undocumented op-codes and the like. Some time around 1995, people started coding demos in C, and a couple of years after that, they also started using Java.
Ten years on (in 1998-1999), the demoscene is changing as its original platforms (C64, Amiga, Spectrum, Atari ST, IBM PC under DOS) die out and activity shifts towards Windows, Linux, and the Internet. While deeply underground in the past, demoscene is trying to get into the mainstream as accepted art form, and one symptom of this is the commercialization of bigger demoparties. Older demosceneers frown at this, but the majority think it’s a good direction. Many demosceneers end up working in the computer game industry. Demoscene resource pages are available at [3887]http://www.oldskool.org/demos/explained/ and [3888]http://www.scene.org/.
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Node:dentro, Next:[3889]depeditate, Previous:[3890]demoscene, Up:[3891]= D =

dentro /den’troh/

[[3892]demoscene] Combination of [3893]demo (sense 4) and [3894]intro. Other name mixings include intmo, dentmo etc. and are used usually when the authors are not quite sure whether the program is a [3895]demo or an [3896]intro. Special-purpose coinages like wedtro (some member of a group got married), invtro (invitation intro) etc. have also been sighted.
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Node:depeditate, Next:[3897]deprecated, Previous:[3898]dentro, Up:[3899]= D =

depeditate /dee-ped’*-tayt/ n.

[by (faulty) analogy with `decapitate’] Humorously, to cut off the feet of. When one is using some computer-aided typesetting tools, careless placement of text blocks within a page or above a rule can result in chopped-off letter descenders. Such letters are said to have been depeditated.
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Node:deprecated, Next:[3900]derf, Previous:[3901]depeditate, Up:[3902]= D =

deprecated adj.

Said of a program or feature that is considered obsolescent and in the process of being phased out, usually in favor of a specified replacement. Deprecated features can, unfortunately, linger on for many years. This term appears with distressing frequency in standards documents when the committees writing the documents realize that large amounts of extant (and presumably happily working) code depend on the feature(s) that have passed out of favor. See also [3903]dusty deck.
[Usage note: don’t confuse this word with `depreciate’, or the verb form `deprecate’ with `depreciated`. They are different words; see any dictionary for discussion.]
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Node:derf, Next:[3904]deserves to lose, Previous:[3905]deprecated, Up:[3906]= D =

derf /derf/ v.,n.

[PLATO] The act of exploiting a terminal which someone else has absentmindedly left logged on, to use that person’s account, especially to post articles intended to make an ass of the victim you’re impersonating. It has been alleged that the term originated as a reversal of the name of the gentleman who most usually left himself vulnerable to it, who also happened to be the head of the department that handled PLATO at the University of Delaware. _________________________________________________________________
Node:deserves to lose, Next:[3907]desk check, Previous:[3908]derf, Up:[3909]= D =

deserves to lose adj.

[common] Said of someone who willfully does the [3910]Wrong Thing; humorously, if one uses a feature known to be [3911]marginal. What is meant is that one deserves the consequences of one’s [3912]losing actions. “Boy, anyone who tries to use [3913]mess-dos deserves to [3914]lose!” ([3915]ITS fans used to say the same thing of [3916]Unix; many still do.) See also [3917]screw, [3918]chomp, [3919]bagbiter. _________________________________________________________________
Node:desk check, Next:[3920]despew, Previous:[3921]deserves to lose, Up:[3922]= D =

desk check n.,v.

To [3923]grovel over hardcopy of source code, mentally simulating the control flow; a method of catching bugs. No longer common practice in this age of on-screen editing, fast compiles, and sophisticated debuggers — though some maintain stoutly that it ought to be. Compare [3924]eyeball search, [3925]vdiff, [3926]vgrep. _________________________________________________________________
Node:despew, Next:[3927]Devil Book, Previous:[3928]desk check, Up:[3929]= D =

despew /d*-spyoo’/ v.

[Usenet] To automatically generate a large amount of garbage to the net, esp. from an automated posting program gone wild. See [3930]ARMM. _________________________________________________________________
Node:Devil Book, Next:[3931]/dev/null, Previous:[3932]despew, Up:[3933]= D =

Devil Book n.

See [3934]daemon book, the term preferred by its authors. _________________________________________________________________
Node:/dev/null, Next:[3935]dickless workstation, Previous:[3936]Devil Book, Up:[3937]= D =

/dev/null /dev-nuhl/ n.

[from the Unix null device, used as a data sink] A notional `black hole’ in any information space being discussed, used, or referred to. A controversial posting, for example, might end “Kudos to rasputin@kremlin.org, flames to /dev/null”. See [3938]bit bucket. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dickless workstation, Next:[3939]dictionary flame, Previous:[3940]/dev/null, Up:[3941]= D =
dickless workstation n.

Extremely pejorative hackerism for `diskless workstation’, a class of botches including the Sun 3/50 and other machines designed exclusively to network with an expensive central disk server. These combine all the disadvantages of time-sharing with all the disadvantages of distributed personal computers; typically, they cannot even [3942]boot themselves without help (in the form of some kind of [3943]breath-of-life packet) from the server. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dictionary flame, Next:[3944]diddle, Previous:[3945]dickless workstation, Up:[3946]= D =

dictionary flame n.

[Usenet] An attempt to sidetrack a debate away from issues by insisting on meanings for key terms that presuppose a desired conclusion or smuggle in an implicit premise. A common tactic of people who prefer argument over definitions to disputes about reality. Compare [3947]spelling flame.
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Node:diddle, Next:[3948]die, Previous:[3949]dictionary flame, Up:[3950]= D =

diddle

1. vt. To work with or modify in a not particularly serious manner. “I diddled a copy of [3951]ADVENT so it didn’t double-space all the time.” “Let’s diddle this piece of code and see if the problem goes away.” See [3952]tweak and [3953]twiddle. 2. n. The action or result of diddling. See also [3954]tweak, [3955]twiddle, [3956]frob. _________________________________________________________________
Node:die, Next:[3957]die horribly, Previous:[3958]diddle, Up:[3959]= D =

die v.

Syn. [3960]crash. Unlike [3961]crash, which is used primarily of hardware, this verb is used of both hardware and software. See also [3962]go flatline, [3963]casters-up mode. _________________________________________________________________
Node:die horribly, Next:[3964]diff, Previous:[3965]die, Up:[3966]= D =
die horribly v.

The software equivalent of [3967]crash and burn, and the preferred emphatic form of [3968]die. “The converter choked on an FF in its input and died horribly”.
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Node:diff, Next:[3969]digit, Previous:[3970]die horribly, Up:[3971]= D =

diff /dif/ n.

1. A change listing, especially giving differences between (and additions to) source code or documents (the term is often used in the plural `diffs’). “Send me your diffs for the Jargon File!” Compare [3972]vdiff. 2. Specifically, such a listing produced by the diff(1) command, esp. when used as specification input to the patch(1) utility (which can actually perform the modifications; see [3973]patch). This is a common method of distributing patches and source updates in the Unix/C world. 3. v. To compare (whether or not by use of automated tools on machine-readable files); see also [3974]vdiff, [3975]mod. _________________________________________________________________
Node:digit, Next:[3976]dike, Previous:[3977]diff, Up:[3978]= D =
digit n.,obs.

An employee of Digital Equipment Corporation. See also [3979]VAX, [3980]VMS, [3981]PDP-10, [3982]TOPS-10, [3983]field circus. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dike, Next:[3984]Dilbert, Previous:[3985]digit, Up:[3986]= D =
dike vt.

To remove or disable a portion of something, as a wire from a computer or a subroutine from a program. A standard slogan is “When in doubt, dike it out”. (The implication is that it is usually more effective to attack software problems by reducing complexity than by increasing it.) The word `dikes’ is widely used among mechanics and engineers to mean `diagonal cutters’, esp. the heavy-duty metal-cutting version, but may also refer to a kind of wire-cutters used by electronics techs. To `dike something out’ means to use such cutters to remove something. Indeed, the TMRC Dictionary defined dike as “to attack with dikes”. Among hackers this term has been metaphorically extended to informational objects such as sections of code. _________________________________________________________________
Node:Dilbert, Next:[3987]ding, Previous:[3988]dike, Up:[3989]= D =
Dilbert

n. Name and title character of a comic strip nationally syndicated in the U.S. and enormously popular among hackers. Dilbert is an archetypical engineer-nerd who works at an anonymous high-technology company; the strips present a lacerating satire of insane working conditions and idiotic [3990]management practices all too readily recognized by hackers. Adams, who spent nine years in [3991]cube 4S700R at Pacific Bell (not [3992]DEC as often reported), often remarks that he has never been able to come up with a fictional management blunder that his correspondents didn’t quickly either report to have actually happened or top with a similar but even more bizarre incident. In 1996 Adams distilled his insights into the collective psychology of businesses into an even funnier book, “The Dilbert Principle” (HarperCollins, ISBN 0-887-30787-6). See also [3993]pointy-haired, [3994]rat dance.
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Node:ding, Next:[3995]dink, Previous:[3996]Dilbert, Up:[3997]= D =
ding n.,vi.

1. Synonym for [3998]feep. Usage: rare among hackers, but more common in the [3999]Real World. 2. `dinged’: What happens when someone in authority gives you a minor bitching about something, esp. something trivial. “I was dinged for having a messy desk.” _________________________________________________________________
Node:dink, Next:[4000]dinosaur, Previous:[4001]ding, Up:[4002]= D =
dink /dink/ adj.

Said of a machine that has the [4003]bitty box nature; a machine too small to be worth bothering with — sometimes the system you’re currently forced to work on. First heard from an MIT hacker working on a CP/M system with 64K, in reference to any 6502 system, then from fans of 32-bit architectures about 16-bit machines. “GNUMACS will never work on that dink machine.” Probably derived from mainstream `dinky’, which isn’t sufficiently pejorative. See [4004]macdink. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dinosaur, Next:[4005]dinosaur pen, Previous:[4006]dink, Up:[4007]= D =

dinosaur n.

1. Any hardware requiring raised flooring and special power. Used especially of old minis and mainframes, in contrast with newer microprocessor-based machines. In a famous quote from the 1988 Unix EXPO, Bill Joy compared the liquid-cooled mainframe in the massive IBM display with a grazing dinosaur “with a truck outside pumping its bodily fluids through it”. IBM was not amused. Compare [4008]big iron; see also [4009]mainframe. 2. [IBM] A very conservative user; a [4010]zipperhead.
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Node:dinosaur pen, Next:[4011]dinosaurs mating, Previous:[4012]dinosaur, Up:[4013]= D =
dinosaur pen n.

A traditional [4014]mainframe computer room complete with raised flooring, special power, its own ultra-heavy-duty air conditioning, and a side order of Halon fire extinguishers. See [4015]boa. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dinosaurs mating, Next:[4016]dirtball, Previous:[4017]dinosaur pen, Up:[4018]= D =

dinosaurs mating n.

Said to occur when yet another [4019]big iron merger or buyout occurs; reflects a perception by hackers that these signal another stage in the long, slow dying of the [4020]mainframe industry. In its glory days of the 1960s, it was `IBM and the Seven Dwarves’: Burroughs, Control Data, General Electric, Honeywell, NCR, RCA, and Univac. RCA and GE sold out early, and it was `IBM and the Bunch’ (Burroughs, Univac, NCR, Control Data, and Honeywell) for a while. Honeywell was bought out by Bull; Burroughs merged with Univac to form Unisys (in 1984 — this was when the phrase `dinosaurs mating’ was coined); and in 1991 AT&T absorbed NCR (but spat it back out a few years later). Control Data still exists but is no longer in the mainframe business. More such earth-shaking unions of doomed giants seem inevitable. _________________________________________________________________
Node:dirtball, Next:[4021]dirty power, Previous:[4022]dinosaurs mating, Up:[4023]= D =

dirtball n.

[XEROX PARC] A small, perhaps struggling outsider; not in the major or even the minor leagues. For example, “Xerox is not a dirtball company”.

[Outsiders often observe in the PARC culture an institutional arrogance which usage of this term exemplifies. The brilliance and scope of PARC’s contributions to computer science have been such that this superior attitude is not much resented. –ESR] _________________________________________________________________
Node:dirty power, Next:[4024]disclaimer, Previous:[4025]dirtball, Up:[4026]= D =

dirty power n.

Electrical mains voltage that is unfriendly to the delicate innards of computers. Spikes, [4027]drop-outs, average voltage significantly higher or lower than nominal, or just plain noise can all cause problems of varying subtlety and severity (these are collectively known as [4028]power hits).
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Node:disclaimer, Next:[4029]Discordianism, Previous:[4030]dirty power, Up:[4031]= D =

disclaimer n.

[Usenet] Statement ritually appended to many Usenet postings (sometimes automatically, by the posting software) reiterating the fact (which should be obvious, but is easily forgotten) that the article reflects its author’s opinions and not necessarily those of the organization running the machine through which the article entered the network.
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Node:Discordianism, Next:[4032]disk farm, Previous:[4033]disclaimer, Up:[4034]= D =

Discordianism /dis-kor’di-*n-ism/ n.
The veneration of [4035]Eris, a.k.a. Discordia; widely popular among hackers. Discordianism was popularized by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson’s novel “Illuminatus!” as a sort of self-subverting Dada-Zen for Westerners — it should on no account be taken seriously but is far more serious than most jokes. Consider, for example, the Fifth Commandment of the Pentabarf, from “Principia Discordia”: “A Discordian is Prohibited of Believing What he Reads.” Discordianism is usually connected with an elaborate conspiracy theory/joke involving millennia-long warfare between the anarcho-surrealist partisans of Eris and a malevolent, authoritarian secret society called the Illuminati. See [4036]Religion in Appendix B, [4037]Church of the SubGenius, and [4038]ha ha only serious. _________________________________________________________________
Node:disk farm, Next:[4039]display hack, Previous:[4040]Discordianism, Up:[4041]= D =

disk farm n.

(also [4042]laundromat) A large room or rooms filled with disk drives (esp. [4043]washing machines).
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Node:display hack, Next:[4044]dispress, Previous:[4045]disk farm, Up:[4046]= D =

display hack n.

A program with the same approximate purpose as a kaleidoscope: to make pretty pictures. Famous display hacks include [4047]munching squares, [4048]smoking clover, the BSD Unix rain(6) program, worms(6) on miscellaneous Unixes, and the [4049]X kaleid(1) program. Display hacks can also be implemented by creating text files containing numerous escape sequences for interpretation by a video terminal; one notable example displayed, on any VT100, a Christmas tree with twinkling lights and a toy train circling its base. The [4050]hack value of a display hack is proportional to the esthetic value of the images times the cleverness of the algorithm divided by the size of the code. Syn. [4051]psychedelicware.
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Node:dispress, Next:[4052]Dissociated Press, Previous:[4053]display hack, Up:[4054]= D =

dispress vt.

[contraction of `Dissociated Press’ due to eight-character MS-DOS filenames] To apply the [4055]Dissociated Press algorithm to a block of text. The resultant output is also referred to as a ‘dispression’. _________________________________________________________________
Node:Dissociated Press, Next:[4056]distribution, Previous:[4057]dispress, Up:[4058]= D =
Dissociated Press n.

[play on `Associated Press’; perhaps inspired by a reference in the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon “What’s Up, Doc?”] An algorithm for transforming any text into potentially humorous garbage even more efficiently than by passing it through a [4059]marketroid. The algorithm starts by printing any N consecutive words (or letters) in the text. Then at every step it searches for any random occurrence in the original text of the last N words (or letters) already printed and then prints the next word or letter. [4060]EMACS has a handy command for this. Here is a short example of word-based Dissociated Press applied to an earlier version of this Jargon File:
wart: n. A small, crocky [4061]feature that sticks out of an array (C has no checks for this). This is relatively benign and easy to spot if the phrase is bent so as to be not worth paying attention to the medium in question.

Here is a short example of letter-based Dissociated Press applied to the same source:

window sysIWYG: n. A bit was named aften /bee’t*/ prefer to use the other guy’s re, especially in every cast a chuckle on neithout getting into useful informash speech makes removing a featuring a move or usage actual abstractionsidered interj. Indeed spectace logic or problem!

A hackish idle pastime is to apply letter-based Dissociated Press to a random body of text and [4062]vgrep the output in hopes of finding an interesting new word. (In the preceding example, `window sysIWYG’ and `informash’ show some promise.) Iterated applications of Dissociated Press usually yield better results. Similar techniques called `travesty generators’ have been employed with considerable satirical effect to the utterances of Usenet flamers; see [4063]pseudo. _________________________________________________________________
Node:distribution, Next:[4064]distro, Previous:[4065]Dissociated Press, Up:[4066]= D =

distribution n.

1. A software source tree packaged for distribution; but see [4067]kit. Since about 1996 unqualified use of this term often implies `[4068]Linux distribution’. The short for [4069]distro is often used for this sense. 2. A vague term encompassing mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups (but not [4070]BBS [4071]fora); any topic-oriented message channel with multiple recipients. 3. An information-space domain (usually loosely correlated with geography) to which propagation of a Usenet message is restricted; a much-underutilized feature. _________________________________________________________________
Node:distro, Next:[4072]disusered, Previous:[4073]distribution, Up:[4074]= D =

distro n.

Synonym for [4075]distribution, sense 1. _________________________________________________________________
Node:disusered, Next:[4076]do protocol, Previous:[4077]distro, Up:[4078]= D =

disusered adj.

[Usenet] Said of a person whose account on a computer has been removed, esp. for cause rather than through normal attrition. “He got disusered when they found out he’d been cracking through the school’s Internet access.” The verbal form `disuser’ is live but less common. Both usages probably derive from the DISUSER account status flag on VMS; setting it disables the account. Compare [4079]star out. _________________________________________________________________
Node:do protocol, Next:[4080]doc, Previous:[4081]disusered, Up:[4082]= D =

do protocol vi.

[from network protocol programming] To perform an interaction with somebody or something that follows a clearly defined procedure. For example, “Let’s do protocol with the check” at a restaurant means to ask for the check, calculate the tip and everybody’s share, collect money from everybody, generate change as necessary, and pay the bill. See [4083]protocol.
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Node:doc, Next:[4084]documentation, Previous:[4085]do protocol, Up:[4086]= D =

doc /dok/ n.

Common spoken and written shorthand for `documentation’. Often used in the plural `docs’ and in the construction `doc file’ (i.e., documentation available on-line).
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Node:documentation, Next:[4087]dodgy, Previous:[4088]doc, Up:[4089]= D =

documentation n.

The multiple kilograms of macerated, pounded, steamed, bleached, and pressed trees that accompany most modern software or hardware products