1. IBM's supremely rude Job Control
Language. JCL is the script language used to control the execution
of programs in IBM's batch systems. JCL has a very fascist
syntax, and some versions will, for example, barf if two
spaces appear where it expects one. Most programmers confronted
with JCL simply copy a working file (or card deck), changing the
file names. Someone who actually understands and generates unique
JCL is regarded with the mixed respect one gives to someone who
memorizes the phone book. It is reported that hackers at IBM
itself sometimes sing "Who's the breeder of the crud that mangles
you and me? I-B-M, J-C-L, M-o-u-s-e" to the tune of the
"Mickey Mouse Club" theme to express their opinion of the
beast. 2. A comparative for any very rude software that a
hacker is expected to use. "That's as bad as JCL." As with
COBOL, JCL is often used as an archetype of ugliness even by
those who haven't experienced it. See also IBM, fear and loath
A (poorly documented, naturally) shell simulating JCL syntax is
available at the Retrocomputing Museum http://www.ccil.org/retro.
EOF /E-O-F/ n.
[abbreviation, `End Of File']
1. [techspeak] The out-of-band value returned by C's
sequential character-input functions (and their equivalents in
other environments) when end of file has been reached....
