Jargon File

Jargon File

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Real World n. 1. Those institutions at which `programming' may be used in the same sentence as `FORTRAN', `COBOL', `RPG', `IBM', `DBASE', etc.
Places where programs do such commercially...
eality check n. 1. The simplest kind of test of software or hardware
doing the equivalent of asking it what 2 + 2 is and seeing if you get 4....
eality-distortion field n. An expression used to describe the persuasive ability of managers like Steve Jobs (the term originated at Apple in the 1980s to describe his peculiar charisma).
eaper n. A prowler that GFRs files. A file removed in this way is said to have been `reaped'.
ecompile the world The surprisingly large amount of work that needs to be done as the result of any small but globally visible program change.
The world" may mean the entirety of some hu...
ectangle slinger n. See polygon pusher.
ecursion n. See recursion. See also tail recursion.
ecursive acronym n. A hackish (and especially MIT) tradition is to choose acronyms/abbreviations that refer humorously to themselves or to other acronyms/abbreviations.
The classic examp...
Red Book n. 1. Informal name for one of the four standard references on PostScript ("PostScript Language Reference Manual", Adobe Systems (Addison-Wesley, 1985
QA76.73.P67P67; ISBN 0-201...
ed wire n. [IBM] Patch wires installed by programmers who have no business mucking with the hardware.
It is said that the only thing more dangerous than a hardware guy with a code patch i...

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