Amethyst

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factpacks/Linux.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

Exult => <reply> $who, Ultima 7 world viewer. URL: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Portal/5080/
Eye of Gnome => <reply> $who, The GNOME image viewing and cataloging program. URL: http://www.gnome.org/
ez-ip-update.pl => <reply> $who, Update script for ez-ip.net accounts. URL: ftp://ftp.ez-ip.net/clients/unix/perl/ez-ip-update-v1.4.tar.gz
ez-ipupdate => <reply> $who, utility for updating the dynamic DNS service offered at http://www.ez-ip.net. URL: http://www.gusnet.cx/proj/ez-ipupdate/
ezbounce => <reply> $who, A very configurable IRC Proxy. URL: http://druglord.freelsd.org/ezbounce/
ezmlm => <reply> $who, Easy-to-use, high-speed mailing list manager for qmail. URL: ftp://koobera.math.uic.edu/www/ezmlm.html
eznet => <reply> $who, Very simple PPP setup. URL: http://www.hwaci.com/sw/eznet/
EzRPM => <reply> $who, RPM dependency checker and installer. URL: http://www.linuxstart.com/~igloo/ezrpm/ezrpm-1.2.tar.gz
F => <reply> $who, Lightweight file browser for GNOME.. URL: http://www.maybe.net/f/
F-CULT => <reply> $who, File Collector's Universal Listing Tool. URL: http://www.mbnet.fi/~laurijh/
f/Calc => <reply> $who, Calculate several different photographic formulae.. URL: http://www.cyberport.com/~tangent/photo/fcalc/
fact => <reply> $who, An automated system for managing small snippets of information.. URL: http://projects.ticons.com.au/fact/
failoverd => <reply> $who, Provide rudimentary failover capability for Linux. URL: http://ps-ax.com/failoverd/
FAIM => <reply> $who, An open source client for America Online's Instant Messenger service. URL: http://www.auk.cx/faim/
Fake => <reply> $who, Utility to switch in backup servers on a LAN. URL: http://vergenet.net/linux/fake/
fake identd => <reply> $who, Robust non-forking standalone fake ident daemon. URL: http://iki.fi/too/sw/identd.readme
FakeBO => <reply> $who, Fakes trojan server responses and logs incoming requests. URL: http://cvs.linux.hr/fakebo/
Falcon Module Player => <reply> $who, Various module formats ncurses color player for Linux. URL: http://www.fmp.da.ru
Falken => <reply> $who, An excellent multi-user BBS system for Linux.. URL: http://www.FalkenBBS.com
Falken Finger Daemon => <reply> $who, A finger daemon for Falken Sysops that will display current online BBS users. URL: http://bbs.ipass.net/rds/
Falling Blocks Game => <reply> $who, A falling blocks game of strategy.. URL: http://www.wolsi.com/~dwl/code/

factpacks/Linux.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

trn => <reply> $who, Text-based newsreader with threading. URL: http://www.clari.net/~wayne/
Troll-FTPd => <reply> $who, A free, small, and secure virtual FTP server. URL: http://www.troll.no/freebies/ftpd.html
TRONtium => <reply> $who, A clone of the classic TRON light-cycles game.. URL: http://www.jigsawdezign.demon.co.uk/trontium.htm
TroubleTickets => <reply> $who, HelpDesk Trouble Ticket Web Application. URL: http://faculty.cinstate.cc.oh.us/TroubleTickets/
truc => <reply> $who, Two shell scripts that allow you to transfer big files via e-mail. URL: http://www.ensg.u-nancy.fr/~segonds/truc/
TrueReality => <reply> $who, N64 Emulator. URL: http://www.emuhq.com/truereality/
Truth VSA => <reply> $who, Open Source Lie Detection. URL: http://www.accessone.com/~rivero/POLITICS/VSA/truthvsa.html
TSambaClass => <reply> $who, Cross platform C++ class library for accessing smb.conf file.. URL: http://www.spanware.com/
tsbiff => <reply> $who, Tsbiff will oversee your mailbox and notify you when new messages appears. URL: http://www.tildeslash.com/tsbiff/
Tsinvest => <reply> $who, Quantitative financial analysis of equities.. URL: http://www2.inow.com/~conover/ntropix/
TSpaces => <reply> $who, Allows heterogeneous, Java-enabled devices to exchange data. URL: http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/formula/
tsync => <reply> $who, A Perl scipt for synchronising the system time with a remote server.. URL: http://www.hibernaculum.demon.co.uk/
TT-News => <reply> $who, A headline-news ticker for various news-sources.. URL: http://www.student.lu.se/~etn97ksi/sim_home/
TTC => <reply> $who, Controls login on ttys. URL: http://poseidon.pspt.fi/~priikone/english/programs.shtml
TTdb => <reply> $who, Simple database API written entirely in /bin/sh. URL: http://www.tinaa.com/TTdb/index.html
TThread => <reply> $who, A Cross-platfrom Threading library.. URL: http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~stanis/tthread.html
ttmkfdir => <reply> $who, A tool to create fonts.dir files from TrueType fonts. URL: http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/~pommnitz/ttmkfdir.tar.gz
ttysnoop => <reply> $who, Allows you to spy on telnet+serial connections. URL: ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/terminal/ttysnoop-0.12c.tar.gz
Turbo Vision => <reply> $who, Nice and complete console TUI (Text User Interface) for C++. URL: http://members.xoom.com/stropea/tvision.html
TurboCluster Server => <reply> $who, High availability load-balancer for IP applications, works w/ heterogeneous nets. URL: http://beta.turbolinux.com/cluster/
TurboJ => <reply> $who, High performance Java byte code compiler. URL: http://www.camb.opengroup.org/openitsol/turboj/index.htm

factpacks/html.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

html <MARQUEE LOOP> => The LOOP attribute will cause the marquee to scroll n times. LOOP="INFINITE" will cause the marquee to scroll as long as the page is open.
example <MARQUEE LOOP> => <MARQUEE LOOP=n> text </MARQUEE>
html <MARQUEE SCROLLAMOUNT> => The SCROLLAMOUNT attribute specifies, the amount, in pixels, to move the scrolling text by each time it is drawn.
example <MARQUEE SCROLLAMOUNT> => <MARQUEE SCROLLAMOUNT=n> text </MARQUEE>
html <MARQUEE SCROLLDELAY> => The SCROLLDELAY attribute specifies the delay, in milliseconds, between drawings.
example <MARQUEE SCROLLDELAY> => <MARQUEE SCROLLDELAY=n> text </MARQUEE>
html <MARQUEE VSPACE> => The HSPACE and VSPACE attributes specify a margin to the left and right, or above and below, the marquee box, in pixels.
example <MARQUEE VSPACE> => <MARQUEE VSPACE=n> text </MARQUEE>
html <MARQUEE WIDTH> => The HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes size the marquee box. If n is an absolute number, it is taken to mean pixels; if n is followed by a % sign it is taken to mean a percentage of the width or height (as appropriate) of the screen.
example <MARQUEE WIDTH> => <MARQUEE WIDTH=n%> text </MARQUEE>
html <MATH> => The math tag introduces a description of an equation or formula. math-content is not yet fully defined.
example <MATH> => <MATH> math-content </MATH>
html <MENU> => <Menu List> The menu list tag introduces a menu list, which is made up of List Item (LI) tags and does not include bullets or numbers before them. For a bulleted list use UL. For a numbered list use OL. For a list without bullets or nu...
example <MENU> => <MENU> list entries </MENU> & <MENU COMPACT> list entries </MENU> **In HTML 3.0, the same effect can be achieved with <UL PLAIN>. The MENU tag will probably be obsolete some day, so use UL.
html <META> => <META [...]> The meta tag, which is only valid in a HEAD section, declares HTTP meta name/value pairs that are associated with the HTML document. These are used to extend the HTTP header information returned by the HTTP server. The sup...
html <MULTICOL> => <Multi Column Text> This tag is a container, used to split the display into columns without using frames or tables. The attributes of this tag are: COLS, GUTTER, and WIDTH
html <MULTICOL COLS> => (COLS="number") The COLS attribute is mandatory and controls how many columns the display will be split into.
html <MULTICOL GUTTER> => (GUTTER="pixels") The GUTTER attribute controls the pixels of space between columns. It defaults to a value of 10.
html <MULTICOL WIDTH> => (WIDTH="number") The WIDTH attribute controls the width of an individual column. 
html <NOBR> => <No Break> The no break tag defines a block of text which will have no line breaks except those explicitly requested with BR or suggested with WOBR.
example <NOBR> => <NOBR> text </NOBR>

factpacks/jargon-split.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

byte3 is  originally it was   described as 1 to 6 bits (typical I/O equipment of the period   used 6-bit chunks of information).  The move to an 8-bit byte   happened in late 1956, and this size was later adopted and   promulgated as a standard by th...
byte4 is  mutating the word `bite' so it would not be accidentally   misspelled as {bit}.  See also {nybble}. 
bytesexual is  /bit`sek'shu-*l/ adj. Said of hardware, denotes   willingness to compute or pass data in either {big-endian} or   {little-endian} format (depending, presumably, on a {mode bit}   somewhere).  See also {NUXI problem}.*C n. 1. The third ...
bytesexual2 is  1000011.  3. The name of a programming language designed by   Dennis Ritchie during the early 1970s and immediately used to   reimplement {{UNIX}}.  So called because many features derived   from an earlier compiler named `B' in comme...
bytesexual3 is  Stroustrup settled the   question by designing C++, there was a humorous debate over whether   C's successor should be named `D' or `P'.  C became immensely   popular outside Bell Labs after about 1980 and is now the dominant   langua...
bytesexual4 is  programming.   See also {languages of choice}, {indent style}.   C is often described, with a mixture of fondness and disdain   varying according to the speaker, as "a language that combines   all the elegance and power of assembly la...
bytesexual5 is  maintainability of assembly language". 
calculator is  [Cambridge] n. Syn. for {bitty box}.
can is  vt. To abort a job on a time-sharing system.  Used esp. when the   person doing the deed is an operator, as in "canned from the   {{console}}".  Frequently used in an imperative sense, as in "Can   that print job, the LPT just popped a sprock...
can2 is  that the ASCII character with mnemonic CAN   (0011000) was used as a kill-job character on some early OSes. 
canonical is  [historically, `according to religious law'] adj. The   usual or standard state or manner of something.  This word has a   somewhat more technical meaning in mathematics.  Two formulas such   as 9 + x and x + 9 are said to be equivalent...
canonical2 is  second one is in `canonical   form' because it is written in the usual way, with the highest   power of x first.  Usually there are fixed rules you can use   to decide whether something is in canonical form.  The jargon   meaning, a re...
canonical3 is    present loading in computer-science culture largely through its   prominence in Alonzo Church's work in computation theory and   mathematical logic (see {Knights of the Lambda Calculus}).   Compare {vanilla}.   This word has an inter...
canonical4 is  not use the adjective `canonical' in any of the senses defined   above with any regularity; they do however use the nouns `canon' and   `canonicity' (not *canonicalness or *canonicality). The `canon' of   a given author is the complete...
canonical5 is  usage is familiar to Sherlock Holmes fans as well as   to literary scholars).  `*The* canon' is the body of works in   a given field (e.g., works of literature, or of art, or of music)   deemed worthwhile for students to study and for ...
canonical6 is  non-techspeak academic usages derive ultimately from the   historical meaning, specifically the classification of the books of   the Bible into two groups by Christian theologians.  The   `canonical' books were the ones widely accepted...
canonical7 is  authority.  The   `deuterocanonical' books (literally `secondarily canonical';   also known as the `Apochrypha') were held to be of lesser   authority --- indeed they have been held in such low esteem that to   this day they are omitte...
canonical8 is  this term with a playfulness that makes an ironic   contrast with its historical meaning.  A true story One Bob   Sjoberg, new at the MIT AI Lab, expressed some annoyance at the use   of jargon.  Over his loud objections, GLS and RMS m...
canonical9 is  in his presence, and eventually it   began to sink in.  Finally, in one conversation, he used the word   `canonical' in jargon-like fashion without thinking.  Steele   "Aha!  We've finally got you talking jargon too!"  Stallman   "What...
canonical10 is  `canonical' in the   canonical way."   Of course, canonicality depends on context, but it is implicitly   defined as the way *hackers* normally expect things to be.   Thus, a hacker may claim with a straight face that `according to   ...
card is  n. 1. An electronic printed-circuit board (see also {tall   card}, {short card}.  2. obs. Syn. {{punched card}}.

factpacks/jargon-split.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

feeping creature is  [from {feeping creaturism}] n. An unnecessary   feature; a bit of {chrome} that, in the speaker's judgment, is   the camel's nose for a whole horde of new features.
feeping creaturism is  /fee'ping kree`ch*r-izm/ n. A deliberate   spoonerism for {creeping featurism}, meant to imply that the   system or program in question has become a misshapen creature of   hacks.  This term isn't really well defined, but it so...
feeping creaturism2 is  heard it.  It is probably reinforced   by an image of terminals prowling about in the dark making their   customary noises. 
feetch feetch is  /feech feech/ interj. If someone tells you about   some new improvement to a program, you might respond "Feetch,   feetch!"  The meaning of this depends critically on vocal   inflection.  With enthusiasm, it means something like "Bo...
feetch feetch2 is  Grudgingly or with obvious doubt, it   means "I don't know; it sounds like just one more unnecessary and   complicated thing".  With a tone of resignation, it means, "Well,   I'd rather keep it simple, but I suppose it has to be do...
fence is  n. 1. A sequence of one or more distinguished   ({out-of-band}) characters (or other data items), used to   delimit a piece of data intended to be treated as a unit (the   computer-science literature calls this a `sentinel').  The NUL   (AS...
fence2 is  in C is a fence.   Hex FF is probably the most common fence character after NUL.  See   {zigamorph}.  2. [among users of optimizing compilers] Any   technique, usually exploiting knowledge about the compiler, that   blocks certain optimiza...
fence3 is  available or are overkill.  Typically a hack "I call a dummy   procedure there to force a flush of the optimizer's   register-coloring info" can be expressed by the shorter "That's a   fence procedure". 
fencepost error is  n. 1. A problem with the discrete equivalent of a   boundary condition.  Often exhibited in programs by iterative   loops.  From the following problem "If you build a fence 100 feet   long with posts 10 feet apart, how many posts ...
fencepost error2 is  answer than the obvious 10.  For   example, suppose you have a long list or array of items, and want   to process items m through n; how many items are there?  The   obvious answer is n - m, but that is off by one; the right   an...
fencepost error3 is  `obvious'   formula would have a fencepost error in it.  See also {zeroth}   and {off-by-one error}, and note that not all off-by-one errors   are fencepost errors.  The game of Musical Chairs involves a   catastrophic off-by-one...
fencepost error4 is  chairs, but it's not a fencepost error.  Fencepost   errors come from counting things rather than the spaces between   them, or vice versa, or by neglecting to consider whether one   should count one or both ends of a row.  2. Oc...
fencepost error5 is  regular spacing of inputs, which can (for   instance) screw up your hash table. 
fepped out is  /fept owt/ adj. The Symbolics 3600 Lisp Machine has a   Front-End Processor called a `FEP' (compare sense 2 of {box}).   When the main processor gets {wedged}, the FEP takes control of   the keyboard and screen.  Such a machine is said...
FidoNet is  n. A worldwide hobbyist network of personal computers   which exchange mail, discussion groups, and files.  Founded in 1984   and originally consisting only of IBM PCs and compatibles, FidoNet   now includes such diverse machines as Apple...
FidoNet2 is  Though it is much younger than {USENET},   FidoNet is already (in early 1991) a significant fraction of   USENET's size at some 8000 systems. 
field circus is  [a derogatory pun on `field service'] n. The field   service organization of any hardware manufacturer, but especially   DEC.  There is an entire genre of jokes about DEC field circus   engineers     Q How can you recognize a DEC fie...
field circus2 is   A He's changing each tire to see which one is flat.     Q How can you recognize a DEC field circus engineer        who is out of gas?     A He's changing each tire to see which one is flat.   There is also the `Field Circus Cheer' ...
field circus3 is  Maynard! Maynard!     Don't mess with us!     We're mean and we're tough!     If you get us confused     We'll screw up your stuff.   (DEC's service HQ is located in Maynard, Massachusetts.) 
field servoid is  [play on `android'] /fee'ld ser'voyd/ n.   Representative of a field service organization (see {field   circus}).  This has many of the implications of {droid}.
Fight-o-net is  [FidoNet] n. Deliberate distortion of {FidoNet},   often applied after a flurry of {flamage} in a particular   {echo}, especially the SYSOP echo or Fidonews (see {'Snooze}).

factpacks/jargon-split.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

salescritter is  /sayls'kri`tr/ n. Pejorative hackerism for a computer   salesperson.  Hackers tell the following joke     Q. What's the difference between a used-car dealer and a        computer salesman?     A. The used-car dealer knows he's lying....
salescritter2 is  that salescritters are   self-selected for stupidity (after all, if they had brains and the   inclination to use them, they'd be in programming).  The terms   `salesthing' and `salesdroid' are also common.  Compare   {marketroid}, {...
salsman is  /salz'm*n/ v. To flood a mailing list or newsgroup with   huge amounts of useless, trivial or redundant information.  From   the name of a hacker who has frequently done this on some widely   distributed mailing lists.
salt mines is  n. Dense quarters housing large numbers of programmers   working long hours on grungy projects, with some hope of seeing the   end of the tunnel in N years.  Noted for their absence of sunshine.   Compare {playpen}, {sandbox}.
salt substrate is  [MIT] n. Collective noun used to refer to potato   chips, pretzels, saltines, or any other form of snack food   designed primarily as a carrier for sodium chloride.  From the   technical term `chip substrate', used to refer to the ...
salt substrate2 is  of integrated circuits are deposited. 
same-day service is  n. Ironic term used to describe long response   time, particularly with respect to {{MS-DOS}} system calls (which   ought to require only a tiny fraction of a second to execute).   Such response time is a major incentive for prog...
same-day service2 is  {well-behaved}.  See also {PC-ism}. 
sandbender is  [IBM] n. A person involved with silicon lithography and   the physical design of chips.  Compare {ironmonger}, {polygon   pusher}.
sandbox is  n. (or `sandbox, the') Common term for the   R&D department at many software and computer companies (where hackers   in commercial environments are likely to be found).  Half-derisive,   but reflects the truth that research is a form of c...
sanity check is  n. 1. The act of checking a piece of code (or   anything else, e.g., a USENET posting) for completely stupid mistakes.   Implies that the check is to make sure the author was sane when it   was written; e.g., if a piece of scientific...
sanity check2 is  was giving unexpected results, one might   first look at the nesting of parentheses or the coding of the   formula, as a {sanity check}, before looking at the more complex   I/O or data structure manipulation routines, much less the...
sanity check3 is  2. A run-time test,   either validating input or ensuring that the program hasn't screwed   up internally (producing an inconsistent value or state). 
Saturday night special is  [from police slang for a cheap handgun] n.   A program or feature kluged together during off hours, under a   deadline, and in response to pressure from a {salescritter}.   Such hacks are dangerously unreliable, but all too...
say is  vt. 1. To type to a terminal.  "To list a directory   verbosely, you have to say `ls -l'."  Tends to imply a   {newline}-terminated command (a `sentence').  2. A computer   may also be said to `say' things to you, even if it doesn't have   a ...
say2 is  terminal in response   to your commands.  Hackers find it odd that this usage confuses   {mundane}s. 
science-fiction fandom is  n. Another voluntary subculture having a   very heavy overlap with hackerdom; most hackers read SF and/or   fantasy fiction avidly, and many go to `cons' (SF conventions) or   are involved in fandom-connected activities suc...
science-fiction fandom2 is  Some hacker jargon originated in SF fandom;   see {defenestration}, {great-wall}, {cyberpunk}, {h}, {ha ha   only serious}, {IMHO}, {mundane}, {neep-neep}, {Real   Soon Now}.  Additionally, the jargon terms {cowboy},   {cy...
science-fiction fandom3 is  {virus},   {wetware}, {wirehead}, and {worm} originated in SF   stories. 
scram switch is  [from the nuclear power industry] n. An   emergency-power-off switch (see {Big Red Switch}), esp. one   positioned to be easily hit by evacuating personnel.  In general,   this is *not* something you {frob} lightly; these often   ini...
scram switch2 is  and are installed   in a {dinosaur pen} for use in case of electrical fire or in   case some luckless {field servoid} should put 120 volts across   himself while {Easter egging}. 
scratch is  1. [from `scratchpad'] adj. Describes a data   structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or   temporary-use purposes; one that can be {scribble}d on without   loss.  Usually in the combining forms `scratch memory',  ...

factpacks/jargon.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

busy-wait => vi. Used of human behavior, conveys that the subject is busy waiting for someone or something, intends to move instantly as soon as it shows up, and thus cannot do anything else at the moment. "Can't talk now, I'm busy-waiting till Bill ...
buzz => vi. 1. Of a program, to run with no indication of progress and perhaps without guarantee of ever finishing; esp. said of programs thought to be executing tight loops of code. A program that is buzzing appears to be catatonic, but you never ge...
BWQ => /B-W-Q/ [IBM acronym, `Buzz Word Quotient'] The percentage of buzzwords in a speech or documents. Usually roughly proportional to bogosity. See TLA.
by hand => adv. Said of an operation (especially a repetitive, trivial, and/or tedious one) that ought to be performed automatically by the computer, but which a hacker instead has to step tediously through. "My mailer doesn't have a command to inclu...
by hand2 => replying to, so I have to do it by hand." This does not necessarily mean the speaker has to retype a copy of the message; it might refer to, say, dropping into a subshell from the mailer, making a copy of one's mailbox file, reading that ...
by hand3 => and bottom of the message in question, deleting the rest of the file, inserting `>' characters on each line, writing the file, leaving the editor, returning to the mailer, reading the file in, and later remembering to delete the file. Com...
byte => /bit/ [techspeak] n. A unit of memory or data equal to the amount used to represent one character; on modern architectures this is usually 8 bits, but may be 9 on 36-bit machines. Some older architectures used `byte' for quantities of 6 or 7 ...
bytesexual => /bit`sek'shu-*l/ adj. Said of hardware, denotes willingness to compute or pass data in either big-endian or little-endian format (depending, presumably, on a {mode bit} somewhere). See also {NUXI problem}.*C n. 1. The third letter of th...
calculator => [Cambridge] n. Syn. for {bitty box}.
can => vt. To abort a job on a time-sharing system. Used esp. when the person doing the deed is an operator, as in "canned from the {console}". Frequently used in an imperative sense, as in "Can that print job, the LPT just popped a sprocket!" Synony...
canonical => [historically, `according to religious law'] adj. The usual or standard state or manner of something. This word has a somewhat more technical meaning in mathematics. Two formulas such as 9 + x and x + 9 are said to be equivalent because ...
card => n. 1. An electronic printed-circuit board (see also {tall card}, {short card}. 2. obs. Syn. {{punched card}}.
card walloper => n. An EDP programmer who grinds out batch programs that do stupid things like print people's paychecks. Compare {code grinder}. See also {{punched card}}, {eighty-column mind}.
careware => /keir'weir/ n. Shareware for which either the author suggests that some payment be made to a nominated charity or a levy directed to charity is included on top of the distribution charge. Syn. charityware; compare crippleware, sense 2.
cargo cult programming => n. A style of (incompetent) programming dominated by ritual inclusion of code or program structures that serve no real purpose. A cargo cult programmer will usually explain the extra code as a way of working around some bug ...
cargo cult programming2 => neither the bug nor the reason the code apparently avoided the bug was ever fully understood (compare {shotgun debugging}, {voodoo programming}). The term `cargo cult' is a reference to aboriginal religions that grew up in ...
cargo cult programming3 => The practices of these cults center on building elaborate mockups of airplanes and military style landing strips in the hope of bringing the return of the god-like airplanes that brought such marvelous cargo during the war....
cargo cult programming4 => Richard Feynman's characterization of certain practices as "cargo cult science" in his book `Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman' (W. W. Norton & Co, New York 1985, ISBN 0-393-01921-7). 
case and paste => [from `cut and paste'] n. 1. The addition of a new feature to an existing system by selecting the code from an existing feature and pasting it in with minor changes. Common in telephony circles because most operations in a telephone...
case and paste2 => statements. Leads to {software bloat}. In some circles of EMACS users this is called `programming by Meta-W', because Meta-W is the EMACS command for copying a block of text to a kill buffer in preparation to pasting it in elsewher...
case and paste3 => implying that the programmer is acting mindlessly rather than thinking carefully about what is required to integrate the code for two similar cases. 

factpacks/jargon.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

feep => /feep/ 1. n. The soft electronic `bell' sound of a display terminal (except for a VT-52); a beep (in fact, the microcomputer world seems to prefer beep). 2. vi. To cause the display to make a feep sound. ASR-33s (the original TTYs) do not fee...
feeper => /fee'pr/ n. The device in a terminal or workstation (usually a loudspeaker of some kind) that makes the feep sound.
feeping creature => [from {feeping creaturism}] n. An unnecessary feature; a bit of chrome that, in the speaker's judgment, is the camel's nose for a whole horde of new features.
feeping creaturism => /fee'ping kree`ch*r-izm/ n. A deliberate spoonerism for {creeping featurism}, meant to imply that the system or program in question has become a misshapen creature of hacks. This term isn't really well defined, but it sounds so ...
feeping creaturism2 => heard it. It is probably reinforced by an image of terminals prowling about in the dark making their customary noises. 
feetch feetch => /feech feech/ interj. If someone tells you about some new improvement to a program, you might respond "Feetch, feetch!" The meaning of this depends critically on vocal inflection. With enthusiasm, it means something like "Boy, that's...
feetch feetch2 => Grudgingly or with obvious doubt, it means "I don't know; it sounds like just one more unnecessary and complicated thing". With a tone of resignation, it means, "Well, I'd rather keep it simple, but I suppose it has to be done". 
fence => n. 1. A sequence of one or more distinguished (out-of-band) characters (or other data items), used to delimit a piece of data intended to be treated as a unit (the computer-science literature calls this a `sentinel'). The NUL (ASCII 0000000)...
fencepost error => n. 1. A problem with the discrete equivalent of a boundary condition. Often exhibited in programs by iterative loops. From the following problem "If you build a fence 100 feet long with posts 10 feet apart, how many posts do you ne...
fencepost error2 => answer than the obvious 10. For example, suppose you have a long list or array of items, and want to process items m through n; how many items are there? The obvious answer is n - m, but that is off by one; the right answer is n -...
fencepost error3 => `obvious' formula would have a fencepost error in it. See also zeroth and {off-by-one error}, and note that not all off-by-one errors are fencepost errors. The game of Musical Chairs involves a catastrophic off-by-one error where ...
fencepost error4 => chairs, but it's not a fencepost error. Fencepost errors come from counting things rather than the spaces between them, or vice versa, or by neglecting to consider whether one should count one or both ends of a row. 2. Occasionall...
fencepost error5 => regular spacing of inputs, which can (for instance) screw up your hash table. 
fepped out => /fept owt/ adj. The Symbolics 3600 Lisp Machine has a Front-End Processor called a `FEP' (compare sense 2 of box). When the main processor gets wedged, the FEP takes control of the keyboard and screen. Such a machine is said to have `fe...
FidoNet => n. A worldwide hobbyist network of personal computers which exchange mail, discussion groups, and files. Founded in 1984 and originally consisting only of IBM PCs and compatibles, FidoNet now includes such diverse machines as Apple ][s, At...
field circus => [a derogatory pun on `field service'] n. The field service organization of any hardware manufacturer, but especially DEC. There is an entire genre of jokes about DEC field circus engineers Q How can you recognize a DEC field circus en...
field circus2 => A He's changing each tire to see which one is flat. Q How can you recognize a DEC field circus engineer who is out of gas? A He's changing each tire to see which one is flat. There is also the `Field Circus Cheer' (from the {plan fil...
field circus3 => Maynard! Maynard! Don't mess with us! We're mean and we're tough! If you get us confused We'll screw up your stuff. (DEC's service HQ is located in Maynard, Massachusetts.) 
field servoid => [play on `android'] /fee'ld ser'voyd/ n. Representative of a field service organization (see {field circus}). This has many of the implications of droid.
Fight-o-net => [FidoNet] n. Deliberate distortion of FidoNet, often applied after a flurry of flamage in a particular echo, especially the SYSOP echo or Fidonews (see 'Snooze).
File Attach => [FidoNet] 1. n. A file sent along with a mail message from one BBS to another. 2. vt. Sending someone a file by using the File Attach option in a BBS mailer.

factpacks/jargon.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

SAIL => /sayl/, not /S-A-I-L/ n. 1. Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab. An important site in the early development of LISP; with the MIT AI Lab, BBN, CMU, and the UNIX community, one of the major wellsprings of technical innovation and hacker-cultu...
salescritter => /sayls'kri`tr/ n. Pejorative hackerism for a computer salesperson. Hackers tell the following joke Q. What's the difference between a used-car dealer and a computer salesman? A. The used-car dealer knows he's lying. This reflects the ...
salsman => /salz'm*n/ v. To flood a mailing list or newsgroup with huge amounts of useless, trivial or redundant information. From the name of a hacker who has frequently done this on some widely distributed mailing lists.
salt mines => n. Dense quarters housing large numbers of programmers working long hours on grungy projects, with some hope of seeing the end of the tunnel in N years. Noted for their absence of sunshine. Compare playpen, sandbox.
salt substrate => [MIT] n. Collective noun used to refer to potato chips, pretzels, saltines, or any other form of snack food designed primarily as a carrier for sodium chloride. From the technical term `chip substrate', used to refer to the silicon ...
salt substrate2 => of integrated circuits are deposited. 
same-day service => n. Ironic term used to describe long response time, particularly with respect to {MS-DOS} system calls (which ought to require only a tiny fraction of a second to execute). Such response time is a major incentive for programmers t...
same-day service2 => well-behaved. See also PC-ism. 
sandbender => [IBM] n. A person involved with silicon lithography and the physical design of chips. Compare ironmonger, {polygon pusher}.
sandbox => n. (or `sandbox, the') Common term for the R&D department at many software and computer companies (where hackers in commercial environments are likely to be found). Half-derisive, but reflects the truth that research is a form of creative ...
sanity check => n. 1. The act of checking a piece of code (or anything else, e.g., a USENET posting) for completely stupid mistakes. Implies that the check is to make sure the author was sane when it was written; e.g., if a piece of scientific softwa...
sanity check2 => was giving unexpected results, one might first look at the nesting of parentheses or the coding of the formula, as a {sanity check}, before looking at the more complex I/O or data structure manipulation routines, much less the algori...
sanity check3 => 2. A run-time test, either validating input or ensuring that the program hasn't screwed up internally (producing an inconsistent value or state). 
Saturday night special => [from police slang for a cheap handgun] n. A program or feature kluged together during off hours, under a deadline, and in response to pressure from a salescritter. Such hacks are dangerously unreliable, but all too often sn...
say => vt. 1. To type to a terminal. "To list a directory verbosely, you have to say `ls -l'." Tends to imply a newline-terminated command (a `sentence'). 2. A computer may also be said to `say' things to you, even if it doesn't have a speech synthes...
science-fiction fandom => n. Another voluntary subculture having a very heavy overlap with hackerdom; most hackers read SF and/or fantasy fiction avidly, and many go to `cons' (SF conventions) or are involved in fandom-connected activities such as th...
science-fiction fandom2 => Some hacker jargon originated in SF fandom; see defenestration, great-wall, cyberpunk, h, {ha ha only serious}, IMHO, mundane, neep-neep, {Real Soon Now}. Additionally, the jargon terms cowboy, cyberspace, de-rezz, {go flat...
science-fiction fandom3 => virus, wetware, wirehead, and worm originated in SF stories. 
scram switch => [from the nuclear power industry] n. An emergency-power-off switch (see {Big Red Switch}), esp. one positioned to be easily hit by evacuating personnel. In general, this is *not* something you frob lightly; these often initiate expens...
scram switch2 => and are installed in a {dinosaur pen} for use in case of electrical fire or in case some luckless {field servoid} should put 120 volts across himself while {Easter egging}. 
scratch => 1. [from `scratchpad'] adj. Describes a data structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or temporary-use purposes; one that can be scribbled on without loss. Usually in the combining forms `scratch memory', `scratch re...
scratch monkey => n. As in "Before testing or reconfiguring, always mount a {scratch monkey}", a proverb used to advise caution when dealing with irreplaceable data or devices. Used to refer to any scratch volume hooked to a computer during any risky...

factpacks/security.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

shall => Indication that a requirement must be met unless a justification of why it cannot be met is given and accepted.
should => Indication of an objective requirement that requires less justification for non-con- formancy and should be more readily approved. Note: Should is often used when a specific requirement is not feasible in some situations or with common curr...
simple security condition => A Bell-LaPadula security model rule allowing a subject read access to an object only if the security level of the subject dominates the security level of the object.
simple security property => A Bell-La Padula security model rule allowing a subject read access to an object only if the security level of the subject dominates the security level of the object.  Synonymous with simple security condition.
single level device => A device that is used to process data of a single security level at any one time.  Since the device need not be trusted to separate data of different security levels, sensitivity labels do not have to be stored with the data be...
site certification => The comprehensive assessment of the technical and nontechnical security functions of an IT (information technology) system in its  operational environment to establish the extent to which the system meets a set of specified secu...
skipjack =>  A classified 64-bit block encryption, or secret key encryption,algorithm. The algorithm uses 80-bit keys (compared with 56 for DES) and has 32 computational rounds or iterations (compared with 16 for DES)=2E Skipjack supports all DES mod...
software security => General purpose (executive, utility or software development tools) and applications programs or routines that protect data handled by a system.
sponsor => the person or organisation that requests an evaluation.
spoofing => An attempt to gain access to a system by posing as an authorized user. (Synonymous with impersonating, masquerading, and mimicking.)
state delta verification system => A system designed to give high confidence regarding microcode performance by using formulas that represent isolated states of a computation to check proofs concerning the course of that computation.
state variable => A variable that represents either the state of the system or the state of some system resource. 
state => Give required information with no attempted or implied requirement, to justify the information presented.
storage object => An object that supports both read and write accesses.
SAISS => Subcommittee on Automated Information Systems Security  - authorizes and directs the establishment, under the NTISSC, of a permanent Subcommittee on Automated Information Systems Security.  The SAISS is composed of one voting member from eac...
subject => Active entity in an IT product or AIS, generally in the form of a process or device, that causes information to flow among objects or changes the system state.
system => an assembly of computer and/or communications hardware, software, and firmware configured for the purpose of classifying, sorting, calculating, computing, summarizing, transmitting and receiving, storing and retrieving data with the purpose...
system entry => Mechanism by which an identified and authenticated user is provided access into the system.
SSO => System Security Officer - the person responsible for the security of a system. The SSO is authorized to act in the "security administrator" role. Functions that the SSO is expected to perform include: auditing and changing security characteris...
system integrity => The quality that a system has when it performs its intended function in an unimpaired manner, free from deliberate or inadvertent unauthorized manipulation of the system. 
tampering => An unauthorized modification that alters the proper functioning of an equipment or system in a manner that degrades the security or functionality it provides.

factpacks/techdict.fact  view on Meta::CPAN

Telephony API => (TAPI) This is an API for using telephony functions in Windows. For example, you can include TAPI instructions in your program that can dial numbers, receive calls, and interpret touch-tones.
Telnet => An old protocol for remotely logging in to another computer. It is one of the basic utilities for TCP/IP.
Terabyte => One trillion bytes, or one thousand gigabytes.
Texture Mapping => Pastes saved images, to be used as textures, onto triangle surfaces to improve realism. (Take a picture of a grassy field and code the program to use this picture to fill in your triangles on the floor--you get what looks like gras...
TFT => (Thin Film Transistor) This is a synonym for the Active Matrix display. You'll often see screens referred to as "TFT-Active Matrix," or just "TFT" if they're low on space.
ThickNet => See AUI.
Thin Client => A thin client is similar to a dumb terminal in that it gets all of its information from the network. Some thin clients have their own memory, but lack a hard drive. They're basically stripped down computers that are supposed to lower t...
ThinNet => See 10Base2
Thrash => - To move wildly or violently, without accomplishing anything useful. Also: => Paging or swapping systems that are overloaded waste most of their time moving data into and out of core (rather than performing useful computation) and are ther...
Throughput => Any measure of speed for data transmission.
Toner => Basically, it's ink in dust form. It is specially formulated to be sticky and to melt at a couple hundred degrees.
Toner Cartridge => When referring to laser printers, this is a cartridge that contains toner and the electrostatic drum.
Topology => This refers to the general structure of a network.
Tower Case => An improvement to the standard desktop case, it is flipped 90 degrees to accommodate more inside and to make it more convenient by allowing the case to be placed on the floor instead of the desk.
Trackball => Basically a mouse turned upside down. Instead of moving the whole pointing device, you simply move the ball on top. First seen in arcade games such as Centipede, but now used to replace mice where space is limited.
Transceiver => A device that translates between different network cables but maintains the same network topology. Thus, a transceiver could allow an AUI (Thick => Ethernet) NIC to work with a 10Base-T Ethernet network cable.
Transfer rate => This is the rate at which data is transferred in some amount of bits per second.
Transistor => An electronic device that acts like an electrically activated switch but has no moving parts so it can switch millions of times per second.
Trapezoidal Control => Control on better monitors that allows you to adjust the angles of the borders of the screen.
Trinitron => A technology developed by Sony to enhance the clarity of graphics on their monitors. The way this is done is by making the pixels more square.
True Color => The name given to 16.7 million color representation.