The letter C

• C n. 1. The third letter of the English alphabet. 2. ASCII
• C Programmer's Disease n. The tendency of the undisciplined C
• calculator [Cambridge] n. Syn. for bitty box.
• can vt. To abort a job on a time-sharing system. Used esp.
• can't happen The traditional program comment for code executed
• candygrammar n. A programming-language grammar that is mostly
• canonical [historically, `according to religious law'] adj. The
• card walloper n. An EDP programmer who grinds out batch programs
• careware /keir'weir/ n. {Shareware} for which either the
• cargo cult programming n. A style of (incompetent) programming
• cascade n. 1. A huge volume of spurious error-message output
• case and paste [from `cut and paste'] n. 1. The addition of a new
• casters-up mode [IBM, prob. fr. slang belly up] n. Yet another
• casting the runes n. What a guru does when you ask him or
• cat [from `catenate' via UNIX `cat(1)'] vt.
• catatonic adj. Describes a condition of suspended animation in
• cd tilde /C-D til-d*/ vi. To go home. From the UNIX C-shell
• cdr /ku'dr/ or /kuh'dr/ [from LISP] vt. To skip past the
• chad /chad/ n. 1. The perforated edge strips on printer paper, after
• chad box n. A metal box about the size of a lunchbox (or in some
• chain 1. [orig. from BASIC's `CHAIN' statement] vi. To hand
• channel [IRC] n. The basic unit of discussion on IRC. Once
• channel hopping [IRC, GEnie] n. To rapidly switch channels on
• channel op /chan'l op/ [IRC] n. Someone who is endowed with
• chanop /chan'-op/ [IRC] n. See channel op.
• char /keir/ or /char/; rarely, /kar/ n. Shorthand for
• charityware /cha'rit-ee-weir`/ n. Syn. careware.
• chase pointers 1. vi. To go through multiple levels of
• check n. A hardware-detected error condition, most commonly used
• chemist [Cambridge] n. Someone who wastes computer time on
• Chernobyl chicken n. See laser chicken.
• Chernobyl packet /cher-noh'b*l pak'*t/ n. A network packet that
• chicken head [Commodore] n. The Commodore Business Machines logo,
• chiclet keyboard n. A keyboard with a small, flat rectangular or
• chine nual /sheen'yu-*l/ [MIT] n.,obs. The LISP Machine Manual, so
• Chinese Army technique n. Syn. Mongolian Hordes technique.
• choke v. 1. To reject input, often ungracefully. "NULs make System
• chomp vi. To lose; specifically, to chew on something of
• chomper n. Someone or something that is chomping; a loser. See
• CHOP /chop/ [IRC] n. See channel op.
• Christmas tree n. A kind of RS-232 line tester or breakout box
• Christmas tree packet n. A packet with every single option set for
• chrome [from automotive slang via wargaming] n. Showy features
• chug vi. To run slowly; to grind or grovel. "The disk is
• Church of the SubGenius n. A mutant offshoot of
• Cinderella Book [CMU] n. "Introduction to Automata Theory,
• CI$ // n. Hackerism for `CIS', CompuServe Information Service.
• Classic C /klas'ik C/ [a play on `Coke Classic'] n. The
• clean 1. adj. Used of hardware or software designs, implies
• CLM /C-L-M/ [Sun `Career Limiting Move'] 1. n. An action
• clobber vt. To overwrite, usually unintentionally "I walked off
• clocks n. Processor logic cycles, so called because each
• clone n. 1. An exact duplicate "Our product is a clone of
• clone-and-hack coding [DEC] n. Syn. case and paste.
• clover key [Mac users] n. See feature key.
• clustergeeking /kluh'st*r-gee`king/ [CMU] n. Spending more time
• COBOL /koh'bol/ [COmmon Business-Oriented Language] n.
• COBOL fingers /koh'bol fing'grz/ n. Reported from Sweden, a
• code grinder n. 1. A suit-wearing minion of the sort hired in
• code police [by analogy with George Orwell's `thought police'] n.
• codes [scientific computing] n. Programs. This usage is common
• codewalker n. A program component that traverses other programs for
• coefficient of X n. Hackish speech makes heavy use of
• cokebottle /kohk'bot-l/ n. Any very unusual character,
• cold boot n. See boot.
• COME FROM n. A semi-mythical language construct dual to the `go
• comm mode /kom mohd/ [ITS from the feature supporting on-line
• command key [Mac users] n. Syn. feature key.
• comment out vt. To surround a section of code with comment
• Commonwealth Hackish n. Hacker jargon as spoken outside
• compact adj. Of a design, describes the valuable property that it
• compiler jock n. See jock (sense 2).
• compress [UNIX] vt. When used without a qualifier, generally
• Compu$erve n. See CI$. Synonyms CompuSpend and
• computer confetti n. Syn. chad. Though this term is common,
• computer geek n. One who eats (computer) bugs for a living. One
• computron /kom'pyoo-tron`/ n. 1. A notional unit of computing
• con [from SF fandom] n. A science-fiction convention. Not used
• condition out vt. To prevent a section of code from being
• condom n. 1. The protective plastic bag that accompanies 3.5-inch
• confuser n. Common soundalike slang for `computer'. Usually
• connector conspiracy [probably came into prominence with the
• cons /konz/ or /kons/ [from LISP] 1. vt. To add a new element
• considered harmful adj. Edsger W. Dijkstra's note in the
• console n. 1. The operator's station of a mainframe. In
• console jockey n. See terminal junkie.
• content-free [by analogy with techspeak `context-free'] adj.
• control-C vi. 1. "Stop whatever you are doing." From the
• control-O vi. "Stop talking." From the character used on some
• control-Q vi. "Resume." From the ASCII DC1 or XON
• control-S vi. "Stop talking for a second." From the ASCII DC3
• Conway's Law prov. The rule that the organization of the software and
• cookbook [from amateur electronics and radio] n. A book of small
• cooked mode [UNIX, by opposition with raw mode] n. The
• cookie n. A handle, transaction ID, or other token of agreement
• cookie bear n. Syn. cookie monster.
• cookie file n. A collection of fortune cookies in a format
• cookie jar n. An area of memory set aside for storing cookies.
• cookie monster [from the children's TV program "Sesame
• copious free time [Apple; orig. fr. the intro to Tom Lehrer's
• copper n. Conventional electron-carrying network cable with a
• copy protection n. A class of methods for preventing incompetent
• copybroke /kop'ee-brohk/ adj. 1. [play on `copyright'] Used
• copyleft /kop'ee-left/ [play on `copyright'] n. 1. The
• copywronged /kop'ee-rongd/ [play on `copyright'] adj. Syn. for
• core n. Main storage or RAM. Dates from the days of
• core cancer n. A process that exhibits a slow but inexorable
• core dump n. [common Iron Age jargon, preserved by UNIX]
• core leak n. Syn. memory leak.
• Core Wars n. A game between `assembler' programs in a
• corge /korj/ [originally, the name of a cat] n. Yet another
• cosmic rays n. Notionally, the cause of bit rot. However, this is
• cough and die v. Syn. barf. Connotes that the program is
• cowboy [Sun, from William Gibson's cyberpunk SF] n. Synonym
• CP/M /C-P-M/ n. [Control Program for Microcomputers] An early
• CPU Wars /C-P-U worz/ n. A 1979 large-format comic by Chas
• crack root v. To defeat the security system of a UNIX machine and
• cracker n. One who breaks security on a system. Coined ca. 1985
• cracking n. The act of breaking into a computer system; what a
• crank [from automotive slang] vt. Verb used to describe the
• CrApTeX /krap'tekh/ [University of York, England] n. Term of
• crash 1. n. A sudden, usually drastic failure. Most often said
• crash and burn vi.,n. A spectacular crash, in the mode of the
• crawling horror n. Ancient crufty hardware or software that is
• cray /kray/ n. 1. (properly, capitalized) One of the line of
• cray instability n. A shortcoming of a program or algorithm that
• crayola /kray-oh'l*/ n. A super-mini or -micro computer that
• crayola books n. The rainbow series of National Computer
• crayon n. 1. Someone who works on Cray supercomputers. More
• creationism n. The (false) belief that large, innovative software
• creep v. To advance, grow, or multiply inexorably. In hackish usage
• creeping elegance n. Describes a tendency for parts of a design
• creeping featurism /kree'ping fee'chr-izm/ n. 1. Describes a
• creeping featuritis /kree'ping fee'-chr-i`t*s/ n. Variant of
• cretin /kret'in/ or /kree'tn/ n. Congenital loser; an obnoxious
• cretinous /kret'n-*s/ or /kreet'n-*s/ adj. Wrong; stupid;
• crippleware n. 1. Software that has some important functionality
• critical mass n. In physics, the minimum amount of fissionable
• crlf /ker'l*f/, sometimes /kru'l*f/ or /C-R-L-F/ n. (often
• crock [from the American scatologism `crock of shit'] n. 1. An
• cross-post [USENET] vi. To post a single article simultaneously to
• crudware /kruhd'weir/ n. Pejorative term for the hundreds of
• cruft /kruhft/ [back-formation from crufty] 1. n. An
• cruft together vt. (also `cruft up') To throw together
• cruftsmanship /kruhfts'm*n-ship / n. [from cruft] The
• crufty /kruhf'tee/ [origin unknown; poss. from `crusty']
• crumb n. Two binary digits; a quad. Larger than a bit,
• crunch 1. vi. To process, usually in a time-consuming or
• cruncha cruncha cruncha /kruhn'ch* kruhn'ch* kruhn'ch*/ interj.
• cryppie /krip'ee/ n. A cryptographer. One who hacks or implements
• CTSS /C-T-S-S/ n. Compatible Time-Sharing System. An early
• CTY /sit'ee/ or /C-T-Y/ n. [MIT] The terminal physically
• cube n. 1. [short for `cubicle'] A module in the open-plan
• cubing [parallel with `tubing'] vi. 1. Hacking on an IPSC (Intel
• cursor dipped in X n. There are a couple of metaphors in English
• cuspy /kuhs'pee/ [WPI from the DEC abbreviation CUSP, for `Commonly
• cut a tape vi. To write a software or document distribution on
• cybercrud /si'ber-kruhd/ n. 1. [coined by Ted Nelson]
• cyberpunk /si'ber-puhnk/ [orig. by SF writer Bruce Bethke
• cyberspace /si'ber-spays/ n. 1. Notional `information-space'
• cycle 1. n. The basic unit of computation. What every hacker
• cycle crunch n. A situation wherein the number of people trying
• cycle drought n. A scarcity of cycles. It may be due to a {cyclecrunch}
• cycle of reincarnation [coined by Ivan Sutherland ca. 1970] n.
• cycle server n. A powerful machine that exists primarily for

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The letter D