The New Hacker's Dictionary
.pdf871
and words for the corresponding power of 2. The B-suffixed forms are commonly used for byte quantities; the words `meg' and `gig' are nouns that may (but do not always) pluralize with `s'. prefix decimal binary pronunciation kilo- k K, KB, /kay/ mega- M M, MB, meg /meg/ giga- G G, GB, gig /gig/,/jig/
Confusingly, hackers often use K or M as though they were suffix or numeric multipliers rather than a prefix; thus "2K dollars", "2M of disk space". This is also true (though less commonly) of G.
Note that the formal SI metric prefix for 1000 is `k'; some use this strictly, reserving `K' for multiplication by 1024 (KB is thus `kilobytes').
K, M, and G used alone refer to quantities of bytes; thus, 64G is 64 gigabytes and `a K' is a kilobyte (compare mainstream use of `a G' as short for `a grand', that is, $1000). Whether one pronounces `gig' with hard or soft `g' depends on what one thinks the proper pronunciation of `giga-' is.
Confusing 1000 and 1024 (or other powers of 2 and 10 close in magnitude) -- for example, describing a memory in units of 500K or 524K instead of 512K -- is a sure sign of the [10813]marketroid. One example of this: it is common to refer to the capacity of 3.5" [10814]microfloppies as `1.44 MB' In fact, this is a completely [10815]bogus number. The correct size is 1440 KB, that is, 1440 * 1024 = 1474560 bytes. So the `mega' in `1.44 MB' is compounded of two `kilos', one of which is 1024 and the other of which is 1000. The correct number of megabytes would of course be 1440 / 1024 = 1.40625. Alas, this fine point is probably lost on the world forever.
[1993 update: hacker Morgan Burke has proposed, to general approval on Usenet, the following additional prefixes:
groucho 10^(-30)
harpo 10^(-27)
harpi 10^(27)
872
grouchi 10^(30)
We observe that this would leave the prefixes zeppo-, gummo-, and chicoavailable for future expansion. Sadly, there is little immediate prospect that Mr. Burke's eminently sensible proposal will be ratified.]
[1999 upate: there is an [10816]IEC proposal for binary multipliers, but no evidence that any of its proposals are in live use.]
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Node:quantum bogodynamics, Next:[10817]quarter,
Previous:[10818]quantifiers, Up:[10819]= Q =
quantum bogodynamics /kwon'tm boh`goh-di:-nam'iks/ n.
A theory that characterizes the universe in terms of bogon sources (such as politicians, used-car salesmen, TV evangelists, and [10820]suits in general), bogon sinks (such as taxpayers and computers), and bogosity potential fields. Bogon absorption, of course, causes human beings to behave mindlessly and machines to fail (and may also cause both to emit secondary bogons); however, the precise mechanics of the bogon-computron interaction are not yet understood and remain to be elucidated. Quantum bogodynamics is most often invoked to explain the sharp increase in hardware and software failures in the presence of suits; the latter emit bogons, which the former absorb. See [10821]bogon, [10822]computron, [10823]suit, [10824]psyton.
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Node:quarter, Next:[10825]ques, Previous:[10826]quantum bogodynamics, Up:[10827]= Q =
quarter n.
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Two bits. This in turn comes from the `pieces of eight' famed in pirate movies -- Spanish silver crowns that could be broken into eight pie-slice-shaped `bits' to make change. Early in American history the Spanish coin was considered equal to a dollar, so each of these `bits' was considered worth 12.5 cents. Syn. [10828]tayste, [10829]crumb, [10830]quad. Usage: rare. General discussion of such terms is under [10831]nybble.
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Node:ques, Next:[10832]quick-and-dirty, Previous:[10833]quarter,
Up:[10834]= Q =
ques /kwes/
1. n. The question mark character (?, ASCII 0111111). 2. interj. What? Also frequently verb-doubled as "Ques ques?" See [10835]wall.
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Node:quick-and-dirty, Next:[10836]quine, Previous:[10837]ques,
Up:[10838]= Q =
quick-and-dirty adj.
[common] Describes a [10839]crock put together under time or user pressure. Used esp. when you want to convey that you think the fast way might lead to trouble further down the road. "I can have a quick-and-dirty fix in place tonight, but I'll have to rewrite the whole module to solve the underlying design problem." See also [10840]kluge.
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Node:quine, Next:[10841]quote chapter and verse,
Previous:[10842]quick-and-dirty, Up:[10843]= Q =
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quine /kwi:n/ n.
[from the name of the logician Willard van Orman Quine, via Douglas Hofstadter] A program that generates a copy of its own source text as its complete output. Devising the shortest possible quine in some given programming language is a common hackish amusement. (We ignore some variants of BASIC in which a program consisting of a single empty string literal reproduces itself trivially.) Here is one classic quine: ((lambda (x) (list x (list (quote quote) x))) (quote (lambda (x) (list x (list (quote quote) x)))))
This one works in LISP or Scheme. It's relatively easy to write quines in other languages such as Postscript which readily handle programs as data; much harder (and thus more challenging!) in languages like C which do not. Here is a classic C quine for ASCII machines: char*f="char*f=%c%s%c;main() {printf(f,34,f,34,10);}%c"; main(){printf(f,34,f,34,10);}
For excruciatingly exact quinishness, remove the interior line breaks. Here is another elegant quine in ANSI C: #define q(k)main(){return!puts(#k"\nq("#k")");} q(#define q(k)main(){return!puts(#k"\nq("#k")");})
Some infamous [10844]Obfuscated C Contest entries have been quines that reproduced in exotic ways. There is an amusing [10845]Quine Home Page.
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Node:quote chapter and verse, Next:[10846]quotient,
Previous:[10847]quine, Up:[10848]= Q =
quote chapter and verse v.
[by analogy with the mainstream phrase] To cite a relevant excerpt from an appropriate [10849]bible. "I don't care if rn gets it wrong; `Followup-To: poster' is explicitly permitted by [10850]RFC-1036. I'll quote chapter and
875
verse if you don't believe me." See also [10851]legalese, [10852]language lawyer, [10853]RTFS (sense 2).
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Node:quotient, Next:[10854]quux, Previous:[10855]quote chapter and verse, Up:[10856]= Q =
quotient n.
See [10857]coefficient of X.
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Node:quux, Next:[10858]qux, Previous:[10859]quotient, Up:[10860]= Q =
quux /kwuhks/ n.
[Mythically, from the Latin semi-deponent verb quuxo, quuxare, quuxandum iri; noun form variously `quux' (plural `quuces', anglicized to `quuxes') and `quuxu' (genitive plural is `quuxuum', for four u-letters out of seven in all, using up all the `u' letters in Scrabble).] 1. Originally, a [10861]metasyntactic variable like [10862]foo and [10863]foobar. Invented by Guy Steele for precisely this purpose when he was young and naive and not yet interacting with the real computing community. Many people invent such words; this one seems simply to have been lucky enough to have spread a little. In an eloquent display of poetic justice, it has returned to the originator in the form of a nickname. 2. interj. See [10864]foo; however, denotes very little disgust, and is uttered mostly for the sake of the sound of it. 3. Guy Steele in his persona as `The Great Quux', which is somewhat infamous for light verse and for the `Crunchly' cartoons. 4. In some circles, used as a punning opposite of `crux'. "Ah, that's the quux of the matter!" implies that the point is not crucial (compare [10865]tip of the ice-cube). 5. quuxy: adj. Of or pertaining to a quux.
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876
Node:qux, Next:[10866]QWERTY, Previous:[10867]quux, Up:[10868]= Q
=
qux /kwuhks/
The fourth of the standard [10869]metasyntactic variable, after [10870]baz and before the quu(u...)x series. See [10871]foo, [10872]bar, [10873]baz, [10874]quux. This appears to be a recent mutation from [10875]quux, and many versions (especially older versions) of the standard series just run [10876]foo, [10877]bar, [10878]baz, [10879]quux, ....
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Node:QWERTY, Next:[10880]rabbit job, Previous:[10881]qux, Up:[10882]= Q =
QWERTY /kwer'tee/ adj.
[from the keycaps at the upper left] Pertaining to a standard English-language typewriter keyboard (sometimes called the Sholes keyboard after its inventor), as opposed to Dvorak or non-US-ASCII layouts or a [10883]space-cadet keyboard or APL keyboard.
Historical note: The QWERTY layout is a fine example of a [10884]fossil. It is sometimes said that it was designed to slow down the typist, but this is wrong; it was designed to allow faster typing -- under a constraint now long obsolete. In early typewriters, fast typing using nearby type-bars jammed the mechanism. So Sholes fiddled the layout to separate the letters of many common digraphs (he did a far from perfect job, though; `th', `tr', `ed', and `er', for example, each use two nearby keys). Also, putting the letters of `typewriter' on one line allowed it to be typed with particular speed and accuracy for [10885]demos. The jamming problem was essentially solved soon afterward by a suitable use of springs, but the keyboard layout lives on.
877
The QWERTY keyboard has also spawned some unhelpful economic myths about how technical standards get and stay established; see [10886]http://www.reasonmag.com/9606/Fe.QWERTY.html.
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Node:= R =, Next:[10887]= S =, Previous:[10888]= Q =, Up:[10889]The Jargon Lexicon
= R =
*[10890]rabbit job:
*[10891]rain dance:
*[10892]rainbow series:
*[10893]random:
*[10894]Random Number God:
*[10895]random numbers:
*[10896]randomness:
*[10897]rape:
*[10898]rare mode:
*[10899]raster blaster:
*[10900]raster burn:
*[10901]rasterbation:
* [10902]rat belt:
878
*[10903]rat dance:
*[10904]ratio site:
*[10905]rave:
*[10906]rave on!:
*[10907]ravs:
*[10908]raw mode:
*[10909]RBL:
*[10910]rc file:
*[10911]RE:
*[10912]read-only user:
*[10913]README file:
*[10914]real:
*[10915]real estate:
*[10916]real hack:
*[10917]real operating system:
*[10918]Real Programmer:
*[10919]Real Soon Now:
*[10920]real time:
879
*[10921]real user:
*[10922]Real World:
*[10923]reality check:
*[10924]reality-distortion field:
*[10925]reaper:
*[10926]recompile the world:
*[10927]rectangle slinger:
*[10928]recursion:
*[10929]recursive acronym:
*[10930]Red Book:
*[10931]red wire:
*[10932]regexp:
*[10933]register dancing:
*[10934]rehi:
*[10935]reincarnation cycle of:
*[10936]reinvent the wheel:
*[10937]relay rape:
*[10938]religion of CHI:
880
*[10939]religious issues:
*[10940]replicator:
*[10941]reply:
*[10942]restriction:
*[10943]retcon:
*[10944]RETI:
*[10945]retrocomputing:
*[10946]return from the dead:
*[10947]RFC:
*[10948]RFE:
*[10949]rib site:
*[10950]rice box:
*[10951]Right Thing:
*[10952]rip:
*[10953]ripoff:
*[10954]RL:
*[10955]roach:
*[10956]robocanceller: