The Jargon File by Eric S. Raymond (sites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

kilobytes). Thus, a moby is

classically 256K 36-bit words, the size of a PDP-6 or PDP-10 moby.

Back when address registers were narrow the term was more generally

useful, because when a computer had virtual memory mapping, it might

actually have more physical memory attached to it than any one program

could access directly. One could then say "This computer has 6 mobies"

meaning that the ratio of physical memory to address space is 6,

without having to say specifically how much memory there actually is.

That in turn implied that the computer could timeshare six

`full-sized' programs without having to swap programs between memory

and disk.

Nowadays the low cost of processor logic means that address spaces are

usually larger than the most physical memory you can cram onto a

machine, so most systems have much less than one theoretical `native'

moby of [8806]core. Also, more modern memory-management techniques

(esp. paging) make the `moby count' less significant. However, there

is one series of widely-used chips for which the term could stand to

be revived -- the Intel 8088 and 80286 with their incredibly

[8807]brain-damaged segmented-memory designs. On these, a `moby' would

be the 1-megabyte address span of a segment/offset pair (by

coincidence, a PDP-10 moby was exactly 1 megabyte of 9-bit bytes).

Node:mockingbird, Next:[8808]mod, Previous:[8809]moby, Up:[8810]= M =

mockingbird n.

Software that intercepts communications (especially login

transactions) between users and hosts and provides system-like

responses to the users while saving their responses (especially

account IDs and passwords). A special case of [8811]Trojan horse.

Node:mod, Next:[8812]mode, Previous:[8813]mockingbird, Up:[8814]= M =

mod vt.,n.

[very common] 1. Short for modify' ormodification'. Very commonly

used -- in fact the full terms are considered markers that one is

being formal. The plural `mods' is used esp. with reference to bug

fixes or minor design changes in hardware or software, most esp. with

respect to [8815]patch sets or a [8816]diff. 2. Short for [8817]modulo

but used only for its techspeak sense.

Node:mode, Next:[8818]mode bit, Previous:[8819]mod, Up:[8820]= M =

mode n.

[common] A general state, usually used with an adjective describing

the state. Use of the word mode' rather thanstate' implies that the

state is extended over time, and probably also that some activity

characteristic of that state is being carried out. "No time to hack;

I'm in thesis mode." In its jargon sense, `mode' is most often

attributed to people, though it is sometimes applied to programs and

inanimate objects. In particular, see [8821]hack mode, [8822]day mode,

[8823]night mode, [8824]demo mode, [8825]fireworks mode, and

[8826]yoyo mode; also [8827]talk mode.

One also often hears the verbs enable' anddisable' used in

connection with jargon modes. Thus, for example, a sillier way of

saying "I'm going to crash" is "I'm going to enable crash mode now".

One might also hear a request to "disable flame mode, please".

In a usage much closer to techspeak, a mode is a special state that

certain user interfaces must pass into in order to perform certain

functions. For example, in order to insert characters into a document

in the Unix editor vi, one must type the "i" key, which invokes the

"Insert" command. The effect of this command is to put vi into "insert

mode", in which typing the "i" key has a quite different effect (to

wit, it inserts an "i" into the document). One must then hit another

special key, "ESC", in order to leave "insert mode". Nowadays, modeful

interfaces are generally considered [8828]losing but survive in quite

a few widely used tools built in less enlightened times.

Node:mode bit, Next:[8829]modulo, Previous:[8830]mode, Up:[8831]= M =

mode bit n.

[common] A [8832]flag, usually in hardware, that selects between two

(usually quite different) modes of operation. The connotations are

different from [8833]flag bit in that mode bits are mainly written

during a boot or set-up phase, are seldom explicitly read, and seldom

change over the lifetime of an ordinary program. The classic example

was the EBCDIC-vs.-ASCII bit (#12) of the Program Status Word of the

IBM 360.

Node:modulo, Next:[8834]molly-guard, Previous:[8835]mode bit,

Up:[8836]= M =

modulo /mod'yu-loh/ prep.

Except for. An overgeneralization of mathematical terminology; one can

consider saying that 4 equals 22 except for the 9s (4 = 22 mod 9).

"Well, LISP seems to work okay now, modulo that [8837]GC bug." "I feel

fine today modulo a slight headache."

Node:molly-guard, Next:[8838]Mongolian Hordes technique,

Previous:[8839]modulo, Up:[8840]= M =

molly-guard /mol'ee-gard/ n.

[University of Illinois] A shield to prevent tripping of some

[8841]Big Red Switch by clumsy or ignorant hands. Originally used of

the plexiglass covers improvised for the BRS on an IBM 4341 after a

programmer's toddler daughter (named Molly) frobbed it twice in one

day. Later generalized to covers over stop/reset switches on disk

drives and networking equipment. In hardware catalogues, you'll see

the much less interesting description "guarded button".

Node:Mongolian Hordes technique, Next:[8842]monkey up,

Previous:[8843]molly-guard, Up:[8844]= M =

Mongolian Hordes technique n.

[poss. from the Sixties counterculture expression `Mongolian

clusterfuck' for a public orgy] Development by [8845]gang bang.

Implies that large numbers of inexperienced programmers are being put

on a job better performed by a few skilled ones (but see

[8846]bazaar). Also called `Chinese Army technique'; see also

[8847]Brooks's Law.

Node:monkey up, Next:[8848]monkey scratch, Previous:[8849]Mongolian

Hordes technique, Up:[8850]= M =

monkey up vt.

To hack together hardware for a particular task, especially a one-shot

job. Connotes an extremely [8851]crufty and consciously temporary

solution. Compare [8852]hack up, [8853]kluge up, [8854]cruft together.

Node:monkey scratch, Next:[8855]monstrosity, Previous:[8856]monkey up,

Up:[8857]= M =

monkey, scratch n.

See [8858]scratch monkey.

Node:monstrosity, Next:[8859]monty, Previous:[8860]monkey scratch,

Up:[8861]= M =

monstrosity

n. A ridiculously [8862]elephantine program or system, esp. one

that is buggy or only marginally functional. 2. adj. The quality of

being monstrous (see `Overgeneralization' in the discussion of

jargonification). See also [8863]baroque.

Node:monty, Next:[8864]Moof, Previous:[8865]monstrosity, Up:[8866]= M

=

monty /mon'tee/ n.

[US Geological Survey] A program with a ludicrously complex user

interface written to perform extremely trivial tasks. An example would

be a menu-driven, button clicking, pulldown, pop-up windows program

for listing directories. The original monty was an infamous

weather-reporting program, Monty the Amazing Weather Man, written at

the USGS. Monty had a widget-packed X-window interface with over 200

buttons; and all monty actually did was [8867]FTP files off the

network. 2. [Great Britain; commonly capitalized as Monty' or asthe

Full Monty'] 16 megabytes of memory, when fitted to an IBM-PC or

compatible. A standard PC-compatible using the AT- or ISA-bus with a

normal BIOS cannot access more than 16 megabytes of RAM. Generally

used of a PC, Unix workstation, etc. to mean `fully populated with'

memory, disk-space or some other desirable resource. This usage may be

related to a TV commercial for Del Monte fruit juice, in which one of

the characters insisted on "the full Del Monte"; but see the World

Wide Words article [8868]"The Full Monty" for discussion of the rather

complex etymology that may lie behind this. Compare American

[8869]moby.

Node:Moof, Next:[8870]Moore's Law, Previous:[8871]monty, Up:[8872]= M

=

Moof /moof/

[Macintosh users] 1. n. The call of a semi-legendary creature,

properly called the [8873]dogcow. (Some previous versions of this

entry claimed, incorrectly, that Moof was the name of the creature.)

adj. Used to flag software that's a hack, something untested and on

the edge. On one Apple CD-ROM, certain folders such as "Tools & Apps

(Moof!)" and "Development Platforms (Moof!)", are so marked to

indicate that they contain software not fully tested or sanctioned by

the powers that be. When you open these folders you cross the boundary

into hackerland. 3. v. On the Microsoft Network, the term `moof' has

gained popularity as a verb meaning `to be suddenly disconnected by

the system'. One might say "I got moofed".

Node:Moore's Law, Next:[8874]moose call, Previous:[8875]Moof,

Up:[8876]= M =

Moore's Law /morz law/ prov.

The observation that the logic density of silicon integrated circuits

has closely followed the curve (bits per square inch) = 2^(t - 1962)

where t is time in years; that is, the amount of information storable

on a given amount of silicon has roughly doubled every year since the

technology was invented. This relation, first uttered in 1964 by

semiconductor engineer Gordon Moore (who co-founded Intel four years

later) held until the late 1970s, at which point the doubling period

slowed to 18 months. The doubling period remained at that value

through time of writing (late 1999). Moore's Law is apparently

self-fulfilling. The implication is that somebody, somewhere is going

to be able to build a better chip than you if you rest on your

laurels, so you'd better start pushing hard on the problem. See also

[8877]Parkinson's Law of Data and [8878]Gates's Law.

Node:moose call, Next:[8879]moria, Previous:[8880]Moore's Law,

Up:[8881]= M =

moose call n.

See [8882]whalesong.

Node:moria, Next:[8883]MOTAS, Previous:[8884]moose call, Up:[8885]= M

=

moria /mor'ee-*/ n.

Like [8886]nethack and [8887]rogue, one of the large PD

Dungeons-and-Dragons-like simulation games, available for a wide range

of machines and operating systems. The name is from Tolkien's Mines of

Moria; compare [8888]elder days, [8889]elvish. The game is extremely

addictive and a major consumer of time better used for hacking. See

also [8890]nethack, [8891]rogue, [8892]Angband.

Node:MOTAS, Next:[8893]MOTOS, Previous:[8894]moria, Up:[8895]= M =

MOTAS /moh-tahz/ n.

[Usenet: Member Of The Appropriate Sex, after [8896]MOTOS and

[8897]MOTSS] A potential or (less often) actual sex partner. See also

[8898]SO.

Node:MOTOS, Next:[8899]MOTSS, Previous:[8900]MOTAS, Up:[8901]= M =

MOTOS /moh-tohs/ n.

[acronym from the 1970 U.S. census forms via Usenet: Member Of The

Opposite Sex] A potential or (less often) actual sex partner. See

[8902]MOTAS, [8903]MOTSS, [8904]SO. Less common than MOTSS or

[8905]MOTAS, which has largely displaced it.

Node:MOTSS, Next:[8906]mouse ahead, Previous:[8907]MOTOS, Up:[8908]= M

=

MOTSS /mots/ or /M-O-T-S-S/ n.

[from the 1970 U.S. census forms via Usenet] Member Of The Same Sex,

esp. one considered as a possible sexual partner. The gay-issues

newsgroup on Usenet is called soc.motss. See [8909]MOTOS and

[8910]MOTAS, which derive from it. See also [8911]SO.

Node:mouse ahead, Next:[8912]mouse around, Previous:[8913]MOTSS,

Up:[8914]= M =

mouse ahead vi.

Point-and-click analog of `type ahead'. To manipulate a computer's

pointing device (almost always a mouse in this usage, but not

necessarily) and its selection or command buttons before a computer

program is ready to accept such input, in anticipation of the program

accepting the input. Handling this properly is rare, but it can help

make a [8915]WIMP environment much more usable, assuming the users are

familiar with the behavior of the user interface.

Node:mouse around, Next:[8916]mouse belt, Previous:[8917]mouse ahead,

Up:[8918]= M =

mouse around vi.

To explore public portions of a large system, esp. a network such as

Internet via [8919]FTP or [8920]TELNET, looking for interesting stuff

to [8921]snarf.

Node:mouse belt, Next:[8922]mouse droppings, Previous:[8923]mouse

around, Up:[8924]= M =

mouse belt n.

See [8925]rat belt.

Node:mouse droppings, Next:[8926]mouse elbow, Previous:[8927]mouse

belt, Up:[8928]= M =

mouse droppings n.

[MS-DOS] Pixels (usually single) that are not properly restored when

the mouse pointer moves away from a particular location on the screen,

producing the appearance that the mouse pointer has left droppings

behind. The major causes for this problem are programs that write to

the screen memory corresponding to the mouse pointer's current

location without hiding the mouse pointer first, and mouse drivers

that do not quite support the graphics mode in use.

Node:mouse elbow, Next:[8929]mouso, Previous:[8930]mouse droppings,

Up:[8931]= M =

mouse elbow n.

A tennis-elbow-like fatigue syndrome resulting from excessive use of a

[8932]WIMP environment. Similarly, `mouse shoulder'; GLS reports that

he used to get this a lot before he taught himself to be

ambimoustrous.

Node:mouso, Next:[8933]MS-DOS, Previous:[8934]mouse elbow, Up:[8935]=

M =

mouso /mow'soh/ n.

[by analogy with `typo'] An error in mouse usage resulting in an

inappropriate selection or graphic garbage on the screen. Compare

[8936]thinko, [8937]braino.

Node:MS-DOS, Next:[8938]mu, Previous:[8939]mouso, Up:[8940]= M =

MS-DOS /M-S-dos/ n.

[MicroSoft Disk Operating System] A [8941]clone of [8942]CP/M for the

8088 crufted together in 6 weeks by hacker Tim Paterson at Seattle

Computer Products, who called