The Jargon Lexicon
= O =
=====
Ob-: /ob/ pref. Obligatory. A piece of {netiquette}
acknowledging that the author has been straying from the
newsgroup's charter topic. For example, if a posting in alt.sex is
a response to a part of someone else's posting that has nothing
particularly to do with sex, the author may append `ObSex' (or
`Obsex') and toss off a question or vignette about some unusual
erotic act. It is considered a sign of great {winnitude} when
one's Obs are more interesting than other people's whole postings.
Obfuscated C Contest: n. (in full, the `International
Obfuscated C Code Contest', or IOCCC) An annual contest run since
1984 over Usenet by Landon Curt Noll and friends. The overall
winner is whoever produces the most unreadable, creative, and
bizarre (but working) C program; various other prizes are awarded
at the judges' whim. C's terse syntax and macro-preprocessor
facilities give contestants a lot of maneuvering room. The winning
programs often manage to be simultaneously (a) funny, (b)
breathtaking works of art, and (c) horrible examples of how
*not* to code in C.
This relatively short and sweet entry might help convey the flavor
of obfuscated C:
/*
* HELLO WORLD program
* by Jack Applin and Robert Heckendorn, 1985
*/
main(v,c)char**c;{for(v[c++]="Hello, world!\n)";
(!!c)[*c]&&(v--||--c&&execlp(*c,*c,c[!!c]+!!c,!c));
**c=!c)write(!!*c,*c,!!**c);}
Here's another good one:
/*
* Program to compute an approximation of pi
* by Brian Westley, 1988
*/
#define _ -F<00||--F-OO--;
int F=00,OO=00;
main(){F_OO();printf("%1.3f\n",4.*-F/OO/OO);}F_OO()
{
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}
Note that this program works by computing its own area. For more
digits, write a bigger program. See also {hello, world}.
obi-wan error: /oh'bee-won` er'*r/ n. [RPI, from
`off-by-one' and the Obi-Wan Kenobi character in "Star
Wars"] A loop of some sort in which the index is off by 1. Common
when the index should have started from 0 but instead started from
1. A kind of {off-by-one error}. See also {zeroth}.
Objectionable-C: n. Hackish take on "Objective-C", the
name of an object-oriented dialect of C in competition with the
better-known C++ (it is used to write native applications on the
NeXT machine). Objectionable-C uses a Smalltalk-like syntax, but
lacks the flexibility of Smalltalk method calls, and (like many
such efforts) comes frustratingly close to attaining the {Right
Thing} without actually doing so.
obscure: adj. Used in an exaggeration of its normal meaning,
to imply total incomprehensibility. "The reason for that last
crash is obscure." "The `find(1)' command's syntax is
obscure!" The phrase `moderately obscure' implies that
something could be figured out but probably isn't worth the
trouble. The construction `obscure in the extreme' is the
preferred emphatic form.
octal forty: /ok'tl for'tee/ n. Hackish way of saying
"I'm drawing a blank." Octal 40 is the {{ASCII}} space
character, 0100000; by an odd coincidence, {hex} 40 (01000000)
is the {{EBCDIC}} space character. See {wall}.
off the trolley: adj. Describes the behavior of a program
that malfunctions and goes catatonic, but doesn't actually
{crash} or abort. See {glitch}, {bug}, {deep space}.
off-by-one error: n. Exceedingly common error induced in
many ways, such as by starting at 0 when you should have started at
1 or vice-versa, or by writing `< N' instead of `<= N' or
vice-versa. Also applied to giving something to the person next to
the one who should have gotten it. Often confounded with
{fencepost error}, which is properly a particular subtype of it.
offline: adv. Not now or not here. "Let's take this
discussion offline." Specifically used on {Usenet} to suggest
that a discussion be moved off a public newsgroup to email.
ogg: /og/ v. [CMU] 1. In the multi-player space combat
game Netrek, to execute kamikaze attacks against enemy ships which
are carrying armies or occupying strategic positions. Named during
a game in which one of the players repeatedly used the tactic while
playing Orion ship G, showing up in the player list as "Og".
This trick has been roundly denounced by those who would return to
the good old days when the tactic of dogfighting was dominant, but
as Sun Tzu wrote, "What is of supreme importance in war is to
attack the enemy's strategy." However, the traditional answer to
the newbie question "What does ogg mean?" is just "Pick up some
armies and I'll show you." 2. In other games, to forcefully
attack an opponent with the expectation that the resources expended
will be renewed faster than the opponent will be able to regain his
previous advantage. Taken more seriously as a tactic since it has
gained a simple name. 3. To do anything forcefully, possibly
without consideration of the drain on future resources. "I guess
I'd better go ogg the problem set that's due tomorrow." "Whoops!
I looked down at the map for a sec and almost ogged that oncoming
car."
old fart: n. Tribal elder. A title self-assumed with
remarkable frequency by (esp.) Usenetters who have been
programming for more than about 25 years; often appears in {sig
block}s attached to Jargon File contributions of great
archeological significance. This is a term of insult in the second
or third person but one of pride in first person.
Old Testament: n. [C programmers] The first edition of
{K&R}, the sacred text describing {Classic C}.
one-banana problem: n. At mainframe shops, where the
computers have operators for routine administrivia, the programmers
and hardware people tend to look down on the operators and claim
that a trained monkey could do their job. It is frequently
observed that the incentives that would be offered said monkeys can
be used as a scale to describe the difficulty of a task. A
one-banana problem is simple; hence, "It's only a one-banana job
at the most; what's taking them so long?"
At IBM, folklore divides the world into one-, two-, and
three-banana problems. Other cultures have different hierarchies
and may divide them more finely; at ICL, for example, five grapes
(a bunch) equals a banana. Their upper limit for the in-house
{sysape}s is said to be two bananas and three grapes (another
source claims it's three bananas and one grape, but observes
"However, this is subject to local variations, cosmic rays and
ISO"). At a complication level any higher than that, one asks the
manufacturers to send someone around to check things.
See also {Infinite-Monkey Theorem}.
one-line fix: n. Used (often sarcastically) of a change to a
program that is thought to be trivial or insignificant right up to
the moment it crashes the system. Usually `cured' by another
one-line fix. See also {I didn't change anything!}
one-liner wars: n. A game popular among hackers who code in
the language APL (see {write-only language} and {line
noise}). The objective is to see who can code the most interesting
and/or useful routine in one line of operators chosen from APL's
exceedingly {hairy} primitive set. A similar amusement was
practiced among {TECO} hackers and is now popular among
{Perl} aficionados.
Ken Iverson, the inventor of APL, has been credited with a
one-liner that, given a number N, produces a list of the
prime numbers from 1 to N inclusive. It looks like this:
(2 = 0 +.= T o.| T) / T <- iN
where `o' is the APL null character, the assignment arrow is a
single character, and `i' represents the APL iota.
ooblick: /oo'blik/ n. [from the Dr. Seuss title
"Bartholomew and the Oobleck"] A bizarre semi-liquid sludge
made from cornstarch and water. Enjoyed among hackers who make
batches during playtime at parties for its amusing and extremely
non-Newtonian behavior; it pours and splatters, but resists rapid
motion like a solid and will even crack when hit by a hammer.
Often found near lasers.
Here is a field-tested ooblick recipe contributed by GLS:
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup water
N drops of food coloring
This recipe isn't quite as non-Newtonian as a pure cornstarch
ooblick, but has an appropriately slimy feel.
Some, however, insist that the notion of an ooblick *recipe*
is far too mechanical, and that it is best to add the water in
small increments so that the various mixed states the cornstarch
goes through as it *becomes* ooblick can be grokked in
fullness by many hands. For optional ingredients of this
experience, see the "{Ceremonial Chemicals}" section of
Appendix B.
op: /op/ n. 1. In England and Ireland, common verbal
abbreviation for `operator', as in system operator. Less common in
the U.S., where {sysop} seems to be preferred. 2. [IRC] Someone
who is endowed with privileges on {IRC}, not limited to a
particular channel. These are generally people who are in charge
of the IRC server at their particular site. Sometimes used
interchangeably with {CHOP}. Compare {sysop}.
open: n. Abbreviation for `open (or left) parenthesis' ---
used when necessary to eliminate oral ambiguity. To read aloud the
LISP form (DEFUN FOO (X) (PLUS X 1)) one might say: "Open defun
foo, open eks close, open, plus eks one, close close."
Open DeathTrap: n. Abusive hackerism for the Santa Cruz
Operation's `Open DeskTop' product, a Motif-based graphical
interface over their UNIX. The funniest part is that this was
coined by SCO's own developers.... Compare {AIDX},
{Macintrash} {Nominal Semidestructor}, {ScumOS},
{sun-stools}, {HP-SUX}.
open switch: n. [IBM: prob. from railroading] An
unresolved question, issue, or problem.
operating system:: n. [techspeak] (Often abbreviated `OS')
The foundation software of a machine, of course; that which
schedules tasks, allocates storage, and presents a default
interface to the user between applications. The facilities an
operating system provides and its general design philosophy exert
an extremely strong influence on programming style and on the
technical cultures that grow up around its host machines. Hacker
folklore has been shaped primarily by the {{UNIX}}, {{ITS}},
{{TOPS-10}}, {{TOPS-20}}/{{TWENEX}}, {{WAITS}}, {{CP/M}},
{{MS-DOS}}, and {{Multics}} operating systems (most importantly
by ITS and UNIX).
optical diff: n. See {vdiff}.
optical grep: n. See {vgrep}.
optimism: n. What a programmer is full of after fixing the
last bug and before discovering the *next* last bug. Fred
Brooks's book "The Mythical Man-Month" (See "Brooks's
Law") contains the following paragraph that describes this
extremely well:
All programmers are optimists. Perhaps this modern sorcery
especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and fairy
godmothers. Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations drive
away all but those who habitually focus on the end goal. Perhaps
it is merely that computers are young, programmers are younger,
and the young are always optimists. But however the selection
process works, the result is indisputable: "This time it will
surely run," or "I just found the last bug.".
See also {Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology}.
Orange Book: n. The U.S. Government's standards document
"Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria, DOD standard
5200.28-STD, December, 1985" which characterize secure computing
architectures and defines levels A1 (most secure) through D
(least). Stock UNIXes are roughly C1, and can be upgraded to about
C2 without excessive pain. See also {{crayola books}}, {{book
titles}}.
oriental food:: n. Hackers display an intense tropism
towards oriental cuisine, especially Chinese, and especially of the
spicier varieties such as Szechuan and Hunan. This phenomenon
(which has also been observed in subcultures that overlap heavily
with hackerdom, most notably science-fiction fandom) has never been
satisfactorily explained, but is sufficiently intense that one can
assume the target of a hackish dinner expedition to be the best
local Chinese place and be right at least three times out of four.
See also {ravs}, {great-wall}, {stir-fried random},
{laser chicken}, {Yu-Shiang Whole Fish}. Thai, Indian,
Korean, and Vietnamese cuisines are also quite popular.
orphan: n. [UNIX] A process whose parent has died; one
inherited by `init(1)'. Compare {zombie}.
orphaned i-node: /or'f*nd i:'nohd/ n. [UNIX]
1. [techspeak] A file that retains storage but no longer appears in
the directories of a filesystem. 2. By extension, a pejorative for
any person no longer serving a useful function within some
organization, esp. {lion food} without subordinates.
orthogonal: adj. [from mathematics] Mutually independent;
well separated; sometimes, irrelevant to. Used in a generalization
of its mathematical meaning to describe sets of primitives or
capabilities that, like a vector basis in geometry, span the entire
`capability space' of the system and are in some sense
non-overlapping or mutually independent. For example, in
architectures such as the PDP-11 or VAX where all or nearly all
registers can be used interchangeably in any role with respect to
any instruction, the register set is said to be orthogonal. Or, in
logic, the set of operators `not' and `or' is orthogonal, but
the set `nand', `or', and `not' is not (because any one of
these can be expressed in terms of the others). Also used in
comments on human discourse: "This may be orthogonal to the
discussion, but...."
OS: /O-S/ 1. [Operating System] n. An abbreviation heavily
used in email, occasionally in speech. 2. n.,obs. On ITS, an
output spy. See "{OS and JEDGAR}" in Appendix A.
OS/2: /O S too/ n. The anointed successor to MS-DOS for
Intel 286- and 386-based micros; proof that IBM/Microsoft couldn't
get it right the second time, either. Often called `Half-an-OS'.
Mentioning it is usually good for a cheap laugh among hackers ---
the design was so {baroque}, and the implementation of 1.x so
bad, that 3 years after introduction you could still count the
major {app}s shipping for it on the fingers of two hands -- in
unary. The 2.x versions are said to have improved somewhat, and
informed hackers now rate them superior to Microsoft Windows (an
endorsement which, however, could easily be construed as damning
with faint praise). See {monstrosity}, {cretinous},
{second-system effect}.
OSU: /O-S-U/ n.,obs. [TMRC] Acronym for Officially
Sanctioned User; a user who is recognized as such by the computer
authorities and allowed to use the computer above the objections of
the security monitor.
OTOH: [USENET] On The Other Hand.
out-of-band: adj. [from telecommunications and network
theory] 1. In software, describes values of a function which are
not in its `natural' range of return values, but are rather
signals that some kind of exception has occurred. Many C
functions, for example, return a nonnegative integral value, but
indicate failure with an out-of-band return value of -1.
Compare {hidden flag}, {green bytes}, {fence}. 2. Also
sometimes used to describe what communications people call
`shift characters', such as the ESC that leads control sequences
for many terminals, or the level shift indicators in the old 5-bit
Baudot codes. 3. In personal communication, using methods other
than email, such as telephones or {snail-mail}.
overflow bit: n. 1. [techspeak] A {flag} on some
processors indicating an attempt to calculate a result too large
for a register to hold. 2. More generally, an indication of any
kind of capacity overload condition. "Well, the {{Ada}}
description was {baroque} all right, but I could hack it OK
until they got to the exception handling ... that set my
overflow bit." 3. The hypothetical bit that will be set if a
hacker doesn't get to make a trip to the Room of Porcelain
Fixtures: "I'd better process an internal interrupt before the
overflow bit gets set".
overflow pdl: n. [MIT] The place where you put things when
your {pdl} is full. If you don't have one and too many things
get pushed, you forget something. The overflow pdl for a person's
memory might be a memo pad. This usage inspired the following
doggerel:
Hey, diddle, diddle
The overflow pdl
To get a little more stack;
If that's not enough
Then you lose it all,
And have to pop all the way back.
--The Great Quux
The term {pdl} seems to be primarily an MITism; outside MIT this
term is replaced by `overflow {stack}'.
overrun: n. 1. [techspeak] Term for a frequent consequence
of data arriving faster than it can be consumed, esp. in serial
line communications. For example, at 9600 baud there is almost
exactly one character per millisecond, so if a {silo} can hold
only two characters and the machine takes longer than 2 msec to get
to service the interrupt, at least one character will be lost.
2. Also applied to non-serial-I/O communications. "I forgot to
pay my electric bill due to mail overrun." "Sorry, I got four
phone calls in 3 minutes last night and lost your message to
overrun." When {thrash}ing at tasks, the next person to make a
request might be told "Overrun!" Compare {firehose syndrome}.
3. More loosely, may refer to a {buffer overflow} not
necessarily related to processing time (as in {overrun screw}).
overrun screw: n. [C programming] A variety of {fandango
on core} produced by scribbling past the end of an array (C
implementations typically have no checks for this error). This is
relatively benign and easy to spot if the array is static; if it is
auto, the result may be to {smash the stack} -- often resulting
in {heisenbug}s of the most diabolical subtlety. The term
`overrun screw' is used esp. of scribbles beyond the end of
arrays allocated with `malloc(3)'; this typically trashes the
allocation header for the next block in the {arena}, producing
massive lossage within malloc and often a core dump on the next
operation to use `stdio(3)' or `malloc(3)' itself. See
{spam}, {overrun}; see also {memory leak}, {memory
smash}, {aliasing bug}, {precedence lossage}, {fandango on
core}, {secondary damage}.