<programming> The name given in {Smalltalk} and other
	{object-oriented languages} to a procedure or routine
	associated with one or more {classes}.  An {object} of a
	certain class knows how to perform actions, e.g. printing
	itself or creating a new instance of itself, rather than the
	function (e.g. printing) knowing how to handle different types
	of object.

	Different classes may define methods with the same name
	(i.e. methods may be {polymorphic}).  The term "method" is used
	both for a named operation, e.g. "PRINT" and also for the code
	which a specific class provides to perform tha
	t operation.

	Most methods operate on objects that are instances of a
	certain class.  Some object-oriented languages call these
	"object methods" to distinguish then from "{class methods}".

	In {Smalltalk}, a method is defined by giving its name,
	documentation, temporary local variables and a sequence of
	expressions separated by "."s.

	(2000-03-22)

<messaging> /yoos'net/ or /yooz'net/ (Or "Usenet news", from
	"Users' Network") A distributed {bulletin board} system and
	the people who post and read articles thereon.  Originally
	implemented in 1979 - 1980 by Steve Bellovin, Jim Ellis, Tom
	Truscott, and Steve Daniel at Duke University, and supported
	mainly by {Unix} machines, it swiftly grew to become
	international in scope and, before the advent of the
	{World-Wide Web}, probably the largest decentralised
	information utility in existence.

	Usenet encompasses government agencies, universities, high
	schools, businesses of all sizes, and home computers of all
	descriptions.  In the beginning, not all Usenet hosts were on
	the Internet.  As of early 1993, it hosted over 1200
	{newsgroups} ("groups" for short) and an average of 40
	megabytes (the equivalent of several thousand paper pages) of
	new technical articles, news, discussion, chatter, and
	{flamage} every day.  By November 1999, the number of groups
	had grown to over 37,000.

	To join in you originally needed a {news reader} program but
	there are now several web gateways such as {Deja
	(http://www.deja.com/)}.  Several {web browsers} include news
	readers and {URLs} beginning "news:" refer to Usenet
	newsgroups.

	{Network News Transfer Protocol} is a {protocol} used to
	transfer news articles between a news {server} and a {news
	reader}.  The {uucp} {protocol} was sometimes used to transfer
	articles between servers, though this is probably rare now
	that most sites are on the {Internet}.

	{Stanford University} runs a service to send news articles by
	{electronic mail}.  Send electronic mail to
	<netnews@db.stanford.edu> with "help" in the message body.
	[Still?  URL?]

	{(http://www.openmarket.com/info/internet-index/current-sources.html)}.

	{Notes on news
	(http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/notes/notes.html)} by Lars Magne
	Ingebrigtsen <larsi@ifi.uio.no>.

	[Gene Spafford <spaf@cs.purdue.edu>, "What is Usenet?",
	regular posting to {news:news.announce.newusers}].

	(1999-12-17)

1. <mathematics> A member of a {vector space}.

	2. <graphics> A line or movement defined by its end points, or
	by the current position and one other point.  See {vector
	graphics}.

	3. <operating system> A memory location containing the address
	of some code, often some kind of {exception} handler or other
	{operating system} service.  By changing the vector to point
	to a different piece of code it is possible to modify the
	behaviour of the operating system.

	Compare {hook}.

	4. <programming> A one-dimensional {array}.

	(1996-09-30)

<language, programming> (J2ME) {Sun}'s {Java} platform for
	consumer devices.

	J2ME defines Configurations and Profiles for different classes
	of small memory device, from {smart cards} to {pagers} to
	{set-top boxes}.  It can run on various {Java virtual
	machines} including {KVM}.

	Related products include {PersonalJava} and {EmbeddedJava}.

	See also the Standard edition {J2SE} and the Enterprise
	edition {J2EE}.

	(Home (http://www.javasoft.com/j2me/)}.

	(2000-04-20)

<networking, programming> Work performed (or offered) by a
	{server}.  This may mean simply serving simple requests for
	data to be sent or stored (as with {file servers}, {gopher} or
	{http} servers, {e-mail} servers, {finger} servers, {SQL}
	servers, etc.); or it may be more complex work, such as that
	of {irc} servers, print servers, {X Windows} servers, or
	process servers.

	E.g. "Access to the finger {service} is restricted to the
	local {subnet}, for security reasons".

	(1997-09-11)

1. The art of debugging a blank sheet of paper (or, in these
	days of on-line editing, the art of debugging an empty file).

	2. A pastime similar to banging one's head against a wall, but
	with fewer opportunities for reward.

	3. The most fun you can have with your clothes on (although
	clothes are not mandatory).

	[{Jargon File}]

	(2003-02-12)

1. See {multithreading}.

	2. See {threaded code}.

	3. {topic thread}.

	[{Jargon File}]

<programming> (Or "branch") The term for a {goto} instruction,
	usually in a context of {machine languages}.  "Branch" may be
	synonymous with "jump", or may refer to jumps that depend on a
	condition.

	(1998-11-14)