1. <unit, text> (Sometimes abbreviated "pt") The unit of
	length used in {typography} to specify text character height,
	{rule} width, and other small measurements.

	There are six slightly different definitions: {Truchet point},
	{Didot point}, {ATA point}, {TeX point}, {Postscript point},
	and {IN point}.

	In Europe, the most commonly used is Didot and in the US, the
	formerly standard ATA point has essentially been replaced by
	the PostScript point due to the demise of traditional
	typesetting systems and rise of desktop computer based systems
	running software such as {QuarkXPress}, {Adobe InDesign} and
	{Adobe Pagemaker}.

	There are 20 {twips} in a point and 12 points in a {pica}
	(known as a "Cicero" in the Didot system).

	{Different point systems
	(http://www.vakcer.com/oberon/dtp/fonts/point.htm)}.

	(2004-12-23)

	2. <hardware> To move a {pointing device} so that the
	on-screen pointer is positioned over a certain object on the
	screen such as a {button} in a {graphical user interface}.  In
	most {window systems} it is then necessary to {click} a
	(physical) button on the pointing device to activate or select
	the object.  In some systems, just pointing to an object is
	known as "mouse-over" {event} which may cause some help text
	(called a "tool tip" in {Windows}) to be displayed.

	(2001-05-21)

1. <programming> A common name for the {integer} data type.
	In {C} for example, it means a (signed) integer of the
	computer's native {word length}.

	2. <networking> The {top-level domain} for international
	organisations.

	(1999-01-26)

<language> One of the most used {object-oriented} languages, a
	superset of {C} developed primarily by {Bjarne Stroustrup}
	<bs@alice.att.com> at {AT&T} {Bell Laboratories} in 1986.

	In C++ a {class} is a user-defined {type}, syntactically a
	{struct} with {member functions}.  {Constructors} and
	{destructors} are member functions called to create or destroy
	{instances}.  A {friend} is a nonmember function that is
	allowed to access the private portion of a class.  C++ allows
	{implicit type conversion}, {function inlining}, {overloading}
	of operators and function names, and {default function
	arguments}.  It has {streams} for I/O and {references}.

	C++ 2.0 (May 1989) introduced {multiple inheritance},
	{type-safe linkage}, pointers to members, and {abstract
	classes}.

	C++ 2.1 was introduced in ["Annotated C++ Reference Manual",
	B. Stroustrup et al, A-W 1990].

	{MS-DOS
	(ftp://grape.ecs.clarkson.edu/pub/msdos/djgpp/djgpp.zip)},
	{Unix ANSI C++
	(ftp://gnu.org/pub/gnu/g++-1.39.0.tar.Z)} - X3J16
	committee. (They're workin' on it).

	See also {cfront}, {LEDA}, {uC++}.

	{Usenet} newsgroup: {news:comp.lang.c++}.

	["The C++ Programming Language", Bjarne Stroustrup, A-W,
	1986].

	(1996-06-06)

<programming, library> A collection of {subroutines} and
	{functions} stored in one or more files, usually in compiled
	form, for linking with other programs.  Libraries are one of
	the earliest forms of organised {code reuse}.  They are often
	supplied by the {operating system} or {software development
	environment} developer to be used in many different programs.
	The routines in a library may be general purpose or designed
	for some specific function such as three dimensional animated
	graphics.

	Libraries are linked with the user's program to form a
	complete {executable}.  The linking may be {static linking}
	or, in some systems, {dynamic linking}.

	(1998-11-21)

1. <data, graphics> Data representing a two-dimensional scene.
	A digital image is composed of {pixels} arranged in a
	rectangular array with a certain height and width.  Each pixel
	may consist of one or more {bits} of information, representing
	the brightness of the image at that point and possibly
	including colour information encoded as {RGB} triples.

	{Images} are usually taken from the real world via a {digital
	camera}, {frame grabber}, or {scanner}; or they may be
	generated by computer, e.g. by {ray tracing} software.

	See also {image formats}, {image processing}.

	(1994-10-21)

	2. <mathematics> The image (or range) of a {function} is the
	set of values obtained by applying the function to all
	elements of its {domain}.  So, if f : D -> C then the set f(D)
	= \{ f(d) | d in D \} is the image of D under f.  The image is
	a subset of C, the {codomain}.

	(2000-01-19)

1. A program which provides some service to other ({client})
	programs.  The connection between client and server is
	normally by means of {message passing}, often over a
	{network}, and uses some {protocol} to encode the client's
	requests and the server's responses.  The server may run
	continuously (as a {daemon}), waiting for requests to arrive
	or it may be invoked by some higher level daemon which
	controls a number of specific servers ({inetd} on {Unix}).

	There are many servers associated with the {Internet}, such as
	those for {HTTP}, {Network File System}, {Network Information
	Service} (NIS), {Domain Name System} (DNS), {FTP}, {news},
	{finger}, {Network Time Protocol}.  On Unix, a long list can
	be found in /etc/services or in the {NIS} database "services".
	See {client-server}.

	2. A computer which provides some service for other computers
	connected to it via a network.  The most common example is a
	{file server} which has a local disk and services requests
	from remote clients to read and write files on that disk,
	often using {Sun}'s {Network File System} (NFS) {protocol} or
	{Novell Netware} on {PCs}.  Another common example is a {web
	server}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(2003-12-29)

<programming, operating system> (Or "application", "app") A
	complete, self-contained program that performs a specific
	function directly for the user.  This is in contrast to system
	software such as the {operating system} {kernel}, {server}
	processes and libraries which exists to support application
	programs.

	Editors for various kinds of documents, {spreadsheets}, and
	text formatters are common examples of applications.  Network
	applications include clients such as those for {FTP},
	{electronic mail}, {telnet} and {WWW}.

	The term is used fairly loosely, for instance, some might say
	that a client and server together form a distributed
	application, others might argue that editors and compilers
	were not applications but tools for building applications.

	One distinction between an application program and the
	operating system is that applications always run in "user
	mode" (or "non-privileged mode"), while operating systems and
	related utilities may run in "supervisor mode" (or "privileged
	mode").

	The term may also be used to distinguish programs which
	communicate via a {graphical user interface} from those which
	are executed from the {command line}.

	(1994-11-28)

1. <philosophy, mathematics> A branch of philosophy and
	mathematics that deals with the formal principles, methods and
	criteria of validity of {inference}, reasoning and
	{knowledge}.

	Logic is concerned with what is true and how we can know
	whether something is true.  This involves the formalisation of
	logical arguments and {proofs} in terms of symbols
	representing {propositions} and {logical connectives}.  The
	meanings of these logical connectives are expressed by a set
	of rules which are assumed to be self-evident.

	{Boolean algebra} deals with the basic operations of truth
	values: AND, OR, NOT and combinations thereof.  {Predicate
	logic} extends this with existential and universal
	{quantifiers} and symbols standing for {predicates} which may
	depend on variables.  The rules of {natural deduction}
	describe how we may proceed from valid premises to valid
	conclusions, where the premises and conclusions are
	expressions in {predicate logic}.

	Symbolic logic uses a {meta-language} concerned with truth,
	which may or may not have a corresponding expression in the
	world of objects called existance.  In symbolic logic,
	arguments and {proofs} are made in terms of symbols
	representing {propositions} and {logical connectives}.  The
	meanings of these begin with a set of rules or {primitives}
	which are assumed to be self-evident.  Fortunately, even from
	vague primitives, functions can be defined with precise
	meaning.

	{Boolean logic} deals with the basic operations of {truth
	values}: AND, OR, NOT and combinations thereof.  {Predicate
	logic} extends this with {existential quantifiers} and
	{universal quantifiers} which introduce {bound variables}
	ranging over {finite} sets; the {predicate} itself takes on
	only the values true and false.  Deduction describes how we
	may proceed from valid {premises} to valid conclusions, where
	these are expressions in {predicate logic}.

	Carnap used the phrase "rational reconstruction" to describe
	the logical analysis of thought.  Thus logic is less concerned
	with how thought does proceed, which is considered the realm
	of psychology, and more with how it should proceed to discover
	truth.  It is the touchstone of the results of thinking, but
	neither its regulator nor a motive for its practice.

	See also fuzzy logic, logic programming, arithmetic and logic unit,
	first-order logic,

	See also {Boolean logic}, {fuzzy logic}, {logic programming},
	{first-order logic}, {logic bomb}, {combinatory logic},
	{higher-order logic}, {intuitionistic logic}, {equational
	logic}, {modal logic}, {linear logic}, {paradox}.

	2. <electronics> {Boolean} logic circuits.

	See also {arithmetic and logic unit}, {asynchronous logic},
	{TTL}.

	(1995-03-17)

1. <networking> {Data Link Layer}.

	2. <library> {Dynamically Linked Library}.

	3. {Dial Long Line} equipment.

	(2000-04-05)

<networking> ("commercial") The {top-level domain} typically
	for American companies, although it sees heavy use for
	international companies and {vanity domains} of all types,
	whether in the US or not.

	(1999-01-26)

<object-oriented> In {object-oriented programming}, an
	instance of the data structure and behaviour defined by the
	object's {class}.  Each object has its own values for the
	{instance variables} of its class and can respond to the
	{methods} defined by its class.

	For example, an object of the "Point" class might have
	instance variables "x" and "y" and might respond to the "plot"
	method by drawing a dot on the screen at those coordinates.

	(2004-01-26)

<convention, data> A string unique to a time duration of 24
	hours between 2 successive midnights defined by the local time
	zone.  The specific representation of a date will depend on
	which calendar convention is in force; e.g., Gregorian,
	Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew etc. as well as local
	ordering conventions such as UK: day/month/year, US:
	month/day/year.

	Inputting and outputting dates on computers is greatly
	complicated by these {localisation} issues which is why they
	tend to operate on dates internally in some unified form such
	as seconds past midnight at the start of the first of January
	1970.

	Many software and hardware representations of dates allow only
	two digits for the year, leading to the {year 2000} problem.

	{Unix manual page}: date(1), ctime(3).

	(1997-07-11)

<operating system, programming> The ease with which a piece of
	software (or {file format}) can be "ported", i.e. made to run
	on a new {platform} and/or compile with a new {compiler}.

	The most important factor is the language in which the
	software is written and the most portable language is almost
	certainly {C} (though see {Vaxocentrism} for counterexamples).
	This is true in the sense that C compilers are available for
	most systems and are often the first compiler provided for a
	new system.  This has led several compiler writers to compile
	other languages to C code in order to benefit from its
	portability (as well as the quality of compilers available for
	it).

	The least portable type of language is obviously {assembly
	code} since it is specific to one particular (family of)
	{processor}(s).  It may be possible to translate mechanically
	from one assembly code (or even {machine code}) into another
	but this is not really portability.  At the other end of the
	scale would come {interpreted} or {semi-compiled} languages
	such as {LISP} or {Java} which rely on the availability of a
	portable {interpreter} or {virtual machine} written in a lower
	level language (often C for the reasons outlined above).

	The act or result of porting a program is called a "port".
	E.g. "I've nearly finished the {Pentium} port of my big bang
	simulation."

	Portability is also an attribute of {file formats} and depends
	on their adherence to {standards} (e.g. {ISO 8859}) or the
	availability of the relevant "viewing" software for different
	{platforms} (e.g. {PDF}).

	(1997-06-18)

<chat, tool, networking, messaging> A {Unix} program and
	{protocol} supporting conversation between two or more users
	who may be logged into the same computer or different
	computers on a network.  Variants include {ntalk}, {ytalk},
	and {ports} or {emulators} of these programs for other
	{platforms}.

	{Unix} has the {talk} program and {protocol} and its variants
	{xtalk} and {ytalk} for the {X Window System}; {VMS} has
	{phone}; {Windows for Workgroups} has {chat}.  {ITS} also has
	a talk system.  These split the screen into separate areas for
	each user.

	{Unix}'s {write} command can also be used, though it does not
	attempt to separate input and output on the screen.

	Users of such systems are said to be in {talk mode} which has
	many conventional abbreviations and idioms.  Most of these
	survived into {chat} jargon, but many fell out of common use
	with the migration of {user} prattle from talk-like systems to
	{chat} systems in the early 1990s.  These disused
	talk-specific forms include:

	"BYE?" - are you ready to close the conversation?  This is the
	standard way to end a talk-mode conversation; the other person
	types "BYE" to confirm, or else continues the conversation.

	"JAM"/"MIN" - just a minute

	"O" - "over" (I have stopped talking).  Also "/" as in x/y - x
	over y, or two newlines (the latter being the most common).

	"OO" - "over and out" - end of conversation.

	"\" - Greek {lambda}.

	"R U THERE?" - are you there?

	"SEC" - wait a second.

	"/\/\/" - laughter.  But on a {MUD}, this usually means
	"earthquake fault".

	See also {talk bomb}.

	(1998-01-25)

1. <networking> A computer connected to a {network}.

	The term {node} includes devices such as routers and printers
	which would not normally be called "hosts".

	2. <communications> A computer to which one connects using a
	{terminal emulator}.

	(1995-02-16)

<software> Instructions for a computer in some programming
	language, often {machine language}.  The word "code" is often
	used to distinguish instructions from {data} (e.g. "The code
	is marked 'read-only'") whereas "{software}" is used in
	contrast with "{hardware}" and may consist of more than just
	code.

	(2000-04-08)

<World-Wide Web, project> A {open source} {HTTP} server for
	{Unix}, {Windows NT}, and other {platforms}.  Apache was
	developed in early 1995, based on code and ideas found in the
	most popular HTTP server of the time, {NCSA httpd} 1.3.  It
	has since evolved to rival (and probably surpass) almost any
	other {Unix} based HTTP server in terms of functionality, and
	speed.  Since April 1996 Apache has been the most popular HTTP
	server on the {Internet}, in May 1999 it was running on 57% of
	all web servers.

	It features highly configurable error messages, {DBM}-based
	{authentication} {databases}, and {content negotiation}.

	Latest version: 1.3.9, as of 1999-10-27.

	{Home (http://www.apache.org/httpd.html)}.

	{FAQ (http://www.apache.org/docs/misc/FAQ.html)}.

	(1999-10-27)

1. <World-Wide Web> {Internet Information Server}.

	2. <language> {Idealized Instruction Set}.

	(1999-08-26)

<spelling> US spelling of "{flavour}".

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1997-03-18)

<standard> Standards are necessary for {interworking},
	{portability}, and {reusability}.  They may be {de facto
	standards} for various communities, or officially recognised
	national or international standards.

	{Andrew Tanenbaum}, in his Computer Networks book, once said,
	"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of
	them to choose from", a reference to the fact that competing
	standards become a source of confusion, division,
	obsolescence, and duplication of effort instead of an
	enhancement to the usefulness of products.

	Some bodies concerned in one way or another with computing
	standards are {IAB} ({RFC} and {STD}), {ISO}, {ANSI}, {DoD},
	{ECMA}, {IEEE}, {IETF}, {OSF}, {W3C}.

	(1999-07-06)

In {object-oriented programming} sending a message to an
	{object} (to invoke a {method}) is equivalent to calling a
	{procedure} in traditional programming languages, except that
	the actual code executed may only be selected at run time
	depending on the {class} of the object.  Thus, in response to
	the message "drawSelf", the method code invoked would be
	different if the target object were a circle or a square.

	(1995-02-16)

<programming> (JNI) A {native} programming interface for
	{Java} that allows Java code running inside a {Java Virtual
	Machine} to interoperate with {applications} and {libraries}
	written in other programming languages such as {C}, {C++} and
	{assembly language}.

	(1997-12-07)

<World-Wide Web> The {World-Wide Web} {search engine} that
	indexes the greatest number of web pages - over two billion by
	December 2001 and provides a free service that searches this
	index in less than a second.

	The site's name is apparently derived from "{googol}", but
	note the difference in spelling.

	The "Google" spelling is also used in "The Hitchhikers Guide
	to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, in which one of Deep
	Thought's designers asks, "And are you not," said Fook,
	leaning anxiously foward, "a greater analyst than the
	Googleplex Star Thinker in the Seventh Galaxy of Light and
	Ingenuity which can calculate the trajectory of every single
	dust particle throughout a five-week Dangrabad Beta sand
	blizzard?"

	{Home (http://www.google.com/)}.

	(2001-12-28)

<protocol> (HTTP) The {client-server} {TCP/IP} {protocol} used
	on the {World-Wide Web} for the exchange of {HTML} documents.
	It conventionally uses {port} 80.

	Current version: HTTP 1.1, defined in {RFC 2068}, as of May
	1997.

	See also {Uniform Resource Locator}.

	(1994-10-27)

1. <programming> The prototype for an {object} in an
	{object-oriented language}; analogous to a {derived type} in a
	{procedural language}.  A class may also be considered to be a
	set of objects which share a common structure and behaviour.
	The structure of a class is determined by the {class
	variables} which represent the {state} of an object of that
	class and the behaviour is given by a set of {methods}
	associated with the class.

	Classes are related in a {class hierarchy}.  One class may be
	a specialisation (a "{subclass}") of another (one of its
	"{superclasses}") or it may be composed of other classes or it
	may use other classes in a {client-server} relationship.  A
	class may be an {abstract class} or a {concrete class}.

	See also {signature}.

	2. <programming> See {type class}.

	3. <networking> One of three types of {Internet addresses}
	distinguished by their most significant bits.

	3. <language> A language developed by the {Andrew Project}.
	It was one of the first attempts to add {object-oriented}
	features to {C}.

	(1995-05-01)

<hypertext> A program which allows a person to read
	{hypertext}.  The browser gives some means of viewing the
	contents of {nodes} (or "pages") and of {navigating} from one
	node to another.

	{Netscape Navigator}, {NCSA} {Mosaic}, {Lynx}, and {W3} are
	examples for browsers for the {World-Wide Web}.  They act as
	{clients} to remote {web servers}.

	(1996-05-31)

<jargon> An identifier formed from some of the letters (often
	the initials) of a phrase and used as an abbreviation.  {This
	dictionary} contains a great many acronyms; see the contents
	page for a list.

	See also {TLA}.

	(1995-03-15)

<programming, World-Wide Web> (JSP) A freely available
	specification for extending the {Java Servlet} {API} to
	generate dynamic {web pages} on a {web server}.  The JSP
	specification was written by industry leaders as part of the
	Java development program.

	JSP assists developers in creating {HTML} or {XML} pages that
	combine static (fixed) page templates with dynamic content.
	Separating the {user interface} from content generation allows
	page designers to change the page layout without having to
	rewrite program code.  JSP was designed to be simpler than
	pure servlets or {CGI} {scripting}.

	JSP uses XML-like tags and scripts written in Java to generate
	the page content.  HTML or XML formatting {tags} are passed
	back to the client.  Application logic can live on the server,
	e.g. in {JavaBeans}.

	JSP is a {cross-platform} alternative to {Microsoft's} {Active
	Server Pages}, which only runs in {IIS} on {Windows NT}.

	Applications written to the JSP specification can be run on
	compliant web servers, and web servers such as {Apache},
	{Netscape Enterprise Server}, and Microsoft {IIS} that have
	had Java support added.  JSP should soon be available on
	{Unix}, {AS/400}, and {mainframe} platforms.

	{JavaServer Pages (http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/)}.

	{Infoworld Article
	(http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?99063.ecjsp.htm)}.

	(1999-11-28)

<operating system, programming> The process of carrying out
	the {instructions} in a computer program by a computer.

	See also {dry run}.

	(1996-05-13)

<messaging> One of {Usenet}'s huge collection of topic groups
	or {fora}.  {Usenet} groups can be "unmoderated" (anyone can
	post) or "moderated" (submissions are automatically directed
	to a {moderator}, who edits or filters and then posts the
	results).  Some newsgroups have parallel {mailing lists} for
	{Internet} people with no netnews access, with postings to the
	group automatically propagated to the list and vice versa.
	Some moderated groups (especially those which are actually
	gatewayed {Internet} {mailing lists}) are distributed as
	"{digests}", with groups of postings periodically collected
	into a single large posting with an index.

	Among the best-known are comp.lang.c (the {C}-language forum),
	comp.arch (on computer architectures), comp.Unix.wizards (for
	{Unix wizards}), rec.arts.sf-lovers (for science-fiction
	fans), and talk.politics.misc (miscellaneous political
	discussions and {flamage}).

	Barry Shein <bzs@world.std.com> is alleged to have said,
	"Remember the good old days when you could read all the group
	names in one day?"  This gives a good idea of the growth and
	size of {Usenet}.

	See also {netiquette}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1994-12-13)

<unit> (b) {binary} digit.

	The unit of information; the amount of information obtained by
	asking a yes-or-no question; a computational quantity that can
	take on one of two values, such as false and true or 0 and 1;
	the smallest unit of storage - sufficient to hold one bit.

	A bit is said to be "set" if its value is true or 1, and
	"reset" or "clear" if its value is false or 0.  One speaks of
	setting and clearing bits.  To {toggle} or "invert" a bit is
	to change it, either from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.

	The term "bit" first appeared in print in the computer-science
	sense in 1949, and seems to have been coined by the eminent
	statistician, {John Tukey}.  Tukey records that it evolved
	over a lunch table as a handier alternative to "bigit" or
	"binit".

	See also {flag}, {trit}, {mode bit}, {byte}, {word}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(2002-01-22)

After-sale handholding; something many software vendors
	promise but few deliver.  To hackers, most support people are
	useless - because by the time a hacker calls support he or she
	will usually know the software and the relevant manuals better
	than the support people (sadly, this is *not* a joke or
	exaggeration).  A hacker's idea of "support" is a tte--tte
	or exchange of {electronic mail} with the software's designer.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1995-02-15)

Translating software to run on a different computer and/or
	{operating system}.

	(1995-01-06)

1. <file system> {hard link} or {symbolic link}.

	2. <hypertext> {hyperlink}.

	(1997-10-22)

1. <chat> {Unix}'s simple {talk} command and {protocol}.
	write has been largely superseded by {talk} and then {irc}.

	An enhancement, {RWP}, has been proposed.

	2. <tool> A simple {text editor} for {Windows}.

	(1998-04-28)

<specification, business, programming> (EJB) A {server}-side
	{component architecture} for writing reusable {business logic}
	and {portable} {enterprise} applications.  EJB is the basis of
	{Sun}'s {Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition} (J2EE).

	Enterprise JavaBean components are written entirely in {Java}
	and run on any EJB compliant server.  They are {operating
	system}, {platform}, and {middleware} independent, preventing
	vendor {lock-in}.

	EJB servers provide system-level services (the "plumbing")
	such as {transactions}, security, {threading}, and
	{persistence}.

	The EJB architecture is inherently transactional,
	{distributed}, {multi-tier}, {scalable}, secure, and {wire
	protocol} neutral - any {protocol} can be used: {IIOP},
	{JRMP}, {HTTP}, {DCOM} etc.  EJB 1.1 requires {RMI} for
	communication with components.  EJB 2.0 is expected to require
	support for RMI/IIOP.

	EJB applications can serve assorted clients: {browsers}, Java,
	{ActiveX}, {CORBA} etc.  EJB can be used to wrap {legacy
	systems}.

	EJB 1.1 was released in December 1999.  EJB 2.0 is in
	development.

	Sun claims broad industry adoption.  30 vendors are shipping
	server products implementing EJB.  Supporting vendors include
	{IBM}, {Fujitsu}, {Sybase}, {Borland}, {Oracle}, and
	{Symantec}.

	An alternative is Microsoft's MTS ({Microsoft Transaction
	Server}).

	{Home (http://java.sun.com/products/ejb/)}.

	{FAQ (http://java.sun.com/products/ejb/faq.html)}.

	(2000-04-20)

(Or "primitive") A built-in function or operator is one
	provided by the lowest level of a language implementation.
	This usually means it is not possible (or efficient) to
	express it in the language itself.  Typical examples are the
	basic arithmetic and {Boolean} operators (in {C} syntax: +, -,
	*, /, %, !, &&, ||), bit manipulation operators (~, &, |, ^)
	and I/O primitives.  Other common functions may be provided in
	libraries but are not built-in if they are written in the
	language being implemented.

	(1995-02-14)

1. The portion of a {packet}, preceding the actual data,
	containing source and destination addresses, error checking
	and other fields.

	2. The part of an {electronic mail} message or {news} article
	that precedes the body of a message and contains, among other
	things, the sender's name and e-mail address and the date and
	time the message was sent.

<jargon> 1. Originally, a quick job that produces what is
	needed, but not well.

	2.  An incredibly good, and perhaps very time-consuming, piece
	of work that produces exactly what is needed.

	3. To bear emotionally or physically.  "I can't hack this
	heat!"

	4. To work on something (typically a program).  In an
	immediate sense: "What are you doing?"  "I'm hacking TECO."
	In a general (time-extended) sense: "What do you do around
	here?"  "I hack TECO."  More generally, "I hack "foo"" is
	roughly equivalent to ""foo" is my major interest (or
	project)".  "I hack solid-state physics."  See {Hacking X for
	Y}.

	5. To pull a prank on.  See {hacker}.

	6. To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory
	rather than goal-directed way.  "Whatcha up to?"  "Oh, just
	hacking."

	7.  Short for {hacker}.

	8. See {nethack}.

	9. (MIT) To explore the basements, roof ledges, and steam
	tunnels of a large, institutional building, to the dismay of
	Physical Plant workers and (since this is usually performed at
	educational institutions) the Campus Police.  This activity
	has been found to be eerily similar to playing adventure games
	such as {Dungeons and Dragons} and {Zork}.  See also
	{vadding}.

	See also {neat hack}, {real hack}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1996-08-26)

Specific computer hardware, as in the phrase
	"platform-independent".  It may also refer to a specific
	combination of hardware and {operating system} and/or
	{compiler}, as in "this program has been ported to several
	platforms".  It is also used to refer to support software for
	a particular activity, as in "This program provides a platform
	for research into routing protocols".

	(1994-12-07)