1. A discrepancy between a computed, observed, or measured
	value or condition and the true, specified, or theoretically
	correct value or condition.

	2. <programming> A mental mistake made by a programmer that
	may result in a program {fault}.

	3. (verb) What a program does when it stops as result of a
	programming error.

	(2000-03-28)

1. See {multithreading}.

	2. See {threaded code}.

	3. {topic thread}.

	[{Jargon File}]

<convention> (FAQ, or rarely FAQL, FAQ list) A document
	provided for many {Usenet} {newsgroups} (and, more recently,
	{World-Wide Web} services) which attempts to answer questions
	which new readers often ask.  These are maintained by
	volunteers and posted regularly to the newsgroup.  You should
	always consult the FAQ list for a group before posting to it
	in case your question or point is common knowledge.

	The collection of all FAQ lists is one of the most precious
	and remarkable resources on the {Internet}.  It contains a
	huge wealth of up-to-date expert knowledge on many subjects of
	common interest.  Accuracy of the information is greatly
	assisted by its frequent exposure to criticism by an
	interested, and occasionally well-informed, audience (the
	readers of the relevant newsgroup).

	The main {FTP archive} for FAQs is on a computer called {RTFM}
	at {MIT}, where they can be accessed either {by group
	(ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.answers/)} or {by
	hierarchy (ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/)}.
	There is another archive at {Imperial College
	(ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/usenet/news-info/)}, London, UK and a
	{World-Wide Web} archive in {Ohio
	(http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/top.html)},
	USA.

	The FAQs are also posted to {Usenet} newsgroups:
	{news:comp.answers}, {news:news.answers} and
	{news:alt.answers}.

	(1997-12-08)

The stage in the {software life-cycle} at the end of the
	development process where software is evaluated to ensure that
	it complies with the requirements.

	(1995-02-14)

<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)

<language, programming> (J2SE) {Sun}'s {Java} programming
	platform aimed at network-oriented enterprise applications.
	J2SE comprises the {Java 2 Software Development Kit} (SDK) and
	the {Java 2 Run-Time Environment}.

	See also the Micro edition {J2ME} and the Enterprise edition
	{J2EE}.

	{Java 2 Platform (http://www.javasoft.com/j2se/)}.

	(2000-04-20)

<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)

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)

1. <database, information science> A user's (or {agent}'s)
	request for information, generally as a formal request to a
	{database} or {search engine}.

	{SQL} is the most common {database query language}.

	2. <character> {question mark}.

	(1997-04-09)

<company> (IBM) The best known American computer manufacturer,
	founded by Thomas J. Watson (born 1874-02-17), known as "Big
	Blue" after the colour of its logo.  IBM makes everything from
	{mainframes} to {personal computers} (PCs) and has been
	immensely successful in selling them, chiefly to business.  It
	has often been said that "Nobody has ever been sacked for
	buying IBM".

	The {IBM PC} in its various versions has been so successful
	that unqualified reference to a "PC" almost certainly means a
	PC from IBM, or one of the many brands of {clone} produced by
	other manufacturers to cash in on IBM's original success.

	Alternative expansions of "IBM" such as Inferior But
	Marketable; It's Better Manually; Insidious Black Magic; It's
	Been Malfunctioning; Incontinent Bowel Movement, illustrate
	the considerable antipathy most hackers have long felt toward
	the "industry leader" (see {fear and loathing}).

	Quarterly sales $15351M, profits $689M (Aug 1994).

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

	(1999-04-07)

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

	2. <hypertext> {hyperlink}.

	(1997-10-22)

<World-Wide Web> (Or "website") Any computer on the
	{Internet} running a {World-Wide Web} {server} process.  A
	particular website is usually identified by the {hostname}
	part of a {URL}.  Multiple hostnames may actually map to the
	same computer in which case they are known as "{virtual
	servers}".

	(2005-07-12)