IBM Jargon and General Computing Dictionary Tenth Edition Preface This is the Tenth Edition of the IBM Jargon and General Computing Dictionary, dated May 1990. This edition follows the markup and format of the last (Ninth) edition, and has more than one hundred and seven- ty new entries (bringing the total to over fourteen hundred entries). This is not only the tenth edition of the dictionary, but is also its tenth year; the first edition was compiled and distributed in 1980. At that time the use of jargon was on the increase, but I now observe that the quantity and use of jargon appears to be decreasing – perhaps as computing becomes less of a specialist discipline. Not only does this make my task as editor of the dictionary a little easier, but it might also imply that the computing industry is at last getting better at communicating with its customers! As usual, I am indebted to the content and management reviewers for this edition: Geoff Bartlett, Ian Brackenbury, Peter Capek, Philip Cohen, Bertrand Denoix, Truly Donovan, Forrest Garnett, and Ray Mansell. Any errors that remain are, of course, entirely my responsibility. I should also like to thank the hundreds of people who have contributed words or definitions to this diction- ary. I have been especially encouraged by the diversity of the contributors, who come from more than forty countries and from all divisions of IBM. Newcomers to IBM have proved to be the most sensitive to jargon, and the old-timers (some from very high levels in the Corporation) have provided most of the history and anecdotes. Without the encouragement from readers, and, of course, the VNET communications network, this document would never have been created. The Content of the Dictionary The items in this dictionary have been selected from the huge vocabulary of computer-related terms used in IBM. To be included here, a word or phrase must either have originated in IBM, or (more commonly) its meaning or usage in IBM must be different from the usual. Acronyms and abbreviations are not included except where they are necessary for cross-references, or are used as true words in their own right (for exam- ple, “APAR”). The origin of a usage is often obscure, so a few words may have slipped in under false colours. Do please send me any corrections or background material which will improve the accuracy of this collection. You are also encouraged to send possible additions to this dictionary – words and phrases, new or old, English or not. All contributions are most welcome. If possible, please include the source and date of any usage you quote. This dictionary is intended both to inform and to entertain. Each entry has a definition, which is usually supplemented by an explanation and an example of usage. Formal etymologies are not included, since in most cases the etymology is either unknown or disputed. In many cases, a meaning or usage is so subtle or bizarre that a light treatment is more appropriate (and conveys the sense better) than an attempt to define the term formally. As a result, this compilation is not just a source of information but is also a window on the IBM culture, as reflected in its language. Tenth Edition 1 Dictionary of IBM Jargon This dictionary is perhaps most useful to people new to the vocabulary of IBM. For this reason, the docu- ment in printed form is unclassified. It contains no material proprietary to IBM. The material is, however, substantially novel and is therefore protected by copyright. Producing printed copies of this document with- in IBM, or copying in printed form for private use is allowed, provided that reproduction is done without alteration. Permission for any other form of publication must be obtained from the editor, together with appropriate management and legal approvals. The Format of the Items The structure of the dictionary is formalised by the use of a generic markup language, which conforms (except for commentary) to the reference syntax of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML, ISO standard 8879). Each item in the dictionary starts with a headword, which can be a single word or a phrase. Headwords are shown in lower case, except when they are always used in a particular upper or mixed case. The headword is followed by a pronunciation where not obvious (or where different from normal English). Every headword is followed by one or more senses. A sense starts with a part of speech, where appropriate, which is followed by a definition – normally a single sentence. The definition is usually followed by an explanation, which may include quotations illustrating the use of the headword. These quotations are of actual usage (with occasional minor editorial elucidations) unless introduced by the word “usage”, in which case the quotation is illustrative. Within a definition or explanation, cross-references to words or phrases defined elsewhere in the dictionary are shown in an oblique sans serif font, thus (or are identified by some other typographic convention, depending on the SCRIPT processor and printer used). Subsidiary headwords, defined within an item, are shown in the same font as the headwords at the start of items. A number of abbreviations are used. Parts of speech may be shown as one of n., v., adj., and adv., which refer to noun, verb, adjective, and adverb respectively (these are often not the usual part of speech for the word or phrase!). Elsewhere, cf. stands for confer, compare with; e.g. for exempli gratia, for example; etc. for et cetera, and so on; i.e. for id est, that is; and q.v. for quod vide, which see. The items that are new in the current (Tenth) edition are marked with a bar in the left margin, and the items that were new in the last (Ninth) edition are marked by dots in the left margin. Editorial asides are bracket- ed, [thus]. In general, British spelling and punctuation are used, though for headwords, quotations, and the expansion of abbreviations the original form (often from the USA) will be found. Mike Cowlishaw (MFC at VENTA) IBM UK Laboratories, Hursley Park, Winchester, UK Tenth Edition 2 Dictionary of IBM Jargon ABEND all hands meeting ABEND (ab-end) 1. n. The undesirable termination of address v. To talk about. Used when a speaker cannot a program (or system). From “ABnormal ENDing”. answer a question, as in: “I shall address that subject Invariably due to human error at some point that the another time” (this implies that, of course, the speaker system was unable to overcome or ignore. Typically has considered the subject in great depth, but sadly has results in catch-all error messages (e.g., “syntax error”) not enough time now to give it the treatment it that rarely help determine the cause. 2. v. To end deserves). See offline. abnormally. See also crash. adjective v. To use a word as an adjective modifying . A-Box n. A primary storage unit: the one closest to the some other word which in fact modifies the adjectived . controller. Most 370 storage peripherals come in two word. This avoids the normal use of prepositions and . flavours. The A-Box (also called head of string, or dependent clauses, as in “user effects” (instead of . Model A) either houses the controller (e.g., 3422), is the “effects on users” or “effects caused by users”). Anoth- . controller (e.g., 3480), or connects to the controller. er example is “That is a documentation hit” (rather than . The B-Box (Model B) is used for extending the string. “That is a hit on the documentation”). See also verb. Some strings can be connected to the controller at both administrivia n. Any kind of bureaucratic red tape or . ends, in which case the unit at the end of the string is paperwork, IBM or not, that hinders accomplishment of . usually a Model D. one’s objectives or goals. Often, anything with a rout- . accept n. A purchased and (usually) installed product, ing slip attached. most often used in the plural. As in: “The demand adtech n. Advanced Technology. Time put aside for a . number is the marketing estimate of customer risky project, not necessarily directly related to a prod- . accepts...”. uct. May mean: a) Play time (when someone else is account situation n. Circumstances at a customer doing it), or b) Exciting, innovative system design with installation which could lead to IBM losing revenue or no product deadlines (when speaker is doing it). reputation. A “red alert” state for a branch office. See aeroplane rule, airplane rule 1. n. “When you are also critical situation. lost, climb and confess”. 2. n. Complexity increases . acronym n. A word formed from the (or some) initial the possibility of failure; a twin-engine aeroplane is . letters of other words and often printed in uppercase. more expensive and has twice as many engine problems . Strictly speaking, if it can only be pronounced letter-by- as a single engine aeroplane. When applied to large . letter then it is merely an abbreviation. An example of computing systems, the analogy is that two power . an acronym: “Acronyms: A Convenient Reduction Of supplies (even though running at overrated current . Nomenclature Yielding Mnemonic Syllables”. acronym output) driving two boards of logic are much more reli- . is, in itself, not an IBM word, but acronyms are a way able than four power supplies of correct value with each . of life in the computer business; there are so many acro- pair driving each of two logic boards. When reliability . nyms and abbreviations in use in IBM, and so many are is the stronger consideration a different design will .