fandango on core n.
[Unix/C hackers, from the Iberian
dance] In C, a wild pointer that runs out of bounds, causing a
core dump, or corrupts the malloc(3) arena in such
a way as to cause mysterious failures later on, is sometimes said
to have `done a fandango on core'. On low-end personal machines
without an MMU (or Windows boxes, which have an MMU but use it
incompetently), this can corrupt the OS itself, causing massive
lossage. Other frenetic dances such as the cha-cha or the watusi, may
be substituted. See aliasing bug, precedence lossage
smash the stack, memory leak,
overrun screw, core.
[Unix/C hackers, from the Iberian
dance] In C, a wild pointer that runs out of bounds, causing a
core dump, or corrupts the malloc(3) arena in such
a way as to cause mysterious failures later on, is sometimes said
to have `done a fandango on core'. On low-end personal machines
without an MMU (or Windows boxes, which have an MMU but use it
incompetently), this can corrupt the OS itself, causing massive
lossage. Other frenetic dances such as the cha-cha or the watusi, may
be substituted. See aliasing bug, precedence lossage
smash the stack, memory leak,
overrun screw, core.
Related:
- fandango on core: [UNIX/C hackers, from the Mexican dance] n.
In C, a wild pointer that runs out of bounds, causing... - overrun screw: [C programming] n. 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... - overrun screw n.
[C programming] A variety of fandango on core produced by scribbling past the end of
implementations typically have no checks for this error).
This is relatively benign and easy to spot if the... - aliasing bug: n. A class of subtle programming errors that can
arise in code that does dynamic allocation,
esp. via `malloc(3)' or equivalent. If several... - smash the stack: [C programming] n. To corrupt the execution stack
by writing past the end of a local array or other data structure.
Code that smashes the stack can cause a return from... - aliasing bug n.
A class of subtle programming errors that
can arise in code that does dynamic allocation,
esp. via malloc(3) or equivalent. If several pointers... - smash the stack n.
[C programming] To corrupt the execution
stack by writing past the end of a local array or other data
structure.
Code that smashes the stack can cause a return from... - precedence lossage: /pre's*-dens los'*j/ [C programmers] n.
Coding error in an expression due to unexpected grouping... - heisenbug: /hi:'zen-buhg/ [from Heisenberg's Uncertainty
Principle in quantum physics] n.
A bug that disappears or alters its behavior when...
From the same category:
- pointy-haired adj.
[after the character in the
Dilbert comic strip] Describes the extreme form of the
property that separates suits and marketroids from
hackers.
Compare brain-dead;... - vgrep /vee'grep/ v.,n.
Visual grep. The operation of
finding patterns in a file optically rather than digitally (also
called an `optical grep').
See grep; compare vdiff... - Evil Empire n.
[from Ronald Reagan's famous
characterization of the communist Soviet Union] Formerly IBM,
now Microsoft. Functionally, the company most hackers... - crayola /kray-oh'l*/ n.
A super-mini or -micro computer
that provides some reasonable percentage of supercomputer
performance for an unreasonably low price.
Might also be a killer micro... - semi-automated adj.
[US Geological Survey] A procedure
that has yet to be completely automated;
it still requires a smidge of clueful human interaction...
