<humour> (GIGO) /gi:'goh/ Wilf Hey's maxim expressing the
fact that computers, unlike humans, will unquestioningly
process nonsensical input data and produce nonsensical output.
Of course a properly written program will reject input data
that is obviously erroneous but such checking is not always
easy to specify and is tedious to write.
GIGO is usually said in response to lusers who complain that
a program didn't "do the right thing" when given imperfect
input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used
to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty,
incomplete, or imprecise data.
The expansion "Garbage In, Gospel Out" is an ironic comment on
the tendency to put excessive trust in "computerised" data.
[Jargon File]
(2004-10-03)
Nearby terms:
garbageabetical order « garbage collect « garbage collection « Garbage In, Garbage Out » Gargoyle » Garnet » GARP
