garbageabetical order definition
<humour> 1. The result of using an insertion sort to merge
data into an unsorted list.
2. The state of any file or list that is supposed to be
sorted, but is not.
(1997-02-11)
Nearby terms:
gang bang « GAP « GAPLog « garbageabetical order » garbage collect » garbage collection » Garbage In, Garbage Out
garbage collect definition
garbage collection
Nearby terms:
GAP « GAPLog « garbageabetical order « garbage collect » garbage collection » Garbage In, Garbage Out » Gargoyle
garbage collection definition
<programming> (GC) The process by which dynamically allocated
storage is reclaimed during the execution of a program. The
term usually refers to automatic periodic storage reclamation
by the garbage collector (part of the run-time system), as
opposed to explicit code to free specific blocks of memory.
Automatic garbage collection is usually triggered during
memory allocation when the amount free memory falls below some
threshold or after a certain number of allocations. Normal
execution is suspended and the garbage collector is run.
There are many variations on this basic scheme.
Languages like Lisp represent expressions as graphs built
from cells which contain pointers and data. These languages
use automatic dynamic storage allocation to build
expressions. During the evaluation of an expression it is
necessary to reclaim space which is used by subexpressions but
which is no longer pointed to by anything. This reclaimed
memory is returned to the free memory pool for subsequent
reallocation.
Without garbage collection the program's memory requirements
would increase monotonically throughout execution, possibly
exceeding system limits on virtual memory size.
The three main methods are mark-sweep garbage collection,
reference counting and copying garbage collection.
See also the AI koan about garbage collection.
(1997-08-25)
Nearby terms:
GAPLog « garbageabetical order « garbage collect « garbage collection » Garbage In, Garbage Out » Gargoyle » Garnet
Garbage In, Garbage Out definition
<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
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