The Computer Contradictionary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The Computer Contradictionary by Stan Kelly-Bootle is a satirical list of definitions of computer industry terms. It is an example of "cynical lexicography" in the tradition of Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary. [1] It was originally published as The Devil's DP Dictionary, in New York, by McGraw-Hill in 1981, ISBN 0070340226. DP stood for "data processing", a term formerly used to describe the software and hardware industries. It was re-edited under the new title in Boston by MIT Press, in 1995, ISBN 0262611120.

Kelly-Bootle adds in the "Guide": The meaning of an entry should always be ascertained before consulting this dictionary.

[edit] Examples

Infinite loop. See: Loop, infinite
Loop, infinite. See: Infinite loop
Recursion. See: Recursion

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The Court Jester of Computerdom", in the Dr Dobb's Electronic Review of Books
This article about a computer book or series of books is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Computer_Contradictionary"
Personal tools