Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site columbia.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!columbia!rubin From: rubin@columbia.UUCP (Mike Rubin) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Kludge and dictionaries Message-ID: <151@columbia.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 01:28:42 EST Article-I.D.: columbia.151 Posted: Thu Mar 7 01:28:42 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 06:43:28 EST References: <906@ratex.UUCP> <220@vaxwaller.UUCP> <2314@mit-hermes.ARPA> Organization: Columbia University Lines: 21 > Note that Steven Levy, in "Hackers", spells it "kluge", but he probably > collected his material orally and therefore had no way to check the spelling. Steven Levy probably got it from the "jargon file" maintained at various places on the Arpanet, a version of which was published last year as (I think) /The Hacker's Dictionary/ by Guy Steele. Excerpts follow: This file is maintained at three locations. It is AIWORD.RF[UP,DOC] at SAIL, and GLS;JARGON > at MIT-MC and at MIT-AI. KLUGE (kloodj) alt. KLUDGE [from the German "kluge", clever] n. 1. A Rube Goldberg device in hardware or software. 2. A clever programming trick intended to solve a particular nasty case in an efficient, if not clear, manner. Often used to repair bugs. Often verges on being a crock. 3. Something that works for the wrong reason. 4. v. To insert a kluge into a program. "I've kluged this routine to get around that weird bug, but there's probably a better way." Also KLUGE UP. 5. KLUGE AROUND: To avoid by inserting a kluge. 6. (WPI) A feature which is implemented in a RUDE manner.