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cruft


cruft


  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  cruft  /kruhft/  [very  common;  back-formation  from  {crufty}]  1.  n. 
  An  unpleasant  substance.  The  dust  that  gathers  under  your  bed  is  cruft; 
  the  TMRC  Dictionary  correctly  noted  that  attacking  it  with  a  broom  only 
  produces  more  2.  n.  The  results  of  shoddy  construction.  3.  vt  [from 
  `hand  cruft',  pun  on  `hand  craft']  To  write  assembler  code  for 
  something  normally  (and  better)  done  by  a  compiler  (see  {hand-hacking}). 
  4.  n.  Excess;  superfluous  junk;  used  esp.  of  redundant  or  superseded  code. 
  5.  [University  of  Wisconsin]  n.  Cruft  is  to  hackers  as  gaggle  is  to  geese; 
  that  is  at  UW  one  properly  says  "a  cruft  of  hackers". 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  cruft 
 
  /kruhft/  [back-formation  from  {crufty}]  1.  An  unpleasant 
  substance.  The  dust  that  gathers  under  your  bed  is  cruft;  the 
  TMRC  Dictionary  correctly  noted  that  attacking  it  with  a  broom 
  only  produces  more 
 
  2.  The  results  of  shoddy  construction. 
 
  3.  ["hand  cruft",  pun  on  "hand  craft"]  To  write  assembler  code 
  for  something  normally  (and  better)  done  by  a  compiler  (see 
  {hand-hacking}). 
 
  4.  Excess;  superfluous  junk;  used  especially  of  redundant  or 
  superseded  code. 
 
  This  term  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  jargon  and  no  one  is 
  sure  of  its  etymology,  but  it  is  suggestive  that  there  is  a 
  Cruft  Hall  at  Harvard  University  which  is  part  of  the  old 
  physics  building.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  physics 
  department's  radar  lab  during  WWII  To  this  day  (early  1993) 
  the  windows  appear  to  be  full  of  random  techno-junk.  {MIT}  or 
  Lincoln  Labs  people  may  well  have  coined  the  term  as  a  knock 
  on  the  competition.