The Computer Contradictionary

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For the Nirvana song which contains the word 'Contradictionary', see Very Ape.

The Computer Contradictionary by Stan Kelly-Bootle is a so-called "laxicon" of computer industry terms. It is an excellent example of "cynical lexicography" in the tradition of Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary. It was originally published as The Devil's DP Dictionary, in New York, by McGraw-JHill in 1981. DP stood for "data processing" a term formerly used to describe the software and hardware industries. It was reedited under the new title in Boston by MIT Press, in 1995, with the ISBN 0262611120

Kelly-Bootle adds in the "Guide":

The meaning of an entry should always be ascertained before consulting this dictionary.

That said, the Contradictionary is known to be an extremely funny dictionary, with a lot of Kelly-Bootle's typical word play and impressive store of knowledge on display.

This is a full example of one of the entries, in the "I" section:

Infinite loop. See: Loop, infinite

This is a full example of one of the entries, in the "L" section:

Loop, infinite. See: Infinite loop.

One is referred to The Hacker's Dictionary for more literal definitions of computer terms and usage.

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