WhatIs

/pri-tē-print/

(alt. pretty-print) v. 1. To generate pretty human-readable output from a hairy internal representation; esp. used for the process of grinding (sense 2) LISP code.

2. To format in some particularly slick and nontrivial way.

/pri-tē pik-chərz/

n. [scientific computation] The next step up from numbers. Interesting graphical output from a program that may not have any sensible relationship to the system the program is intended to model. Good for showing to flowchart.

/pre-stē-di-jə-tə-ˈzā-shən/

n. 1. The act of putting something into digital notation via sleight of hand.

2. Data entry through legerdemain.

/prē-pend/

[by analogy with append]

vt. To prefix. As with append (but not prefix or suffix as a verb), the direct object is always the thing being added and not the original word (or character string, or whatever).

"If you prepend a semicolon to the line, the translation routine will pass it through unaltered."

/pre-sə-dən(t)s läsij/

[C programmers]

/pip'n/ or /P-P-N/

[from 'Project-Programmer Number']

n. A user-ID under TOPS-10 and its various mutant progeny at SAIL, BBN, CompuServe, and elsewhere. Old-time hackers from the PDP-10 era sometimes use this to refer to user IDs on other systems as well.

/pau(-ə)r sī-kəl/

vt. (also, 'cycle power' or just 'cycle') To power off a machine and then power it on immediately, with the intention of clearing some kind of hung or gronked state.

See also Big Red Switch.

Compare Vulcan nerve pinch, bounce and boot.

/pau̇nd ȯn/

vt. Syn. bang on.

/pōs(t)-ma-stər/

n. The email contact and maintenance person at a site connected to the Internet or UUCPNET. Often, but not always, the same as the admin. It is conventional for each machine to have a postmaster address that is aliased to this person.

/pō-stiŋ/

n. Noun corresp. to v. post (but note that post can be nouned). Distinguished from a 'letter' or ordinary email message by the fact that it is broadcast rather than point-to-point. It is not clear whether messages sent to a small mailing list are postings or email; perhaps the best dividing line is that if you don't know the names of all the potential recipients, it is a posting.