WhatIs

/kōdwȯ-kər/

n. A program component that traverses other programs for a living. Compilers have codewalkers in their front ends; so do cross-reference generators and some database front ends. Other utility programs that try to do too much with source code may turn into codewalkers. As in "This new 'vgrind' feature would require a codewalker to implement."

/kōd pə-ˈlēs/

[by analogy with George Orwell's 'Thought Police']

n. A mythical team of Gestapo-like storm troopers that might burst into one's office and arrest one for violating programming style rules. May be used either seriously, to underline a claim that a particular style violation is dangerous, or ironically, to suggest that the practice under discussion is condemned mainly by anal-retentive weenies.

"Dike out that goto or the code police will get you!"

The ironic usage is perhaps more common.

/kōd grīn-dər/

n. 1. A suit-wearing minion of the sort hired in legion strength by banks and insurance companies to implement payroll packages in RPG and other such unspeakable horrors. In his native habitat, the code grinder often removes the suit jacket to reveal an underplumage consisting of button-down shirt (starch optional) and a tie. In times of dire stress, the sleeves (if long) may be rolled up and the tie loosened about half an inch. It seldom helps.

/kōd/

a restricted cryptosystem where words or letters of a message are replaced by other words chosen from a codebook. Not part of modern cryptology, but still useful.

/koh'bol fing'grz/

n. Reported from Sweden, a (hypothetical) disease one might get from coding in COBOL. The language requires code verbose beyond all reason; thus it is alleged that programming too much in COBOL causes one's fingers to wear down to stubs by the endless typing.

"I refuse to type in all that source code again; it would give me COBOL fingers!"

/koh'bol/

[COmmon Business-Oriented Language]

n. (Synonymous with evil.) A weak, verbose, and flabby language used by card wallopers to do boring mindless things on dinosaur mainframes. Hackers believe all COBOL programmers are suits or code grinders, and no self-respecting hacker will ever admit to having learned the language. Its very name is seldom uttered without ritual expressions of disgust or horror.

/kluh'st*r-gee'king/

[CMU]

n. Spending more time at a computer cluster doing CS homework than most people spend breathing.

/klō-vər kē/

[Mac users]

n. See command key.

/klone/

n. 1. An exact duplicate:

"Our product is a clone of their product."

Implies a legal reimplementation from documentation or by reverse-engineering. Also connotes lower price.

2. A shoddy, spurious copy:

"Their product is a clone of our product."

3. A blatant ripoff, most likely violating copyright, patent, or trade secret protections:

"Your product is a clone of my product."

This use implies legal action is pending.

/kläks/

n. Processor logic cycles, so called because each generally corresponds to one clock pulse in the processor's timing. The relative execution times of instructions on a machine are usually discussed in clocks rather than absolute fractions of a second; one good reason for this is that clock speeds for various models of the machine may increase as technology improves, and it is usually the relative times one is interested in when discussing the instruction set.

Compare cycle.