WhatIs

/klōn/

n. See clone, sense 4.

/kit/

[USENET]

n. A source software distribution that has been packaged in such a way that it can (theoretically) be unpacked and installed according to a series of steps using only standard UNIX tools, and entirely documented by some reasonable chain of references from the top-level README file.

The more general term distribution may imply that special tools or more stringent conditions on the host environment are required.

/kis prin(t)-s(ə-)pəl/

n. "Keep It Simple, Stupid". A maxim often invoked when discussing design to fend off creeping featurism and control development complexity. Possibly related to the marketroid maxim on sales presentations, "Keep It Short and Simple".

/kips/

[acronym, by analogy with MIPS using K]

n. Thousands (*not* 1024s) of Instructions Per Second.

Usage: rare.

/kē-(ˌ)lō/

[SI]

pref. See quantifiers.

/ki-lər pōk/

n. A recipe for inducing hardware damage on a machine via insertion of invalid values (see poke) in a memory-mapped control register; used esp. of various fairly well-known tricks on bitty boxes without hardware memory management (such as the IBM PC and Commodore PET) that can overload and trash analog electronics in the monitor.

See also HCF.

/ki-lər mī-(ˌ)krō/

[popularized by Eugene Brooks]

n. A microprocessor-based machine that infringes on mini, mainframe, or supercomputer performance turf. Often heard in "No one will survive the attack of the killer micros!", the battle cry of the downsizers. Used esp. of RISC architectures.

/kil fī(-ə)l/

[USENET]

n. (alt. 'KILL file') Per-user file(s) used by some USENET reading programs (originally Larry Wall's 'rn(1)') to discard summarily (without presenting for reading) articles matching some particularly uninteresting (or unwanted) patterns of subject, author, or other header lines. Thus to add a person (or subject) to one's kill file is to arrange for that person to be ignored by one's newsreader in future. By extension, it may be used for a decision to ignore the person or subject in other media.

/K-G-B'vaks/

n. See kremvax.

/ken/

n. 1. [UNIX] Ken Thompson, principal inventor of UNIX. In the early days he used to hand-cut distribution tapes, often with a note that read "Love, ken". Old-timers still use his first name (sometimes uncapitalized, because it's a login name and mail address) in third-person reference; it is widely understood (on USENET, in particular) that without a last name 'Ken' refers only to Ken Thompson. Similarly, Dennis without last name means Dennis Ritchie (and he is often known as DMR).