|
|
English 1. n. obs. The source code for a
program, which may be in any language, as opposed to the linkable or
executable binary produced from it by a compiler. The idea behind the term
is that to a real hacker, a program written in his favorite programming
language is at least as readable as English. Usage: mostly by old-time
hackers, though recognizable in context. Today the preferred shorthand is
simply source. 2. The official name of the database language used by the old Pick
Operating System, actually a sort of crufty, brain-damaged SQL with
delusions of grandeur. The name permitted
marketroids to say “Yes, and you can program
our computers in English!” to ignorant suits
without quite running afoul of the truth-in-advertising laws.
|
|
