diff

/dif/ , n. 1. A change listing, especially giving differences between (and
additions to) source code or documents (the term is often used in the plural
diffs ). Send me your diffs for the Jargon File! Compare vdiff. 2.
Specifically, such a listing produced by the diff (1) command, esp. when
used as specification input to the patch (1) utility (which can actually
perform the modifications; see patch ). This is a common method of
distributing patches and source updates in the Unix/C world. 3. v. To
compare (whether or not by use of automated tools on machine-readable
files); see also vdiff , mod.

