black art

n. [common] A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication) mostly
ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or systems area
(compare black magic ). VLSI design and compiler code optimization were (in
their beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as theory
developed they became deep magic , and once standard textbooks had been
written, became merely heavy wizardry. The huge proliferation of formal and
informal channels for spreading around new computer-related technologies
during the last twenty years has made both the term black art and what it
describes less common than formerly. See also voodoo programming.

