2014-04-26 14:52:28 +00:00
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elephantine
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2014-07-26 07:53:53 +00:00
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adj. Used of programs or systems that are both conspicuous hogs (owing
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2014-04-26 15:54:15 +00:00
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perhaps to poor design founded on brute force and ignorance ) and
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exceedingly hairy in source form. An elephantine program may be functional
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and even friendly, but (as in the old joke about being in bed with an
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elephant) it's tough to have around all the same (and, like a pachyderm,
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difficult to maintain). In extreme cases, hackers have been known to make
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trumpeting sounds or perform expressive proboscatory mime at the mention of
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the offending program. Usage: semi-humorous. Compare has the elephant nature
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and the somewhat more pejorative monstrosity. See also second-system effect
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and baroque.
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