JargonFile/entries/Unix brain damage.txt

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2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
Unix brain damage
2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
n. Something that has to be done to break a network program (typically a
mailer) on a non-Unix system so that it will interoperate with Unix systems.
The hack may qualify as Unix brain damage if the program conforms to
published standards and the Unix program in question does not. Unix brain
damage happens because it is much easier for other (minority) systems to
change their ways to match non-conforming behavior than it is to change all
the hundreds of thousands of Unix systems out there. An example of Unix
brain damage is a kluge in a mail server to recognize bare line feed (the
Unix newline) as an equivalent form to the Internet standard newline, which
is a carriage return followed by a line feed. Such things can make even a
hardened jock weep.