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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>green bytes</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../G.html" title="G"/><link rel="previous" href="great-wall.html" title="great-wall"/><link rel="next" href="green-card.html" title="green card"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">green bytes</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="great-wall.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">G</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="green-card.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="green-bytes"/><dt xmlns="" id="green-bytes"><b>green bytes</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> (also <span class="firstterm">green words</span>) </p></dd><dd><p> 1. Meta-information embedded in a file, such as the length of the
file or its name; as opposed to keeping such information in a separate
description file or record. The term comes from an IBM user's group
meeting (ca. 1962) at which these two approaches were being debated and the
diagram of the file on the blackboard had the <span class="firstterm">green bytes</span> drawn in green. </p></dd><dd><p> 2. By extension, the non-data bits in any self-describing format.
&#8220;<span class="quote">A GIF file contains, among other things, green bytes describing the
packing method for the image.</span>&#8221; Compare
<a href="../O/out-of-band.html"><i class="glossterm">out-of-band</i></a>, <a href="../Z/zigamorph.html"><i class="glossterm">zigamorph</i></a>,
<a href="../F/fence.html"><i class="glossterm">fence</i></a> (sense 1).</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="great-wall.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../G.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="green-card.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">great-wall </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> green card</td></tr></table></div></body></html>