The Computer Contradictionary
Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Wikidata image The Computer Contradictionary is a non-fiction book by Stan Kelly-Bootle that compiles a satirical list of definitions of computer industry terms. It was originally published as 'The devil's DP dictionary'. it is an example of "cynical lexicography" in the tradition of Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary.[1] Rather than offering a factual account of usage, its definitions are largely made up by the author.[2]
The book was published in May 1995 by MIT Press and is an update of Kelly-Bootle's The Devil's DP Dictionary which appeared in 1981.[3]
Examples
- Endless loop. See: Loop, endless
- Loop, endless. See: Endless loop
- Recursion. See: Recursion
Reception
The Los Angeles Times, which praised the book, wrote that it was "smartly-titled" but was an "awfully stupid book".[4] ACM Computing Reviews recommended dipping into it because "a dictionary is a difficult read".[3]