The Computer Contradictionary

The Computer Contradictionary

Author	Stan Kelly-Bootle
Language	English
Publication date	May 1995
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	256 pages
ISBN	0-262-61112-0

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]

References

1. "The Court Jester of Computerdom". Dr Dobb's Electronic Review of Books. Archived from the original on 22 February 1997.
2. Raymond, Eric S (1996). The New Hacker's Dictionary - 3rd Edition. MIT Press. pp. 534–535.
3. Blackman, A (Mar 1, 1996). "Review: The computer contradictionary (2nd ed.)". ACM Computing Reviews.
4. Harris, Krissy (January 26, 1998). "Dictionaries to De-Encrypt What the Digerati Are Saying". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2012.