ad-hockery

2 definitions found

ad-hockery - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  ad-hockery
  
     <jargon> /ad-hok'*r-ee/ (Purdue) 1. Gratuitous assumptions
     made inside certain programs, especially expert systems,
     which lead to the appearance of semi-intelligent behaviour but
     are in fact entirely arbitrary.  For example, fuzzy-matching
     of input tokens that might be typing errors against a symbol
     table can make it look as though a program knows how to spell.
  
     2. Special-case code to cope with some awkward input that
     would otherwise cause a program to fail, presuming normal
     inputs are dealt with in some cleaner and more regular way.
     Also called "ad-hackery", "ad-hocity" (/ad-hos'*-tee/),
     "ad-crockery".
  
     See also ELIZA effect.
  
     [Jargon File]
  
     (1995-01-05)
  

ad-hockery - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  ad-hockery
   /ad.hok'@r.ee/, n.
  
     [Purdue]
  
     1. Gratuitous assumptions made inside certain programs, esp. expert
     systems, which lead to the appearance of semi-intelligent behavior
  but
     are in fact entirely arbitrary. For example, fuzzy-matching of input
     tokens that might be typing errors against a symbol table can make it
     look as though a program knows how to spell.
  
     2. Special-case code to cope with some awkward input that would
     otherwise cause a program to choke, presuming normal inputs are
     dealt with in some cleaner and more regular way.
  
     Also called ad-hackery, ad-hocity (/ad-hos'@-tee/), ad-crockery. See
     also ELIZA effect.