dwim

3 definitions found

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

  DWIM
  
     /dwim/ [acronym, "Do What I Mean" (not what I say)] 1. Able to
     guess, sometimes even correctly, the result intended when
     bogus input was provided.
  
     2. The BBNLISP/INTERLISP function that attempted to accomplish
     this feat by correcting many of the more common errors.  See
     hairy.
  
     3. Occasionally, an interjection hurled at a balky computer,
     especially when one senses one might be tripping over
     legalisms (see legalese).
  
     Warren Teitelman originally wrote DWIM to fix his typos and
     spelling errors, so it was somewhat idiosyncratic to his
     style, and would often make hash of anyone else's typos if
     they were stylistically different.  Some victims of DWIM thus
     claimed that the acronym stood for "Damn Warren's Infernal
     Machine!'.
  
     In one notorious incident, Warren added a DWIM feature to the
     command interpreter used at Xerox PARC.  One day another
     hacker there typed "delete *$" to free up some disk space.
     (The editor there named backup files by appending "$" to the
     original file name, so he was trying to delete any backup
     files left over from old editing sessions.)  It happened that
     there weren't any editor backup files, so DWIM helpfully
     reported "*$ not found, assuming you meant 'delete *'".  It
     then started to delete all the files on the disk!  The hacker
     managed to stop it with a Vulcan nerve pinch after only a
     half dozen or so files were lost.
  
     The disgruntled victim later said he had been sorely tempted
     to go to Warren's office, tie Warren down in his chair in
     front of his workstation, and then type "delete *$" twice.
  
     DWIM is often suggested in jest as a desired feature for a
     complex program; it is also occasionally described as the
     single instruction the ideal computer would have.  Back when
     proofs of program correctness were in vogue, there were also
     jokes about "DWIMC" (Do What I Mean, Correctly).  A related
     term, more often seen as a verb, is DTRT (Do The Right Thing);
     see Right Thing.
  
     [Jargon File]
  

dwim - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  DWIM
   /dwim/
  
     [acronym, `Do What I Mean']
  
     1. adj. Able to guess, sometimes even correctly, the result intended
     when bogus input was provided.
  
     2. n. obs. The BBNLISP/INTERLISP function that attempted to
  accomplish
     this feat by correcting many of the more common errors. See hairy.
  
     3. Occasionally, an interjection hurled at a balky computer, esp.
  when
     one senses one might be tripping over legalisms (see legalese).
  
     4. Of a person, someone whose directions are incomprehensible and
     vague, but who nevertheless has the expectation that you will solve
     the problem using the specific method he/she has in mind.
  
     Warren Teitelman originally wrote DWIM to fix his typos and spelling
     errors, so it was somewhat idiosyncratic to his style, and would
  often
     make hash of anyone else's typos if they were stylistically
  different.
     Some victims of DWIM thus claimed that the acronym stood for `Damn
     Warren's Infernal Machine!'.
  
     In one notorious incident, Warren added a DWIM feature to the command
     interpreter used at Xerox PARC. One day another hacker there typed
     delete *$ to free up some disk space. (The editor there named backup
     files by appending $ to the original file name, so he was trying to
     delete any backup files left over from old editing sessions.) It
     happened that there weren't any editor backup files, so DWIM
  helpfully
     reported *$ not found, assuming you meant 'delete *'. It then started
     to delete all the files on the disk! The hacker managed to stop it
     with a Vulcan nerve pinch after only a half dozen or so files were
     lost.
  
     The disgruntled victim later said he had been sorely tempted to go to
     Warren's office, tie Warren down in his chair in front of his
     workstation, and then type delete *$ twice.
  
     DWIM is often suggested in jest as a desired feature for a complex
     program; it is also occasionally described as the single instruction
     the ideal computer would have. Back when proofs of program
  correctness
     were in vogue, there were also jokes about DWIMC (Do What I Mean,
     Correctly). A related term, more often seen as a verb, is DTRT (Do
  The
     Right Thing); see Right Thing.
  

dwim - V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (June 2006) :

  DWIM
         Do What I Mean (telecommunication, Usenet, IRC)