Scratch monkey Notes External links References Navigation menuScratch Monkey StoryAlways Mount a Scratch MonkeyUnix Admin. Horror Story Summary, version 1.0"The Jargon File - scratch monkey""Scratch Monkey Story"expanding ite

Computer jargonComputing stubs


hackerjargonmountdatadevicesscratch taperoutine maintenance




Scratch monkey is a term used in hacker jargon, as in "Before testing or reconfiguring, always mount a scratch monkey", a proverb used to advise caution when dealing with irreplaceable data or devices.[1][2] It is used to refer to any temporary configuration changes to a computer during any risky operation, which include a replacement for some precious resource or data that might otherwise be destroyed.


The meaning is based upon the use in the 1970s of a scratch tape or other storage device, which was available for temporary use, to be loaded in place of other tapes whose valuable contents might be damaged by the operation to be performed. If a problem occurred, it would be the scratch tape that was damaged rather than the more valuable tape that had been removed.


The phrase "always mount a scratch monkey" originated from two tales by technicians about maintenance that was performed on computer equipment.[notes 1] The technicians were unaware that the computer was connected to five laboratory monkeys, and the routine maintenance procedures caused the death of three of the monkeys.[3][notes 2]



Notes




  1. ^ One story reads that the University of Toronto had taught a monkey called Mabel to swim using a gas regulator to breathe underwater. A computer technician from the hardware supplier DEC adjusted settings on the regulator that altered the gas mixture and asphyxiated Mabel.


  2. ^ In 1979 or 1980, five monkeys at the University of Toronto in the medicine department were hooked up to brainwave sensors using custom hardware. Part of the interface was a diskdrive located in a different part of the building whose read-only button was activated and taped down with a warning not to remove the adhesive tape. Drive read operations operate at a much lower current than write operations. A maintenance technician from outside the university servicing a fault removed the tape, enabled write mode and performed a drive diagnostic test. The resulting electrical current sent through the sensors stunned two monkeys and killed the other three.




External links


  • Scratch Monkey Story

  • Always Mount a Scratch Monkey

  • Unix Admin. Horror Story Summary, version 1.0


References




  1. ^ Raymond, Eric S. (October 11, 1996). The New Hacker's Dictionary (3rd ed.). MIT Press. p. 398. ISBN 0-262-68092-0..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em


  2. ^ "The Jargon File - scratch monkey". Retrieved December 26, 2017.


  3. ^ "Scratch Monkey Story".








-

Popular posts from this blog

Lowndes Grove History Architecture References Navigation menu32°48′6″N 79°57′58″W / 32.80167°N 79.96611°W / 32.80167; -79.9661132°48′6″N 79°57′58″W / 32.80167°N 79.96611°W / 32.80167; -79.9661178002500"National Register Information System"Historic houses of South Carolina"Lowndes Grove""+32° 48' 6.00", −79° 57' 58.00""Lowndes Grove, Charleston County (260 St. Margaret St., Charleston)""Lowndes Grove"The Charleston ExpositionIt Happened in South Carolina"Lowndes Grove (House), Saint Margaret Street & Sixth Avenue, Charleston, Charleston County, SC(Photographs)"Plantations of the Carolina Low Countrye

Image
Contributing propertyKeeper of the RegisterHistoric districtHistory of the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Park ServiceProperty typesCharlestonColumbiaGreenvilleNorth CharlestonRock Hill Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South CarolinaGeorgian architecture in South CarolinaHouses completed in 1786Plantation houses in South CarolinaNational Register of Historic Places in Charleston, South CarolinaHouses in Charleston, South Carolina plantation houseAshley RiverCharlestonNational Register of Historic PlacesRevolutionary WarWilliam LowndesU.S. CongressSouth Carolina Inter-State and West Indian ExpositionGeorgianDoricbalustradespedimentoculusentablaturemodilliondentillightship roofterra cottatilescorbelledcornicesRegency stylespiral staircaseskylight Lowndes Grove U.S. National Register of Historic Places Lowndes Grove in 1940 Show map of South Carolina Show map of the United States Location 260 St. Margaret St., Charleston, South Carolina Coordinates 32
Read more

random experiment with two different functions on unit interval Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Planned maintenance scheduled April 23, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Random variable and probability space notionsRandom Walk with EdgesFinding functions where the increase over a random interval is Poisson distributedNumber of days until dayCan an observed event in fact be of zero probability?Unit random processmodels of coins and uniform distributionHow to get the number of successes given $n$ trials , probability $P$ and a random variable $X$Absorbing Markov chain in a computer. Is “almost every” turned into always convergence in computer executions?Stopped random walk is not uniformly integrable

Image
What would you call this weird metallic apparatus that allows you to lift people? Is it possible to give , in economics, an example of a relation ( set of ordered pairs) that is not a function? Maximum summed subsequences with non-adjacent items How many time has Arya actually used Needle? Is there public access to the Meteor Crater in Arizona? Belief In God or Knowledge Of God. Which is better? What is the meaning of 'breadth' in breadth first search? Why is there Net Work Done on a Pressure/Volume Cycle? How much damage would a cupful of neutron star matter do to the Earth? Sum letters are not two different Why does it sometimes sound good to play a grace note as a lead in to a note in a melody? What initially awakened the Balrog? How to pronounce 伝統色 QGIS virtual layer functionality does not seem to support memory layers AppleTVs create a chatty alternate WiFi network How to write capital alpha? How often does castling occur in grandmaster gam
Read more

How should I support this large drywall patch? Planned maintenance scheduled April 23, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern) Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Unicorn Meta Zoo #1: Why another podcast?How do I cover large gaps in drywall?How do I keep drywall around a patch from crumbling?Can I glue a second layer of drywall?How to patch long strip on drywall?Large drywall patch: how to avoid bulging seams?Drywall Mesh Patch vs. Bulge? To remove or not to remove?How to fix this drywall job?Prep drywall before backsplashWhat's the best way to fix this horrible drywall patch job?Drywall patching using 3M Patch Plus Primer

Image
How do living politicians protect their readily obtainable signatures from misuse? Is it possible to force a specific program to remain in memory after closing it? File name problem(?) How to pronounce 伝統色 How does the math work when buying airline miles? Sum letters are not two different An adverb for when you're not exaggerating What does it mean that physics no longer uses mechanical models to describe phenomena? Take 2! Is this homebrew Lady of Pain warlock patron balanced? How many time has Arya actually used Needle? A letter with no particular backstory Converted a Scalar function to a TVF function for parallel execution-Still running in Serial mode Generate an RGB colour grid Co-worker has annoying ringtone Strange behavior of Object.defineProperty() in JavaScript "Lost his faith in humanity in the trenches of Verdun" — last line of an SF story What is this round thing on the pantry door in The Shining What would you call this weir
Read more