User talk:Pistevo/dev/null
What is /dev/null?
In Unix-like operating systems, /dev/null or the null device is a special file that discards all data written to it, and provides no data to any process that reads from it (it returns EOF).
In [[w:Unix|Unix] [[w:programmer|programmer] jargon, it may also be called the [[w:bit_bucket|bit bucket] or black hole. The null device is typically used for disposing of unwanted output streams of a process, or as a convenient empty file for input streams. This is usually done by redirection.
So why use it in a signature?
This entity is a common inspiration for technical jargon expressions, metaphors and technical jokes by Unix programmers, e.g.:
- "please send complaints to /dev/null" (i.e. "don't bother to send any complaints")
- "my mail got archived in /dev/null" (i.e. "my mail got deleted")
- A famous advertisement for the Titanium [w:PowerBook_G4 PowerBook G4] read [The Titanium Powerbook G4] Sends other UNIX boxes to /dev/null.
- A warning to users that the system's /dev/null is already 98% full.
- The [w:April_Fool's April Fool's], [w:1995 1995] issue of the [wiki:Germany German]] magazine [w:c't c't] reported on an enhanced /dev/null chip that would efficiently dispose of the incoming data by converting it to flicker on an internal glowing [w:Light-emitting_diode LED].
Links
- Source: [w:/dev/null Wikipedia article: /dev/null]
- User:Pistevo