bit bucket n. very common 1. the universal data sink originally, the
   mythical receptacle used to catch bits when they fall off the end of a
   register during a shift instruction. discarded, lost, or destroyed data
   is said to have `gone to the bit bucket'. on unix, often used for
   /dev/null. sometimes amplified as `the great bit bucket in the sky'.
   2. the place where all lost mail and news messages eventually go. the
   selection is performed according to finagle's law; important mail is
   much more likely to end up in the bit bucket than junk mail, which has
   an almost 100 probability of getting delivered. routing to the bit
   bucket is automatically performed by mail-transfer agents, news systems,
   and the lower layers of the network. 3. the ideal location for all
   unwanted mail responses: "flames about this article to the bit bucket."
   such a request is guaranteed to overflow one's mailbox with flames. 4.
   excuse for all mail that has not been sent. "i mailed you those figures
   last week; they must have landed in the bit bucket." compare black
   hole.

   this term is used purely in jest. it is based on the fanciful notion
   that bits are objects that are not destroyed but only misplaced. this
   appears to have been a mutation of an earlier term `bit box', about
   which the same legend was current; old-time hackers also report that
   trainees used to be told that when the cpu stored bits into memory it
   was actually pulling them `out of the bit box'. see also chad box.

   another variant of this legend has it that, as a consequence of the
   `parity preservation law', the number of 1 bits that go to the bit
   bucket must equal the number of 0 bits. any imbalance results in bits
   filling up the bit bucket. a qualified computer technician can empty a
   full bit bucket as part of scheduled maintenance.


see also:
unix /dev/null finagle's law black hole chad box 

bit bucket
     
         1. or "write-only memory", "wom" the universal
        data sink originally, the mythical receptacle used to catch
        bits when they fall off the end of a register during a
        shift instruction.  discarded, lost, or destroyed data is
        said to have "gone to the bit bucket".  on unix, often used
        for /dev/null.  sometimes amplified as "the great bit bucket
        in the sky".
     
        2. the place where all lost mail and news messages eventually
        go.  the selection is performed according to finagle's law;
        important mail is much more likely to end up in the bit bucket
        than junk mail, which has an almost 100 probability of
        getting delivered.  routing to the bit bucket is automatically
        performed by mail-transfer agents, news systems, and the lower
        layers of the network.
     
        3. the ideal location for all unwanted mail responses: "flames
        about this article to the bit bucket."  such a request is
        guaranteed to overflow one's mailbox with flames.
     
        4. excuse for all mail that has not been sent.  "i mailed you
        those figures last week; they must have landed in the bit
        bucket."  compare black hole.
     
        this term is used purely in jest.  it is based on the fanciful
        notion that bits are objects that are not destroyed but only
        misplaced.  this appears to have been a mutation of an earlier
        term "bit box", about which the same legend was current;
        old-time hackers also report that trainees used to be told
        that when the cpu stored bits into memory it was actually
        pulling them "out of the bit box".
     
        another variant of this legend has it that, as a consequence
        of the "parity preservation law", the number of 1 bits that go
        to the bit bucket must equal the number of 0 bits.  any
        imbalance results in bits filling up the bit bucket.  a
        qualified computer technician can empty a full bit bucket as
        part of scheduled maintenance.
     
        in contrast, a "chad box" is a real container used to catch
        chad.  this may be related to the origin of the term "bit
        bucket" comments ?.
     
        1996-11-20
     
     
see also:
write-only memory register shift unix /dev/null finagle's law 
black hole chad box chad