[1] : Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)

deadbeef /ded-beef/ n. the hexadecimal word-fill pattern for freshly
   allocated memory under a number of ibm environments, including the
   rs/6000. some modern debugging tools deliberately fill freed memory with
   this value as a way of converting heisenbugs into bohr bugs. as in
   "your program is deadbeef" meaning gone, aborted, flushed from memory;
   if you start from an odd half-word boundary, of course, you have
   beefdead. see also the anecdote under fool and dead beef attack.


see also:
heisenbug bohr bug fool dead beef attack 

[2] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

deadbeef
     
         /ded-beef/ the hexadecimal pattern
        used to fill words of freshly allocated memory under a number
        of ibm environments including the rs/6000; equal to
        decimal 3,735,928,559 unsigned or -559,038,737 32-bit
        signed.  as in "your program is deadbeef" meaning gone,
        aborted, flushed from memory.
     
        1998-06-29
     
     
see also:
hexadecimal ibm rs/6000 

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