Chadless keypunch
<hardware> A card punch which cut little U-shapes in punched cards,
rather than punching out a circle or rectangle. The U's made a hole when folded
back.
One of the Jargon File's correspondents believed that the term "chad" derived
from the Chadless keypunch. Obviously, if the Chadless keypunch didn't make
them, then the stuff that other keypunches made had to be "chad". The assertion
that the keypunch was named after its inventor is not supported by any record in
US or UK patents or surname references.
(2000-11-22)
Nearby terms:
ch « chad « chad box « Chadless keypunch » chain »
Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol » Chalmers
University of Technology
