fork bomb
<programming> A particular species of wabbit that can be written in one
line of C:
main() {for(;;)fork();}
or shell:
$0 & $0 &
on any Unix system, or occasionally created by an egregious coding bug. A
fork bomb process "explodes" by recursively spawning
copies of itself using the Unix system call
"fork(2)". Eventually it eats all the process table
entries and effectively wedges the system.
Fortunately, fork bombs are relatively easy to spot
and kill, so creating one deliberately seldom
accomplishes more than to bring the just wrath of
the gods down upon the perpetrator.
See also logic bomb.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-14)
Nearby terms:
Foresight « for free « fork « fork bomb »
forked » for loop » FORM
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