Unix brain damage
Something that has to be done to break a network program (typically a mailer) on
a non-Unix system so that it will interoperate with Unix systems. The hack may
qualify as "Unix brain damage" if the program conforms to published standards
and the Unix program in question does not. Unix brain damage happens because it
is much easier for other (minority) systems to change their ways to match
non-conforming behaviour than it is to change all the hundreds of thousands of
Unix systems out there.
An example of Unix brain damage is a kluge in a mail server to recognise bare
line feed (the Unix newline) as an equivalent form to the Internet standard
newline, which is a carriage return followed by a line feed. Such things can
make even a hardened jock weep.
[Jargon File]
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University of Twente « Unix « Unix box « Unix
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