Definition of bit rot

bit rot

noun - uncountable

a hypothetical disease that causes programs to run more poorly over time and causes documents to become corrupted. Assuming no actual data loss, bits don't actually rot, but rather assumptions that programs have made will change, as will the editor / viewer programs for documents.
- See more words with the same meaning: computer slang.
Last edited on Nov 11 2011. Submitted by WalterGR (via TheJargonFile) on Aug 14 2009.

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Related words

Slang terms with the same meaning

Other terms relating to 'computer slang':
topless meeting	Definitions include: According to Oxford University Press Blog:
nagware	Definitions include: shareware software that nags the user if it hasn't yet been purchased.
fencepost error	Definitions include: a particular class of "off-by-one" errors in which the intuitive answer is incorrect.
shovelware	Definitions include: low-quality software.
freeware	Definitions include: "Freeware" was originally the trademark of "PC-Talk" author Andrew Fluegelman.
OTOH	Definitions include: acronym for "on the other hand".
page out	Definitions include: A synonym of "swap out".
sex changer	Definitions include: a cable connector device with either two male or two female connectors on it, used to connect mismatched cables.
blog	Definitions include: a chronologically-ordered collection of articles, posted to the world-wide web, about any topic.
bang on	Definitions include: to test something before it is released or presented.
b	Definitions include: woman.
banhammer	Definitions include: a metaphorical hammer that is wielded by operators or moderators when banning one or more users from an online community.
crufty	Definitions include: of software, poorly built due to the accumulation of code written over a long period of time.
crippleware	Definitions include: software that has had features disabled to entice people to upgrade to a for-pay or more expensive version.
not ready for prime time	Definitions include: not ready for widespread use, viewing, distribution, consumption, etc.
(show 591 more)

Slang terms with the same root words

Other terms relating to 'bit':
a bit much	Definitions include: excessive.
a bit of how's your father	Definitions include: sexual activity.
a tid bit nipply	Definitions include: of weather, cold, causing nipples to harden.
BBIAB	Definitions include: acronym for "be back in a bit", i.e. "I will return in a short amount of time."
bit	Definitions include: a joke from a comedy routine.
bit bucket	Definitions include: the place where all deleted, lost, or misdirected data goes to.
chomp at the bit	Definitions include: to be eager.
fuzzy tid bits	Definitions include: testicles.
gender bits	Definitions include: genitals.
get a bit on the side	Definitions include: to have sex with someone who is not one's significant other.
hair of the dog that bit (one)	Definitions include: a drink of alcohol in the morning - of the same type one was drinking the previous night - to ward off or stop a hangover.
it's a bit black over Bill's Mother's	Definitions include: Threatening rain.
*look like (one) bit into a shtburger**	Definitions include: angry, looks bad, pissed, annoyed, unusual looking.
naughty bits	Definitions include: genitals.
two-bit	Definitions include: insignificant.
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Other terms relating to 'rot':
crotch rot	Definitions include: a fungal infection of the groin region (Tinea cruris).
link rot	Definitions include: the breakage of links on the web as their targets disappear.
root rot	Definitions include: venereal disease.
rot in hell	Definitions include: general insult / disparaging remark.
software rot	Definitions include: a hypothetical affliction that causes programs to run more poorly over time.