Merlin

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
Merlin
    n 1: (Arthurian legend) the magician who acted as King Arthur's
         advisor
    2: small falcon of Europe and America having dark plumage with
       black-barred tail; used in falconry [syn: {pigeon hawk},
       {merlin}, {Falco columbarius}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Merlin \Mer"lin\, n. [OE. merlion, F. ['e]merillon; cf. OHG.
   smirl, G. schmerl; prob. fr. L. merula blackbird. Cf.
   {Merle}.] (Zool.)
   A small European falcon ({Falco columbarius}, syn. {Falco
   lithofalco}, or {Falco aesalon}). In North America called
   also {pigeon hawk}.
   [1913 Webster +PJC]
    
from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
OS/2
Merlin
Warp

   /O S too/ {IBM} and {Microsoft}'s successor to the {MS-DOS}
   {operating system} for {Intel 80286} and {Intel 80386}-based
   {microprocessors}.  It is proof that they couldn't get it
   right the second time either.  Often called "Half-an-OS".  The
   design was so {baroque}, and the implementation of 1.x so bad,
   that 3 years after introduction you could still count the
   major {application programs} shipping for it on the fingers of
   two hands, in {unary}.  Later versions improved somewhat, and
   informed hackers now rate them superior to {Microsoft
   Windows}, which isn't saying much.  See {second-system
   effect}.

   On an {Intel 80386} or better, OS/2 can {multitask} between
   existing {MS-DOS} {applications}.  OS/2 is strong on
   connectivity and the provision of robust {virtual machines}.
   It can support {Microsoft Windows} programs in addition to its
   own {native} applications.  It also supports the {Presentation
   Manager} {graphical user interface}.

   {OS/2} supports {hybrid multiprocessing} (HMP), which provides
   some elements of {symmetric multiprocessing} (SMP), using
   add-on IBM software called {MP/2}.  OS/2 SMP was planned for
   release in late 1993.

   After OS/2 1.x the {IBM} and {Microsoft} partnership split.
   IBM continued to develop OS/2 2.0, while Microsoft developed
   what was originally intended to be OS/2 3.0 into {Windows NT}.
   In October 1994, IBM released version OS/2 3.0 (known as
   "Warp") but it is only distantly related to {Windows NT}.
   This version raised the limit on RAM from 16MB to 1GB (like
   Windows NT).

   IBM introduced networking with "OS/2 Warp Connect", the first
   multi-user version.  OS/2 Warp 4.0 ("Merlin") is a {network
   operating system}.

   (http://mit.edu:8001/activities/os2/os2world.html).

   [Dates?]

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1995-07-20)
    
from U.S. Gazetteer (1990)
Merlin, OR
  Zip code(s): 97532
    

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