MIPS

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

MIPS
    n 1: (computer science) a unit for measuring the execution speed
         of a computer's CPU (but not the whole system); "4 MIPS is
         4,000,000 instructions per second" [syn: {MIPS}, {million
         instructions per second}]

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

MIPS
 /mips/, n.

   [abbreviation]

   1. A measure of computing speed; formally, `Million Instructions Per
   Second' (that's 10^6 per second, not 2^20!); often rendered by hackers
   as `Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed' or in other
   unflattering ways, such as `Meaningless Information Provided by
   Salesmen'. This joke expresses an attitude nearly universal among
   hackers about the value of most {benchmark} claims, said attitude
   being one of the great cultural divides between hackers and
   {marketroid}s (see also {BogoMIPS}). The singular is sometimes `1 MIP'
   even though this is clearly etymologically wrong. See also {KIPS} and
   {GIPS}.

   2. Computers, especially large computers, considered abstractly as
   sources of {computron}s. "This is just a workstation; the heavy MIPS
   are hidden in the basement."

   3. The corporate name of a particular RISC-chip company, later
   acquired by SGI.

   4. Acronym for `Meaningless Information per Second' (a joke, prob.:
   from sense 1).

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

MIPS

   1. <unit, benchmark> Million instructions per second.

   The unit commonly used to give the rate at which a processor
   executes instructions.

   Often rendered by hackers as "Meaningless Indication of
   Processor Speed" or in other unflattering ways.  This
   expresses a nearly universal attitude about the value of most
   {benchmark} claims, said attitude being one of the great
   cultural divides between hackers and {marketroids}.

   The etymologically incorrect singular "1 MIP" is sometimes
   heard.

   See also {KIPS} and {GIPS}.

   2. {VAX MIPS}.

   3. <processor> {Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline
   Stages}.

   4. <company> {MIPS Technologies, Inc.}

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1996-03-01)

from V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (June 2006)

MIPS
       Microprocessor without Interlocked Piped Stages

from V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (June 2006)

MIPS
       Million Instructions Per Second (CPU)