WOM

write-only memory
WOM

   1. <jargon, humour> (WOM) The obvious antonym to "{read-only
   memory}" (ROM).

   Out of frustration with the long and seemingly useless chain
   of approvals required of component specifications, during
   which no actual checking seemed to occur, an engineer at
   {Signetics} once created a specification for a write-only
   memory and included it with a bunch of other specifications to
   be approved.  This inclusion came to the attention of
   Signetics {management} only when regular customers started
   calling and asking for pricing information.  Signetics
   published a corrected edition of the data book and requested
   the return of the "erroneous" ones.  Later, around 1974,
   Signetics bought a double-page spread in "Electronics"
   magazine's April issue and used the spec as an April Fools'
   Day joke.  Instead of the more conventional characteristic
   curves, the 25120 "fully encoded, 9046 x N, Random Access,
   write-only-memory" data sheet included diagrams of "bit
   capacity vs. Temp.", "Iff vs. Vff", "Number of pins remaining
   vs. number of socket insertions", and "AQL vs. selling price".
   The 25120 required a 6.3 VAC VFF supply, a +10V VCC, and VDD
   of 0V, +/- 2%.

   2. {bit bucket}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (2007-03-24)