bitty box

bitty box
 /bit'ee boks/, n.

   1. A computer sufficiently small, primitive, or incapable as to cause
   a hacker acute claustrophobia at the thought of developing software on
   or for it. Especially used of small, obsolescent, single-tasking-only
   personal machines such as the Atari 800, Osborne, Sinclair, VIC-20,
   TRS-80, or IBM PC.

   2. [Pejorative] More generally, the opposite of `real computer' (see
   {Get a real computer!}). See also {mess-dos}, {toaster}, and {toy}.
    

bitty box
calculator

   <abuse> (Or "calculator") /bit'ee boks/ A computer
   sufficiently small, primitive, or incapable as to cause a
   hacker acute claustrophobia at the thought of developing
   software on or for it.  The term is especially used of small,
   obsolescent, {single-tasking}-only {personal computers} such
   as the {Atari 800}, {Osborne}, {Sinclair}, {VIC-20}, {TRS-80}
   or {IBM PC}, but the term is a general pejorative opposite of
   "real computer" (see {Get a real computer!}).

   See also {mess-dos}, {toaster}, {toy}.

   (1994-11-29)