from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
breadcrumbs
(After the story "Hansel and Gretel" by the Brothers Grimm).
1. <World-Wide Web> {Links} displayed across the top of a {web
page} listing the most recently visited pages so the reader
can quickly jump back to one. Since this function is provided
by the {web browser}, breadcrumbs are a waste of space.
A better use of the space is to display links to the page's
logical parent pages in the information hierarchy.
2. <programming> Information output by statements inserted
into a program for {debugging by printf}.
[{Jargon File}]
(2007-03-07)