computron

computron
 /kom'pyoo.tron`/, n.

   1. [common] A notional unit of computing power combining instruction
   speed and storage capacity, dimensioned roughly in
   instructions-per-second times megabytes-of-main-store times
   megabytes-of-mass-storage. "That machine can't run GNU Emacs, it
   doesn't have enough computrons!" This usage is usually found in
   metaphors that treat computing power as a fungible commodity good,
   like a crop yield or diesel horsepower. See {bitty box}, {Get a real
   computer!}, {toy}, {crank}.

   2. A mythical subatomic particle that bears the unit quantity of
   computation or information, in much the same way that an electron
   bears one unit of electric charge (see also {bogon}). An elaborate
   pseudo-scientific theory of computrons has been developed based on the
   physical fact that the molecules in a solid object move more rapidly
   as it is heated. It is argued that an object melts because the
   molecules have lost their information about where they are supposed to
   be (that is, they have emitted computrons). This explains why
   computers get so hot and require air conditioning; they use up
   computrons. Conversely, it should be possible to cool down an object
   by placing it in the path of a computron beam. It is believed that
   this may also explain why machines that work at the factory fail in
   the computer room: the computrons there have been all used up by the
   other hardware. (The popularity of this theory probably owes something
   to the Warlock stories by Larry Niven, the best known being What Good
   is a Glass Dagger?, in which magic is fueled by an exhaustible natural
   resource called mana.)
    

computron

   /kom'pyoo-tron"/ 1. A notional unit of computing power
   combining instruction speed and storage capacity, dimensioned
   roughly in instructions-per-second times
   megabytes-of-main-store times megabytes-of-mass-storage.
   "That machine can't run GNU Emacs, it doesn't have enough
   computrons!"  This usage is usually found in metaphors that
   treat computing power as a fungible commodity good, like a
   crop yield or diesel horsepower.  See {bitty box}, {Get a real
   computer!}, {toy}, {crank}.

   2. A mythical subatomic particle that bears the unit quantity
   of computation or information, in much the same way that an
   electron bears one unit of electric charge (see also {bogon}).
   An elaborate pseudo-scientific theory of computrons has been
   developed based on the physical fact that the molecules in a
   solid object move more rapidly as it is heated.  It is argued
   that an object melts because the molecules have lost their
   information about where they are supposed to be (that is, they
   have emitted computrons).  This explains why computers get so
   hot and require air conditioning; they use up computrons.
   Conversely, it should be possible to cool down an object by
   placing it in the path of a computron beam.  It is believed
   that this may also explain why machines that work at the
   factory fail in the computer room: the computrons there have
   been all used up by the other hardware.  (This theory probably
   owes something to the "Warlock" stories by Larry Niven, the
   best known being "What Good is a Glass Dagger?", in which
   magic is fuelled by an exhaustible natural resource called
   "mana".)

   [{Jargon File}]