from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
frobnicate
/frob'ni.kayt/, vt.
[Poss. derived from {frobnitz}, and usually abbreviated to {frob}, but
frobnicate is recognized as the official full form.:] To manipulate or
adjust, to tweak. One frequently frobs bits or other 2-state devices.
Thus: "Please frob the light switch" (that is, flip it), but also
"Stop frobbing that clasp; you'll break it". One also sees the
construction to frob a frob. See {tweak} and {twiddle}.
Usage: frob, twiddle, and tweak sometimes connote points along a
continuum. `Frob' connotes aimless manipulation; twiddle connotes
gross manipulation, often a coarse search for a proper setting; tweak
connotes fine-tuning. If someone is turning a knob on an oscilloscope,
then if he's carefully adjusting it, he is probably tweaking it; if he
is just turning it but looking at the screen, he is probably twiddling
it; but if he's just doing it because turning a knob is fun, he's
frobbing it. The variant frobnosticate has been recently reported.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
frobnicate
/frob'ni-kayt/ (Possibly from {frobnitz}, and usually
abbreviated to {frob}, but "frobnicate" is recognised as the
official full form). To manipulate or adjust, to {tweak}.
One frequently frobs bits or other 2-state devices. Thus:
"Please frob the light switch" (that is, flip it), but also
"Stop frobbing that clasp; you'll break it". One also sees
the construction "to frob a frob".
Usage: frob, {twiddle}, and {tweak} sometimes connote points
along a continuum. "Frob" connotes aimless manipulation;
"twiddle" connotes gross manipulation, often a coarse search
for a proper setting; "tweak" connotes fine-tuning. If
someone is turning a knob on an oscilloscope, then if he's
carefully adjusting it, he is probably tweaking it; if he is
just turning it but looking at the screen, he is probably
twiddling it; but if he's just doing it because turning a knob
is fun, he's frobbing it. The variant "frobnosticate" has
also been reported.
(1994-12-16)