from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
line noise
n.
1. [techspeak] Spurious characters due to electrical noise in a
communications link, especially an RS-232 serial connection. Line
noise may be induced by poor connections, interference or crosstalk
from other circuits, electrical storms, {cosmic rays}, or (notionally)
birds crapping on the phone wires.
2. Any chunk of data in a file or elsewhere that looks like the
results of line noise in sense 1.
3. Text that is theoretically a readable text or program source but
employs syntax so bizarre that it looks like line noise in senses 1 or
2. Yes, there are languages this ugly. The canonical example is
{TECO}; it is often claimed that "TECO's input syntax is
indistinguishable from line noise." Other non-{WYSIWYG} editors, such
as Multics qed and Unix ed, in the hands of a real hacker, also
qualify easily, as do deliberately obfuscated languages such as
{INTERCAL}.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
line noise
<communications> 1. Spurious characters due to electrical
{noise} in a communications link, especially an {EIA-232}
serial connection. Line noise may be induced by poor
connections, interference or {crosstalk} from other circuits,
electrical storms, {cosmic rays}, or (notionally) birds
crapping on the phone wires.
2. Any chunk of data in a file or elsewhere that looks like
the results of electrical line noise.
3. Text that is theoretically a readable text or program
source but employs {syntax} so bizarre that it looks like line
noise. Yes, there are languages this ugly. The canonical
example is {TECO}, whose input syntax is often said to be
indistinguishable from line noise. Other non-{WYSIWYG}
editors, such as {Multics} "{qed}" and {Unix} "{ed}", in the
hands of a real hacker, also qualify easily, as do
deliberately {obfuscate}d languages such as {INTERCAL}.
[{Jargon File}]
(1994-12-22)