red wire

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

red wire
 n.

   [IBM] Patch wires installed by programmers who have no business
   mucking with the hardware. It is said that the only thing more
   dangerous than a hardware guy with a code patch is a {softy} with a
   soldering iron.... Compare {blue wire}, {yellow wire}, {purple wire}.

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

red wire

   <jargon, hardware> (IBM) Patch wires installed by programmers
   who have no business mucking with the hardware.  It is said
   that the only thing more dangerous than a hardware guy with a
   code patch is a {softy} with a soldering iron.

   Compare {blue wire}, {yellow wire}, {purple wire}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1994-12-23)

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