Diff
/dif/ 1. A change listing, especially giving differences between (and additions to) different versions of a piece of source code or documentation (the term is often used in the plural "diffs").
"Send me your diffs for the Jargon File!"
Compare
vdiff.
2. Specifically, such a listing produced by the diff
Unix command, especially when used as input to the
patch utility (which actually performs the modifications).
This is a common method of distributing patches and source updates.
3. To compare (whether or not by use of automated tools on machine-readable files).
See also
vdiff,
mod.
[
Jargon File]
