Dinosaur

1. Any hardware requiring raised flooring and special power. Used especially of old minicomputers and mainframes, in contrast with newer microprocessor-based machines.

In a famous quote from the 1988 Unix EXPO, Bill Joy compared the liquid-cooled mainframe in the massive IBM display with a grazing dinosaur "with a truck outside pumping its bodily fluids through it".

IBM was not amused.

Compare big iron; see also dinosaurs mating.

2. [IBM] A very conservative user; a zipperhead.

[Jargon File]

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ding Dining Philosophers Problem dink DinnerBell DINO	American Telephone and Telegraph, Inc. big iron BITNET blinkenlights boa	dinosaur pen dinosaurs mating diode Diophantine equation DIP