UUOC

1 definition found

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  UUOC [from the comp.unix.shell group on Usenet] Stands for `Useless Use
     of {cat}'; the reference is to the Unix command cat(1), not the feline
     animal. As received wisdom on comp.unix.shell observes, "The purpose of
     cat is to concatenate (or `catenate') files. If it's only one file,
     concatenating it with nothing at all is a waste of time, and costs you a
     process." Nevertheless one sees people doing


  
    cat file | some_command and its args ...
    
     instead of the equivalent and cheaper