Ill-behaved

2 definitions found

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

  ill-behaved adj. 1. [numerical analysis] Said of an algorithm or
     computational method that tends to blow up because of accumulated
     roundoff error or poor convergence properties. 2. Software that bypasses
     the defined {OS} interfaces to do things (like screen, keyboard, and
     disk I/O) itself, often in a way that depends on the hardware of the
     machine it is running on or which is nonportable or incompatible with


     other pieces of software. In the IBM PC/MS-DOS world, there is a folk
     theorem (nearly true) to the effect that (owing to gross inadequacies
     and performance penalties in the OS interface) all interesting
     applications are ill-behaved. See also {bare metal}. Oppose
     {well-behaved}, compare {PC-ism}. See {mess-dos}.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  ill-behaved
       
          1. [numerical analysis] Said of an {algorithm} or
          computational method that tends to blow up because of
          accumulated roundoff error or poor convergence properties.
       
          2. Software that bypasses the defined {operating system}
          interfaces to do things (like screen, keyboard, and disk I/O)
          itself, often in a way that depends on the hardware of the
          machine it is running on or which is nonportable or
          incompatible with other pieces of software.
       
          In the {IBM PC}/{mess-dos} world, there is a folk theorem
          (nearly true) to the effect that (owing to gross inadequacies
          and performance penalties in the OS interface) all interesting
          applications are ill-behaved.
       
          See also {bare metal}. Opposite: {well-behaved}, compare
          {PC-ism}.
       
          [{Jargon File}]