boa [IBM] n.
Any one of the fat cables that lurk under the floor in a dinosaur pen. Possibly so called
because they display a ferocious life of their own when you try
to lay them straight and flat after they have been coiled for
some time. It is rumored within IBM that channel cables for the
370 are limited to 200 feet because beyond that length the boas
get dangerous -- and it is worth noting that one of the major
cable makers uses the trademark `Anaconda'.
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board n.
1. In-context synonym for bboard;
sometimes used even for Usenet newsgroups (but see usage note
under bboard, sense 1). 2. An
electronic circuit board.
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boat anchor n.
[common; from ham radio] 1. Like doorstop but more severe; implies that the
offending hardware is irreversibly dead or useless. "That was a
working motherboard once. One lightning strike later, instant
boat anchor!" 2. A person who just takes up space. 3. Obsolete
but still working hardware, especially when used of an old
S100-bus hobbyist system; originally a term of annoyance, but
became more and more affectionate as the hardware became more and
more obsolete.