EBCDIC /eb's*-dik/, /eb'see`dik/, or /eb'k*-dik/ n.
[abbreviation, Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code]
An alleged character set used on IBM dinosaurs. It exists in at least six mutually
incompatible versions, all featuring such delights as
non-contiguous letter sequences and the absence of several ASCII
punctuation characters fairly important for modern computer
languages (exactly which characters are absent varies according
to which version of EBCDIC you're looking at). IBM adapted EBCDIC
from punched card code in
the early 1960s and promulgated it as a customer-control tactic
(see connector
conspiracy), spurning the already established ASCII
standard. Today, IBM claims to be an open-systems company, but
IBM's own description of the EBCDIC variants and how to convert
between them is still internally classified top-secret,
burn-before-reading. Hackers blanch at the very name of
EBCDIC and consider it a manifestation of purest evil. See also fear and loathing.
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echo [FidoNet] n.
A topic group on FidoNet's echomail system. Compare newsgroup.
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ECP /E-C-P/ n.
See spam and velveeta.