infinity n.
1. The largest value that can be represented in a particular
type of variable (register, memory location, data type,
whatever). 2. `minus infinity': The smallest such value, not
necessarily or even usually the simple negation of plus infinity.
In N-bit twos-complement arithmetic, infinity is 2^(N-1) - 1 but
minus infinity is - (2^(N-1)), not -(2^(N-1) - 1). Note also that
this is different from time T equals minus infinity,
which is closer to a mathematician's usage of infinity.
Node:inflate, Next:Infocom, Previous:infinity, Up:=
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inflate vt.
To decompress or puff a file. Rare
among Internet hackers, used primarily by MS-DOS/Windows
types.
Node:Infocom, Next:initgame, Previous:inflate, Up:= I
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Infocom n.
A now-legendary games company, active from 1979 to 1989, that
commercialized the MDL parser technology used for Zork to produce a line of text adventure games
that remain favorites among hackers. Infocom's games were
intelligent, funny, witty, erudite, irreverent, challenging,
satirical, and most thoroughly hackish in spirit. The physical
game packages from Infocom are now prized collector's items.
After being acquired by Activision in 1989 they did a few more
"modern" (e.g. graphics-intensive) games which were less
successful than reissues of their classics.
The software, thankfully, is still extant; Infocom games were
written in a kind of P-code and distributed with a P-code
interpreter core, and not only freeware emulators for that
interpreter but an actual compiler as well have been written to
permit the P-code to be run on platforms the games never
originally graced. In fact, new games written in this P-code are
still bering written. (Emulators that can run Infocom game ZIPs,
and new games, are available at ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu:/doc/misc/if-archive/infocom.)