May 15, 2003

black hole

n.,vt.

[common] What data (a piece of email or netnews, or a stream of TCP/IP packets) has fallen into if it disappears mysteriously between its origin and destination sites (that is, without returning a bounce message). I think there's a black hole at foovax! conveys suspicion that site foovax has been dropping a lot of stuff on the floor lately (see drop on the floor). The implied metaphor of email as interstellar travel is interesting in itself. Readily verbed as blackhole: That router is blackholing IDP packets. Compare bit bucket and see RBL.

Posted by Jargon File at May 15, 2003 10:57 AM

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