cycle crunch
<jargon> A situation wherein the number of people trying to use a
computer simultaneously has reached the point where no one can get enough cycles
because they are spread too thin and the system has probably begun to thrash.
This scenario is an inevitable result of Parkinson's Law applied to
time-sharing. Usually the only solution is to buy more computer. Happily, this
has rapidly become easier since the mid-1980s, so much so that the very term
"cycle crunch" now has a faintly archaic flavour; most hackers now use
workstations or personal computers as opposed to traditional time-sharing
systems.
[Jargon File]
(1994-11-29)
Nearby terms:
CYCL « cycle « cyclebabble « cycle crunch »
cycle drought » cycle of reincarnation » cycle
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