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26-letter words containing r, i, e, m

  • do it right the first time — (chat)   (DIRFT) A programming approach that aims to avoid the overheads of debugging and testing incomplete or incorrect code by careful specification, design and implementation. DIRFT contrasts with rapid prototyping which emphasises the benefits of having running code as soon as possible, even if it is not perfect. DIRFT is appropriate in the rare cases where the requirements are well understood and unlikely to change, e.g. reimplementing exactly the same function in a different language.
  • dual in-line memory module — (storage)   Small circuit boards carrying memory integrated circuits, with signal and power pins on both sides of the board, in contrast to single-in-line memory modules (SIMM). The individual gold or lead connectors (pins) on SIMMs, although they are on both sides of the chip, are connected to the same memory chip, while on a DIMM, the connections on each side of the module connect to different chips. This allows for a wider data path, as more modules can be accessed at once. DIMM pins are arranged in a zigzag design to allow PCB tracks to pass between them. The 8-byte DIMM format with dual-sided contacts can accommodate 4- and 16-megabit dynamic RAM chips, and is predicted to handle 64- and 256-Mbit devices. The 8-byte DIMM will hold up to 32 megabytes of memory using 16-Mbit DRAMs, but with the 256-Mbit future-generation DRAM, it will be able to hold a 64-Mx64 configuration. Another variation, the 72-pin SO-DIMM, is designed to connect directly to 32 bit data buses, and is intended for use in memory-expansion applications in notebook computers. A Dual in-line memory module (DIMM), as opposed to SIMMs (used by the majority of the PC industry) allows for a 128-bit data path by interleaving memory on alternating memory access cycles. SIMMs on the other hand, have a 64-bit data path. Suppliers are unanimous in their belief that the DIMM will eventually replace the SIMM as the market's preferred memory module.
  • dynamically linked library — (library)   (DLL) A library which is linked to application programs when they are loaded or run rather than as the final phase of compilation. This means that the same block of library code can be shared between several tasks rather than each task containing copies of the routines it uses. The executable is compiled with a library of "stubs" which allow link errors to be detected at compile-time. Then, at run time, either the system loader or the task's entry code must arrange for library calls to be patched with the addresses of the real shared library routines, possibly via a jump table. The alternative is to make library calls part of the operating system kernel and enter them via some kind of trap instruction. This is generally less efficient than an ordinary subroutine call. It is important to ensure that the version of a dynamically linked library is compatible with what the executable expects. Examples of operating systems using dynamic linking are SunOS (.so - shared object files), Microsoft Windows (.dll) and RISC OS on the Acorn Archimedes (relocatable modules).
  • einstein's mass-energy law — the principle that mass (m) and energy (E) are equivalent according to the equation E = mc2, where c is the velocity of light
  • electrochemical equivalent — the mass of an element liberated from its ions or converted into them by one coulomb of electric charge
  • electronic countermeasures — (in electronic warfare) actions intended to interfere with an enemy's use of electromagnetic radiation equipment
  • electronic programme guide — an on-screen guide that enables viewers of digital television to select programmes using a handheld device
  • equal opportunity employer — An equal opportunity employer is an employer who gives people the same opportunities for employment, pay, and promotion, without discrimination against anyone.
  • ethylenediaminetetraacetic — Alternative spelling of ethylenediaminetetracetic.
  • ethylmercurithiosalicylate — (organic compound) A salt or ester of ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid.
  • european defence community — a plan proposed in 1950 to form a defence force including countries such as West Germany, France, and Italy. This plan was never carried out.
  • exchange rate mechanism ii — the mechanism used to stabilize the currencies of European Union states that have not adopted the euro but wish to maintain the value of their currency in relation to it
  • exponential-time algorithm — (complexity)   An algorithm (or Turing Machine) that is guaranteed to terminate within a number of steps which is a exponential function of the size of the problem. For example, if you have to check every number of n digits to find a solution, the complexity is O(10^n), and if you add an extra digit, you must check ten times as many numbers. Even if such an algorithm is practical for some given value of n, it is likely to become impractical for larger values. This is in contrast to a polynomial-time algorithm which grows more slowly. See also computational complexity, polynomial-time, NP-complete.
  • extemporaneous preparation — An extemporaneous preparation is a drug specially prepared by a pharmacist because an appropriate drug is not readily available.
  • extensible markup language — (language, text)   (XML) An initiative from the W3C defining an "extremely simple" dialect of SGML suitable for use on the web.
  • external machine interface — (protocol)   (EMI) A protocol primarily used to connect to short message service centres for mobile telephones. EMI is an extension to Universal Computer Protocol (UCP). EMI was was developed by CMG, now a part of LogicaCMG, the current SMSC market leader. Each byte of the message is encoded as two hexadecimal characters using an encoding not quite like ASCII.
  • external-combustion engine — a heat engine in which the working fluid is heated in an external boiler or heat exchanger and is thus isolated from the process of fuel combustion
  • first marquis of lansdowne — Richard, born 1937, U.S. racing-car driver.
  • first-past-the-post system — a voting system in which a candidate may be elected by a simple majority rather than an absolute majority
  • fourth generation computer — (architecture)   A computer built using Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) integrated circuits, especially a microcomputer based on a microprocesseor, or a parallel processor containing two to thousands of CPUs. VLSI made it routine to fabricate an entire CPU, main memory, or similar device with a single integrated circuit that can be mass produced at very low cost. This has resulted in new classes of machines such as personal computers, and high performance parallel processors that contains thousands of CPUs.
  • fowler-nordheim tunnelling — (electronics)   (US: "tunneling") The quantum mechanical effect exploited in EAPROM and Flash Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. It differs from Frenkel-Pool Tunnelling in that it does not rely on defects in the semiconductor.
  • freedom of information act — a law enacted in 1966 requiring that government records except those relating to national security, confidential financial data, and law enforcement be made available to the public on request. Abbreviation: FOIA.
  • general officer commanding — a general officer who holds a command position
  • generic expert system tool — (artificial intelligence)   (GEST) An expert system shell for Symbolics Lisp machine, with frames, forward chaining, backward chaining and fuzzy logic; written by John Gilmore(?) at GA Tech.
  • german democratic republic — a former country in central Europe: created in 1949 from the Soviet zone of occupied Germany established in 1945: reunited with West Germany in 1990. 41,827 sq. mi. (108,333 sq. km). Capital: East Berlin.
  • german shorthaired pointer — one of a German breed of large sporting dogs having a short hard coat, usually liver or liver and white in color, and a docked tail, used as a versatile hunting dog.
  • german wire-haired pointer — one of a German breed of large sporting dogs having a harsh, wiry, flat-lying coat usually liver and white in color, a muzzle with a beard and whiskers, and a docked tail, used as a retrieving pointer.
  • give someone (enough) rope — to allow someone freedom of action in the expectation that that person will overreach himself or herself
  • give someone to understand — If someone is given to understand that something is the case, it is communicated to them that it is the case, usually without them being told directly.
  • government printing office — the federal agency that prints and disseminates publications for other federal agencies. Abbreviation: G.P.O., GPO.
  • grammar-translation method — a traditional technique of foreign-language teaching based on explicit instruction in the grammatical analysis of the target language and translation of sentences from the native language into the target language and vice versa.
  • grand army of the republic — an organization, founded in 1866, composed of men who served in the U.S. Army and Navy during the Civil War: its last member died in 1956. Abbreviation: G.A.R.
  • have your eye on something — If you have your eye on something, you want to have it.
  • head normalisation theorem — Under the typed lambda-calculus, beta/delta reduction of the left-most redex (normal order reduction) is guaranteed to terminate with a head normal form if one exists. See also Church-Rosser theorem.
  • heard and mcdonald islands — a group of islands in the S Indian Ocean: an external territory of Australia from 1947. Area: 412 sq km (159 sq miles)
  • human-computer interaction — (software, hardware)   (HCI) The study of how humans interact with computers, and how to design computer systems that are easy, quick and productive for humans to use. See also Human-Computer Interface.
  • hydraulic submersible pump — A hydraulic submersible pump is a pump which is used offshore and onshore for downhole and subsea boosting, and can combine production and injection duties.
  • if i had/given my druthers — You can say that you would do something if I had my druthers or given my druthers when you mean that you would do it if you were able to choose.
  • inflammatory bowel disease — any intestinal inflammatory disease, especially Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, of unknown cause. Abbreviation: IBD.
  • innate releasing mechanism — the process by which a stimulus evokes a response when the connection between the two is inborn
  • integrated pest management — an ecological approach to pest management that combines understanding the causes of pest outbreaks, manipulating the crop ecosystem for pest control, and monitoring pest populations and their life cycles to determine if and when the use of pesticides is indicated. Abbreviation: IPM.
  • intergenerational mobility — movement within or between social classes and occupations, the change occurring from one generation to the next
  • intermediate care facility — a medical facility specifically providing care for chronically ill, disabled, or elderly people.
  • intermediate-value theorem — the theorem that a function continuous between two points and having unequal values, a and b, at the two points takes on all values between a and b.
  • intermodulation distortion — (electronics, communications)   (IMD) Nonlinear distortion in a system or transducer, characterised by the appearance in the output of frequencies equal to the sums and differences of integral multiples of the two or more component frequencies present in the input waveform.
  • internal combustion engine — An internal combustion engine is an engine that creates its energy by burning fuel inside itself. Most cars have internal combustion engines.
  • internal-combustion engine — an engine of one or more working cylinders in which the process of combustion takes place within the cylinders.
  • international grand master — a chess player in the highest class of ability, as determined through specified types of international competitions.
  • intragenerational mobility — movement within or between social classes and occupations, the change occurring within an individual's lifetime
  • keep someone on their toes — If you say that someone or something keeps you on your toes, you mean that they cause you to remain alert and ready for anything that might happen.
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