output

Definition

The stuff that comes out after you put stuff in, whether it's data from a computer, production from a factory, or results from any process. In tech, it's what your program spits out after processing input—assuming it doesn't crash first. Managers obsess over maximizing output while minimizing input, which is just a fancy way of saying 'do more with less.'

Example Usage

The program's output was supposed to be a report, but instead it generated 50GB of error logs.

Source: Technology and manufacturing terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

offline

The increasingly rare state of not being connected to the internet or larger network—either by technical failure or deliberate choice, neither of which your boss will find acceptable as an excuse. In IT, it means a system that's been disconnected; in real life, it's the mythical state of actually being present in the physical world. Some say people used to live offline full-time; anthropologists are still studying these ancient cultures.

💻 Tech / IT

Advanced

FSA Wifi

A hyperbolically terrible WiFi connection so bad it apparently affects thousands worldwide, though likely named after one specific institution's nightmare network. It's the kind of internet that makes you question whether carrier pigeons might be faster. The digital equivalent of watching paint dry, except the paint keeps buffering.

💻 Tech / IT

Intermediate

cyber athlete

A term from the early 2000s describing professional or competitive video game players, before 'esports athlete' became the accepted nomenclature. It's charmingly dated, like calling the internet the 'information superhighway,' but it was a genuine attempt to legitimize gaming as sport.

💻 Tech / IT

Beginner

programming

The art of instructing computers to do your bidding through carefully crafted code, which they will interpret exactly as written rather than as intended. It's equal parts problem-solving, debugging your own mistakes, and Googling "why doesn't this work" at 2 AM. The profession where you spend 10% of your time writing code and 90% figuring out why that code hates you.

💻 Tech / IT

Intermediate

callback hell

The rightward-drifting pyramid of nested callback functions in asynchronous code that makes your program look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa made of braces. Also known as the 'Pyramid of Doom' or 'why I started drinking.'

💻 Tech / IT

Intermediate

burndown chart

A graph showing remaining work over time in agile projects, ideally trending downward like your hopes for an on-time delivery. When the line goes up instead of down, it's called 'scope creep' and signals an upcoming all-hands meeting.

💻 Tech / IT

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