It is just a common name used in examples where an identifier is required (normally for a function) but there is no context in which to give the identifier a meaningful name.
Sure. It is a metasyntactic variable. Just like bar, xyzzy, fee, fie, foe, fum, and a host of other arbitrary names that have no connotation to what type of value is stored in the variable's memory location.
Sure. It is a metasyntactic variable. Just like bar, xyzzy, fee, fie, foe, fum, and a host of other arbitrary names that have no connotation to what type of value is stored in the variable's memory location.
I know, but it has taken on metasyntactic attributes in more recent history.
Oh, and anubhavit, it was a secret in "Colossal Cave Adventure" first.
I knew that game by the simple name 'Adventure'. We could play it simultaneously
with four people maximum on our PDP11/60 and then the machine went down ;-)