[dok-yuh-men-tey-shuh
n, -muhn-] 
| 1. | the use of documentary evidence. |
| 2. | a furnishing with documents, as to substantiate a claim or the data in a book or article. |
| 3. | Computers. manuals, listings, diagrams, and other hard- or soft-copy written and graphic materials that describe the use, operation, maintenance, or design of software or hardware: The documentation for the driver program is displayed on the screen. |
| doc·u·men·ta·tion (dŏk'yə-měn-tā'shən) n.
|
documentation programming
The multiple kilograms of macerated, pounded, steamed, bleached, and pressed trees that accompany most modern software or hardware products (see also tree-killer). Hackers seldom read paper documentation and (too) often resist writing it; they prefer theirs to be terse and on-line. A common comment on this predilection is "You can't grep dead trees".
See drool-proof paper, verbiage, treeware.
[The Jargon File]
(2003-10-25)
