Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
| File:Foldoc.gif | |
| File:Foldoc-screenshot.png | |
Type of site | Internet encyclopedia project |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Denis Howe |
| Created by | Denis Howe, many contributors |
| Revenue | Yes |
| URL | foldoc |
| IPv6 support | Yes |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | None |
| Launched | 1985 |
| Current status | Active |
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (FOLDOC) is an online, searchable, encyclopedic dictionary of computing subjects.[1]
History
[edit | edit source]FOLDOC was founded in 1985 by Denis Howe and was hosted by Imperial College London. In May 2015, the site was updated to state that it was "no longer supported by Imperial College Department of Computing". Howe has served as the editor-in-chief since the dictionary's inception, with visitors to the website able to make suggestions for additions or corrections to articles.[2]
Open sourcing
[edit | edit source]The dictionary incorporates the text of other free resources, such as the Jargon File, as well as covering many other computing-related topics. Due to its availability under the GNU Free Documentation License, a copyleft license, it has in turn been incorporated in whole or part into other free content projects, such as Wikipedia.
Recognition
[edit | edit source]- This site's brief 2001 review by a Ziff Davis publication begins "Despite this online dictionary’s pale user interface, it offers impressive functionality."[3]
- Oxford University Press knows of them,[4] and notes that it "is maintained by volunteers."
- A university tells its students that FOLDOC can be used to find information about "companies, projects, history, in fact any of the vocabulary you might expect to find in a computer dictionary."[5]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).[dead link]