washing machine

storage An old-style 14-inch hard disk in a floor-standing

cabinet. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the

"top-loading" access to the media packs - and, of course, they

were always set on "spin cycle". The thick channel cables

connecting these were called "bit hoses". The

washing-machine idiom transcends language barriers; it is even

used in Russian hacker jargon.

See also walking drives.

(1995-02-15)