Computing (FOLDOC) dictionary
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reportedly discovered by Jackson Wright), which employs a
trivial computation (repeatedly plotting the graph Y = X XOR T
for successive values of T - see
HAKMEM items 146--148) to
produce an impressive display of moving and growing squares
that devour the screen. The initial value of T is treated as
a parameter, which, when well-chosen, can produce amazing
effects. Some of these, later (re)discovered on the
LISPMachine, have been christened "munching triangles" (try AND
for XOR and toggling points instead of plotting them),
"munching w's", and "munching mazes". More generally, suppose
a graphics program produces an impressive and ever-changing
display of some basic form, foo, on a display terminal, and
does it using a relatively simple program; then the program
(or the resulting display) is likely to be referred to as
"munching foos". [This is a good example of the use of the