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Null device

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284:", meaning they do not accept donations. The fictitious person name "Dave (or Devin) Null" is sometimes similarly used (e.g., "send complaints to Dave Null"). In 1996, 512: 542: 461: 665: 646: 303: 619: 725: 925: 276:"β€”being jocular ways of saying, respectively: "don't bother sending complaints", "my mail was deleted", and "go away". The 701: 496: 771: 750: 812: 520: 486: 386: 361: 58:
that discards all data written to it but reports that the write operation succeeded. This device is called
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The null device is also a favorite subject of technical jokes, such as warning users that the system's
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Dev/Null is also the name of an electronic dance music producer and jungle DJ.
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of the incoming data by converting it to a flicker on an internal glowing
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Spam Wars: Our Last Best Chance to Defeat Spammers, Scammers, and Hackers
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In programmer jargon, especially Unix jargon, it may also be called the
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The null device is typically used for disposing of unwanted output
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to see if any errors would occur but without writing any file.
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The Titanium Powerbook G4 Sends other UNIX boxes to /dev/null.
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by Unix programmers, e.g. "please send complaints to
683: 256:This entity is a common inspiration for technical 251: 912: 404: 397: 38: 27:Device file that discards all data written to it 637: 610: 296:for MSNBC's computer and technology TV series 806: 280:commonly uses the phrase "send donations to 215:for input streams. This is usually done by 813: 799: 184:is described as an empty regular file in 666:"Dev-Team Blog - Donations to /dev/null" 621:UNIX Programmer's Manual, Fourth Edition 543:"about_Automatic_Variables - PowerShell" 306:. A 2002 advertisement for the Titanium 689: 648:UNIX Programmer's Manual, Fifth Edition 540: 221:tar -c -f /dev/null "example directory" 211:of a process, or as a convenient empty 146:immediately. In IBM operating systems 14: 913: 820: 696:. New York: SelectBooks. p. 170. 794: 718: 513:"OpenVMS Programming Concepts Manual" 726:"Image: unixad.jpg, (1094 Γ— 720 px)" 559: 304:Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption 24: 25: 947: 154:such files would be assigned in 764: 743: 658: 631: 604: 580: 534: 505: 485:Commodore-Amiga, Inc. (1986). 478: 454: 431: 418: 320:is already 98% full. The 1995 252:References in computer culture 199:device with modern semantics. 13: 1: 448: 362:Filesystem Hierarchy Standard 142:that reads from it, yielding 138:. It provides no data to any 30:For the electropop band, see 668:. 2015-09-07. Archived from 491:. Bantam Books. p. 12. 268:", "my mail got archived in 7: 926:Unix file system technology 355: 223:can be used to dry-run the 10: 952: 225:TAR file archiving utility 176: 36: 29: 882: 829: 890:Null coalescing operator 874:Null coalescing operator 772:"Dev Null Microjunglizm" 411: 334:reported on an enhanced 202: 37:Not to be confused with 690:Goodman, Danny (2004). 122:operating systems, and 437:The most recent being 424:The most recent being 148:DOS/360 and successors 751:"The FreeBSD Funnies" 466:support.microsoft.com 292:character created by 152:OS/360 and successors 272:", and "redirect to 134:, the equivalent is 106:systems (internally 854:Null object pattern 517:h30266.www3.hpe.com 488:The AmigaDOS Manual 343:efficiently dispose 195:manual describes a 547:docs.microsoft.com 132:Windows Powershell 908: 907: 618:(November 1973). 387:Write-only memory 48:operating systems 16:(Redirected from 943: 815: 808: 801: 792: 791: 786: 785: 783: 782: 768: 762: 761: 759: 758: 747: 741: 740: 738: 737: 728:. Archived from 722: 716: 715: 687: 681: 680: 678: 677: 662: 656: 655: 653: 635: 629: 625: 608: 602: 601: 599: 598: 584: 578: 577: 575: 574: 569:. The Open Group 563: 557: 556: 554: 553: 538: 532: 531: 529: 528: 519:. Archived from 509: 503: 502: 482: 476: 475: 473: 472: 458: 442: 435: 429: 422: 407: 400: 377:Standard streams 337: 319: 288:was an animated 283: 275: 271: 267: 260:expressions and 247: 233: 222: 198: 183: 161: 137: 125: 117: 109: 97: 93: 81: 73: 61: 21: 951: 950: 946: 945: 944: 942: 941: 940: 921:CP/M technology 911: 910: 909: 904: 900:Undefined value 878: 825: 819: 789: 780: 778: 770: 769: 765: 756: 754: 749: 748: 744: 735: 733: 724: 723: 719: 704: 688: 684: 675: 673: 664: 663: 659: 651: 636: 632: 627:Online at TUHS. 609: 605: 596: 594: 586: 585: 581: 572: 570: 565: 564: 560: 551: 549: 539: 535: 526: 524: 511: 510: 506: 499: 483: 479: 470: 468: 460: 459: 455: 451: 446: 445: 436: 432: 423: 419: 414: 403: 396: 382:Unix philosophy 358: 335: 317: 290:virtual reality 281: 278:iPhone Dev Team 273: 269: 265: 254: 243: 231: 220: 219:. For example, 205: 196: 181: 179: 159: 135: 123: 115: 107: 95: 91: 79: 71: 59: 42: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 949: 939: 938: 936:Computer humor 933: 928: 923: 906: 905: 903: 902: 897: 892: 883: 880: 879: 877: 876: 871: 866: 861: 856: 851: 846: 841: 836: 834:Null character 830: 827: 826: 818: 817: 810: 803: 795: 788: 787: 776:The New Yorker 763: 742: 717: 702: 682: 657: 643:Ritchie, D. M. 630: 616:Ritchie, D. M. 603: 579: 558: 533: 504: 497: 477: 452: 450: 447: 444: 443: 430: 416: 415: 413: 410: 409: 408: 401: 394: 389: 384: 379: 374: 369: 364: 357: 354: 253: 250: 204: 201: 193:Version 5 Unix 186:Version 4 Unix 178: 175: 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 948: 937: 934: 932: 929: 927: 924: 922: 919: 918: 916: 901: 898: 896: 895:Nullable type 893: 891: 888: 885: 884: 881: 875: 872: 870: 867: 865: 862: 860: 857: 855: 852: 850: 847: 845: 844:Null function 842: 840: 837: 835: 832: 831: 828: 824: 816: 811: 809: 804: 802: 797: 796: 793: 777: 773: 767: 753:. Freebsd.org 752: 746: 732:on 2013-03-26 731: 727: 721: 713: 709: 705: 703:9781590790632 699: 695: 694: 686: 672:on 2015-09-07 671: 667: 661: 650: 649: 645:(June 1974). 644: 640: 634: 628: 623: 622: 617: 613: 607: 593: 589: 583: 568: 562: 548: 544: 541:SteveL-MSFT. 537: 523:on 2020-07-02 522: 518: 514: 508: 500: 498:0-553-34294-0 494: 490: 489: 481: 467: 463: 457: 453: 440: 434: 427: 421: 417: 406: 402: 399: 395: 393: 390: 388: 385: 383: 380: 378: 375: 373: 370: 368: 365: 363: 360: 359: 353: 350: 348: 344: 340: 333: 332: 327: 324:issue of the 323: 314: 313: 309: 305: 301: 300: 295: 291: 287: 279: 263: 259: 249: 246: 241: 237: 228: 226: 218: 214: 210: 200: 194: 189: 187: 174: 172: 168: 163: 157: 153: 149: 145: 141: 133: 129: 121: 113: 105: 101: 89: 85: 77: 69: 65: 57: 53: 49: 44: 40: 33: 19: 886: 859:Null pointer 838: 779:. Retrieved 775: 766: 755:. Retrieved 745: 734:. Retrieved 730:the original 720: 692: 685: 674:. Retrieved 670:the original 660: 647: 639:Thompson, K. 633: 620: 612:Thompson, K. 606: 595:. Retrieved 591: 588:"bit bucket" 582: 571:. Retrieved 561: 550:. Retrieved 546: 536: 525:. Retrieved 521:the original 516: 507: 487: 480: 469:. Retrieved 465: 456: 433: 420: 351: 329: 322:April Fool's 315: 311: 308:PowerBook G4 297: 255: 236:special file 234:device is a 229: 206: 190: 180: 164: 150:and also in 108:\Device\Null 90:(internally 51: 45: 43: 931:Device file 869:Null string 864:Null in SQL 839:Null device 592:Jargon File 392:Device file 367:Memory hole 341:that would 294:Leo Laporte 217:redirection 56:device file 52:null device 32:Null Device 915:Categories 849:Null modem 781:2024-01-24 757:2012-11-28 736:2015-09-02 712:1036874851 676:2018-11-15 597:2013-12-27 573:2012-11-29 552:2020-03-06 527:2020-03-06 471:2020-03-06 449:References 171:black hole 167:bit bucket 112:Windows NT 102:and newer 887:See also: 823:computing 821:Nulls in 405:/dev/full 398:/dev/zero 372:rm (Unix) 336:/dev/null 328:magazine 318:/dev/null 282:/dev/null 274:/dev/null 270:/dev/null 266:/dev/null 262:metaphors 248:command. 240:directory 232:/dev/null 197:/dev/null 182:/dev/null 70:systems, 68:Unix-like 60:/dev/null 39:/dev/zero 356:See also 299:The Site 286:Dev Null 238:, not a 160:DD DUMMY 92:\DEV\NUL 46:In some 209:streams 177:History 140:process 128:OpenVMS 104:Windows 76:TOPS-20 710:  700:  495:  326:German 310:reads 258:jargon 136:$ null 50:, the 652:(PDF) 426:z/VSE 412:Notes 203:Usage 130:. In 120:Amiga 78:) or 74:(see 54:is a 708:OCLC 698:ISBN 493:ISBN 439:z/OS 339:chip 230:The 213:file 191:The 116:NIL: 100:OS/2 86:and 84:CP/M 72:NUL: 66:and 64:Unix 18:NUL: 347:LED 331:c't 169:or 158:to 156:JCL 144:EOF 126:on 124:NL: 118:on 114:), 110:on 98:on 96:nul 94:), 88:DOS 82:on 80:NUL 62:on 917:: 774:. 706:. 641:; 614:; 590:. 545:. 515:. 464:. 349:. 245:mv 188:. 173:. 162:. 814:e 807:t 800:v 784:. 760:. 739:. 714:. 679:. 600:. 576:. 555:. 530:. 501:. 474:. 441:. 428:. 41:. 34:. 20:)

Index

NUL:
Null Device
/dev/zero
operating systems
device file
Unix
Unix-like
TOPS-20
CP/M
DOS
OS/2
Windows
Windows NT
Amiga
OpenVMS
Windows Powershell
process
EOF
DOS/360 and successors
OS/360 and successors
JCL
bit bucket
black hole
Version 4 Unix
Version 5 Unix
streams
file
redirection
TAR file archiving utility
special file

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