catflap.org Online Dictionary Query

  magic cookie
       
          1. Something passed between routines or programs that enables
          the receiver to perform some operation; a capability ticket
          or opaque identifier.  Especially used of small data objects
          that contain data encoded in a strange or intrinsically
          machine-dependent way.  E.g. on non-{Unix operating systems
          with a non-byte-stream model of files, the result of "{ftell"
          may be a magic cookie rather than a byte offset; it can be
          passed to "{fseek", but not operated on in any meaningful
          way.  The phrase "it hands you a magic cookie" means it
          returns a result whose contents are not defined but which can
          be passed back to the same or some other program later.
       
          2. An in-band code for changing graphic rendition (e.g. inverse
          video or underlining) or performing other control functions.
          Some older terminals would leave a blank on the screen
          corresponding to mode-change magic cookies; this was also
          called a glitch (or occasionally a "turd"; compare mouse
          droppings).
       
          See also cookie.
       
          [{Jargon File]
       
          (1995-01-25)
       
       

  magic cookie n. [Unix; common] 1. Something passed between routines or
     programs that enables the receiver to perform some operation; a
     capability ticket or opaque identifier. Especially used of small data
     objects that contain data encoded in a strange or intrinsically
     machine-dependent way. E.g., on non-Unix OSes with a non-byte-stream
     model of files, the result of `ftell(3)' may be a magic cookie rather
     than a byte offset; it can be passed to `fseek(3)', but not operated on
     in any meaningful way. The phrase `it hands you a magic cookie' means it
     returns a result whose contents are not defined but which can be passed
     back to the same or some other program later. 2. An in-band code for
     changing graphic rendition (e.g., inverse video or underlining) or
     performing other control functions (see also cookie). Some older
     terminals would leave a blank on the screen corresponding to mode-change
     magic cookies; this was also called a glitch (or occasionally a
     `turd'; compare mouse droppings). See also cookie.
  
  

  magic cookie
     n.
     (lb en computing) A token or short packet of data passed between
  communicating programs, used to identify a particular event or
  transaction; the data is typically not meaningful to the recipient
  program and not usually interpreted until the recipient passes the data
  back to the sender or another program at a later time.

  magic cookie
     n.
     (lb en computing) A token or short packet of data passed between
  communicating programs, used to identify a particular event or
  transaction; the data is typically not meaningful to the recipient
  program and not usually interpreted until the recipient passes the data
  back to the sender or another program at a later time.

  magic cookie
     n.
     (lb en computing) A token or short packet of data passed between
  communicating programs, used to identify a particular event or
  transaction; the data is typically not meaningful to the recipient
  program and not usually interpreted until the recipient passes the data
  back to the sender or another program at a later time.

  magic cookie
     n.
     (lb en computing) A token or short packet of data passed between
  communicating programs, used to identify a particular event or
  transaction; the data is typically not meaningful to the recipient
  program and not usually interpreted until the recipient passes the data
  back to the sender or another program at a later time.