Turing tar-pit


A "Turing tar-pit" is any computer language or other tool that shares this property. That is, it's theoretically universal but in practice, the harder you struggle to get any real work done, the deeper its inadequacies suck you in. Compare bondage-and-discipline language.

A tar pit is a geological occurence where subterranean tar leaks to the surface, creating a large puddle (or pit) of tar. Animals wandering or falling in get stuck, being unable to extricate themselves from the tar. La Brea, California, has a museum built around the fossilized remains of mammals and birds found in such a tar pit.

[Jargon File]

Last updated: 1998-06-27

Nearby terms:

TuringolTuring PlusTuring tar-pitTuring testturistTURN

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