1. A {suit}-wearing minion of the sort hired in legion strength by
banks and insurance companies to implement payroll packages in RPG
and other such unspeakable horrors. In its native habitat, the code
grinder often removes the suit jacket to reveal an underplumage
consisting of button-down shirt (starch optional) and a tie. In times
of dire stress, the sleeves (if long) may be rolled up and the tie
loosened about half an inch. It seldom helps. The {code grinder}'s
milieu is about as far from hackerdom as one can get and still touch
a computer; the term connotes pity. See {Real World}, {suit}.
2. Used of or to a hacker, a really serious slur on the person's
creative ability; connotes a design style characterized by primitive
technique, rule-boundedness, {brute force}, and utter lack of
imagination.
Contrast {hacker}, {Real Programmer}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {ABEND}{COBOL}{code grinder}{eighty-column mind}{flowchart}{punched card}{Real World}{Suzie COBOL}{wall follower}]