1. Any hardware requiring raised flooring and special power. Used
especially of old minis and mainframes, in contrast with newer
microprocessor-based machines. In a famous quote from the 1998 Unix
EXPO, Bill Joy compared the liquid-cooled mainframe in the massive
IBM display with a grazing dinosaur "with a truck outside pumping its
bodily fluids through it". IBM was not amused. Compare {big iron};
see also {mainframe}.
2. [IBM] A very conservative user; a {zipperhead}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {big iron}{blinkenlights}{COBOL}{EBCDIC}{iron}{Iron Age}{mainframe}{Stone Age}{tired iron}{walking drives}]