[from TV programming] Normal high-usage hours on a system or network.
Back in the days of big timesharing machines `prime time' was when
lots of people were competing for limited cycles, usually the day
shift. Avoidance of prime time was traditionally given as a major
reason for {night mode} hacking. The term fell into disuse during the
early PC era, but has been revived to refer to times of day or
evening at which the Internet tends to be heavily loaded, making Web
access slow. The hackish tendency to late-night {hacking run}s has
changed not a bit.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {not ready for prime time}]