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Computing (FOLDOC) dictionary (also found in English - English (Wordnet), )
black art
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A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication)
mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular
application or systems area (compare black magic). VLSI
design and compiler code optimisation were (in their
beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as
theory developed they became deep magic, and once standard
textbooks had been written, became merely heavy wizardry.
The huge proliferation of formal and informal channels for
spreading around new computer-related technologies during the
last twenty years has made both the term "black art" and what
it describes less common than formerly. See also voodooprogramming.