cycle crunch

jargon A situation wherein the number of people trying to

use a computer simultaneously has reached the point where no

one can get enough cycles because they are spread too thin

and the system has probably begun to thrash.

This scenario is an inevitable result of Parkinson's Law

applied to time-sharing. Usually the only solution is to

buy more computer. Happily, this has rapidly become easier

since the mid-1980s, so much so that the very term "cycle

crunch" now has a faintly archaic flavour; most hackers now

use workstations or personal computers as opposed to

traditional time-sharing systems.

[Jargon File]

(1994-11-29)