[W/K] :: MIPS

  MIPS
       n : (computer science) a unit for measuring the execution speed
           of a computer's CPU (but not the whole system); "4 MIPS
           is 4,000,000 instructions per second" [syn: million
           instructions per second]

  MIPS
       Microprocessor without Interlocked Piped Stages
       
       

  MIPS
       Million Instructions Per Second (CPU)
       
       

  MIPS /mips/ n. [abbreviation] 1. A measure of computing speed;
     formally, `Million Instructions Per Second' (that's 10^6 per second, not
     2^(20)!); often rendered by hackers as `Meaningless Indication of
     Processor Speed' or in other unflattering ways, such as `Meaningless
     Information Provided by Salesmen'. This joke expresses an attitude
     nearly universal among hackers about the value of most benchmark
     claims, said attitude being one of the great cultural divides between
     hackers and marketroids (see also BogoMIPS). The singular is
     sometimes `1 MIP' even though this is clearly etymologically wrong. See
     also KIPS and GIPS. 2. Computers, especially large computers,
     considered abstractly as sources of computrons. "This is just a
     workstation; the heavy MIPS are hidden in the basement." 3. The
     corporate name of a particular RISC-chip company. 4. Acronym for
     `Meaningless Information per Second' (a joke, prob. from sense 1).
  
  

  MIPS
       
          1.  Million instructions per second.
       
          The unit commonly used to give the rate at which a processor
          executes instructions.
       
          Often rendered by hackers as "Meaningless Indication of
          Processor Speed" or in other unflattering ways.  This
          expresses a nearly universal attitude about the value of most
          benchmark claims, said attitude being one of the great
          cultural divides between hackers and marketroids.
       
          The etymologically incorrect singular "1 MIP" is sometimes
          heard.
       
          See also KIPS and GIPS.
       
          2. VAX MIPS.
       
          3.  Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline
          Stages.
       
          4.  MIPS Technologies, Inc.
       
          [{Jargon File]
       
          (1996-03-01)