file's semaphore atomically." 2. [primarily techspeak] Guaranteed to
complete successfully or not at all, usu. refers to database
transactions. If an error prevents a partially-performed transaction
from proceeding to completion, it must be "backed out," as the
database must not be left in an inconsistent state.

Computer usage, in either of the above senses, has none of the
connotations that `atomic' has in mainstream English (i.e. of
particles of matter, nuclear explosions etc.).
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attoparsec n.

About an inch. `atto-' is the standard SI prefix for multiplication by
10^(-18). A parsec (parallax-second) is 3.26 light-years; an
attoparsec is thus 3.26 * 10^(-18) light years, or about 3.1 cm (thus,
1 attoparsec/[673]microfortnight equals about 1 inch/sec). This unit
is reported to be in use (though probably not very seriously) among
hackers in the U.K. See [674]micro-.
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Up:[677]= A =

AUP /A-U-P/

Abbreviation, "Acceptable Use Policy". The policy of a given ISP which
sets out what the ISP considers to be (un)acceptable uses of its