A post on the MT forum called Cruft-free URL annoyances got my attention today and sent me scurrying for a definition.
According to Wikipedia, Cruft is computing jargon for code, data, or software of poor quality. The term is also used for the fluff that accumulates on computer equipment.
My hackles went up as I continued to read...
Cruft is computer jargon for something (especially code) that is obsolete, redundant, over-complex, incomprehensible, or superfluous.
It really does pay to read complete articles before jumping to conclusions.
When referring to URLs, 'cruft' is the parts which are only relevant or meaningful to the people who created the site, such as implementation details of the computer system which serves the page. Examples of URL cruft include file extensions such as .php or .html, and internal organisational details such as /public/ or /~users/john/work/drafts/.
I also discovered that I have a cupboard full of cruft, and am a collector of cruft. Who would have known? This is a new word for me so perhaps I'm not as geeky as my friends seem to think.
Cruft can also be used to describe the unused and out of date hardware and computing paraphernalia that is collected by geeks either through upgrading, inheritance or simple acquisition, both deliberate and through circumstance.
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