vaxocentrism

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noun

The incorrect assumption that certain behaviours and memory storage conventions of the VAX (a computer system of the 1970s) are applicable on all computer architectures.

Scrabble 26
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Meanings

vaxocentrism1

nounvaxocentrism (uncountable)
  1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of VAXocentrism.

VAXocentrism2

nounVAXocentrism (uncountable)
  1. rareslanguncountablecomputingThe incorrect assumption that certain behaviours and memory storage conventions of the VAX (a computer system of the 1970s) are applicable on all computer architectures.

    There's nothing that says that array elements in FORTRAN - or, for that matter, C - have to be contiguous. Thinking that that must be true as a matter of Natural Law is purest VAXocentrism.

    1991, Jay Maynard, “Segmented Architectures ( formerly Re: 48-bit computers)”, in comp.arch (Usenet)
    1 more example

    i've long insisted that everyone here at NPRI *always* redefine that psect to be readonly under VAX/VMS . . . our code gets ported to other platforms, and it would be definite vaxocentrism to assume that literal strings are writable.

    1993, David P. Murphy, “modifying a literal string in C code”, in vmsnet.alpha (Usenet)

Origin

See -centrism.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

vaxocentrism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vaxocentrism

MLA

“vaxocentrism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vaxocentrism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vaxocentrism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vaxocentrism.

Source: vaxocentrism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.