meaning of green bytes
1. green bytes Or "green words" Meta-information embedded in a file, such as the length of the file or its name; as opposed to keeping such information in a separate description file or record. The term comes from an IBM users group meeting ca. 1962 at which these two approaches were being debated and the diagram of the file on the blackboard had the "green bytes" drawn in green. By extension, the non-data bits in any self-describing format. "A GIF file contains, among other things, green bytes describing the packing method for the image". Compare out-of-band, zigamorph, fence. [Jargon File]
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