View source for SEX (computing)

In computing, the '''SEX''' [[assembly language]] [[mnemonic]] has often been used for the "<code>Sign EXtend</code>" machine [[instruction set|instruction]] found in the [[Motorola 6809]]. A computer's or CPU's "sex" can also mean the [[endianness]] of the [[computer architecture]] used.<ref>For hardware, the [[Jargon File]] also reports the less common expression ''byte sex'' [http://catb.org/jargon/html/B/byte-sex.html]. It is unclear whether this terminology is also used when more than two orderings are possible. Similarly, the manual for the ORCA/M [[Assembly language#Assembler|assembler]] refers to a field indicating the order of the bytes in a number field as <code>NUMSEX</code>, and the [[Mac OS X]] operating system refers to "byte sex" in its compiler tools [http://web.mit.edu/darwin/src/modules/cctools/libstuff/arch.c].</ref> [[x86]] computers do not have the same "byte sex" as [[HC11]] computers, for example.<ref>The [http://catb.org/jargon/html/B/bytesexual.html Jargon] [http://catb.org/jargon/html/B/byte-sex.html file]</ref> Functions are sometimes needed for computers of different endianness to communicate with each other over the internet, as protocols often use [[big endian]] [[byte]] coding by default.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://beej.us/guide/bgnet/output/html/singlepage/bgnet.html#htonsman| title = htons(), htonl(), ntohs(), ntohl()}}</ref><ref>The [http://catb.org/jargon/html/N/NUXI-problem.html NUXI] problem</ref>

On the [[RCA 1802]] series of microprocessors, the SEX, for "<code>SEt X</code>," instruction is used to designate which of the machine's sixteen 16-bit registers is to be the X (index) register.

==SEX in software: rarely used jargon==
The [[Three-letter acronym|TLA]] '''SEX''' has humorously been said to stand for '''''S'''oftware '''EX'''change'', meaning copying of software. As [[file sharing]] has sometimes spread [[computer virus]]es, it has been stated that “illicit SEX can transmit viral diseases to your computer.” The involvement of [[FTP]] servers' /pub directories in this process has led to the name being explained as a contraction of 'pubic'.<ref>{{citation
|last=Raymond
|first=Eric
|authorlink=Eric S. Raymond
|title=The Jargon File: pubic directory
|url=http://catb.org/jargon/html/P/pubic-directory.html
|accessdate=2009-03-28
}}</ref>

== References ==
<references/>


{{JargonFile}}

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[[Category:Machine code]]
[[Category:Computer jargon]]