<
jargon> 1. To modify, usually to correct; especially used
when the action is performed with a debugger or binary
patching tool. Also implies surgical precision. "
Zap the
debug level to 6 and run it again."
In the
IBM mainframe world, binary patches are applied to
programs or to the
operating system with a program called
"
superzap", whose file name is "IMASPZAP" (possibly
contrived from I M A SuPerZAP).
See also
Zero and Add Packed.
2. To
fry a chip with static electricity. "Uh oh - I think
that lightning strike may have zapped the disk controller."
(1998-07-08)