[Ads-l] software "patch"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The Oxford English Dictionary lists the pertinent sense with an
initial citation in 1962.

[Begin excerpt from OED]
patch verb
8.b. transitive. Computing. To correct or improve (a program or
routine) by inserting a patch.

1962 Patch,..(2) to insert corrected coding.
Automatic Data Processing Glossary (U.S. Bureau of Budget) 38/2

1984 The version distributed with Kaypro automatically patches the
Kaypro operating system with its own cursor control codes.
Australian Microcomputer Magazine January 31/3
[End excerpt from OED]

It is unclear (to me) what mechanism was used to "insert corrected coding".

I used punch cards to program a computer in 1976. The programmer would
use a typewriter-like device to create each punch card. Many cards
were combined to form a deck which was fed into a card reader. The
program data was sent to the mainframe computer which executed several
programs in a batch.

If I found an error then I would use the typewriter-like device to
create a new card. I would not attempt to put tape on the card because
that might cause the card reader to malfunction. It was easier to
create a new card and insert it into the deck. Of course, other people
may have had a different experience.

Punch cards were old-fashioned in 1976. I had already experienced more
advanced technology. When I was a youngster back in 1972 I used an
IBM- Selectric-like device (with a special type-ball) as a computer
terminal. Programs were composed in a language called APL. Punch cards
were not needed. To change a program you typed into the terminal and
specified the modification. There was no physical patching.

Garson

On Thu, Dec 19, 2024 at 10:30 PM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
<mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
>
> A recent Youtube piece on the origin of "patch" in software terms.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfm1HoTiYAY
>
> Allegedly,  it comes from putting a literal patch over an incorrect
> punched card.
>
> This sounds like folk etymology to me.  I mean, the word "patch" is
> widely used for various things that repair a minor defect. You can have
> a patch to repair a small tear or hole in clothing, you can patch a leaky
> roof, you can patch a flat bike tyre, you can put a patch over a missing eye,
> and so on.  A software patch just seems like a natural extension of that.
>
> Also, it seems to me like it would be quicker just to make a brand new
> punched  card, than to repair an old one. And I don't know what the extra
> thickness would do to the mechanism. Would it still feed through, or would
> it jam?
>
>
> Can the word sleuths of ADS  help? What is the true origin of the term.  What
> is the first known use of patch in a  software context? Did the practice of sticking
> patches on punched cards happen at all?
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org