Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (1)
1.
(computer science) a rule stating that the quality of the output is a function of the quality of the input;
put garbage in and you get garbage out;
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
GIGO
n 1: (computer science) a rule stating that the quality of the
output is a function of the quality of the input; put
garbage in and you get garbage out
V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (February 2016):
GIGO
Garbage In Garbage Out
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
GIGO
/gi:?goh/
1. ?Garbage In, Garbage Out? ? usually said in response to lusers who
complain that a program didn't ?do the right thing? when given imperfect
input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used to describe
failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise
data.
2. Garbage In, Gospel Out: this more recent expansion is a sardonic comment
on the tendency human beings have to put excessive trust in ?computerized?
data.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
Garbage In, Garbage Out
GIGO
(GIGO) /gi:'goh/ Wilf Hey's maxim expressing the
fact that computers, unlike humans, will unquestioningly
process nonsensical input data and produce nonsensical output.
Of course a properly written program will reject input data
that is obviously erroneous but such checking is not always
easy to specify and is tedious to write.
GIGO is usually said in response to lusers who complain that
a program didn't "do the right thing" when given imperfect
input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used
to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty,
incomplete, or imprecise data.
The expansion "Garbage In, Gospel Out" is an ironic comment on
the tendency to put excessive trust in "computerised" data.
[Jargon File]
(2004-10-03)