quine
kwiin
n. A program that generates a copy of its own source text
as its complete output. Devising the shortest
possible quine in some given programming language is a common
hackish amusement.
Here is one classic quine:<p>
((lambda (x)<br>
(list x (list (quote quote) x)))<br>
(quote <br>
(lambda (x)<br>
(list x (list (quote quote)
x)))))
as its complete output. Devising the shortest
possible quine in some given programming language is a common
hackish amusement.
Here is one classic quine:<p>
((lambda (x)<br>
(list x (list (quote quote) x)))<br>
(quote <br>
(lambda (x)<br>
(list x (list (quote quote)
x)))))
Origin: [from the name of the logician Willard van Orman Quine, via Douglas Hofstadter]