condom

condom n.  1. The protective plastic bag that accompanies
   3.5-inch microfloppy diskettes.  Rarely, also used of (paper) disk
   envelopes.  Unlike the write protect tab, the condom (when left on)
   not only impedes the practice of {SEX} but has also been shown
   to have a high failure rate as drive mechanisms attempt to access
   the disk -- and can even fatally frustrate insertion.  2. The
   protective cladding on a {light pipe}.  3. `keyboard condom':
   A flexible, transparent plastic cover for a keyboard, designed to
   provide some protection against dust and {programming fluid}
   without impeding typing.  4. `elephant condom': the plastic
   shipping bags used inside cardboard boxes to protect hardware in
   transit.  5. n.,obs. A dummy directory `/usr/tmp/sh', created
   to foil the Great Worm by exploiting a portability bug in one
   of its parts.  So named in the title of a comp.risks article by
   Gene Spafford during the Worm crisis, and again in the text of
   "The Internet Worm Program: An Analysis", Purdue Technical
   Report CSD-TR-823.  See {Great Worm, the}.