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The reason it's called a “patch” in software
- eesmith 9y agoI wonder if it comes from older use in a related field. More specifically, I know that "patch" was used for punched cards in general, not just software. My reference is from "Punched Cards -- their Applications to Science and Industry", p49, at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015015125910;view=1up;seq=65 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015015125910;vi... : > Wrong [information] coding may be corrected by pasting a small linen "patch" over the slotted portion between two holes. However, that reference is 10 years after the Mark 1, so it's possible that that terminology may have come from computers first. Unlikely, I think.