The Collaborative International Dictionary
infinite loop \infinite loop\ n. 1. (Computers) a series of instructions in a computer program which, when executed, cause a cyclic repetition of the same instructions, with no other action by the program, for as long as the program continues to be executed, or the loop is interrupted by some external action.
Note: An infinite loop is rarely written intentionally except in cases where the loop is intended merely as a waiting sequence, to be interrupted by some action of the user. It is more commonly the result of a serious logical error on the part of the programmer, resulting in a failure of the program. Its execution can be halted only by halting execution of the program, e.g. by intervention of the operating system or by halting or resetting the computer. In single-user systems, when executing an infinite loop, the computer will appear to halt operation of the program, and the program will be unresponsive to normal keyboard input, though it may be interrupted by an unmasked interrupt.
Wiktionary
n. (context programming English) A loop which continues indefinitely.
Wikipedia
An infinite loop (or endless loop) is a sequence of instructions in a computer program which loops endlessly, either due to the loop having no terminating condition, having one that can never be met, or one that causes the loop to start over. In older operating systems with cooperative multitasking, infinite loops normally caused the entire system to become unresponsive. With the now-prevalent preemptive multitasking model, infinite loops usually cause the program to consume all available processor time, but can usually be terminated by the user. Busy wait loops are also sometimes called "infinite loops". One possible cause of a computer " freezing" is an infinite loop; others include thrashing, deadlock, and access violations.
Infinite Loop is a street encircling the six main buildings of Apple's headquarters (the Apple Campus) in Cupertino, California. Each building has a number which corresponds to its single-digit address on the Loop, and so Apple's official mailing address is "1 Infinite Loop". The numbers increment in the clockwise direction. Employees often refer to the buildings as IL1 through IL6. The loop connects to Mariani Avenue, which was the former street address of Apple HQ; early printed material contains the address "20525 Mariani Avenue," which is the address of a building that still stands directly across on the other side of De Anza Boulevard.
Infinite Loop is at the southeast corner of De Anza Boulevard and Interstate 280. The main office, 1 Infinite Loop, directly faces De Anza Boulevard. There are other buildings on Apple's campus which are in the proximity of, but not on Infinite Loop. Apple has purchased nearby parcels of land (one mile east) on which to build a second campus.
The name was inspired by the programming concept of the infinite loop.
Infinite Loop is actually a private U-shaped crescent that joins up with the public street Mariani Avenue to form a loop.
Infinite Loop is a non-fiction book on the history of Apple Inc., written by Michael S. Malone and published by Doubleday Business in 1999. The book is named after Infinite Loop (street), where the company has its headquarters, which are located in the middle of Silicon Valley, at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California.
Usage examples of "infinite loop".
But if we had tried it, the machine would have gone into an infinite loop.
He had never talked about the torison spaces that twist like black worms through the manifold, nor the beautiful mathematics of the Great Theorem, nor his dread at being lost in an infinite loop, nor his joy at passing through the number storm and entering into dreamtime.
A programme card incorrectly punched or a slipped gear deep within the steam-driven intelligence engine had led to a set of instructions feeding back into themselves in an infinite loop.
If program H could always tell you in a finite time whether or not program X would halt, you could tack on a small addition to H to create program Z, which perversely and deliberately went into an infinite loop whenever it examined a program that halted.
He knows that the infinite loop in time the two of them created will be his lasting legacy.
True, Hoa had replaced his flip comment about the butterfly with weather predictions graded by reliability, but it was still true that until you got into the infinite loop of adding variables and revising the nonlinear-equations system, there were no predictions Hoa graded as reliable enough by his standards.