A routine whose job is to set everything in the computer - ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=register">registers, memory, flags - to zero, including that portion of memory where it is running its last act is to stomp on its own "store zero" instruction. Death code isn' t very useful, but writing it is an interesting hacking challenge on architectures where the instruction set makes it possible, such as the ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=PDP-8">PDP-8 or the ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Data General">Data General ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Nova">Nova. Perhaps the ultimate death code is on the ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=TI 990">TI 990 series, where all ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=register">registers are actually in ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=RAM">RAM, and the instruction "store immediate 0" has the ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=opcode">opcode 0. The ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=program counter">program counter will immediately wrap around core as many times as it can until a user hits HALT. Any empty memory location is death code. Worse, the manufacturer recommended use of this instruction in startup code (which would be in ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=ROM">ROM and therefore survive). [ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Jargon File">Jargon File]

e="border-width:thin; border-color:#333333; border-style:dashed; padding:5px;" align="left">In addition suitable contents:
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ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2001">ch ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2136">ck ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2138">cl ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2247">co ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2273">code ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2330">com ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2491">computer ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2725">core ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=2976">D ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3043">Data General ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3151">de ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3436">ding ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3657">DP ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3752">du ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3865">ec ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3896">ed ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=3946">eg ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4148">er ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4150">era ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4171">es ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4199">et ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4379">fact ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4497">fi ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4520">file ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4608">flag ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4700">fo ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4727">for ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=4983">G ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5057">ge ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5141">gi ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5291">gr ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5390">gs ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5434">h ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5438">hack ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5463">HAL ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5540">hat ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5656">hing ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5664">hit ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5722">hose ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5768">hr ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5931">id ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=5956">ie ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6013">il ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6064">in ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6068">inc ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6190">instruction set ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6194">int ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6272">interesting ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6413">io ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6482">is ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6558">it ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6589">J ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6620">Jargon File ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6681">jo ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6682">job ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6789">ke ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6822">ki ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6918">la ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=6932">lag ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7023">ld ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7091">Lex ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7281">location ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7410">lt ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7415">lu ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7441">ly ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7457">M ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7463">ma ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7582">man ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7749">memory ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=7753">memory location ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8019">mm ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8032">mo ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8040">mod ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8079">module ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8167">mp ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8384">N ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8386">na ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8460">nc ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8472">ne ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8627">ng ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8630">ni ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8672">nn ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8737">Nova ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8760">ns ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8787">nu ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8820">O ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=8964">om ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9014">op ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9430">PD ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9445">PDP ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9550">ph ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9821">port ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=9908">pr ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10023">program ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10025">program counter ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10144">pt ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10253">query ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10305">RAM ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10364">rc ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10385">re ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10489">register ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10767">ro ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10782">ROM ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10816">routine ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10887">ru ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=10892">run ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11150">se ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11281">set ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11376">si ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11615">sn ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=11934">st ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12058">stomp on ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12068">store ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12109">struct ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12133">su ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12359">T ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12416">tar ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12588">th ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12721">to ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12787">tr ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=12986">ua ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13146">up ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13175">us ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13188">user ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13252">va ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13310">ve ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13366">vi ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=13860">wrap around ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=14075">yt ] [ ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&op=content&tid=14102">zero ]