ぬるぽ

Japanese

FWOTD – 9 December 2016

Etymology

From English null pointer. In 2002, a thread on 2channel was created called Null(ヌル)Pointer(ポインタ)Exception(エクセプション)のことを「ぬるぽ」と呼(よ)ぼうぜ！ (Nuru-Pointa-Ekusepushon no koto o “nurupo” to yobō ze!, “Let's call NullPointerException nurupo"!”); the OP was a Shift_JIS character saying nurupo. The first response was more Shift_JIS art, depicting OP being whacked in the head with a gah!.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nɯ̟ᵝɾɯ̟ᵝpo̞]

Noun

ぬるぽ • (nurupo) 

1. (programming) Informal form of ヌルポインタ (“null pointer”).
   • 2020, Lepton, プログラマーのためのコンピュータ入門 [Introduction to computers for [would-be] programmers]‎^[1], →ISBN, page 5:

     先(さき)のSwift(スウィフト)にしても、このKotlin(コトリン)にしても、「null(ヌル)安(あん)全(ぜん)」と呼(よ)ばれる仕(し)組(く)みがあります。これはnull(ヌル)参(さん)照(しょう)による実(じっ)行(こう)時(じ)エラー（Java(ジャバ)で言(い)うならあの悪(あく)名(みょう)高(たか)き「ぬるぽ」……Null(ヌル)Pointer(ポインタ)Exception(エクセプション)）が起(お)こらないようにするものです。これにより、アプリの安(あん)定(てい)性(せい)が増(ま)すことが期(き)待(たい)できます（もちろん、まったくアプリが落(お)ちなくなるわけではありません）。

     saki no Suwifuto ni shite mo, kono Kotorin ni shite mo, “ nuru-anzen ” to yobareru shikumi ga arimasu. kore wa nuru-sanshō ni yoru jikkō-ji-erā (Jaba de iu nara ano akumyō takaki “nurupo” …… Nuru-Pointa-Ekusepushon) ga okoranai yō ni suru mono desu. kore ni yori, apuri no anteisei ga masu koto ga kitai dekimasu (mochiron, mattaku apuri ga ochinaku naru wake de wa arimasen).

     The aforementioned Swift, as well as Kotlin, both have a function known as "null safety". It prevents run-time errors due to null references (Java's infamous "null pointer"...NullPointerException) from happening. This hopefully increases the stability of apps (of course, it doesn't prevent all crashes).

Interjection

ぬるぽ or ヌルポ • (nurupo) 

1. (Internet slang) a meaningless interjection, the traditional response to which is the onomatopoeic ｶﾞｯ (ｶﾞｯ)
   • 2011, STEINS;GATE (STEINS;GATE) [Steins;Gate], episode 11:

     「ぬるぽ」「ガッ。……音(おと)もなく近(ちか)づくなんて反則(はんそく)よ！」「やはり書(か)き込(こ)んでいたのは＠(アット)ちゃんねるか。」

     “Nurupo”“Ga'.……Oto mo naku chikazuku nante hansoku yo!”“Yahari kakikonde ita no wa Atto-channeru ka.”

     "Nullpo." "Gah. — Don't sneak up on me! That's not fair!" "So you were posting on @channel."

   • 2017, これがマストドンだ！ [Mastodon is here!]‎^[2], マストドン研究会 [Mastodon Research Society], Tokyo: Impress Co., Ltd., →ISBN, page 36:

     久(ひさ)しく忘(わす)れていたインターネットがここにある。[…] 今(いま)から20(にじゅう)年(ねん)ほど前(まえ)の2(に)ch(ちゃんねる)やI(アイ)R(アール)C(シー)の雰(ふん)囲(い)気(き)だ。[…] 我(われ)々(われ)はぬるぽにガッされ、ゴノレゴが吉(よし)野(の)家(や)のにわか客(きゃく)に文(もん)句(く)を言(い)い、ペリーに^[ママ]開(かい)国(こく)を迫(せま)りミキコにピアノを教(おし)えるあの空(くう)気(き)が再(さい)現(げん)されていた。そうだ。

     Hisashiku wasurete ita intānetto ga koko ni aru.[…] Ima kara nijū-nen hodo mae no Ni-channeru ya Aiārushī no fun'iki da.[…] Wareware wa nurupo ni ga' sare, Gonorego ga Yoshinoya no niwaka kyaku ni monku o ii, Perī ni^[mama] kaikoku o semari Mikiko ni piano o oshieru ano kūki ga saigen sarete ita. Sō da.

     The internet I had long since forgotten is here. [...] The one with the atmosphere 2channel and IRC had twenty years ago. [...] The one where to "nurupo" we answered "gah!", where Gonorego complained about Yoshinoya's customers, where Commodore Perry demanded the opening of the country and tried to teach a Mikiko to play piano. Yes, that internet has re-emerged.

Coordinate terms

• ｶﾞｯ (ga')