July 2nd, 2019

Microspeak: Ingestion

Raymond Chen
Raymond Chen

The term ingestion refers to the process of taking code from one project and incorporating it into another project.

This PR ingests the .NET Framework 4.8 reference assemblies and other collateral into the Windows build.

Here is a public citation:

This update includes the final C++/WinRT project structure in preparation for OS ingestion for an upcoming Windows SDK (and the OS build itself).

Ingestion takes many forms. It could be a source code drop. It could be a binary drop of a foreign checked-in binary. It could be upgrading the toolchain (ingesting a new compiler). It could be changing the NuGet references. It could be upgrading the Windows SDK. For hosted services or embedded systems, it could be upgrading the operating system.

The term ingestion is used from the point of view of the project receiving the new code. The receiving project ingests the donor project. On occasion, a donor project may refer to the act of delivering code to a recipient as reverse ingestion, but I have never heard it referred to as egestion, thank goodness.

Category
Old New Thing
Topics
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Author

Raymond Chen

Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.

3 comments

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  • cheong00

    If I heard this on conversation, I’d probably heard that as “This PR injects the .NET Framework 4.8 reference assemblies and other collateral into the Windows build.” instead.

  • Sacha Roscoe

    Or worse – excretion!

    • Sacha Roscoe

      Actually, I suppose the correct word for reverse ingestion would be emesis.

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