jank
adjEtymology Ostensibly a back-formation from janky (“shoddy, poor quality”).
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Slang Janky.
- Sadly, my new laptop is even more jank than my old one.
jank
nounCA, US /ˈd͡ʒeɪ̯ŋk/ · /ˈd͡ʒæŋk/
Etymology Ostensibly a back-formation from janky (“shoddy, poor quality”).
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Slang Perceptible pause in the smooth rendering of a software application's user interface due to slow operations or poor interface design.
- This also marks the first time I haven’t felt that Samsung jank on the phone, which deserves its own paragraph in its own right. That weird stuttering and pausing you’ve seen on so many Samsung phones seems to be almost completely gone on the Note 3 […]2013, Nick Sutrich, Android Headlines:
- In cases where you’re concerned about scrolling, the browser can manage the frame rate for you. But if you introduce a large amount of jank, then it won’t be able to do as good a job.2013, Addy Osmani, Smashing Magazine:
2 more examples
- in order to hit this impressive frame rate, the “jank-free” Sky prioritizes the UI over other processes, meaning the app should stay smooth when it works heavily in the background.2015, Bogdan Petrovan, Android Authority:
- Even though JavaScript will try to update the animation every frame, it will likely not be able to do that fast enough and will cause dropped frames (jank) to occur.2018, Eli White, Facebook React Native Blog:
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Video games Slang Game mechanics of unconventional or flawed design or implementation, and the experience of such mechanics, as to ruin or disrupt play, or break immersion; e.g. bugs and glitches.
- Bethesda’s jank made a PvP-centric experience hellish. Players kept finding exploits left and right.2019, Patricia Hernandez, After the backlash, Bethesda is on a long quest to redeem Fallout 76, Polygon:
- Maybe Soulstorm is an ideal tribute to the PlayStation era, considering how much period-specific jank is in the code.2021, Luke Winkle, Oddworld: Soulstorm review, PC Gamer:
2 more examples
- Jank is the understated secret sauce of game development. It can make a bad game good and a good game great.2018, Ryan Cooper, The Joy of Jank, Unwinnable:
- The build I played was rough around the edges; I experienced a couple of hard crashes, as well as some placeholder assets and bugs that went beyond the charming old-school jank I was expecting.2023, Jordan Oloman, STALKER 2 is a merciless trip down memory lane, Polygon:
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Broadly, Slang A game, or games, with such mechanics.