<s>
In	O
some	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
null	I-Operating_System
device	I-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
device	B-Application
file	I-Application
that	O
discards	O
all	O
data	O
written	O
to	O
it	O
but	O
reports	O
that	O
the	O
write	O
operation	O
succeeded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
device	O
is	O
called	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
on	O
Unix	B-Application
and	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
,	O
NUL	B-Operating_System
:	I-Operating_System
(	O
see	O
TOPS-20	B-Operating_System
)	O
or	O
NUL	B-Operating_System
on	O
CP/M	B-Application
and	O
DOS	B-Device
(	O
internally	O
\DEV\NUL	B-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
nul	B-Operating_System
on	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
newer	O
Windows	O
systems	O
(	O
internally	O
\Device\Null	B-Operating_System
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
)	O
,	O
NIL	B-Operating_System
:	I-Operating_System
on	O
Amiga	B-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
NL	O
:	O
on	O
OpenVMS	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Application
Powershell	I-Application
,	O
the	O
equivalent	O
is	O
$null	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
provides	O
no	O
data	O
to	O
any	O
process	B-Operating_System
that	O
reads	O
from	O
it	O
,	O
yielding	O
EOF	B-Language
immediately	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
IBM	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
DOS/360	B-Application
and	I-Application
successors	I-Application
and	O
also	O
in	O
OS/360	B-Application
and	I-Application
successors	I-Application
such	O
files	O
would	O
be	O
assigned	O
in	O
JCL	B-Application
to	O
DD	B-Operating_System
DUMMY	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
programmer	O
jargon	O
,	O
especially	O
Unix	B-Application
jargon	O
,	O
it	O
may	O
also	O
be	O
called	O
the	O
bit	B-Device
bucket	I-Device
or	O
black	B-Protocol
hole	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Berkeley	O
UNIX	B-Application
man	B-Protocol
page	I-Protocol
,	O
Version	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
Unix	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
AT&T	O
released	O
in	O
1973	O
,	O
included	O
a	O
null	B-Operating_System
device	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
null	I-Operating_System
device	I-Operating_System
is	O
typically	O
used	O
for	O
disposing	O
of	O
unwanted	O
output	O
streams	O
of	O
a	O
process	B-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
as	O
a	O
convenient	O
empty	O
file	B-Operating_System
for	O
input	B-Architecture
streams	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
usually	O
done	O
by	O
redirection	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
device	O
is	O
a	O
special	B-Application
file	I-Application
,	O
not	O
a	O
directory	B-Application
,	O
so	O
one	O
cannot	O
move	O
a	O
whole	O
file	B-Operating_System
or	O
directory	B-Application
into	O
it	O
with	O
the	O
Unix	B-Application
mv	O
command	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
entity	O
is	O
a	O
common	O
inspiration	O
for	O
technical	O
jargon	O
expressions	O
and	O
metaphors	O
by	O
Unix	B-Application
programmers	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
please	O
send	O
complaints	O
to	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
"	O
my	O
mail	O
got	O
archived	O
in	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
redirect	O
to	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
"	O
—	O
being	O
jocular	O
ways	O
of	O
saying	O
,	O
respectively	O
:	O
"	O
do	O
n't	O
bother	O
sending	O
complaints	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
my	O
mail	O
was	O
deleted	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
go	O
away	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
iPhone	I-Application
Dev	I-Application
Team	I-Application
commonly	O
uses	O
the	O
phrase	O
"	O
send	O
donations	O
to	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
meaning	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
accept	O
donations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Dev	O
Null	O
was	O
an	O
animated	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
character	O
created	O
by	O
Leo	O
Laporte	O
for	O
MSNBC	O
's	O
computer	O
and	O
technology	O
TV	O
series	O
The	O
Site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dev/null	B-Operating_System
is	O
also	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
a	O
vampire	O
hacker	O
in	O
the	O
computer	O
game	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2002	O
advertisement	O
for	O
the	O
Titanium	O
PowerBook	B-Operating_System
G4	I-Operating_System
reads	O
The	O
Titanium	O
Powerbook	B-Operating_System
G4	I-Operating_System
Sends	O
other	O
UNIX	B-Application
boxes	I-Application
to	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
null	I-Operating_System
device	I-Operating_System
is	O
also	O
a	O
favorite	O
subject	O
of	O
technical	O
jokes	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
warning	O
users	O
that	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
is	O
already	O
98%	O
full	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1995	O
April	O
Fool	O
's	O
issue	O
of	O
the	O
German	O
magazine	O
c't	O
reported	O
on	O
an	O
enhanced	O
/dev/null	B-Operating_System
chip	O
that	O
would	O
efficiently	B-Algorithm
dispose	I-Algorithm
of	O
the	O
incoming	O
data	O
by	O
converting	O
it	O
to	O
a	O
flicker	O
on	O
an	O
internal	O
glowing	O
LED	O
.	O
</s>
