An ABEND (or ab normal end or abend) is an abnormal termination of Software, a Crash (computing) or lossage.

This usage derives from an error message on the IBM System/360. It is used jokingly by Hackers but seriously mainly by code grinders. Usually capitalised, but may appear as abend .

Hackers will try to persuade you that ABEND is called abend because it is what system operators do to the computer late on Friday when they want to call it a day, and hence is from the German language abend meaning evening .

The Novell NetWare network operating system is notorious for ABEND error messages, such that entire communities of administrators have sprung up around the Internet, such as [http://www.abend.org abend.org].

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