finn
= F =
firefighting
firebottle n.obs.
A large, primitive, power-hungry active
electrical device, similar in function to a FET but constructed out
of glass, metal, and vacuum. Characterized by high cost, low
density, low reliability, high-temperature operation, and high
power dissipation. Sometimes mistakenly called a `tube' in the
U.S. or a `valve' in England; another hackish term is
glassfet.
--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR, autonoded by rescdsk.