In trick-taking games such as bridge, a void is a suit in which a player holds no cards. Voids are of critical importance because they allow that player to play a trump when that suit is led, when he would otherwise have to follow suit.

In C, void appears to be some weird exception, but it is actually a real type.

It just happens to be defined as the one type with a length of zero.

The only thing is, you can't do anything to a variable space with a length of zero-- that would make no sense-- so what you can do with void variables is limited to things you can do without attempting to modify or access or do anything with the zero-length memory space it represents.
Thus, you can have a pointer to a void-type variable, or a function of type void (assuming you don't try to do anything with the value returned by the void) but you can't write or read anything into or from a void variable, nor do anything, such as =, which in any way tries to access the zero-length memory space. You can't even declare a normal void variable-- that would involve allocating a memory space of length zero, which again makes no sense. Again though, void pointers (void *) are very legal, and are used a _lot_ in the struct declarations of abstract data types which know they are going to be holding some kind of data but don't know ahead of time what type the data is going to be. Although note that in order to access the memory pointed to by a void *, you have to typecast it to some other kind of pointer.

Maybe it's best you just didn't think about it.

Void is, as well as being a word that stimulates people to write random semi-philosophical nonsense, a miniature-based wargame that is often comapared to warhammer 40k, as its miniatures are modelled in a suspiciously similar style, and the game engine has many similarities. This is most likely due in no small part to the company, i-kore, who make the game, being run by ex-staff members of games workshop, the creators of 40k.

The game is based around a number of human forces, representing the independent colonies and original inhabitants of the planet Viridia, and one alien race, the koralon. The human forces currently include the viridians themselves, the most conventional of the races, the low-tech junkers who use massive legions of convicts as their main fighting force, the hi-tech syntha who use androids and cyborgs, and the Viridan Aeronautics and Space Agency, or Vasa, who are somewhat similar to a more effective version of the UN, as they act as an interplanetary police-force, using troops drawn from all the human races, as well as their own fearsome black legionaries.
The I-Kore website at www.i-kore.co.uk contains more information as well as free rules for anyone interested.
Back in the day, there was a computer virus in what was known as the "trivial" family of amateur viruses that blindly infect and destroy every executable they come across (only .COM executables for that matter). It never made it in the wild, but it was popular in virus collections and anthologies due to the fact that embedded within it, scrambled with a simple code, is a poem, entitled "Void." Hence the virus itself is often called "Void Poem."

    Void - Composed by Marvin Giskard for T

      In a field a million buds stood,
    Over them a million days came - a day a bud -
    opening up one by one with their directed light.
      But one didn't do as others did,
    It waited for only your loving rays to shine upon it
    to open its pedals revealing the pure beauty of its sincere love.
      Never being unfaithful to its dream of the day of your light,
    Forced to resist any other light but yours - because of it -
    until the day the brilliance of your life sustaining light shines

    it will be there : wanting, wishing, waiting.

      Many were the buds you rather shined upon
    opening them - revealing their phony colours.
      I willed your light onto me but others you tried instead,
    No subtle motion reached you,
    still I refused other's light - holding out for you -
      Even when your light will fade,
    Not having found one to do your light justice,

    mine will still be there : wanting, wishing, waiting.

A perfect
Black void
Curled up
In the bowl
Sleeping peacefully
Fuzzy and fierce
Yellow- green eyes
Lazily watching the world
Through a half-doze stare
His servants
Seeing to his
Every desire
Waiting for the
Perfect moment
To create havoc
In his domain

Void (?), a. [OE. voide, OF. voit, voide, vuit, vuide, F. vide, fr. (assumed) LL. vocitus, fr. L. vocare, an old form of vacare to be empty, or a kindred word. Cf. Vacant, Avoid.]

1.

Containing nothing; empty; vacant; not occupied; not filled.

The earth was without form, and void. Gen. i. 2.

I 'll get me to a place more void. Shak.

I 'll chain him in my study, that, at void hours, I may run over the story of his country. Massinger.

2.

Having no incumbent; unoccupied; -- said of offices and the like.

Divers great offices that had been long void. Camden.

3.

Being without; destitute; free; wanting; devoid; as, void of learning, or of common use.

Milton.

A conscience void of offense toward God. Acts xxiv. 16.

He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor. Prov. xi. 12.

4.

Not producing any effect; ineffectual; vain.

[My word] shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please. Isa. lv. 11.

I will make void the counsel of Judah. Jer. xix. 7.

5.

Containing no immaterial quality; destitute of mind or soul.

"Idol, void and vain."

Pope.

6. Law

Of no legal force or effect, incapable of confirmation or ratification; null. Cf. Voidable, 2.

Void space Physics, a vacuum.

Syn. -- Empty; vacant; devoid; wanting; unfurnished; unsupplied; unoccupied.

 

© Webster 1913.


Void, n.

An empty space; a vacuum.

Pride, where wit fails, steps in to our defense, And fills up all the mighty void of sense. Pope.

 

© Webster 1913.


Void, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Voided; p. pr. & vb. n. Voiding.] [OF. voidier, vuidier. See Void, a.]

1.

To remove the contents of; to make or leave vacant or empty; to quit; to leave; as, to void a table.

Void anon her place. Chaucer.

If they will fight with us, bid them come down, Or void the field. Shak.

2.

To throw or send out; to evacuate; to emit; to discharge; as, to void excrements.

A watchful application of mind in voiding prejudices. Barrow.

With shovel, like a fury, voided out The earth and scattered bones. J. Webster.

3.

To render void; to make to be of no validity or effect; to vacate; to annul; to nullify.

After they had voided the obligation of the oath he had taken. Bp. Burnet.

It was become a practice . . . to void the security that was at any time given for money so borrowed. Clarendon.

 

© Webster 1913.


Void, v. i.

To be emitted or evacuated.

Wiseman.

 

© Webster 1913.

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