Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

International Business Machines
     
         (IBM) The best known American computer manufacturer,
        founded by Thomas J. Watson (born 1874-02-17), known as "Big
        Blue" after the colour of its logo.  IBM makes everything from
        {mainframes} to {personal computers} (PCs) and has been
        immensely successful in selling them, chiefly to business.  It
        has often been said that "Nobody has ever been sacked for
        buying IBM".
     
        The {IBM PC} in its various versions has been so successful
        that unqualified reference to a "PC" almost certainly means a
        PC from IBM, or one of the many brands of {clone} produced by
        other manufacturers to cash in on IBM's original success.
     
        Alternative expansions of "IBM" such as Inferior But
        Marketable; It's Better Manually; Insidious Black Magic; It's
        Been Malfunctioning; Incontinent Bowel Movement, illustrate
        the considerable antipathy most hackers have long felt toward
        the "industry leader" (see {fear and loathing}).
     
        Quarterly sales $15351M, profits $689M (Aug 1994).
     
        {Home (http://www.ibm.com/)}.
     
        (1999-04-07)