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Dirty Bit

What Does Dirty Bit Mean?

Dirty bit is a colloquial name for a specific bit in computer memory that traditional computing systems use to indicate a modification or write-to. Although there is not much information on the origin of this term, one could understand the concept of the dirty bit being a temporary place marker that will eventually be erased.

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A dirty bit is also known as a modified bit.

Techopedia Explains Dirty Bit

For certain kinds of modifications, a computing system adds a dirty bit in memory. Dirty bits can also be used as markers in memory for specific processes. After they have served their purpose in indicating something like a modification or marking unprocessed data, algorithms or other tools often remove the dirty bit from memory. In essence, the dirty bit is a temporary spot on computing memory to represent some function or condition.

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