benchmark

n. [techspeak] An inaccurate measure of computer performance. In the
computer industry, there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and
benchmarks. Well-known ones include Whetstone, Dhrystone, Rhealstone (see h
), the Gabriel LISP benchmarks, the SPECmark suite, and LINPACK. See also
machoflops , MIPS , smoke and mirrors.

