Bash - Choking the system - Fork bomb

This is a wicked post. If you execute the script given in this, then you would need to restart the machine. The command:
:(){ :|:& };:

What does this mean:
:()
{
: | : &
}
:

It creates a function called : and then calls the same recursively in the background. This would cause the system to choke due to continues creation of processes. This is called as a fork-bomb. Fork-bombs can be created in many languages/ways. Check the following page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_bomb

Hope this helps.

Rgds,
Karthick S.