Plug-In
Our Definition
A Plug-in is something such as a piece of software that can be added to a computer system to give extra features or functions.
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Sources and Online Definitions
"A hardware or software module that adds a specific feature or service to a larger system. The idea is that the new component simply plugs in to the existing system. For example, there are number of plug-ins for the Netscape Navigator browser that enable it to display different types of audio or video messages. Navigator plug-ins are based on MIME file types."
"Scripts, utilities, or instructions that add to the functionality of a program without changing the program's base code. Plug-ins provide a way to add functionality to an application without completely upgrading. Applications that can accept plug-ins often have a built-in way to accommodate them. Two common applications which use plug-ins are Adobe Photoshop and Netscape Navigator. The Macromedia Shockwave plug-in, for example, allows special animated World Wide Web content to be displayed in Navigator. With Photoshop, plug-ins can contribute special effects and filters that weren't included in the original program."
Comments (1)
Anonymous said
at 11:23 am on May 1, 2008
I made the smart computing and web-o-pedia links to the actual definition. I noticed that on other pages and thought it was valuable addition. I also changed video messages (found in the webopedia def.) into normal text. It was a link to the plug-in definition, which seemed a little confusing to me.
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