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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>WYSIWYG</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../W.html" title="W"/><link rel="previous" href="WYSIAYG.html" title="WYSIAYG"/><link rel="next" href="../X.html" title="X"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">WYSIWYG</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="WYSIAYG.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><th width="60%" align="center">W</th><td width="20%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="../X.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="WYSIWYG"/><dt xmlns="" id="WYSIWYG"><b>WYSIWYG</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="pronunciation">/wiz<69>ee<65>wig/</span>, <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="pronunciation">/wiss<73>ee<65>wig/</span>, <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">adj.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> [Traced to Flip Wilson's &#8220;<span class="quote">Geraldine</span>&#8221; character c.1970]
Describes a user interface under which &#8220;<span class="quote">What You See Is What You
Get</span>&#8221;, as opposed to one that uses more-or-less obscure commands that
do not result in immediate visual feedback. True WYSIWYG in environments
supporting multiple fonts or graphics is a rarely-attained ideal; there are
variants of this term to express real-world manifestations including
WYSIAWYG (What You See Is <span class="emphasis"><em>Almost</em></span> What You Get) and
WYSIMOLWYG (What You See Is More or Less What You Get). All these can be
mildly derogatory, as they are often used to refer to dumbed-down
<a href="../U/user-friendly.html"><i class="glossterm">user-friendly</i></a> interfaces targeted at
non-programmers; a hacker has no fear of obscure commands (compare
<a href="WYSIAYG.html"><i class="glossterm">WYSIAYG</i></a>). On the other hand,
<a href="../E/EMACS.html"><i class="glossterm">EMACS</i></a> was one of the very first WYSIWYG editors,
replacing (actually, at first overlaying) the extremely obscure,
command-based <a href="../T/TECO.html"><i class="glossterm">TECO</i></a>. See also
<a href="WIMP-environment.html"><i class="glossterm">WIMP environment</i></a>. [Oddly enough, WYSIWYG made it into the 1986
supplement to the OED, in lower case yet. &#8212;ESR]</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="WYSIAYG.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../W.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="../X.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">WYSIAYG<EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"><EFBFBD>X</td></tr></table></div></body></html>