from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
bells and whistles
n.
[common] Features added to a program or system to make it more
{flavorful} from a hacker's point of view, without necessarily adding
to its utility for its primary function. Distinguished from {chrome},
which is intended to attract users. "Now that we've got the basic
program working, let's go back and add some bells and whistles." No
one seems to know what distinguishes a bell from a whistle. The
recognized emphatic form is "bells, whistles, and gongs".
It used to be thought that this term derived from the toyboxes on
theater organs. However, the "and gongs" strongly suggests a different
origin, at sea. Before powered horns, ships routinely used bells,
whistles, and gongs to signal each other over longer distances than
voice can carry.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
bells and whistles
<jargon> (By analogy with the "toyboxes" on theatre organs).
Features added to a program or system to make it more
{flavourful} from a hacker's point of view, without
necessarily adding to its utility for its primary function.
Distinguished from {chrome}, which is intended to attract
users. "Now that we've got the basic program working, let's
go back and add some bells and whistles." No one seems to
know what distinguishes a bell from a whistle.
[{Jargon File}]
(2007-04-03)