wysiayg

WYSIAYG
 /wiz'ee.ayg/, adj.

   Describes a user interface under which "What You See Is All You Get";
   an unhappy variant of {WYSIWYG}. Visual, `point-and-shoot'-style
   interfaces tend to have easy initial learning curves, but also to lack
   depth; they often frustrate advanced users who would be better served
   by a command-style interface. When this happens, the frustrated user
   has a WYSIAYG problem. This term is most often used of editors, word
   processors, and document formatting programs. WYSIWYG `desktop
   publishing' programs, for example, are a clear win for creating small
   documents with lots of fonts and graphics in them, especially things
   like newsletters and presentation slides. When typesetting book-length
   manuscripts, on the other hand, scale changes the nature of the task;
   one quickly runs into WYSIAYG limitations, and the increased power and
   flexibility of a command-driven formatter like {TeX} or Unix's {troff}
   becomes not just desirable but a necessity. Compare {YAFIYGI}.
    

What You See Is All You Get
WYSIAYG

   <jargon> (WYSIAYG) /wiz'ee-ayg/ Describes a user interface
   under which "What You See Is *All* You Get"; an unhappy
   variant of {WYSIWYG}.  Visual, "{point-and-drool interfaces}"
   are easy to learn but often lack depth; they often frustrate
   advanced users who would be better served by a command-style
   interface.  When this happens, the frustrated user has a
   WYSIAYG problem.

   This term is most often used of editors, {word processors},
   and document formatting programs.  WYSIWYG "{desktop
   publishing}" programs, for example, are a clear win for
   creating small documents with lots of fonts and graphics in
   them, especially things like newsletters and presentation
   slides.  When typesetting book-length manuscripts, on the
   other hand, scale changes the nature of the task; one quickly
   runs into WYSIAYG limitations, and the increased power and
   flexibility of a command-driven formatter like {TeX} or
   {Unix}'s {troff} becomes not just desirable but a necessity.

   Compare {YAFIYGI}.

   (1999-03-03)