bells and whistles


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms.

bells and whistles

[′belz ən ′wis·əlz]
(computer science)
Special hardware features that are likely to attract attention but may not be important or even practical.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

bells and whistles

A slang English term for exceptional features in some product. In the computer field, it typically refers to functions in software that may be greatly appreciated by some users, even though they may not be necessary most of the time. Bells and whistles are extra "goodies" that are often added to help make the product more appealing. Contrast with plain vanilla.
Copyright © 1981-2019 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
References in periodicals archive ?
Bells and Whistles for Outlook is available directly from DS Development SRL at http://www.outlook-apps.com.
BELLS AND WHISTLES V5 AVAILABLE FOR OUTLOOK
Impressively, the book's bells and whistles actually feel appropriate to its larger meaning, rather than coming across as mere gimmickry.
Minor's key
While it doesn't pack all the bells and whistles we've come to expect from our ceil phones (and let's face it, sometimes those "extras" can be more of an annoyance than a help), the CF62T offers a good combination of price and performance.
A close call: cell phone offers good mix of price and performance
It's like the Presidential election: All the bells and whistles of your renewal series are intended only to nudge an all-important 5 percent of undecideds into your "Yes" column.
Should you make multi-year offers for new subs and/or renewals?
Yet a far-seeing approach, not just the latest bells and whistles, may be the best asset in successfully applying such systems, argues Accenture manager Stephen W.
From the editor
Products appealing to consumers on the higher bell curve will be driven by lots of bells and whistles and continuous changes in product offerings.
Discovering the directions toward success. (Insight)
I think there was this hype to always update, but it may have been more bells and whistles."
Innovations abound: with a steady incline in technical know-how, educators are using software in more creative ways. (Software)
The folks at Mujer Bonita, if there are any left, have produced a moderately unchallenging Cosmo-style online mag with all the technical bells and whistles but very few visitors.
MUJER SOLITA
Communicator 6 is a smaller, faster browser with more optional modules and fewer bells and whistles than IE.
Microsoft Fought The Law And The Law Won. Does Anybody Still Care?
Yes, I think CEOs do see beyond the bells and whistles but I don't know that they're always able to quantify that or put that down in a business case analysis.
Beyond Bells & Whistles: Helping CEOs Out
Encyclopedia browser ?
Full browser ?