bells and whistles
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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.