WYSIWYG: /wiz'ee-wig/ adj. Describes a user interface under
which "What You See Is What You Get", 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 a rarely-attained ideal; there are variants of this
term to express real-world manifestations including WYSIAWYG (What
You See Is _Almost_ 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 user-friendly
interfaces targeted at non-programmers; a hacker has no fear of
obscure commands (compare WYSIAYG). On the other hand, EMACS
was one of the very first WYSIWYG editors, replacing (actually, at
first overlaying) the extremely obscure, command-based TECO. See
also WIMP environment. [Oddly enough, WYSIWYG has already made it
into the OED, in lower case yet. --ESR]
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