transparent
1. <jargon> Not visible, hidden; said of a system which functions in a
manner not evident to the user. For example, the Domain Name System
transparently resolves a fully qualified domain name into an Internet address
without the user being aware of it.
Compare this to what Donald Norman calls "invisibility", which he
illustrates from the user's point of view:
"You use computers when you use many modern automobiles, microwave ovens, games,
CD players and calculators. You don't notice the computer because you think of
yourself as doing the task, not as using the computer." ["The Design of Everyday
Things", New York, Doubleday, 1989, p. 185].
2. <theory> Fully defined, known, predictable; said of a sub-system in
which matters generally subject to volition or stochastic state change have been
chosen, measured, or determined by the environment. Thus for transparent
systems, output is a known function of the inputs, and users can both predict
the behaviour and depend upon it.
(1996-06-04)
Nearby terms:
transit network « Translation Look-aside Buffer «
Transmission Control Protocol « transparent »
transparent audio coding » Transport Driver
Interface » transport layer
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