Frontend
A front-end is a program which runs another program, usually more visually appealing and sometimes with a better user interface. The term, which seems like a comes from describing a "front-end" and a "back-end" of something. In computers, the back-end is rarely seen, meant to be run in the background, out of sight.
A popular front-end is WinZip which handles ZIP files using a simple, command-line interface ZIP program but adds a windowing system with drag-and-drop capability. It also adds the ability to remove single files from a large archive, view individual files without unzipping the entire archive, and other features.
Usually, front-ends are created for an existing program. However, if a Web Browser is used as a program's front-end, as with mldonkey, the program is designed specifically for the front-end.
Front-ends are common for UNIX GUIs, where individual programs are developed on the design philosophy of many small, tested programs, able to run independantly or together.
Referenced By
GCC Abstract Syntax Tree | GCC Language Front Ends | GNU/GCC | GNU C | GNU Compiler Collection | Speech synthesis | Speech synthesizer | Text-to-speech engine | Text to speech
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