What the heck does “default” mean?

I get this question a lot, so I decided to type “default” into Spotlight … Hey, that’s cool: Spotlight in Leopard is not only faster, it also finds definitions in the built-in Dictionary, which itself now has a Wikipedia search. Awesome!

default |diˈfôlt|noun. 
2. a preselected option adopted by a computer program or other mechanism when no alternative is specified by the user or programmer : 
e.g. “the default is fifty lines” | [as adj. ] default settings.

So, a program’s defaults are the way it will behave unless you choose otherwise.

December 6, 2008 | Filed Under Tech 

Comments

One Response to “What the heck does “default” mean?”

  1. Peggy on January 16th, 2009 9:59pm

    That was the best description I have ever read about what “default” means. Direct and to the point.

    Thank You, I finally understand :)

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