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Computing minimalism is an aversion to convoluted computer systems that hinder their intended operation by adding unecessary functionality. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... The term minimalism may refer to: Minimalism, in art and design Computing minimalism Minimalism (judicial), the United States judicial philosophy Transformational grammar, a linguistic term Minimalist music, a musical term. ...

Hardware

Minimalist hardware design is low-maintenance, lightweight, low volume, and simple. It can be found in integrated monolithic design or all-in-one solutions. Something that is monolithic is something created in one piece, resembling a monolith such as an obelisk. ... The term personal computer or PC has three meanings: IBMs range of PCs that led to the use of the term - see IBM PC. Any computer based on IBMs original specifications also known as IBM PC compatible. ...

Cases

A typical minimalist case. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1848x1527, 339 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Apple Macintosh ...

A standard case. Download high resolution version (750x1315, 61 KB)The tower of an Evesham (UK) 3 GHz computer. ...

The minimalist case is compact, has no visible drive bays, has only one button and does not directly show its ports. The other case has many ports, multiple colors and unused visible drive-bays. Full-height, 2 half-height, and 3. ...

Convergence

As manufacturing tools are refined and costs reduced, dated technology moves towards more compact systems. Examples of this convergence are abundant; old mechanical hard drives are being replaced with microdrives and flash memory, the keyboard and mouse are slowly being succeded by touch screens and handwriting recognition, and thin LCDs and OLEDs are substituting heavy CRTs. Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... IBM 1 GB Microdrive The Microdrive is a brand name for a miniature, 1-inch hard disk designed to fit in a Compact Flash (CF) Type II slot. ... A USB flash drive. ... Podium touchscreen Touchscreens, touch screens, touch panels or touchscreen panels are display overlays which have the ability to display and receive information on the same screen. ... It has been suggested that on-line handwriting recognition be merged into this article or section. ... LCD redirects here. ... An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a light-emitting diode (LED) made of semiconducting organic polymers. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT Electron guns Electron beams Focusing coils Deflection coils Anode connection Mask for separating beams for red, green, and blue part of displayed image Phosphor layer with red, green, and blue zones Close-up of the phosphor...

Below is an illustration of the convergence from large systems to minimalist integrated systems. In the absence of a more specific context, convergence denotes the approach toward a definite value, as time goes on; or to a definite point, a common view or opinion, or toward a fixed or equilibrium state. ...

A Cray-1 (c. 1977) supercomputer capable of about 150 MIPS, much less than some of today's desktop processors like the AMD Athlon 64 3800+ X2 (Dual Core), capable of 14564 MIPS at 2.0 GHz. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 401 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1505 × 2248 pixel, file size: 451 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Work by Rama File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... CRAY-1 at the EPFL in Switzerland. ... A supercomputer is a computer that led the world in terms of processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation, at the time of its introduction. ... Million instructions per second (MIPS) is a measure of a computers processor speed. ...	A typical desktop computer with a heavy CRT. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1360 × 1020 pixel, file size: 696 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Debian GNU/Linux The computer is being prepared to be used in 2002 National Olympiad in Informatics. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT Electron guns Electron beams Focusing coils Deflection coils Anode connection Mask for separating beams for red, green, and blue part of displayed image Phosphor layer with red, green, and blue zones Close-up of the phosphor...	A laptop, or notebook computer, used by many in academia and by roadwarriors. Notebooks generally have an integrated keyboard and touchpad. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An ultraportable IBM X31 with 12 screen on an IBM T43 Thin & Light laptop with a 14 screen A laptop computer, or simply laptop (also notebook computer or notebook), is a small mobile computer, which usually weighs 2. ... Laptop with touchpad. ... Academia is a collective term for the scientific and cultural community engaged in higher education and research, taken as a whole. ... Road warrior may refer to: Road Warriors Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Road warrior: a person who travels significantly for his/her work, especially in North American and Western societies. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Touchpad and a pointing stick on a Laptop Close up of a modern, brushed steel touchpad A touchpad is an input device commonly used in laptop computers. ...	A Tablet PC with a wireless stylus connected to the internet via Wi-Fi. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A Tablet PC is a notebook- or slate-shaped mobile computer. ... Modern stylus, used for touch-screen enabled devices such as the Nintendo DS and personal digital assistants Styli used in writing in the Fourteenth Century. ... Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi was originally a brand licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe the embedded technology of wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802. ...
A PDA with a virtual keyboard viewing a website. PDAs are used to access the web, read e-books, for irc, instant messaging and to hone time management. They are frequently used in the medical field. This device can be stored in a purse or a pocket. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1152x864, 383 KB) Summary This picture of my Palm TX was taken by me, Brusselsshrek, on 18th January 2006 specifically for Wikipedia. ... Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ... A virtual keyboard is a feature of a computer program or a program in and of itself that acts as a virtual extension of a controller, often with fewer buttons than a keyboard would have. ... Graphic representation of the world wide web around Wikipedia The World Wide Web (WWW, or simply Web) is an information space in which the items of interest, referred to as resources, are identified by global identifiers called Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI). ... An ebook is an electronic (or digital) version of a book. ... Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a form of real-time Internet chat or synchronous conferencing. ... A screenshot of PowWow, one of the first instant messengers with a graphical user interface // Instant messaging or IM is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. ... Time management includes tools or techniques for planning and scheduling time, usually with the aim to increase the effectiveness and/or efficiency of personal and corporate time use. ...	A BlackBerry used by information media today to send real time story details to the public. They are used for instant messaging and email. This device can also be stored in a pocket or purse. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (554x800, 104 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): BlackBerry Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... The BlackBerry is a wireless handheld device introduced in 1999 which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services. ... News media satellite up-link trucks and photojournalists gathered outside the Prudential Financial headquarters in Newark, New Jersey in August 2004 following the announcement of evidence of a terrorist threat to it and to buildings in New York City. ... A screenshot of PowWow, one of the first instant messengers with a graphical user interface // Instant messaging or IM is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. ... E-mail, or email, is short for electronic mail and is a method of composing, sending, and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. ...	An iPod, an embedded computer without many of the features found on PDAs and desktop computers. iPods were originally designed for audio playback but some models now have additional functionality like support for video playback and games. DAPs are capable of storing gigabytes of information compared to PDAs which generally store only megabytes of data. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 500 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1047 × 1256 pixel, file size: 865 KB, MIME type: image/png) A fifth-generation white iPod with transparent background. ... iPod (fifth generation) in Apple Universal Dock, iPod nano (second generation) and iPod shuffle (second generation) iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in 2001. ... An embedded system is a special-purpose computer system, which is completely encapsulated by the device it controls. ... Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ... The term personal computer or PC has three meanings: IBMs range of PCs that led to the use of the term - see IBM PC. Any computer based on IBMs original specifications also known as IBM PC compatible. ... Apple iPod, the most popular hard drive-based digital audio player An embedded hard drive-based player (Creative Zen Vision:M), one of the many alternatives for the iPod An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) Some mobile phones can be used as digital audio players, such as the Nokia 6233. ... A gigabyte (derived from the SI prefix giga-) is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one billion (short scale) bytes or 230 bytes (1024 mebibytes)[1]. It is commonly abbreviated GB (not to be confused with Gb, which is used for gigabits). ... Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ... ReBoot character, see Megabyte (ReBoot). ...

Software

Minimalist software attempts to eliminate clutter for aesthetics, maximize productivity and reduce resource consumption. Aesthetic minimalism is illustrated by the reduction or nonexistence of desktop icons, widgets, window decorations, toolbars or by using smaller programs. Applications focused on reducing storage size and maintaining only core features also exemplify minimalist software design. Look up Clutter, clutter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Parthenons facade showing an interpretation of golden rectangles in its proportions. ...

Working environment

In desktop computing environments, some Windows users believe that Windows Explorer can be a "Resource hog" and/or is bloated due to the amount of memory it takes (usually 10 megabytes) and its excessive features^{[citation needed]}. Computer minimalists replace these window managers with others that use less resources. Litestep is an example of a "lite" graphical shell for Windows. This problem affects not only Windows users, but other Unix-like operating systems. KDE and GNOME (popular desktop managers) are widely believed to be heavier on resources than light shells such as Fluxbox or IceWM. To keep a desktop uncluttered, a minimalist may remove desktop icons (or keep only as many as needed); all other operations are done by using the operational menu (Start Menu in Windows or Right-click with Fluxbox) or keyboard shortcuts. The result is that only the wallpaper (or a blank background) is left. Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Windows Explorer running on Windows Vista Windows Explorer running on Windows XP Windows Explorer is an application that is part of modern versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system that provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems. ... Software bloat, or bloatware, is a term used in both a neutral and disparaging sense, to describe the tendency of newer computer programs to be larger, or to use larger amounts of system resources (mass storage space, processing power or memory) than older versions of the same programs, without concomitant... A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of application windows under the X Window System, a graphical user interface on Unix systems that enables a user to interact with a number of application programs simultaneously. ... screenshot of a LiteStep enabled Windows computer, running the NonStep II theme LiteStep is a Windows shell replacement licensed under the GPL, for Windows 9x and up. ... In computing, a shell is a piece of software that provides an interface for users (command line interpreter). ... Diagram of the relationships between several Unix-like systems A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. ... KDE (K Desktop Environment) (IPA: ) is a free software project which aims to be a powerful system for an easy-to-use desktop environment. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE, sometimes desktop manager) offers graphical user interface (GUI) solution to operate a computer. ... }} }}{{#if:|}}{{#if:Unix-like|}}{{#if:|}} }}{{#if:MIT|}} In Unix (and others including GNU/Linux) computing, Fluxbox is a window manager for the X Window System based on Blackbox 0. ... In Unix computing, IceWM is a window manager for the X Window System graphical infrastructure, written by Marko Maček. ...

Often software comes bundled with unnecessary features and uses unecessary resourses (memory, CPU, etc). Minimalists tend to replace these bloated programs with lighter alternatives to improve performance (and start time in some cases). This techique can be useful if one wishes to use an older, less powerful computer instead of upgrading in order to support a more resource-intensive environment.

Most web browsers use GUIs with features such as tabbed web browsing, which some minimalists consider a waste of resources. As an alternative, some use text based web browsers such as ELinks or Lynx where most operations are done with the keyboard. That being said, even in this realm there exist varying degrees of minimalism: ELinks is larger and more feature-rich than Lynx. Yeah I know sometimes things may not always make sense to you right now But hey, what daddy always tell you? Straighten up little soldier Stiffen up that upper lip What you crying about? You got me Hailie I know you miss your mom and I know you miss your... Lynx is a text-only web browser for use on cursor-addressable, character cell terminals. ...

Screenshot of a power user's screen. This layout shows a taskbar, desktop icons, desktop monitoring widgets.

Screenshot of a minimalist desktop user - applying concepts of minimalism without programs like desktop widgets.

Screenshot of a minimalist - who uses the keyboard for control and uses textual output programs.

Phantom load, or overhead, is what is commonly found in power grids. Electricians know it takes extra electricity to deliver power because powerlines themselves have a resistance property or defer energy in other forms such as heat and vibration, as superconductors have little or no resistance. That analogy can be applied to comparisons between the poweruser and minimalist in that the extra overhead to process these bloatware programs like these toy widget monitoring programs and eyecandy/feature rich programs adds additional time to process information because the time slices dedicated to these non-essential programs are not dedicated to processing content itself but are dedicated to presentation processing. Note that an extreme minimalist uses textual programs because window managers and graphical objects and the rendering algorithms themselves consume resources and time. Also the textual web browser doesn't have to download pictures just the textual representation — the text alone. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x1024, 825 KB) KDE 3. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x1024, 825 KB) KDE 3. ... In computing, the taskbar is a term for the application desktop bar which is used to launch and monitor applications in Microsoft Windows 95 and later operating systems. ... Nuvola icons for KDE are available in PNG format, which come in six sizes, and SVG format, which is scalable On computer displays, a computer icon is a small pictogram. ... In computer software, a widget engine is host software system for physically inspired applets on the desktop (desktop widgets). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 750 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 1024 pixel, file size: 252 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 750 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 1024 pixel, file size: 252 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In computer software, a widget engine is host software system for physically inspired applets on the desktop (desktop widgets). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 36 KB) Summary This is a screenshot I took of my computers desktop; it has rTorrent, elinks (visiting Slashdot), and nano (editting the Wikipedia article for Computing minimalism). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 36 KB) Summary This is a screenshot I took of my computers desktop; it has rTorrent, elinks (visiting Slashdot), and nano (editting the Wikipedia article for Computing minimalism). ... A keyboard shortcut (also known as an accelerator key, shortcut key, or hotkey) is one or a set of keyboard keys that, when pressed simultaneously, perform a predefined task. ... Phantom load, sometimes referred to as standby power or leaking electricity is the power consumed by any device while it is switched off. ... In computer science, and moreso in computer programming, overhead is generally considered any combination of excess or indirect computation time, memory, bandwidth, or other resources that are required to be utilized or expended to enable a particular goal. ... Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials at low temperatures, characterised by the complete absence of electrical resistance and the damping of the interior magnetic field (the Meissner effect. ... Software bloat is a derogatory term used to describe the tendency of newer computer programs to use larger amounts of disk space, more CPU power and/or more RAM memory than older programs. ... In computer software, a widget engine is host software system for physically inspired applets on the desktop (desktop widgets). ... Eye candy is an expression used to describe something that is most remarkable by its appearance, but that doesnt have anything else so exciting. ... A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of application windows under the X Window System, a graphical user interface on Unix systems that enables a user to interact with a number of application programs simultaneously. ...

In Handheld devices and embedded computing environments, such as PDAs, using PalmOS or WindowsCE, the use of minimalism is used differently due to the limitations such as limited battery life, limited program resources, and limited input/output space. They attempt to minimize any sort of interactivity. Each code execution on these devices amounts to consumption of energy and the devices tend to be placed on power saving suspend mode to extend battery life, in some cases not providing energy to backlight during operation. Furthermore, the interface design and programming development kits of these devices advocate emphasis on very simple user interfaces and very simple interactions though heavy dependence on the digitizer and information be quickly obtainable, like the PalmOS API find feature calls that scours though many program databases. Programs on these devices tend to be limited to basic core features found on desktop equivalents such as those found on Opera web browser ports. Handheld devices (also known as handhelds) are pocket-sized computing devices that are rapidly gaining popularity as the access to information in every walk of life becomes more and more mission critical. ... An embedded system is a special-purpose computer system, which is completely encapsulated by the device it controls. ... Look up PDA in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Palm OS is an operating system made by PalmSource, Inc. ... Windows CE (sometimes abbreviated WinCE) is a variation of Microsofts Windows operating system for minimalistic computers and embedded systems. ... Backlights are lights that are attached to LCD displays so that they can be seen at night. ... The user interface is the part of a system exposed to users. ... In telecommunication and computing, the term digitizer has the following meanings: A device that converts an analog signal into a digital representation of the analog signal. ... API may refer to: In computing, application programming interface In petroleum industry, American Petroleum Institute In education, Academic Performance Index This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Opera is a cross-platform web browser and Internet suite which handles common internet-related tasks including visiting web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting online and displaying Widgets. ... In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed (e. ...

Programming

In programming language design, it is considered good practice to attempt to express language features in function of already existing language features, which relates directly to minimalism. For instance, in the Scheme programming language, control structures like a while loop need not be defined at the language level, as they can be implemented using hygienic macros, thus making the language specification smaller (which is minimalist) and reusing existing features. A programming language is an artificial language that can be used to control the behavior of a machine, particularly a computer. ... Scheme is a multi-paradigm programming language. ... In most computer programming languages, a while loop is a control flow statement that allows code to be executed repeatedly based on a given boolean condition. ... The Scheme programming language is a functional programming language and a dialect of Lisp. ...

Paradoxes and tradeoffs

Hardware

• In some cases, one must make a tradeoff between minimalistic hardware requirements and minimalistic software requirements. For example, an external modem may use fewer resources than an softmodem since the latter relies on the CPU of a computer rather than its own built in chip. Some may not appreciate an extra hardware component on their workstation and use an internal modem instead.
• Restrictions on freedoms of general computing and limited user experience are expected with minimalism, as manufactures do not implement features found on desktop computers because the system becomes tailored to its environment. A minimalist may defer computing or sacrifice traits to accentuate other traits. General purpose computing that desktop users take for granted may be replaced with more specialized systems or uses. For example, a router is better suited to handling network traffic between the LAN and the outside Internet because of its network security and design specialization without any general purpose computing elements, which also hardens the device from being attacked or proned to failure. Also, gaming consoles pool video game developer talent and highly integrate hardware for performance and for reduced cost to make it affordable.
• Minimalism restricts upgradeability, as it is optimized and integrated to its environment.
• Integration can lead to costly repairs. On the realm of desktop computing, a choice between monolithic versus modular can be difficult, as computer manufactures have been working on so called form factors that attempt to minimize space. The problem with these nonstandard (proprietary) form factors is that they are not widely supported due to the lack of compatible motherboards for upgradability or replacement. Let's say you have a motherboard that has a blown out capacitor, and you cannot replace the capacitor. You will have to replace both the motherboard and the case, and sometimes the CPU and memory, resulting in heavy repair costs. The other peripherals are viable to many form factors. An ATX case for example may be viable for years of maintenance compared to an small form factor case which not be viable for repair because it uses a propeitary motherboard design form factor.
• As they provide benefits of mobility and decreased weight burden and compactness, many digital devices such PDAs, digital audio players, smart phones, kiosks, ATMs, electronic voting machines make use of computing minimalism ideas. A minimalists may favor light weight and compact handheld computer than the heavier highly customizable desktop computer.

A modem (from modulate and demodulate) is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. ... A PCI Winmodem/Softmodem (on the left) next to a traditional ISA modem (on the right). ... Look up trait in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up trait in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A large core router used for major networks. ... Lan can stand for several things: A local area network Lan (airline) formerly LanChile Lan Peru Län, a kind of administrative division used in Sweden Lan Mandragoran, a fictional character in the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. ... Network security consists of the provisions made in an underlying computer network infrastructure, policies adopted by the network administrator to protect the network and the network-accessible resources from unauthorized access and the effectiveness (or lack) of these measures combined together. ... In computing, hardening is the process of securing a system. ... The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a popular video game console. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Look up Upgrade on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Upgrading is the process of replacing an older thing with a newer thing. ... Something that is monolithic is something created in one piece, resembling a monolith such as an obelisk. ... A module is a self-contained component of a system, which has a well-defined interface to the other components; something is modular if it is constructed so as to facilitate easy assembly, flexible arrangement, and/or repair of the components. ... Form factor refers to the linear dimensions and configuration of a device as distinguished from other measures of size (for example Gigabytes; a measure of storage size): in computing, form factor is used to describe the size and format of PC motherboards (see AT, ATX, BTX), but also of hard... Proprietary indicates that a party, or proprietor, exercises private ownership, control or use over an item of property, usually to the exclusion of other parties. ... Form factor refers to the linear dimensions and configuration of a device as distinguished from other measures of size (for example Gigabytes; a measure of storage size): in computing, form factor is used to describe the size and format of PC motherboards (see AT, ATX, BTX), but also of hard... The term compatibility has the following meanings: In telecommunication, the capability of two or more items or components of equipment or material to exist or function in the same system or environment without mutual interference. ... A motherboard is the central or primary circuit board making up a complex electronic system, such as a modern computer. ... Capacitors: SMD ceramic at top left; SMD tantalum at bottom left; through-hole tantalum at top right; through-hole electrolytic at bottom right. ... CPU can stand for: in computing: Central processing unit in journalism: Commonwealth Press Union in law enforcement: Crime prevention unit in software: Critical patch update, a type of software patch distributed by Oracle Corporation in Macleans College is often known as Ash Lim. ... In psychology, memory is an organisms ability to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. ... A peripheral is a type of computer hardware that is added to a host computer in order to expand its abilities. ... This article is about the computer case form factor. ... The Shuttle XPC SN25P Small form factor (SFF) computers are housed in smaller cases than typical desktop computers. ... Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ... Apple iPod, the most popular hard drive-based digital audio player An embedded hard drive-based player (Creative Zen Vision:M), one of the many alternatives for the iPod An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) Some mobile phones can be used as digital audio players, such as the Nokia 6233. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An Internet kiosk with a touchscreen in Vienna, Austria in 2005 An Info Kiosk with a touchscreen in Turkey in 2005 An Interactive kiosk is a computer terminal that provides information access via electronic methods. ... An NCR Personas 85-Series interior, multi-function ATM in the USA Smaller indoor ATMs dispense money inside convenience stores and other busy areas, such as this off-premise Wincor Nixdorf mono-function ATM in Sweden. ... Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) are used in Indian General Elections to implement electronic voting. ... Handheld devices (also known as handhelds) are pocket-sized computing devices that are rapidly gaining popularity as the access to information in every walk of life becomes more and more mission critical. ... Desktop computer with several common peripherals (Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone and a printer) A desktop computer is a personal computer made for use on a desk in an office or home and is distinguished from portable computers such as laptops or PDAs. ...

Software

• Using a light shell may lack a notification area and may need a person to manually check a process manager every now and again to know which process is being run. One needs to balance between ease of use and minimalism.
• While some find it easier to have everything on the desktop, minimalist find replacing GUI equivalents with hotkeys or text consoles provides for better micromanagement, to maximize actions per minute or minimize input for further automation.
• Another benefit of removing toolbars and other window decorations allows for more screen space available for content.
• In addition, disabling or removing software code (such as daemons that check email) reduces loading times and waiting times and interactive latency and interruptions and wasted time slices and memory-footprint for more important tasks, at the expense of the burden of manually re-enabling them or re-loading the program.
• Although users may not like the idea of getting features they do not use in their software, they may alter or remove parts of the software in order to conserve space, improve performance, or suit their personal preferences, an approach that may result in unpredictable behavior if the altered sections are critical to the operation of the software.

A graphical user interface (GUI) is a type of user interface which allows people to interact with a computer and computer-controlled devices which employ graphical icons, visual indicators or special graphical elements called widgets, along with text labels or text navigation to represent the information and actions available to... Hotkeys are the keys on a keyboard that are used in conjunction with the function (Fn) key. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Micromanagement (often abbreviated to micro) is a term used in strategy computer games to describe a facet of gameplay. ... Actions per minute is the number of actions completed within a minute of a gameplay in real time strategy game. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A widget (or control) is an interface component that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box. ... Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. ... In Unix and other computer multitasking operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs in the background, rather than under the direct control of a user; they are usually instantiated as processes. ... Pre-emption as used with respect to operating systems means the ability of the operating system to preempt or stop a currently scheduled task in favour of a higher priority task. ... It has been suggested that Memory-footprint be merged into this article or section. ...

References

See also

• Software bloat
• Featuritis
• Unix - (originally) a minimalistic operating system
• Wirth's law
• Plan 9 from Bell Labs - the successor to Unix that tries to restore simplicity
• Scheme, Oberon, and C are examples of popular minimalistic programming languages
• Handheld computing
• Embedded computers

Software bloat, or bloatware, is a term used in both a neutral and disparaging sense, to describe the tendency of newer computer programs to be larger, or to use larger amounts of system resources (mass storage space, processing power or memory) than older versions of the same programs, without concomitant... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ... Wirths law in computing was made popular by Niklaus Wirth in 1995. ... Plan 9 from Bell Labs is a distributed operating system, primarily used as a research vehicle. ... Scheme is a multi-paradigm programming language. ... Oberon is a reflective programming language created in the late 1980s by Professor Niklaus Wirth (creator of the Pascal, Modula, and Modula-2 programming languages) and his associates at ETHZ in Switzerland. ... C is a general-purpose, block structured, procedural, imperative computer programming language developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system. ... Mobile Computing is a generic term describing your ability to use technology untethered, that is not physically connected, or in remote or mobile (non static) environments. ... A router, an example of an embedded system. ...

External links

• TinyApps.org: Tiny Applications for Windows