Transparent
adjective
1.
having the property of transmitting rays of light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen.
2.
admitting the passage of light through interstices.
3.
so sheer as to permit light to pass through; diaphanous.
4.
easily seen through, recognized, or detected:
transparent excuses.
5.
manifest; obvious:
a story with a transparent plot.
6.
open; frank; candid:
the man’s transparent earnestness.
7.
Computers. (of a process or software) operating in such a way as to not be perceived by users.
8.
Obsolete. shining through, as light.
adjective
1.
permitting the uninterrupted passage of light; clear: a window is transparent
2.
easy to see through, understand, or recognize; obvious
3.
(of a substance or object) permitting the free passage of electromagnetic radiation: a substance that is transparent to X-rays
4.
candid, open, or frank
transparent
(trāns-pâr’ənt)
Allowing radiation or matter to pass through with little or no resistance or diffusion. Compare opaque, translucent. See Note at glass.
1. 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 IP address without the user being aware of it.
Compare this to what Donald Norman (http://atg.apple.com/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. 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)
Read Also:
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- Transparently
adjective 1. having the property of transmitting rays of light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen. 2. admitting the passage of light through interstices. 3. so sheer as to permit light to pass through; diaphanous. 4. easily seen through, recognized, or detected: transparent excuses. 5. manifest; obvious: […]
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