Wordnet 3.0
ADJECTIVE (1)
1.
relating to or being a word processing system that prints the text exactly as it appears on the computer screen;
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
WYSIWYG
adj 1: relating to or being a word processing system that prints
the text exactly as it appears on the computer screen
V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (February 2016):
WYSIWYG
What You See Is What You Get (DTP)
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
WYSIWYG
/wiz'ee?wig/, /wiss?ee?wig/, adj.
[Traced to Flip Wilson's ?Geraldine? character c.1970] Describes a user
interface under which ?What You See Is What You Get?, as opposed to one
that uses more-or-less obscure commands that do not result in immediate
visual feedback. True WYSIWYG in environments supporting multiple fonts or
graphics is a rarely-attained ideal; there are variants of this term to
express real-world manifestations including WYSIAWYG (What You See Is
Almost What You Get) and WYSIMOLWYG (What You See Is More or Less What You
Get). All these can be mildly derogatory, as they are often used to refer
to dumbed-down user-friendly interfaces targeted at non-programmers; a
hacker has no fear of obscure commands (compare WYSIAYG). On the other
hand, EMACS was one of the very first WYSIWYG editors, replacing
(actually, at first overlaying) the extremely obscure, command-based TECO
. See also WIMP environment. [Oddly enough, WYSIWYG made it into the
1986 supplement to the OED, in lower case yet. ?ESR]
X
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
What You See Is What You Get
WYSIWYG
WYSWYG
(WYSIWYG) /wiz'ee-wig/ Describes a user interface for
a document preparation system under which changes are
represented by displaying a more-or-less accurate image of the
way the document will finally appear, e.g. when printed. This
is in contrast to one that uses more-or-less obscure commands
that do not result in immediate visual feedback.
True WYSIWYG in environments supporting multiple fonts or
graphics is rarely-attained; there are variants of this term
to express real-world manifestations including WYSIAWYG (What
You See Is *Almost* What You Get) and WYSIMOLWYG (What You See
Is More or Less What You Get). All these can be mildly
derogatory, as they are often used to refer to dumbed-down
user-friendly interfaces targeted at non-programmers; a
hacker has no fear of obscure commands (compare WYSIAYG).
On the other hand, Emacs was one of the very first WYSIWYG
editors, replacing (actually, at first overlaying) the
extremely obscure, command-based TECO.
See also WIMP.
(1999-03-03)