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more about feature
feature |
4 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Feature \Fea"ture\ (?; 135), n. [OE. feture form shape, feature, OF faiture fashion, make fr L. factura a making, formation, fr facere factum, to make See {Feat}, {Fact}, and cf {Facture}.] 1. The make form or outward appearance of a person; the whole turn or style of the body; esp., good appearance. What needeth it his feature to descrive? --Chaucer. Cheated of feature by dissembling nature. --Shak. 2. The make cast, or appearance of the human face, and especially of any single part of the face; a lineament. (pl.) The face, the countenance. It is for homely features to keep home. --Milton. 3. The cast or structure of anything or of any part of a thing as of a landscape, a picture, a treaty, or an essay; any marked peculiarity or characteristic; as one of the features of the landscape. And to her service bind each living creature Through secret understanding of their feature. --Spenser. 4. A form a shape. [R.] So scented the grim feature, and upturned His nostril wide into the murky air. --Milton. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: feature n 1: a prominent aspect of something: "the map showed roads and other features"; "generosity is one of his best characteristics" [syn: {characteristic}] 2: the characteristics parts of a person's face: eyes and nose and mouth and chin; "an expression of pleasure crossed his features"; "his lineaments were very regular" [syn: {lineament}] 3: the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater; "the feature tonight is `Casablanca'" [syn: {feature film}] 4: a special or prominent article in a newspaper or magazine; "they ran a feature on retirement planning" [syn: {feature article}] 5: an article of merchandise that is displayed or advertised more than other articles v 1: have as a feature; "This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France" [syn: {have}] [ant: {miss}] 2: wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner; "she was sporting a new hat" [syn: {sport}, {boast}] From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: feature n. 1. [common] A good property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it was intended or not is immaterial. 2. [common] An intended property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it is good or not is immaterial (but if bad it is also a {misfeature}). 3. A surprising property or behavior; in particular, one that is purposely inconsistent because it works better that way -- such an inconsistency is therefore a {feature} and not a {bug}. This kind of feature is sometimes called a {miswart}; see that entry for a classic example. 4. A property or behavior that is gratuitous or unnecessary, though perhaps also impressive or cute. For example, one feature of Common LISP's `format' function is the ability to print numbers in two different Roman-numeral formats (see {bells whistles and gongs}). 5. A property or behavior that was put in to help someone else but that happens to be in your way 6. [common] A bug that has been documented. To call something a feature sometimes means the author of the program did not consider the particular case, and that the program responded in a way that was unexpected but not strictly incorrect. A standard joke is that a bug can be turned into a {feature} simply by documenting it (then theoretically no one can complain about it because it's in the manual), or even by simply declaring it to be good. "That's not a bug, that's a feature!" is a common catchphrase. See also {feetch feetch}, {creeping featurism}, {wart}, {green lightning}. The relationship among bugs, features, misfeatures, warts, and miswarts might be clarified by the following hypothetical exchange between two hackers on an airliner: A: "This seat doesn't recline." B: "That's not a bug, that's a feature. There is an emergency exit door built around the window behind you and the route has to be kept clear." A: "Oh. Then it's a misfeature; they should have increased the spacing between rows here." B: "Yes. But if they'd increased spacing in only one section it would have been a wart -- they would've had to make nonstandard-length ceiling panels to fit over the displaced seats." A: "A miswart, actually. If they increased spacing throughout they'd lose several rows and a chunk out of the profit margin. So unequal spacing would actually be the Right Thing." B: "Indeed." `Undocumented feature' is a common, allegedly humorous euphemism for a {bug}. There's a related joke that is sometimes referred to as the "one-question geek test". You say to someone "I saw a Volkswagen Beetle today with a vanity license plate that read FEATURE". If he/she laughs, he/she is a geek (see {computer geek}, sense 2). From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: feature1. A good property or behaviour (as of a program). Whether it was intended or not is immaterial. 2. An intended property or behaviour (as of a program). Whether it is good or not is immaterial (but if bad it is also a {misfeature}). 3. A surprising property or behaviour; in particular, one that is purposely inconsistent because it works better that way - such an inconsistency is therefore a {feature} and not a {bug}. This kind of feature is sometimes called a {miswart}. 4. A property or behaviour that is gratuitous or unnecessary, though perhaps also impressive or cute. For example, one feature of {Common LISP}'s format" function is the ability to print numbers in two different Roman-numeral formats (see {bells, whistles, and gongs}). 5. A property or behaviour that was put in to help someone else but that happens to be in your way 6. A bug that has been documented. To call something a feature sometimes means the author of the program did not consider the particular case, and that the program responded in a way that was unexpected but not strictly incorrect. A standard joke is that a bug can be turned into a {feature} simply by documenting it (then theoretically no one can complain about it because it's in the manual), or even by simply declaring it to be good. "That's not a bug, that's a feature!" is a common catch-phrase. Apparently there is a Volkswagen Beetle in San Francisco whose license plate reads "FEATURE". See also {feetch feetch}, {creeping featurism}, {wart}, {green lightning}. The relationship among bugs, features, misfeatures, warts and miswarts might be clarified by the following hypothetical exchange between two hackers on an airliner: A: "This seat doesn't recline." B: "That's not a bug, that's a feature. There is an emergency exit door built around the window behind you and the route has to be kept clear." A: "Oh. Then it's a misfeature; they should have increased the spacing between rows here." B: "Yes. But if they'd increased spacing in only one section it would have been a wart - they would've had to make nonstandard-length ceiling panels to fit over the displaced seats." A: "A miswart, actually. If they increased spacing throughout they'd lose several rows and a chunk out of the profit margin. So unequal spacing would actually be the Right Thing." B: "Indeed." "Undocumented feature" is a common euphemism for a {bug}. 7. An attribute or function of a {class} in {Eiffel}. [{Jargon File}] (1995-10-22)
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