Defaults Glossary

Browse 5 defaults terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

5 Defaults Terms

Default Alive: A joking phrase for a default setting or behavior that remains active and influential longer than people expect. In engineering slang, something being 'default...
Default Setting: The preselected or standard option a system uses unless someone changes it. In product and policy culture, default settings matter because many people accept...
The Pit of Success: A design ideal where the easiest path for users is also the correct and safe path, making success more likely by default. The phrase is common in API and...
Vanilla: Plain, standard, or uncustomized. In engineering slang, vanilla setups are often easier to support because they stay closer to common assumptions and...
Zero Configuration: A design goal where something works with little or no setup by the user. In engineering slang, zero configuration is admired when it is real and mocked when it...