IT for dummies

[TimberWolf]

The late great Richard Feynman once wrote that if something can't be explained in simple terms, it isn't understood. Well that's not quite what he said it, but that's the gist of it.

So...describe an interface in terms a layman would understand.

Rules: The winner will be decided by any layperson wandering past who want to volunteer for an honorary dunce position or anyone who wishes to don a dunce's hat. Criticism of replies as interpreted from a lay perspective are welcome though criticism is allowed to be from non-lay perspective too, i.e. if answers are carp. The winner can keep the hat as long as no one says it is theirs and if it can be removed from the layperson. In the event the layman does not understand any of your answers at all* you will all have failed and be deemed to be dunces yourselves and the layman can keep his hat. If there are multiple winning laymen, they may share the hat on a rota basis, or whatever. Terms and conditions apply. Call charges made from mobile phones may be higher. *Quite unlike myself who had no trouble at all explaining what an interface was in laymen's terms without referring to such things as abstract classes.

[chef]

"an interface is the bit that links the human to the computer system, it's the bit you use"

*assuming your describing a user interface

or more general

"an interface is the bit that links two or more things together, i.e human to computer or computer system to another computer system"

[EternalOptimist]

An interface is like a rosetta stone. It's a translator. It allows the user to communicate with a complex system and it allows a complex system to communicate back to the user.
An interface allows a person with lots of business knowledge but few IT skills, to communicate with a person who has little business knowledge but lots of IT skills.

[OwlHoot]

a set boundary or junction between two or more domains, with a well-defined means to pass material or data between them

[Badger]

It's what we do in Yorkshire, but only with permission.

In 'ter face

[Moscow Mule]

Imagine two people, one speaks French, and speaks German.

In order to speak to each other, they need a translator who speaks both languages. An interface is like the translator.

[sasguru]

An interface is a set of menu systems and toolbars designed to make it as hard as possible for humans to access the functionality of software.*



* Microsoft definition

[Lockhouse]

An interface is the glue that sticks two computer programs together.

[Pickle2]

Its the bit of a computer system the w$nker with the pony-tail does.

[Moscow Mule]

Its the bit of a computer system the w$nker with the pony-tail does.

WINNAR!!!