Tips & Definitions:
Stand-alone is a confusing and misleading term, used to refer to various categories of computer programs, but rarely in a consistent fashion. The term usually tries to draw some distinction between programs that are run directly by the user by giving some kind of command to the operating system and those programs that are invoked by other programs. But this distinction does not stand up to scrutiny, since the computer has to be running some kind of program that receives the user command to begin with, thus all programs are launched by other programs (with the sole exception of the bootstrap loader), and there is really no such thing as code that "stands alone". Another distinction might be drawn between those programs that run as operating system processes and those that are loaded as an add-on to the context of an existing process, such as a plugin. This distinction may make sense, except that here the term "stand-alone" has been used inconsistently: for instance, on the Macintosh platform, it was often the plugin code that was referred to as "stand-alone". A less ambiguous terminology would refer to "application" and "non-application" code, since "application" seems to be a commonly-accepted cross-platform term for a program that runs as a separate process, invoked as a direct result of some user action. The "non-application" code then has to be loaded and run as part of the process context of the "application" code, and there is no ambiguity about which is which. In computer games, a "stand-alone" game is one that can be played without another game to provide most of its operating code (as opposed to an expansion pack, which is explicitly an add-on to a previous game).

LOGO In recent times the term 'logo' has been used to describe signs, emblems, coats of arms, symbols and even flags. At the end of this article several examples of 'true' logotypes are displayed, which may generally be contrasted with emblems, or marks which include non-textual graphics of some kind. Emblems with non-textual content are distinct from logotypes properly so-called. The uniqueness of a logotype is of utmost importance to avoid confusion in the marketplace among clients, suppliers, users, affiliates, and the general public. To the extent that a logotype achieves this objective, it may function as a trademark, and may be used to uniquely identify businesses, organizations, events, products or services. Once a logotype is designed, one of the most effective means for protecting it is through registration as a trademark, so that no unauthorised third parties can use it, or interfere with the owner's use of it. If rights in relation to a logotype are correctly established and enforced, it can become a valuable intellectual property asset. Many people believe that a logotype is just a graphic symbol or sign. This is, however, not the way it is defined by graphic designers and by advertising professionals. A logotype consists of either a name or a name and a sign. The images at right show examples of the two kinds of logotypes, so as a single emblem. While large corporations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to update and implement their logos, many small businesses will turn to local graphic designers to do a corporate logo.

A plugin (or plug-in) is a computer program that can, or must, interact with another program to provide a certain, usually very specific, function. Typical examples are plugins to display specific graphic formats (e.g., SVG if the browser doesn't support this format natively), to play multimedia files, to encrypt/decrypt email (e.g., PGP), or to filter images in graphic programs. The main program (a web browser or an email client, for example) provides a way for plugins to register themselves with the program, and a protocol by which data is exchanged with plugins. Plugins are slightly different from extensions, which modify or add to existing functionality. The main difference is that plugins generally run within a sandbox, rely on the main program's user interface, and have a well-defined boundary to their possible set of actions. Extensions generally have less restrictions on their actions, and may provide their own user interfaces. They are sometimes used to decrease the size of the main program and offer optional functions. Mozilla Firefox uses a well-developed extension system to reduce the feature creep that plagued the Mozilla Suite. Many professional software packages offer plugin APIs to developers, in order to increase the utility of the base product. Examples of these include: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Digidesign Pro Tools Eclipse Perhaps the first applications to include a plugin function were HyperCard and QuarkXPress on the Macintosh, both released in 1987. These days, plugins are typically implemented as shared libraries that need to be installed in a standard place where the application will find them. HyperCard supported a similar facility, but it was more common for the plugin code to be included in the HyperCard documents (called stacks) themselves. This way, the HyperCard stack became a self-contained application in its own right, which could be distributed as a single entity that could be run by the user without the need for additional installation steps. Some small software vendors produce no stand-alone software at all, but plugins for a certain product. In order to make such a position more viable as a business, open APIs are provided to allow application vendors to change their product or go out of business without destroying the cottage industries that grow up around them. Probably the example of an industry built around such APIs is the Adobe Photoshop plugin API, which has also been adopted to some extent by competing applications. Other examples of such APIs include Audio Units and VST.