Motif

Part of the TechTarget Network of Enterprise IT Web Sites

Search our IT-specific encyclopedia for:
 
Browse alphabetically:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
All Categories Operating Systems

Motif

1) Motif is a graphical user interface ( GUI ) guideline and development toolkit for the X Window System . As such, it defines the rules and tools for the "look-and-feel" in the graphical user interface of most UNIX -based operating systems and their applications. Developed in 1989 by the Open Software Foundation (now part of The Open Group ), Motif corresponds to IBM's Common User Access (CUA) guideline for its OS/2 Presentation Manager and to the guidelines built into the Microsoft Windows application programming interfaces, including the Microsoft Foundation Classes ( Microsoft Foundation Class Library ) for user interface objects (often called widget ).

The Motif Toolkit, also known as "Xm," ensures consistency with the Motif guideline and is used with the X Toolkit Intrinsics ("Xt"). In turn, Xt is built on the lowest-level application program level, X library ("Xlib"). The Motif Style Guide, which describes how to conform to the guideline, is published as an industry standard (IEEE 1295, orderable from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ). Motif is the base graphical user interface toolkit for the Open Group's Common Desktop Environment (CDE).

2) Motif is also the name of a Microsoft Windows program object for a sound sequence or musical motif (short theme or iconic sound). Motifs are also known as Microsoft Interactive Music Controls.





This word suggested by: Majid Tajamolian and Jethro Waanders
Last updated on: Apr 05, 2005

>  Enterprise Software related Research & News
>  White Papers for the Retail Industry

Are you a Know-IT-All?
What technology is solid-state lighting based on?
Answer

word of the day Sign up for the Word of the Day
twitter Follow us on Twitter


WORD OF THE DAY...
above the fold
LEARN MORE ABOUT...
Mobile Web design and testing
wear leveling
write amplification
write endurance
decision management
business process governance
Profile-Driven Storage
Resilient File System (ReFS)
Security, Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR)
Windows Server 8
community cloud
managed storage
facial recognition
Shared serial-attached SCSI (SAS)
open compute project
BIOS password
dynamic BPM (business process management)
social BPM (business process management)
in-circuit emulator (ICE)
above the fold
logic simulator
photometric stereo
dynamic case management (DCM)
raw device mapping (RDM)
WhatIs.com RSS Feeds
About Us   |   Contact Us   |   For Advertisers   |   For Business Partners   |   Reprints   |   RSS   |   Awards
TechTarget provides enterprise IT professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective IT purchase decisions and managing their organizations' IT projects - with its network of technology-specific Web sites, events and magazines.

TechTarget Corporate Web Site  |  Media Kits  |  Reprints




All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2008, TechTarget | Read our Privacy Policy
  TechTarget - The IT Media ROI Experts