Interface meaning

The connection and interaction between hardware, software and the user. Users "talk to" the software. The software "talks to" the hardware and other software. Hardware "talks to" other hardware. All this is interfacing. It has to be designed, developed, tested and redesigned; and with each incarnation, a new specification is born that may become yet one more de facto or regulated standard.Hardware InterfacesHardware interfaces are the plugs, sockets, cables and electrical signals traveling through them. Examples are USB, FireWire, Ethernet, ATA/IDE, SCSI and PCI.Software/Programming InterfacesSoftware interfaces (programming interfaces) are the languages, codes and messages that programs use to communicate with each other and to the hardware. Examples are the Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, SMTP email, IP network protocols and the software drivers that activate the peripheral devices.User InterfacesUser interfaces are the keyboards, mice, commands and menus used for communication between you and the computer. Examples are the command lines in DOS and Unix, and the graphical interfaces in Windows, Mac and Linux.Format & FunctionEvery interface implies a structure. Electrical signals are made up of voltage levels, frequencies and duration. The data passed from one device or program to another has a precise format (header, body, trailer, etc.).Every interface implies a function. At the hardware level, electronic signals activate functions; data are read, written, transmitted, received, checked for error, etc. At the software level, instructions activate the hardware (access methods, data link protocols, etc.). At higher levels, the data transferred or transmitted may itself request functions to be performed (client/server, program to program, etc.).Language & ProgrammingAn interface is activated by programming language commands. The complexity of the functions and the design of the language determine how difficult it is to program.User Interface, Protocol, API and ABIThe design of the interaction between the user and the computer is called a "user interface." The rules, formats and functions between components in a communications system or network are called "protocols." The language and message formats between routines within a program or between software components is called an "application programming interface" (API). The specification for an operating system working in a specific machine environment has been known as an "application binary interface" (ABI), but this term is not widely used.All the above interactions are interfaces. Regardless of what they are called, they all create rules that must be precisely followed in a digital world.

The definition of interface is a surface that forms a common boundary between two things or a point of interaction between two components or systems.

A surface forming a common boundary between adjacent regions, bodies, substances, or phases.

To serve as an interface for.

To join by means of an interface.

The point of interaction or communication between a computer and any other entity, such as a printer or human operator.

A point at which independent systems or diverse groups interact.

To serve as an interface or become interfaced.

To interact or coordinate smoothly.

A plane forming the common boundary between two parts of matter or space.

A point or means of interaction between two systems, disciplines, groups, etc.

A point or means of interaction between two or more systems, components of a computer system, or the system and a user.

To sew material (interfacing) between the outer fabric and the facing of (a collar, lapel, etc.) so as to give body or to prevent stretching.

To interact with (another system, discipline, group, etc.)

The layout of an application's graphic or textual controls in conjunction with the way the application responds to user activity.

To construct an interface for, to connect through an interface.

(intransitive) To be an interface, to be into an interface.