What folder is plugin?

Plugin refers to a plug-in, which is a program written according to a certain standard application program interface. It can only run on the system platform specified by the program, and cannot run independently from the specified platform, because the plug-in It is necessary to call the function library or data provided by the original pure system.

# Operating system for this tutorial: Windows 11 system, Dell G3 computer.

The meaning of plugin

plugin refers to a plug-in, which is a program written according to a certain standard application program interface. It can only run under the system platform specified by the program (it may support multiple platforms at the same time), and cannot run independently from the specified platform. Because the plug-in needs to call the function library or data provided by the original pure system. Many software have plug-ins, and there are countless types of plug-ins. For example, in IE, after installing the relevant plug-in, the WEB browser can directly call the plug-in program to process specific types of files.

Development History

The emergence of plug-ins can be traced back to the mid-1970s, when the EDT text editor was widely used in the Univac90/60 series When the UnisysVS/9 operating system is running on the machine, it provides a function that the editor can run a program and allow the program to enter the editor's buffer, allowing external programs to access the editing task in the memory.

The plug-in program enables the editor to edit text on the buffer, and this buffer is shared by the editor and the plug-in. The Waterloo Fortran compiler uses these features to make internally compiled Fortran programs editable with EDT.

The first application software with plug-ins on personal computers may be HyperCard and QuarkXPress on Apple computers, both released in 1987.

Plug-in mechanism and principle edit broadcast The application software provides various services that enable the plug-in to be applied, including providing a loading method so that the plug-in can be loaded into the application program and network transmission protocol, thereby exchanging data with the plug-in. Plug-ins must rely on applications to function, and plug-ins alone cannot function properly. In contrast, applications do not need to rely on plug-ins to run, so plug-ins can be loaded into the application and updated dynamically without causing any changes to the application.

Simply speaking, plug-in technology can divide the software requirements and functions during the software design and development process, so that the program is divided into two main parts: the main program and the plug-in. The basic functional requirements are designed in the main program. In addition, the main program also provides an interface with the plug-in, so that the corresponding plug-in can exchange data according to certain rules to realize some functions; while the plug-in realizes some functions one by one. Components, so that the functions of the software can be adjusted by adding or removing plug-ins or modifying the internal functions of the plug-ins. Since the plug-ins are independent parts, they can be edited independently. This enables the expansion and continuous improvement of software functions.

The public API provides a standard interface that allows others to write plug-ins and interact with the application. A stable API will allow other plug-ins to run normally even if their original version changes, and will allow plug-ins to extend the life of older applications. The plug-in APIs for Adobe Photoshop and After Effects have gradually become a standard and have been partially adopted by competing applications. Other such APIs include Audio Units and VST.

Just like a network switch may carry an unoccupied but non-standard port to accommodate various optional physical layer connectors. Games and certain applications often use a plug-in architecture to allow the original publisher and third-party publishers to add functionality.

Manufacturers can use plug-ins to generate seller locks, by selecting the option to restrict updates so that only buyers signed by the manufacturer can update and use their products. IBM's Micro Channel Architecture is technically more advanced than the Industry Standard Architecture and can be added to IBM's personal computers. However, it has not been widely promoted because it is difficult to obtain certification for third-party devices. Microsoft's Flight Simulator series is more famous because it can download aircraft attachments.

Plug-in plug-in types

Plug-in technology applied in various user software fields can be roughly divided into the following three types:

(1) Text Plug-in: A simple plug-in similar to batch processing commands.

(2) Script plug-in: A plug-in implemented using a special script language.

(3) Program plug-in: Use the existing program development environment to create plug-ins.

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