1. [primarily MS-DOS] Said of software conforming to system
interface guidelines and standards. Well-behaved software
uses the operating system to do chores such as keyboard
input, allocating memory and drawing graphics. Oppose
ill-behaved.
2. Software that does its job quietly and without
counterintuitive effects. Especially said of software having
an interface spec sufficiently simple and well-defined that it
can be used as a tool by other software. See cat.
[Jargon File]
Nearby terms:
weenie « Weenix « weighted search « well-behaved » well-connected » well-known port » well-ordered set
