Definition: window

(1) A time period. For example, a "window of opportunity" implies a favorable time.

(2) Sometimes refers to a reserved area of memory.

(3) A viewing area on screen that contains a surrounding frame (border). It is used to separate parts of an application from each other and to separate one application from another. Mostly rectangular, windows can also be round and multi-sided.

If there is more data than the window can hold at one time, the window contains a scroll bar that allows the user to reach the additional content. Windows were first used in the late 1960s at Stanford Research Laboratories (SRI). See dialog box, scroll bar, splash screen and GUI. See also Windows.

Application Windows

The Windows version of this encyclopedia displays two scrollable windows from A to Z. The index is on the left, and the definitions are on the right. Each window is scrollable independently from the other.

Not Just Windows Windows

A window is a generic term for a viewing area, not just in the Windows operating system. This dialog for changing fonts is from a Mac.