Black Box

The concept that internal details of a system can be ignored if you know the overall inputs, outputs and behaviour, so that the component may be used as part of a larger system or to operate on its own.

Examples:

• If you can operate a TV remote, you don't need to open up the set and fiddle with the CathodeRayTube? (or LCD/PlasmaDisplay? these days)
• The ObjectModel for the MsXml? DLL: you can call methods without knowing how they were coded

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See also: InformationHiding, BlackBoxTesting, BlackBoxWindowManager