A plugin is an addition that is incorporated into software.
Plugin is a notion that is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . It is a concept in the English language that can be understood as “insertion” and is used in the field of computing .
A plugin, which can also be mentioned as a plug-in , is an application that, in a computer program, adds additional functionality or a new feature to the software . In our language, therefore, the plugin can be named as a complement .
Typically, the plugin is executed through the main software, with which it interacts through a certain interface . Nowadays, most programs work with plugins.
Origin of plugins
The origin of the plugin is found in the 70s and it was then that a text editor called EDT allowed an external program to access it, and taking the Unisys VS/9 operating system as a scenario, it could carry out editing tasks.
That was the beginning and since then countless plugins have emerged, both on Macintosh and on many other types of software and operating systems.
WordPress is a content manager that has numerous plugins.
The case of WordPress
It should not be overlooked that blogging programs or platforms, such as WordPress , also have their own plugins. Specifically, what it has gives the user the opportunity not only to shape a simple blog but also to create an online store and even to implement various tricks, with the clear objective that their web space receives a greater number of visits.
Specifically, in WordPress there are already more than 25,000 plugins. However, among the most significant are the following:
- Tweet Old Post , which does is create tweets of articles and posts that have already been published. In this way, the blog or website will be very active and you will be able to continually gain new followers on social networks.
- WooCommerce . What this plugin offers is the possibility of creating an authentic e-commerce store, which is attractive to the potential buyer and which makes it easier for the owner not only to provide service but also to receive the relevant order and even make payments and shipments.
Plugin Utilities
In a content manager, therefore, a plugin can be used to incorporate certain buttons into the publication or to modify its aesthetics. Web browsers ( Mozilla Firefox , Chrome ), for their part, use these applications to display certain types of content. Something similar happens with video or audio players , which can use a plugin to play certain formats that, in the original and basic version of the program, were not enabled.
One of the main advantages these plugins offer is that they make it easier for third-party developers to collaborate with the software. These developers can make their contributions to the functionalities through different plugins.
Sometimes a conflict may arise between a plugin and the main application, causing various crashes. In these cases, the software usually provides the option to temporarily deactivate the plugin or even uninstall it .