ITPEC IP October 2021 Question 17

Integrated into an application such as a web browser to add functions; it does not run on its own — that is plug-in software.

A plug-in is added to a host application through an interface the application provides. It works only inside that host: a browser plug-in that plays video or displays a document format, or an image editor's plug-in that adds filters. It can be installed or removed without changing the application itself.

Answer (b)

Why not others:

• •(a) — describes middleware, which sits between the OS and applications, absorbs the differences between OSs and offers more advanced, specific common functions
• •(c) — describes a macro, which records a series of operations in an application such as a spreadsheet and replays them
• •(d) — describes a patch (an update program), which replaces part of a program to fix bugs or modify functions

Key rule: A plug-in extends a host application and cannot run alone; middleware serves many applications on top of the OS, a macro automates operations, and a patch repairs a program.

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