Most
applications running under a
graphical user interface have several
global options which affect the application's behavior. These may include its behavior with respect to particular types of
document, the formatting of its
display, the user's
email address or other
individualization settings, or even the
colors or
fonts it uses to display information. These options are usually termed "
preferences", or sometimes "
settings", and the
dialog box to configure them can be opened by selecting a
menu item of that name.
Web browsers such as Netscape Communicator or iCab usually have a great plethora of preferences, because their behavior is so flexible. Navigating the Netscape or Mozilla preferences panel is a task daunting to many newbies -- which is unfortunate, because they are often the ones most in need of safer, cleaner, or customized settings.