Plug+and+Play+explanation+of


 * Plug and Play explanation of **

The phrase "plug and play" commonly refers to different types of electronic hardware that can be plugged in and used, typically without any other intervening steps. Some plug and play computer hardware can be connected at any time, whether the computer is on or off. This type of hardware is then automatically discovered and installed, often without requiring any further actions from the user, such as installing software or downloading drivers. The same term is also used in many other industries to refer to components that are easily installed into a system, such as televisions that include special hardware that is capable of descrambling digital cable signals. In another context, all-in-one systems that contain game software and hardware in a single unit are sometimes called plug and play video games. Plug and play is a concept that has a long history in the computing industry.

The term initially referred to expansion cards and other peripherals that could be installed without any manual configuration. At that time expansion cards typically had dual in-line package (DIP) switches that needed to be set manually before a device could work properly. Beginning in the 1980s, some computer manufacturers started to use hardware that allowed components to be simply plugged in and used. These systems used a type of automatic configuration that was capable of determining memory addresses and other settings, which is a feature that most modern computers now share.