Tweaking
Encyclopedia
Tweaking refers to fine-tuning or adjusting a complex system, usually an electronic device. Tweaks are any small modifications intended to improve a system.
In electronics, it is a synonym for "trimming." Analog circuit boards often have small potentiometers or other components on them that are used to calibrate or adjust the board as a service procedure: the small insulated screwdriver used to turn them is often called a "tweaker."
This use was echoed in the name of the product Tweek, a popular but controversial audio product during the 1980s, which was claimed to improve the electrical characteristics of audio switch contacts.
s, cleaning the heads of a VHS
player with a branded cleaning fluid or oiling the moving parts of an engine
with the best possible oil.
. They include: changing voltage
and clock rate
s of processing units, modifying RAM
unit timing, improving cooling system
s to reduce chance of overheating, etc.
Tweaks specifically designed to allow a processor to operate at a higher clock speed than normal are known as overclocking
.
Modifications of computer systems not aimed at increasing performance, such as quieter fans
, external controls, and decorations such as lights or windows, are known as modding
.
or the quality of its output. There can be two ways of accomplishing this: manually (that is, if one is familiar with programming; though it may be irrelevant if the source
of the application is closed, and there are no built-in means to adjust its performance) or using another piece of software specialized for that purpose (such as Red Button and SysTool, semi-automatic tweaking utilities used to improve the performance of Microsoft Windows XP. Tweaking of this kind generally increases usability, in terms of personal configuration preferences, rather than objective performance of the system overall). Linux
and other open source
products are designed to facilitate the tweaking process as much as possible, as opposed to Microsoft Windows
which limits tweaking but allows it with provision, and Mac OS
which largely prohibits or strongly discourages tweaking.
Some very precise applications need constant and thorough tweaking to stay up to date and deliver best possible results. One of the most obvious examples of such a fine tuning is LAME MP3 encoder
, whose 3.9x branch is not only considered as the state-of-the-art MP3
encoder, but also continues to shape the boundaries of the MP3 codec
and stay competitive with its successors.
In electronics, it is a synonym for "trimming." Analog circuit boards often have small potentiometers or other components on them that are used to calibrate or adjust the board as a service procedure: the small insulated screwdriver used to turn them is often called a "tweaker."
This use was echoed in the name of the product Tweek, a popular but controversial audio product during the 1980s, which was claimed to improve the electrical characteristics of audio switch contacts.
Hardware
Hardware tweaking is a process of modifying certain parts of a hardware such as changing the cableCable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
s, cleaning the heads of a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
player with a branded cleaning fluid or oiling the moving parts of an engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
with the best possible oil.
Computer hardware
Computer hardware tweaking is an extension of hardware tweaking, specifically geared towards the components of a PCPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. They include: changing voltage
Voltage
Voltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
and clock rate
Clock rate
The clock rate typically refers to the frequency that a CPU is running at.For example, a crystal oscillator frequency reference typically is synonymous with a fixed sinusoidal waveform, a clock rate is that frequency reference translated by electronic circuitry into a corresponding square wave...
s of processing units, modifying RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
unit timing, improving cooling system
Computer cooling
Computer cooling is required to remove the waste heat produced by computer components, to keep components within their safe operating temperature limits.Various cooling methods help to improve processor performance or reduce the noise of cooling fans....
s to reduce chance of overheating, etc.
Tweaks specifically designed to allow a processor to operate at a higher clock speed than normal are known as overclocking
Overclocking
Overclocking is the process of operating a computer component at a higher clock rate than it was designed for or was specified by the manufacturer, but some manufacturers purposely underclock their components to improve battery life. Many people just overclock or 'rightclock' their hardware to...
.
Modifications of computer systems not aimed at increasing performance, such as quieter fans
Quiet PC
A quiet PC is a personal computer that makes little noise. Common uses for quiet PCs include video editing, sound mixing, home servers, and home theater PCs. A typical quiet PC uses quiet cooling and storage devices and energy-efficient parts....
, external controls, and decorations such as lights or windows, are known as modding
Modding
Modding is a slang expression that is derived from the verb "modify". Modding refers to the act of modifying a piece of hardware or software or anything else for that matter, to perform a function not originally conceived or intended by the designer...
.
Software
Software tweaking is the process of improving the performance of an applicationApplication software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
or the quality of its output. There can be two ways of accomplishing this: manually (that is, if one is familiar with programming; though it may be irrelevant if the source
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
of the application is closed, and there are no built-in means to adjust its performance) or using another piece of software specialized for that purpose (such as Red Button and SysTool, semi-automatic tweaking utilities used to improve the performance of Microsoft Windows XP. Tweaking of this kind generally increases usability, in terms of personal configuration preferences, rather than objective performance of the system overall). Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and other open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
products are designed to facilitate the tweaking process as much as possible, as opposed to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
which limits tweaking but allows it with provision, and Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
which largely prohibits or strongly discourages tweaking.
Some very precise applications need constant and thorough tweaking to stay up to date and deliver best possible results. One of the most obvious examples of such a fine tuning is LAME MP3 encoder
LAME
LAME is a free software codec used to encode/compress audio into the lossy MP3 file format.-History:The name LAME is a recursive acronym for "LAME Ain't an MP3 Encoder". Around mid-1998, Mike Cheng created LAME 1.0 as a set of modifications against the "8Hz-MP3" encoder source code...
, whose 3.9x branch is not only considered as the state-of-the-art MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
encoder, but also continues to shape the boundaries of the MP3 codec
Codec
A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of "compressor-decompressor" or, more commonly, "coder-decoder"...
and stay competitive with its successors.