Zenware refers to application programs that function with a minimum of superfluous user intervention. The intent is to minimize the number of mouse clicks or commands required to accomplish a given task. There are fewer icons, toolbars and menus than in most traditional programs. The term also refers to small applications that streamline the operation of high-end programs by selectively disabling features not needed by the user.
One of the most widespread complaints about contemporary high-end software arises from the fact that multiple maneuvers are often required to accomplish trivial tasks. A good example is the pop-up that says "Are you sure you want to ..." when deleting, renaming or moving a file. Margins, fonts, line spacing, pagination and other formatting variables may have to be pre-set before work is begun. Automatic error correction or type assistance in feature-rich word processors and vector graphics programs may introduce errors that must be corrected by disabling the feature, searching for the errors, correcting them manually and then saving the file.
