I've read this term in web design guides about "comps" for clients. Is this short for "compositions" meaning sort of a test site design before the finished product? That seems to be the context in which it is mostly used but I hadn't seen it until recently and those who use it do so as if everyone has heard it. Not me!
Jeff, Do you have an example to cite somewhere on the 'Net? <A HREF="http://www.borealisdesigns.com/design.html">Is this a good example?</A> Seems like <i>comprehensive</i> might be the expansion of "comp". <A HREF="http://www.bus.utexas.edu/resources/templates/howto/guide.pdf">Website Design & Build process</A> Mango
I always thought it meant "composition" as in "graphic composition". From searching around the 'Net those graphics weenies are the ones using it. Definitely not a "geek" thing or I'd know about it...
In the business world, "comps" describe comparable companies...i.e., comparing the balance sheets of Reliant to Dyneygy, El Paso, formerly Enron, Williams, etc. I dont know what it means in the computer world.
Maybe it is a combination of a composition and a comparison. <a href="http://clients.huntandgather.com/Waverly/010827_site/thumbs.html">Here is one example.</a> Note that this shows two examples of the same site just with a different primary color, so maybe it is a comparison. Dr, you may be right about graphic people using it. I found the term first in a book I bought (a good one) about web design using various Adobe products (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc) and they are obviously more graphic oriented as opposed to code oriented. Anyway, thanks for the help. If anyone else knows for sure, let me know. It's bugging me.
By the way Mango, those links do explain a lot, particularly the PDF document. I think that is the best usage of the word.
