noun
Japanese text entry front-end program
Computing term for software that handles Japanese input before it reaches an application.
昔のパソコンでは、日本語入力FEPを別途インストールする必要があった。
On old PCs, you had to install a Japanese text entry front-end program separately.
IME (Input Method Editor) is a more modern and general term; FEP is an older term specific to Japanese DOS/Windows environments.
Abbreviation of 'Front-End Processor', a term used in early Japanese computing for the software component that handled kana-kanji conversion.