Language swap

[Matthew Thomas]

Corey Burger wrote:
 >
> I had a thought about the word applications. The word programs, IMHO,
> is clearer for the target audience. Applications is more a
> power-user/developer term. Thoughts?
>...

"Programs" is the term used for all user-visible executables in Windows, 
since Windows 3.0 if not before. "Applications" is the term used for 
(almost) all user-visible executables in Mac OS (the exception being the 
old "desktop accessories"), since System 6 if not before. Since then, 
both systems have retained the terminology, presumably for backward 
mental compatibility. But I don't think anyone would argue System 6 was 
more of a "power-user/developer" system than Windows 3.0 was!

However, given the plain English meaning of "application" as "a specific 
use to which something is put", I'd prefer to confine it to things that 
people actually want to use computers for. Utilities don't fall into 
that category, for example (nobody says "I bought a computer so I could 
run GConf"), and neither do most daemons (nobody says "I bought a 
computer so I could run initd").

So, programs = applications + utilities + other obscure stuff.

-- 
Matthew Thomas
http://mpt.net.nz/