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something a computer-shy friend asked me once, which this article could address: "what is the difference between a program and an application?" After all, the Windows Start menu says "Programs", with "Applications" as a subfolder.
I was just wondering the same thing, this is why I looked it up in Wikipedia. I'd propose the following difference:
An application is something that is accessed to serve it's purpose.
A program is a file on a computer, that is launched to serve it's purpose.
Wikis and search engines would be two different applications accessed through one program, the web browser. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.81.215.61 (talk) 19:43, 30 November 2003
In general application and program mean the same thing. Some view one as a part of the other, and some view it the other way around.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.134.9.1 (talk) 22:11, 31 March 2004
The 'in general' definition is unintelligible. Ground 17:35, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC)
"Application" as used above is short for "application program" as opposed to what is called "program" above, namely a "utility program".
The biggest weakness of the utility/application dichotomy may be that it's not much more a dichotomy than parent/child is: the ultimate utility is an assembler for a computer that you wouldn't take if it were free, bcz that outmoded computer's assembler was the utility whose great-great-ever-so-great-grand-application is an operating system and maybe a compiler that were used (or you use) to create and run your applications software.
If we were creating a dict instead of a 'pedia, we'd need to cover the true "application", as opposed to just the application software: not a program at all, but what an application program exists to do. The most common application is probably the printing of checks & W-4 forms, plus the implementation of electronic transfer of funds. Wikipedia and Google are utilities, really, that support the application of getting you thru your course work, or laid, or high ... well, hopefully all three. I doubt it's worth trying to write an article on "application" in that true sense -- unless it's really a small section of an article on systems analysis.
That's why application rather than application (disambiguation) is the Dab page: we don't need any article for which "application" is really the best title. --Jerzy•t 05:58, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
