4 ms·

Similar to the question when did 'app' replace 'program'.

by djmips 4y ago

richardjam73 4y ago
app which is short for application is actually an old term from at least the 1970's. I believe the usage may come from a computer program that is applied to specific problem. You get the term computer application and program application with the latter eventually evolving to just application. For example in Byte January 1977 "What if you just wrote a nifty new program that runs in 16 K but your system only has 8 K to spare? Do you buy another 8 K before you run this? Ofcourse not. You logically break the program into smaller pieces, which are stored in a direct access device. When your application comes to need a program segment which is not in main memory, it goes out to the direct access storage device and loads the needed segment. Since the maximum delay of an inexpensive floppy unit is about 0.75 second and it has a data rate of 250 K bytes per second, there will be little pause before the program is again executing. Further, most of the delay is from arm positioning motions, so if all the data and program segments are on adjacent tracks the delay will typically average less than 1/30 of a second. Even ifa person is waiting for the results, a large amount of such swapping can go on before the wait gets excessive."
dogleash 4y ago
https://i.imgur.com/wfrkITJ.png https://i.imgur.com/wfrkITJ.png
yakubin 4y ago
They are not synonyms. Kernels, firmware, drivers, boot loaders are all programs, but they aren’t apps.
djmips 4y ago
Maybe we are appers and not programmers.
- Viliam1234 4y ago
  app apes, not code monkeys
decremental 4y ago
I didn't think it had. App is more specific and almost always used only when talking about programs intended for mobile devices. I haven't come across people using it to describe desktop software (these days). I like app better and I'm on board with a switch. Back in the warez days programs were called appz for applications so there's history there.
- forgotpwd16 4y ago
  Apps is commonly used to describe desktop software nowadays. From Windows (https://apps.microsoft.com/store/apps https://apps.microsoft.com/store/apps, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-apps https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-...) to Linux (https://apps.gnome.org/ https://apps.gnome.org/, https://apps.kde.org/ https://apps.kde.org/, https://flatpak.org/ https://flatpak.org/).
  - decremental 4y ago
    Well, guess I'm out of touch. On the bright side I can start using "apps" now.
    - ThunderSizzle 4y ago
      You were correct for about 2-4 years of the smart phone revolution though. I think we all became lazy and and replaced "application/program/software" with app since everyone knew/used app to describe everything on their phone. I began following that trend when I realized most desktop apps are just blown up smartphone apps and former shells of more useful older programs.

Similar to the question when did 'app' replace 'program'.

by djmips 4y ago

Similar to the question when did 'app' replace 'program'.

app which is short for application is actually an old term from at least the 1970's. I believe the usage may come from a computer program that is applied to specific problem. You get the term computer application and program application with the latter eventually evolving to just application. For example in Byte January 1977 "What if you just wrote a nifty new program that runs in 16 K but your system only has 8 K to spare? Do you buy another 8 K before you run this? Ofcourse not. You logically break the program into smaller pieces, which are stored in a direct access device. When your application comes to need a program segment which is not in main memory, it goes out to the direct access storage device and loads the needed segment. Since the maximum delay of an inexpensive floppy unit is about 0.75 second and it has a data rate of 250 K bytes per second, there will be little pause before the program is again executing. Further, most of the delay is from arm positioning motions, so if all the data and program segments are on adjacent tracks the delay will typically average less than 1/30 of a second. Even ifa person is waiting for the results, a large amount of such swapping can go on before the wait gets excessive."

dogleash 4y ago

https://i.imgur.com/wfrkITJ.png https://i.imgur.com/wfrkITJ.png

yakubin 4y ago

They are not synonyms. Kernels, firmware, drivers, boot loaders are all programs, but they aren’t apps.

djmips 4y ago

Maybe we are appers and not programmers.

Viliam1234 4y ago
app apes, not code monkeys

decremental 4y ago

I didn't think it had. App is more specific and almost always used only when talking about programs intended for mobile devices. I haven't come across people using it to describe desktop software (these days). I like app better and I'm on board with a switch. Back in the warez days programs were called appz for applications so there's history there.

forgotpwd16 4y ago
Apps is commonly used to describe desktop software nowadays. From Windows (https://apps.microsoft.com/store/apps https://apps.microsoft.com/store/apps, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-apps https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-...) to Linux (https://apps.gnome.org/ https://apps.gnome.org/, https://apps.kde.org/ https://apps.kde.org/, https://flatpak.org/ https://flatpak.org/).
- decremental 4y ago
  Well, guess I'm out of touch. On the bright side I can start using "apps" now.
  - ThunderSizzle 4y ago
    You were correct for about 2-4 years of the smart phone revolution though. I think we all became lazy and and replaced "application/program/software" with app since everyone knew/used app to describe everything on their phone. I began following that trend when I realized most desktop apps are just blown up smartphone apps and former shells of more useful older programs.