this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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[–] SculptusPoe@lemmy.world 61 points 5 days ago (8 children)

I fought hard against that for years. I still only use 'app' for phone programs, but I stopped correcting people every time they used the term for anything else. It isn't technically wrong, but it grates on my nerves for some reason.

[–] GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Windows is the first thing I can think of that used the word "application" in that way, I think even back before Windows could be considered an OS (and had a dependency on MS-DOS). Back then, the Windows API referred to the Application Programming Interface.

Here's a Windows 3.1 programming guide from 1992 that freely refers to programs as applications:

Common dialog boxes make it easier for you to develop applications for the Microsoft Windows operating system. A common dialog box is a dialog box that an application displays by calling a single function rather than by creating a dialog box procedure and a resource file containing a dialog box template.

[–] SculptusPoe@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

I don't have a single problem with the word "application"

[–] Gismonda@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Goddamn …. That is a thing of horrific beauty. I saved it immediately.

(I’m a technical writer so it should be fun to go through this ancient tome)

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago

to develop applications for the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Could they have meat "uses for the MS..."?

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