Hello everyone!
I am confused about whether the thing that I am programming is a program or an application. The GPL license is using the term “program”, but I’m not sure then when would something be an application.
I am writing this GUI thing using Python and wxPython. So what would you say I am writing? A program or an application?
I always thought GUI-less things are programs and GUI things are applications. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
AFAIK A program is a sequence of instructions that performs some task so
something with a GUI will be a program but so will the embedded code in
your video player or engine management system while an application will
be something that is directly used by the operator so will have some
sort of UI be it graphical or otherwise.
Of course a lot of utility and driver software that would normally be
programs but not applications will also have some sort of user
interface, (even your Engine Management System have user inputs and
outputs, (the throttle is a user input and the warning light is a user
output), so have a UI and some, many drivers for example, have GUIs -
like your graphics card, so the distinction is a little blurred 
Common usage seems to be that an Application is a program, or a suite of
programs, that the operator uses to perform some task that would
otherwise be performed without the computer rather than just managing
the computer and it's systems - so Word is an application - without it
the document would still be produced be it with a typewriter or pen &
paper but WinGrep or WinZip are usually referred to as either programs
or utilities rather than applications - without the computer there would
be no point to having them.
Of course I am sure that there are a lot of others who will disagree
with me on the above either in principle or detail.
Next we can get into the distinction between a software designer,
software author, programmer, system programmer, application programmer,
software engineer, etc. that should cause some tempers to be lost.
Gadget/Steve
On 28/06/2012 11:59 AM, Boštjan Mejak wrote:
Hello everyone!
I am confused about whether the thing that I am programming is a
program or an application. The GPL license is using the term
"program", but I'm not sure then when would something be an application.I am writing this GUI thing using Python and wxPython. So what would
you say I am writing? A program or an application?I always thought GUI-less things are programs and GUI things are
applications. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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Bo�tjan Mejak wrote:
I am confused about whether the thing that I am programmingis a program or an application. The GPL license is using the
term “program”, but I’m not sure then when would something be an
application.
I am writing this GUI thing using Python and wxPython. Sowhat would you say I am writing? A program or an application?
I always thought GUI-less things are programs and GUI thingsare applications. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
You are wrong.� The two words are synonyms.� There is no
difference.� What you are writing is both a program and an
application.
There might be specific problem domains that assign specific
meanings, but I’ve never heard the GUI vs non-GUI distinction that
you’ve made here.