[W/K] :: application program

  application program
       n : a program that gives a computer instructions that provide
           the user with tools to accomplish a task; "he has tried
           several different word processing applications" [syn: application,
            applications programme]

  application program
       
           (Or "application", "app") A
          complete, self-contained program that performs a specific
          function directly for the user.  This is in contrast to system
          software such as the operating system kernel, server
          processes and libraries which exists to support application
          programs.
       
          Editors for various kinds of documents, spreadsheets, and
          text formatters are common examples of applications.  Network
          applications include clients such as those for FTP,
          electronic mail, telnet and WWW.
       
          The term is used fairly loosely, for instance, some might say
          that a client and server together form a distributed
          application, others might argue that editors and compilers
          were not applications but tools for building applications.
       
          One distinction between an application program and the
          operating system is that applications always run in "user
          mode" (or "non-privileged mode"), while operating systems and
          related utilities may run in "supervisor mode" (or "privileged
          mode").
       
          The term may also be used to distinguish programs which
          communicate via a graphical user interface from those which
          are executed from the command line.
       
          (1994-11-28)