I wonder what synonyms there are for 'computer program.' Does 'application' coun...

lomnakkus · on July 14, 2017

> I wonder what synonyms there are for 'computer program.' Does 'application' count?

"Application" definitely counts, but for some inscrutable reason I associate that with GUI-only programs.

> Are there any synonyms for 'pedantry' that you can think of?

"dogmatism", "purism", "literalism"... but maybe I'm being too literal, puritanical, or dogmatic. :)

will_pseudonym · on July 15, 2017

I think all of your examples fit perfectly haha :)

jccc · on July 14, 2017

There are vast numbers of programs that run without a UI for people to use.

There are also vast numbers of programs designed for action entertainment.

Then there are programs like spreadsheets and word processors that are "applications" -- programs with a humane UI, purely for end users, designed mainly to be employed for some other specific productive purpose rather than to be used in themselves.

It is true that we now have the more generic "app" thanks to the iPhone,[1] but I think at this point the word is only a little more established in the language than "on fleek."

But even when that changes, it won't mean that when grown-ups observe the history and meaning of words as they are actually used they are engaging in "pedantry."

[1] (Yes, I know there are examples of prior usage of "app" from long before 2007. I'm talking about widespread, mainstream language, not your technical chats with RMS when you were a comp sci grad student in the 1970s.)