Apps - Windows? Android? Linux?

[imoldernu]

Am looking for a simple explanation that explains the difference between what used to be called programs, but seems to now be called generically "apps".

Tablet? Android? PC? Phone? Seems like everyone but me understand what works, where? Do the apps work separately from the operating system? Does an "XYZ" app work on a Win 10 PC as well as an Android tablet?

Yes... I know... dumb question, but everywhere I look on Google, seem to assume that everyone understands.

Thought I'd ask before I update my MS-DOS system, so I don't do the wrong thing.

 

[mpeirce]

Apps, aka applications, aka programs, are tied to a specific OS (operating system).

iOS apps run on iPhones and iPads.

Android apps run on phones and tablets that run Android OS.

MacOS apps run on Macs.

Windows apps run on windows.

Linux apps run on Linux.

Apps created for one of these OSes can't be run directly on any of the others - though often there are versions of an app for various OSes.

Enough?

 

[Aerides]

Basically, most apps are made for mobile devices (phones, tablets) and then designed to work with the operating system (Android for everything-but-apple mostly, and IOS for apple stuff). I don't think I'd use any apps on a PC, and most aren't built for it, then again I'm not a very heavy app user.

Apps are usually, by design, meant to extend to mobile to enhance/replace/port, what you do on a desktop/laptop. A lot of internet users only have a phone, so there's tremendous incentive to let users do all they can (ie, spend all they can) within the limits of a phone.

A lot of apps are very simply mobile-friendly renderings of their "parent" website. Others use the capabilities of the device to do more than just a website, ie, the Flashlight app that uses the photo flash ability that's already on your phone, to enable you to use your phone as a flashlight. Or the starbucks app, that let's you pay and order from your phone by presenting a bar code for the scanner at the register to read. Messenger apps do the same thing as instant messenger desktop programs do (did)? but then deliver the messages back and forth via SMS (a phone message transfer for texts and stuff).

But yes, when the only computing was done on a pc/mac, it was all just programs, or applications. The same way you'd have to write a program to work with Windows vs. a MAC OS, you have apps that are either apple/IOS compatible, or Android, but usually both.

Same stuff, just the cool kids say app.

 

[OldShooter]

In Olden Times there was the Operating System, System Programs, and Application Programs.

The OS was responsible for the basic stuff like handling interrupts, etc. and in more sophisticated environments it handled security privileges, etc. to keep users from messing up each other or the OS.

System Programs were standard modules for doing common dog work like printing stuff and compiling higher level languages (FORTRAN, COBOL, and heirs).

Application Programs did what the users wanted, like running an accounting system, doing scientific calculations, etc. And, actually, they were not necessarily tied to a particular operating system, especially the scientific programs.

So, nothing new here. An Application Program is now an "App." As has been said, these are usually tied to a particular operating system but as the various mobile OSs do not appear to be converging, there are software development systems that support writing apps that will, with minor customizations, run on multiple mobile operating systems. There does not seem to be enough market interest in mobile apps also running on Windows, though, so there aren't many of them that jump the gulf. Linux is almost a world of its own for reasons too complicated to discuss here.

 

[imoldernu]

Thanks for the replies... I think I'm getting a little bit closer, but still somewhat confused.
I have a few tablets, and have loaded many apps from Google Play...

At the same time, I can go to Google Play on my PC's, and download apps...some apps. Some show "Installed", but they never show up under Win10 apps. Others download, and "say" this is compatible with some of your devices. (All my devices are networked). Others, like Skype, which I had already installed from CNet, show up as "This is already installed."

It's hard for me to use my tablets or phone, because of 'hand' peripheral neuropathy, so it's a struggle to type.

Seems like the general assumption is that everyone uses "mobile" systems and no one except me seems confused about what works where.

Not such a big deal, but it seems like the term "app" was used only for mobile devices, and now it's used interchangeably for all.

A little disappointed too, that there are no new or current "apps" for my Coleco "ADAM".

 

[Hermit]

Thanks for the replies... I think I'm getting a little bit closer, but still somewhat confused.
I have a few tablets, and have loaded many apps from Google Play...

At the same time, I can go to Google Play on my PC's, and download apps...some apps. Some show "Installed", but they never show up under Win10 apps. Others download, and "say" this is compatible with some of your devices. (All my devices are networked). Others, like Skype, which I had already installed from CNet, show up as "This is already installed."

It's hard for me to use my tablets or phone, because of 'hand' peripheral neuropathy, so it's a struggle to type.

Seems like the general assumption is that everyone uses "mobile" systems and no one except me seems confused about what works where.

Not such a big deal, but it seems like the term "app" was used only for mobile devices, and now it's used interchangeably for all.

A little disappointed too, that there are no new or current "apps" for my Coleco "ADAM".

As I understand, the Coleco Adam came with SmartBasic so you can write your own apps!

 

[ERD50]

....

At the same time, I can go to Google Play on my PC's, and download apps...some apps. Some show "Installed", but they never show up under Win10 apps. Others download, and "say" this is compatible with some of your devices. ...

I think some of the confusion here may be that you can view an app for your phone/tablet on your computer, and instruct it to install on those devices, and the install will occur on that device when it has internet access (which you may have limited to WiFi). But you are not installing it on the computer (as others have aid, the app has to be written for the OS).

... It's hard for me to use my tablets or phone, because of 'hand' peripheral neuropathy, so it's a struggle to type.

Yes, and even without those issues, some things are just easier or more convenient to do on the computer. For me, it's frustrating that many useful apps are only available for the mobile devices. For example, I'd like to make a "mobile deposit" of a check from my computer. It has a camera, and a large, easy to use keyboard and screen. But for that, you need to use their 'app' - mobile devices only. Many other examples.

-ERD50

 

[donheff]

I have to admit I find apps a bit confusing on Windows 10. The underlying core is as others have pointed out - apps, applications, programs are all synonyms and these "apps" run on particular operating systems. For phone and tablets this all works fine since you just go to the OS appropriate "store" and download the apps you want to use. As near as I can figure it out there is only one confusing factor - apps for phones and tablets tend to use a different user design paradigm than applications for PCs, particularly Windows PCs. So when you mix them up on a PC, confusion reigns. Apps typically have less menu features and can't be exited with file>exit or a little red X in the upper right corner. Windows tried to bring the "app" design of its phones into it's desktop design with mixed results. Now you have regular Windows 10 desktop apps (which old timers like me like) with standard menus but you also have a bunch of desktop "apps" designed to look and act like phone apps that people like me hate. I have managed to banish them from my desktop but I get lost in the mess when I try to help someone else sort things out when they have lots of them running.

Edit: forgot to add that I believe one of the features of mobile apps is that some portion of them keeps running in background so they can easily be brought forward when needed and so some of them can update and or post alerts from background. Windows incorporates some of these features in its Win 10 "apps." But some of us old timers are obsessed with clearing unneeded processes out of memory on PCs. Even on my iPhone I frequently swipe them up to clear them from memory although I believe that is unnecessary and may even be counterproductive.

 

[JoeWras]

This is why I'm retiring soon. I'm serious. People have said, "You'll know when to go." Well, this obsession with making everything for mobile is one of the reasons I'm going to go.

Nothing like a well designed full feature program that runs on a PC or dense website. Now, everything is in a Playskool font, with little information and hidden gestures needed to get anywhere. So, yeah, I'm with you guys.

Time to go.

 

[CoolChange]

What Was Old is New Again

This is why I'm retiring soon. I'm serious. People have said, "You'll know when to go." Well, this obsession with making everything for mobile is one of the reasons I'm going to go.

Nothing like a well designed full feature program that runs on a PC or dense website. Now, everything is in a Playskool font, with little information and hidden gestures needed to get anywhere. So, yeah, I'm with you guys.

Time to go.

Ditto on all counts.

Of course, in 10 years we will likely be able to find work again when people get tired of this particular paradigm.

When I started my career, I was doing nothing but cloud computing: Everything ran on the corporate cloud environment of IBM big iron, DASD, tape backup, etc.

 

[jim584672]

These days "apps" are not OS specific a lot of the time. In the old days Windows executables where .exe files that only ran on Windows. But now many apps are web based, for example Office 365. It can run in any OS because it is browser based.

Some Android based apps can only run on a smart phone. Many will run in the Chrome browser on your computer. So the lines are being fuzzed on what runs where.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Apps are programs.

But generally speaking, an app is delivered via an particular app market, installed via a press or click, and is sandboxed from the rest of the system. (Kind of like how a website can't browse your hard drive or install programs maliciously...supposedly. But actually iOS, Android and [-]Metro[/-] Modern UI are more secure than browsers last I checked.)

Market is the key feature here. Apple started the whole thing, and others followed. Even Microsoft tried jamming an app market into Windows because the market owners get a cut of any app sales via the market. Those $0.99 apps probably send a quarter to a third of that to the marketplace, and the rest goes to the publisher.

However, it can and does get more complex than that. But that's the basic idea and most common use of the term.

Edit: Also, market-based apps tend to store data in the cloud or otherwise on the Internet so you get the same data/experience on multiple devices.

Edit 2: iOS (Apple), Android and Windows Modern UI are three (or four or five, depending on Windows device/version) different platforms. Publishers often strive to have them work the same on iOS and Android. Windows app market is small enough that most publishers don't bother, I think, and the ones that do seem to have a different experience on Windows app platforms (Windows phone, Windows tablet, and Windows 8&10 [-]Metro[/-] Modern UI).

Edit 3: Modern web technologies make a lot of apps superfluous, though, and I strongly suspect a lot of "apps" are simply website wrappers, anyway.

 

[GrayHare]

Nothing like a well designed full feature program that runs on a PC or dense website. Now, everything is in a Playskool font, with little information and hidden gestures needed to get anywhere. So, yeah, I'm with you guys.

Apps are a return to '80s style microcomputing. This will cycle to "revolutionary" apps with user-friendly interfaces, followed by apps with menus and help systems. What's old will be new again.

 

[kcowan]

and don't forget the rich App library that Google has for their Chrome browser.

 

[Sojourner]

and don't forget the rich App library that Google has for their Chrome browser.

I believe you're referring to Chrome "extensions", which are little packages of code that enhance or extend Chrome's built-in functionality. For example, I use a Chrome extension called "Good News" that removes certain news stories from Google News based on keywords I select. That way, I never have a see a news item about Kim Kardashian or any of her ilk.

 

[kcowan]

Yes to me they cover a span that merits the term App. Although some are browser utilities. Eliminating Kim certainly qualifies as a valuable addition!

Sample Chrome Extensions

 

[jim584672]

Thought this was interesting...

More Than Half of Chromebooks Now Support Android Apps and Google Play Store
http://news.softpedia.com/news/more...droid-apps-and-google-play-store-518566.shtml

 

[GravitySucks]

Interesting thread.
Personally, I always used the word App as short for Application Program