Application is the composite. A program can be a composite, but can also be just a piece.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft Hires Linguist to Oppose Apple's 'App Store' Trademark
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Application is the composite. A program can be a composite, but can also be just a piece.
They COULD. But the question is really "Why would they HAVE to?" And if Apple keeps the App Store trademark, they would HAVE to.
Short Memories
Was the word "app" used for "application" in the general public before the iPhone existed? I suspect not.
Was the word "app" used for "application" in the general public before the iPhone existed? I suspect not.
They are not disputing the term because they want to use it. They are disputing the term cause they want to lash out at Apple. It's the pathetic way Microsoft works. They cannot handle seeing Apple dominate in any market. First they try to release their OWN product in the area Apple has gained dominance (Apple create iPod, dominate the portable media market. Microsoft release Zune. Apple create iPhone, iOS, then other iOS devices and dominate the Mobile platform. Microsoft launch Windows Phone 7.) then, if unsuccessful, they attack Apple directly. This is all that's happening in this case. Microsoft have failed to achieve dominance with Windows Phone 7 and so are lashing out at Apple.
Totally pathetic and childish. I have lost all and any respect for Microsucks.
Totally pathetic and childish. I have lost all and any respect for Microsucks.
I'm a very biased and pig headed Microsoft hater (comes with the territory of being an open source geek). I discriminate against Microsoft products based simply on principal, no matter how good/bad they are.
From the extension list in the manual "NeXTstep Concepts" © 1990, Chapter 2: The NeXT User Interface, page 2-36 the extension 'app' is listed as "A directory containing an executable file".
And from what I can remember of my working on a NeXT Workstation at the University of Washington Computer Labs in 1988 applications two years earlier also had the extension 'app' as well.
So, since the the first commercial offerings from NeXT the extension 'app' was synonymous with an executable Application.
With the purchase of NeXT by Apple Computer in December 1996 Apple acquired rights to the extension 'app'. Thus it seems reasonable (to me at least) that Apple owns the word as it relates to their platform and should be able to register an 'App' Store in order to market applications for their platforms.
Because before Apple no one used the term App Store. App Store was not a generic term used like grocery store or corner store. Would Microsoft even want to describe their market as an app store if Apple did not make it a brand name? Simply Apple did not take a generic term and trademark it. They took a term no one used and created a brand.
Citation required.. So far the only reference anyone has shown is by a company owned by apple, and the it was as a file extension.
Note also that App is not only the first three letters of Application, but also of Apple..
Market is just a nice word they used as a trademark. A market is a sum of "stores" or kiosks of individual vendors. Microsoft is a lone vendor, hence their "MarketPlace" is a store.
Just like "The Gap" isn't just a 2 panels that aren't properly aligned, they are a store, "Marketplace" is not an actual "Market" or "Marketplace", it's a store. One that sells Applications, which people shorten to App.
You see where I'm going here right ?
Your conclusion assumes NeXT invented the term Application and its shortened form App. They did not, I'm sorry to say.
I agree with most of your response. I definitely agree it defeats my argument.
I think Application and Program are not exact interchangeable. Application would be something that interacts with a human, a program may, or may not. Either way, I agree the argument is not sound.
Market is just a nice word they used as a trademark. A market is a sum of "stores" or kiosks of individual vendors. Microsoft is a lone vendor, hence their "MarketPlace" is a store.
Just like "The Gap" isn't just a 2 panels that aren't properly aligned, they are a store, "Marketplace" is not an actual "Market" or "Marketplace", it's a store. One that sells Applications, which people shorten to App.
You see where I'm going here right ?
Microsoft could be the market while developers are the actual vendors much like vendors at a farmers market. Seems to me that is why they used the word market. Many developers coming together to sell their goods in one market.
A distinction I'm willing to accept. Don't know how universal it is or not, nor does it really matter to the argument at hand.
They could, but they aren't. Same with Apple's App Store. Same as The Gap isn't a clothing manufacturer, they just buy from overseas and resell in their store. Apple and Microsoft simply sell the wares of developers. They are very much a store, they process payment, they process exchanges, they approve what is and isn't allowed on the "shelves", etc...
In a market, individual vendors are responsible for all these things (payment, exchanges, shelf inventory). If Microsoft's "Marketplace" forced each dev to set up their own payment processing/exchange processing and only had approvals of individual devs rather than individual apps, you'd have a point.
As it stands, you don't. Microsoft's Marketplace is an App Store, just like Apple's App Store is an App Store.
Looong before iPhone. I bought apps for PalmOS and Windows Mobile since the late 1990's. Places like Hardmark.com and Pocketgear.com sold apps for PalmOS and PocketPC long before the iPhone was a glint in Little Stevie's eye.
At least in the PC world:
2005: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-k...or-real-estate
2004: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1599324,00.asp
2003: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1191830,00.asp
All I know is apple needs to change their itunes store app name. New iphone users gravitate to the "itunes" app to play their music not realizing the ipod app is the player.
Looking for who coined the term is useless here. As pointed out previously by others, the case is about trademarking the term "App Store," not whether or not the term "App" by itself. I personally believe the term "App" is interchangeable with "Application" and as a SW developer for many years, would not try to make a case that Apple coined the term. That said, I think the term "App Store" is very much associated with Apple's implementation of a SW application market and probably deserves the trademark.
No, I'm saying that executables on the NeXT platform have alway been called 'app', and owned the extension 'app', well before anyone else.
To the best of my knowledge the extension 'app' has been solely used by NeXT/Apple.
To the best of my knowledge the extension 'app' has been solely used by NeXT/Apple.
Your Wikipedia article was created after Apples App store. At best it is irrelevant.
its like saying "pro store" an abbreviation of program and then store added to it, if that is too generic then i see where they are coming from. but the term app wasn't really known to many (well at least the general public) until apple came out with the app store. so its not there fault it became a term because of the gained popularity of the abbreviation of the word application, witch by the way was there doing. new words are put in the dictionary every day, if i make one up, trademark it, then becomes popular then put in a dictionary im the wrong one (stupid example but you get the idea). i hope apple wins this one, not only because im an apple fan but this is my non bias view as well.
Yep.
Grocery is generic, and you don't see anyone suing over grocery store??
You also have to take the context. Half life in a scientific setting is very generic. Half Life is the video game realm is not generic at all.
Well, technically the names are "Microsoft Windows" and "Microsoft Office". However, Microsoft did in the past send "cease and desist letters" to other users of the word "windows" in a similar context, including the X Consortium (for X Windows).