+- QB64 Phoenix Edition (https://qb64phoenix.com/forum)
+-- Forum: Chatting and Socializing (https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=11)
+--- Forum: General Discussion (https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=2)
+--- Thread: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program (/showthread.php?tid=4153)
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - bplus - 01-15-2026
Quote:The difference mainly concerns the purpose and scope. A program is software designed to perform a task, and that can be almost anything, from games, word processors, browsers, etc. A utility is a type of program, but it is usually smaller and more focused on maintenance, management, or system support rather than a primary user task. Tools such as disk cleanup tools, antivirus software, backup tools, or file compressors are considered utilities. So basically, all utilities are programs, but not all programs are utilities. The line can sometimes be a bit blurry, but utilities are generally there to help the system run better or stay organized.
Yep! That was my understanding until I see what folks are posting in Programs. It's not wrong because a utility is a program sure, it's just not more accurately posted under utility.
I can be pedantic too!
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - mdijkens - 01-15-2026
I'd much rather see a different forum for reusable functions/procedures/snippets.
They tend not to provide a finished 'product' but some code you might want to reuse in your own programs/utilities.
Just recently I grabbed the datepicker function from here to put it in my 'library' for whenever I need the user to select a valid date.
I've also got a lot of reusable functions for date/time calculations, file/disk handling, serial comms, keyboard/mouse, string/number handling, etc.
Worthless on it's own, but very powerfull in a program that needs it
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - bplus - 01-15-2026
Quote:I'd much rather see a different forum for reusable functions/procedures/snippets.
Maybe different Boards for those reusable things but a whole different forum? maybe you miss-wrote?
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - mdijkens - 01-15-2026
(01-15-2026, 05:20 PM)bplus Wrote:Yep, miswroteQuote:I'd much rather see a different forum for reusable functions/procedures/snippets.
Maybe different Boards for those reusable things but a whole different forum? maybe you miss-wrote?
A separate board will do
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - Unseen Machine - 01-15-2026
My view,
You UTILISE a utility to make your program. Anything you use to make your final product is by definition a utility. Such as radiant(the quake level design tool). Its a fully fledged program but without the Quake program its useless in its own right. Same for InForm its a program that you UTILISE to make another program.
Things that you incorporate into the final program though, they are functions. (And these should be in the Libraries section)
Me
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - Pete - 01-15-2026
I agree with John, except we need to change that awful "One Hit Wonders" name in the Libraries (Expanding Horizons) forum. My stuff gets a lot more than just one hit, so I won't post there!
Pete
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - Unseen Machine - 01-16-2026
Yes but,
I think that combining all the Windows API stuff in one place would be useful too but as multiple people have contributed various things and no one uses a standard naming convention or matching type declarations so taking all the things and unifying them would be a mission but one by one we/someone! could defo pull it off....
On the same idea, a agreed on, documented etc... set of UDTS and basic functions for 3D/Math/etc....would also make any libs built on this base compatible so they all theoretically work together and as such we can build extended libraries for qb64...
This way we work as a team, everyone would understand it as they helped build it/document it...and A physx lib would sync with a model or sprite, GUI's are built with ease and QB64 grows evermore powerful!
Unseen
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - SMcNeill - 01-16-2026
(01-16-2026, 02:08 AM)Unseen Machine Wrote: Yes but,
I think that combining all the Windows API stuff in one place would be useful too but as multiple people have contributed various things and no one uses a standard naming convention or matching type declarations so taking all the things and unifying them would be a mission but one by one we/someone! could defo pull it off....
On the same idea, a agreed on, documented etc... set of UDTS and basic functions for 3D/Math/etc....would also make any libs built on this base compatible so they all theoretically work together and as such we can build extended libraries for qb64...
This way we work as a team, everyone would understand it as they helped build it/document it...and A physx lib would sync with a model or sprite, GUI's are built with ease and QB64 grows evermore powerful!
Unseen
There's a page dedicated to Windows API stuff in the wiki. It'd be the best place to put stuff and just keep adding to it as time goes on.
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - Unseen Machine - 01-16-2026
(01-16-2026, 02:24 AM)SMcNeill Wrote:But do all the features use the same naming convention and UDTS? If not, in my view they should do...this way everything works together.(01-16-2026, 02:08 AM)Unseen Machine Wrote: Yes but,
I think that combining all the Windows API stuff in one place would be useful too but as multiple people have contributed various things and no one uses a standard naming convention or matching type declarations so taking all the things and unifying them would be a mission but one by one we/someone! could defo pull it off....
On the same idea, a agreed on, documented etc... set of UDTS and basic functions for 3D/Math/etc....would also make any libs built on this base compatible so they all theoretically work together and as such we can build extended libraries for qb64...
This way we work as a team, everyone would understand it as they helped build it/document it...and A physx lib would sync with a model or sprite, GUI's are built with ease and QB64 grows evermore powerful!
Unseen
There's a page dedicated to Windows API stuff in the wiki. It'd be the best place to put stuff and just keep adding to it as time goes on.
Me
RE: Whats the difference between a Utility and a Program - euklides - 01-18-2026
I program often in MSO Excel Visual Basic.
A very simple function is difficult to program in VB for Excel: placing information (a filename, for example) into the clipboard !
So I wrote a small utility in QB64pe using the "Command$" and "_clipboard$" functions.
It's much easy than the convoluted commands required in Excel to do the same thing...
This is a utility.