utility software
(tool)(Or utility program, tool) Any software that performs
some specific task that is secondary to the main purpose of
using the computer (the latter would be called application programs) but is not essential to the operation of the
computer (system software).
Many utilities could be considered as part of the system software, which can in turn be considered part of the operating system.
The following are some broad categories of utility software, specific types and examples.
* Disks
disk formatter: FDISK, format
defragmenter
disk checker: fsck
disk cleaner
system profiler
backup
file system compression
* Files and directories
list directory: ls, dir
copy, move, remove: cp, mv, rm, xcopy
archive: tar
compression: zip
format conversion: atob
comparison: diff
sort: sort
* Security
authentication: login
antivirus software: avast, Norton Antivirus
firewall: Zone Alarm, Windows firewall
encryption: gpg)
* Editors for general-purpose formats (as opposed to specific formats like a word processing document)
text editor: Emacs
binary editor, hex editor
* Communications
mail transfer agent: sendmail
e-mail notification: biff
file transfer: ftp, rcp, Firefox
file synchronisation: unison, briefcase
chat: Gaim, cu
directory services: bind, nslookup, whois
network diagnosis: ping, traceroute
remote access: rlogin, ssh
* Software development
compiler: gcc
build: make, ant
codewalker
preprocessor: cpp
debugger: adb, gdb
installation: apt-get, msiexec, patch
compiler compiler: yacc
* Hardware
device configuration: PCU, devman, stty
Many utilities could be considered as part of the system software, which can in turn be considered part of the operating system.
The following are some broad categories of utility software, specific types and examples.
* Disks
disk formatter: FDISK, format
defragmenter
disk checker: fsck
disk cleaner
system profiler
backup
file system compression
* Files and directories
list directory: ls, dir
copy, move, remove: cp, mv, rm, xcopy
archive: tar
compression: zip
format conversion: atob
comparison: diff
sort: sort
* Security
authentication: login
antivirus software: avast, Norton Antivirus
firewall: Zone Alarm, Windows firewall
encryption: gpg)
* Editors for general-purpose formats (as opposed to specific formats like a word processing document)
text editor: Emacs
binary editor, hex editor
* Communications
mail transfer agent: sendmail
e-mail notification: biff
file transfer: ftp, rcp, Firefox
file synchronisation: unison, briefcase
chat: Gaim, cu
directory services: bind, nslookup, whois
network diagnosis: ping, traceroute
remote access: rlogin, ssh
* Software development
compiler: gcc
build: make, ant
codewalker
preprocessor: cpp
debugger: adb, gdb
installation: apt-get, msiexec, patch
compiler compiler: yacc
* Hardware
device configuration: PCU, devman, stty
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
utility program
Software that plays a supporting role for users and developers. Basic utility programs include file/folder management (copy, move, etc.), file search and compare, disk format and partition, as well as diagnostic routines to check performance and the health of the hardware. See tool.Custom Utilities
Utilities that support a development environment can perform myriad tasks. For example, at the end of each update cycle of this encyclopedia, custom-programmed utilities are run that make sure all links to pictures and other definitions are valid.
 |
| Mac Utilities |
|---|
| These are some of the utility programs that came with a Mac Pro in 2014. For example, Grab is a screen capture tool; Migration Assistant copies files to a different computer, and Activity Monitor.app is a task manager. |
Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.