System or Program - Make your own choice

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System and program are terms that can mean so many different things depending upon the situation being discussed and as a consequence are often used to mean the same thing.  It's all very confusing!  Hence discussing them in the same topic.

One definition of a system is that it is a group of computer programs that are grouped together to perform a particular task.  Another term for this definition may be an application.  The Aspect Property Manager could be interchangeably be termed a system, an application, or a program.

System is also used as a term to mean just the application software, or just the hardware, or both software and hardware grouped together.  For example, when you're installing a new computer you may say you're installing a new system.  When you back-up your system you certainly don't "copy" your hardware.  Still confused?  I'm sure I am!!

The main point is that system can mean all sorts of things and "program" has suffered the same way.  When you install some new software application it is often referred to as a "program", singular.  Whereas virtually all programs consist of a series of small bits of program code, often called modules or each of which contribute only a piece of the entire code that is needed to complete the total task.  Thus, "program", is used interchangeably to mean either one program, or several programs together, which perform some function(s), or even, goddammit, a entire system.  

The Aspect Property Manager may be called a "program".  More correctly it is a system consisting of several subsystems.  The transaction entry "program", really a subsystem, actually consists of a number of small "programs" linked together.  Subsequently you will need to interpret the appropriate meaning within these help topics according to the context it is used, just as you do with the English word "set" which currently has 464 different meanings, or was that 465 or 466, or.....