Utility Software

ALSO CALLED: Web Utilities, Utilities, System Utilities, Utility Programs, Software Utilities, and Internet Utilities
DEFINITION: In computers, a utility is a small program that provides an addition to the capabilities provided by the operating system. In some usages, a utility is a special and nonessential part of the operating system. The print "utility" that comes with the operating system is an example. It's  … 
Definition continues below.

UTILITY SOFTWARE DEFINITION (continued): …  not absolutely required to run programs and, if it didn't come with the operating system, you could perhaps add it. In other usages, a utility is an application that is very specialized and relatively limited in capability. A good example is a search-and-replace utility. Some operating systems provide a limited capability to do a search-and-replace for given character strings. You can add a much more capable search-and-replace utility that runs as an application program. … 
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