Third-party applications are programs written to run on operating systems, but they are written by people or companies other than the operating system vendor. For example, Microsoft® systems come bundled with various software applications. Of these, any program created by Microsoft is a genuine application. Any program created by a different company or individual is a third party application; the same goes for Apple™ and Linux™ systems. In this equation, the second party is the user.
As third-party applications increase the capabilities of electronic devices, most manufacturers make their electronic devices compatible with them.
Third-party applications can be stand-alone programs or small plug-ins that add functionality to an existing main program. The first category is infinite. On a typical system, third-party standalone applications include dozens upon dozens of programs. Browsers such as Opera, Safari® and Firefox®; and email clients like Thunderbird®, The Bat! and Pegasus are some examples of popular third-party standalone apps. Most antivirus programs, firewalls, multimedia programs (pretty much any program not written by Microsoft®, Apple®, or Linux, but designed to run on those systems) fall into this category.
Microsoft® and Apple® do not make the source code of their proprietary operating systems publicly available, which limits the ability of third parties to write plug-ins or add-ons.
In some cases, Windows® operating system users find it safer to use stand-alone third-party applications for tasks such as email, newsgroups, web browsing, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Microsoft® applications have traditionally been the target of the vast majority of hackers, viruses, Trojan horses, and other security threats. By using a third-party application, you theoretically decrease the degree of potential vulnerability.
A different type of third party application provides additional functionality to a main program. These types of third-party applications are called add-ons or add-ons. The existing main program can be a third party or a third party application. Examples include encryption plug-ins for email applications, media plug-ins for web browsers to watch movies or view Flash content, or plug-ins that read certain types of files, such as the Adobe® plug-in for which Acrobat® is used. PDF files.
While plugins and add-ons are available for proprietary applications, the vast majority are written for open source software. Microsoft® and Apple® do not make the source code of their proprietary operating systems publicly available, which limits the ability of third parties to write plug-ins or add-ons. Most third party applications are also proprietary and keep the source code secret from the company.
However, there are many third party applications that are open source and this category of software is growing. The Firefox® browser and the Thunderbird® email client are just two examples of popular open source third-party applications. In part, this is due to the ever-growing catalog of useful plugins and add-ons that are freely available for these programs. Genuine open source applications are rare, and Linux operating systems are the exception.
Encryption plugins for email applications are a type of third-party application.
