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The tag wiki excerpt states:

Services are processes running regardless of users logging in. They provide access and features to different programs or processes

The terminology is clearly Windows only, the Unix equivalent is called daemons.

There's a different kind of Service on OS X though, the kind referred to in the questions tagged osx+services and some of those tagged services+mac. These are commands available in certain or all programs that may receive some type of input, like selected files or text, and can produce output. This website shows a few examples.

They can be provided by the OS, applications, or created by users using . Quite a few questions on Super User are about these.

Do we need to broaden the scope on the tag wiki?

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  • As proposed here I answered my own question. Please voice agreement or disagreement with the proposal stated in my answer by voting on the answer below (it's free on child Metas).
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Jan 11, 2012 at 21:35

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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I propose the following change to the tag wiki excerpt, along with a similar change to the tag wiki, splitting it in a Windows and a Mac OS X section:

On Windows, services are processes running regardless of users logging in. They provide access and features to different programs or processes. On Mac OS X, services are menu bar and context menu items available from any application that can act on a user's selection, like text or files.

This broadens the scope of the tag wiki description, makes it clear that the previous explanation only applies to Windows, and means that the current use of the tag in combination with osx can actually make sense.

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  • 1
    Why not add it? You're a trusted user ;)
    – slhck
    Commented Jan 12, 2012 at 9:43
  • @slhck Trusted to not break things. I'm not exactly impartial here.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Jan 12, 2012 at 9:55
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I think we should separate them to (or ) and . They have nothing in common with each other, so it would be confusing to have a tag that applies to two unrelated things.

See What’s up with the volume tag? for a similar case.

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    What tag names do you suggest we use instead? Both concepts are called "services". There is no way to separate them that will work for users unaware of the issue.
    – Daniel Beck Mod
    Commented Jan 12, 2012 at 18:57
  • I have not been here long enough to Know but: when choosing a Tag for a question, it is sometimes done by Typing the first few letters, and picking approprite tag. A Possible solution to both the media and the services one , is the things Added to the END. Services-Mac Services-MS . Media-File Media-Player. If a person happens to spot the better defining tag , then it will be used? Wheras things added to the beginning Mac-Services MS-services would not be seen selected??? Encouraing the user by default to find the right tag by sheer accident :-)
    – Psycogeek
    Commented Jan 15, 2012 at 13:56
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    Windows Services does certannly come up when typing in serv. .., I am thinking more along the train of thought. Person types Serv.... than finds items that exist in the same direction as they were headed Serv. . ices windows. No Tag comes up for Services Apple mac, when doing the same thing.
    – Psycogeek
    Commented Jan 15, 2012 at 14:12

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