Options, Settings, Properties, Configuration, Preferences — when and why?

Question

There are several words with similar (in some sense) meaning:

Options, Settings, Properties, Configuration, Preferences

English is n

Answer 1

Apart from Properties (which usually applies to a document or object inside a document, except when it doesn't), they're pretty much all the same. No-one agrees which terminology is best.

For example for program config, Apple style is ‘Preferences’ in the application menu, GNOME style is ‘Preferences’ on the ‘Edit’ menu. KDE style is a whole ‘Settings’ menu of its own. Windows style was ‘Options’ on the ‘Tools’ menu, though all bets are off now as more MS apps drop the menu bar and throw the old predictable controls all over the place with no consistent pettern.

RISC OS style was ‘Choices’ on the icon bar menu, just to add yet another pointless possibility.