Preferences.app is, functionally, a clone of NeXTstep/OPENSTEP tool of the same name. Just like the original program, it's a simple application for setting preferences for the GNUstep system, with a friendly interface. The program is simple, but powerful -- people can create new modules, called "bundles", that add new things to the program that its original developers did not think of or even intend -- that don't require recompiling the main program.