You're not seriously comparing research mathematics with software development, are you? You think you're expanding the breadth of human knowledge with your CSS tweaks of the shopping cart implementation? Give me a break.
It's not less research mathematics than bathroom remodeling, that's for sure. I never tweaked any CSS, did you?
> applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics. It's research. Someone studying solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations is doing applied mathematics. An accountant uses mathematics, but their work isn't "applied mathematics" any more than a plumber is an "applied physicist", or a veterinarian is an "applied biologist".