A family ofcomputer models is said to becompatible if certainsoftware that runs on one of the models can also be run on all other models of the family. The computer models may differ inperformance,reliability or some other characteristic. These differences may affect the outcome of the running of the software.
Software compatibility can refer to the compatibility that a particular software has running on a particularCPU architecture such as Intel orPowerPC.[1] Software compatibility can also refer to ability for the software to run on a particularoperating system. Very rarely is acompiled software compatible with multiple different CPU architectures. Normally, an application is compiled for different CPU architectures and operating systems to allow it to be compatible with the different system.Interpreted software, on the other hand, can normally run on many different CPU architectures and operating systems if the interpreter is available for the architecture or operating system.Software incompatibility occurs many times for new software released for a newer version of an operating system which is incompatible with the older version of the operating system because it may miss some of the features and functionality that the software depends on.
Hardware compatibility can refer to the compatibility of computer hardware components with a particularCPU architecture, bus,motherboard oroperating system.[1] Hardware that is compatible may not always run at its highest stated performance, but it can nevertheless work withlegacy components. An example isRAM chips, some of which can run at a lower (or sometimes higher)clock rate than rated.[2] Hardware that was designed for one operating system may not work for another, if device or kernel drivers are unavailable. As an example, Android is not able to be run on a phone with iOS.[3]
Sometimes, FOSS is not compatible with proprietary hardware or specific software. This is often due to manufacturers obstructing FOSS such as by not disclosing theinterfaces or other specifications needed for members of the FOSS movement to writedrivers for their hardware – for instance as they wish customers to run only their own proprietary software or as they might benefit from partnerships.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
