Difference between revisions of "Portable"
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* Port - to modify a program to work on a particular [[Computer Architecture|architecture]]. | * Port - to modify a program to work on a particular [[Computer Architecture|architecture]]. | ||
* Portable - a program which can be used on multiple [[Computer Architecture|architectures]], typically by compiling/building for a specific target architecture. Note that '''portable''' does not necessarily mean '''able to be ported''' -- it is often used to mean code which does not need to be ported, because it is architecture-neutral (i.e., contains no assembler, [[Word|word]] size assumptions, or other architecture-specific code, and can be compiled (or interpreted) from a high-level language on a wide range of architecture types). | * Portable - a program which can be used on multiple [[Computer Architecture|architectures]], typically by compiling/building for a specific target architecture. Note that '''portable''' does not necessarily mean '''able to be ported''' -- it is often used to mean code which does not need to be ported, because it is architecture-neutral (i.e., contains no assembler, [[Word|word]] size assumptions, or other architecture-specific code, and can be compiled (or interpreted) from a high-level language on a wide range of architecture types). | ||
| − | * Architecture-specific - code which is usable only on one or more specific [[Computer Architecture|architectures]]. | + | * Architecture-specific - code which is usable only on one or more specific [[Computer Architecture|architectures]] (this is the opposite of '''portable'''). |
| + | * Non-portable - synonym for architecture-specific (often extremely so!) | ||
* Cross-platform - Code which will execute either on multiple [[Computer Architecture|architectures]] or on multiple operating systems. | * Cross-platform - Code which will execute either on multiple [[Computer Architecture|architectures]] or on multiple operating systems. | ||
Latest revision as of 14:42, 8 September 2014
A portable program is one which may be used on multiple architectures or operating systems.
Related terms:
- Port - to modify a program to work on a particular architecture.
- Portable - a program which can be used on multiple architectures, typically by compiling/building for a specific target architecture. Note that portable does not necessarily mean able to be ported -- it is often used to mean code which does not need to be ported, because it is architecture-neutral (i.e., contains no assembler, word size assumptions, or other architecture-specific code, and can be compiled (or interpreted) from a high-level language on a wide range of architecture types).
- Architecture-specific - code which is usable only on one or more specific architectures (this is the opposite of portable).
- Non-portable - synonym for architecture-specific (often extremely so!)
- Cross-platform - Code which will execute either on multiple architectures or on multiple operating systems.
