compatibility

compatibility

[kəm‚pad·ə′bil·ə·dē]

(computer science)

The ability of one device to accept data handled by another device without conversion of the data or modification of the code.

(immunology)

Ability of two bloods or other tissues to unite and function together.

(ordnance)

In ammunition, the ability of a given material to exist unchanged under certain conditions of temperature and moisture when in the presence of some other specific material.

(pharmacology)

The capacity of two or more ingredients in a medicine to mix without chemical change or loss of therapeutic effectiveness.

(systems engineering)

The ability of a new system to serve users of an old system.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

compatibility

compatible

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

compatibility

The degree with which software works with hardware and/or other software. As hardware and software evolve, compatibility is a fundamental problem that never ends in the computer industry. At some point in time, new hardware instructions have to be developed that allow a computer to process more efficiently, and existing software has to be updated to take advantage of it. Equally important is the enhancement of operating systems and their related development systems in order to perform new tasks. Applications have to be modified to take advantage of them. See standards.

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