Forward compatibility is designing software or hardware to remain functional with new devices or software in the future. It can be difficult to achieve due to unpredictable technological evolutions, but can be simplified through the use of different software versions or patches. Backward compatibility is the option for running a newer application or file on older systems, allowing data accessibility and comfortable updating of equipment and software.
Forward compatibility is a design principle in which a program or piece of hardware is developed to remain functional in the future with new software or devices. For example, a computer program is typically written in code that allows it to run on an operating system (OS) and hardware that was up-to-date at the time of release. A developer who builds a program with future compatibility in mind tries to ensure that it will still be able to run several years later with a new operating system and different hardware. However, this can be quite difficult to ensure, although some methods can be used to simplify the process.
The idea behind forward compatibility is to try to ensure that something remains usable in the future. While this is quite straightforward in some settings, in the computer and information technology (IT) industries it can be quite difficult to achieve. A software developer often requires programmers to ensure that the code they use to build an application remains relevant and usable with the changes that may occur. The unpredictable nature of some technological evolutions, however, makes future compatibility difficult, as something that seems simple right now could be much more complex in a few years.
One way to achieve future compatibility is through the use of different software versions that can all run together. This way, a developer working on an application that runs on version 1.2 of a program, can simply require that users have 1.2 even though they may also have version 2.5 of the same software. However, multiple versions can be a problem if an older one is found to have serious security holes or other problems that are not easily fixed. At that point, older versions are likely to be dropped and future compatibility lost.
Many software developers ensure that similar patches and updates are used to maintain future compatibility for their programs. If a package is developed to work with a particular operating system and then a new version of that operating system is introduced, the developer of that package is likely to ensure that it can still work with it. Patches are often used to add to core programming, allowing a developer to maintain functionality without a completely new version.
Similar to forward compatibility, backward compatibility is the option for running a newer application or file on older systems. For example, a new version of a word processing program might use a very different file type from previous versions. Without proper backward compatibility, someone can create a file in the new version, but not be able to access it through an older version. Both forward and backward compatibility are important, keeping data accessible and allowing users to feel comfortable updating equipment and software.
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