Portability
From DocForge
Portability is the ability of computer software to function on multiple platforms - hardware, operating systems, or other runtime environments. In reference to code, portability is the ability to use the same code, although possibly recompiled, on multiple platforms.
Aiding most in portability is standardization. By have a fixed set of operating parameters, such as the C language and standard libraries, or an API such as OpenGL, applications written to these standards can be guaranteed to run on any system offering to abide by them.
Software is often written for use on a specific operating system. But the advent of runtime environments and scripting engines that are themselves portable across multiple operating systems has given rise to more portable user applications. Applications written in Java, Python, and PHP, for example, are often portable to multiple operating system with minimal changes.
