The design of a website must consider browser compatibility to minimize difficulties for users.
Compatibility is the condition of compatible : that is, it can be harmonized, reconciled or coexist with something else. When two elements are compatible, they coincide or can coexist without harming each other.
The concept of compatibility is used in different areas. Although its most frequent use occurs in computing , it also appears in electronics , engineering , medicine and even, without formalisms or scientific rigor, in colloquial language.
Compatibility in computing
In computing , compatibility means that two programs or systems can understand each other . This understanding is possible through an algorithm .
When one program does not interpret another in the correct way, an incompatibility exists. In such cases, the execution of the unsupported application cannot be carried out or fails with errors.
Software that is compatible with each other can exchange information . In this way, the user can use both simultaneously without experiencing complications.
It must be considered that software compatibility does not remain unchanged. An application may have compatibility problems with previous versions of a system, but not with the current one.
Suppose an operating system is not compatible with version 3.9 or earlier of a browser. However, it does run from version 4.0 onwards. It cannot simply be stated that the OS and the software are compatible or that they are incompatible since everything depends on the version.
Hardware compatibility , meanwhile, can refer to that between the components and the operating system (which is usually provided through drivers ) or to the compatibility of devices with each other. In this second case, you can examine the compatibility of RAM memory with a motherboard or the compatibility of hard or rigid drives, for example. For hardware to be compatible requires respect for certain technical standards and the enabling of communication protocols to allow interoperability.
The compatibility of content management systems is key for migration from one platform to another.
The electromagnetic question
The idea of electromagnetic compatibility refers to the prevention, reduction and elimination of interference when electronic equipment is coupled to its electromagnetic environment. This means that, when a device has electromagnetic compatibility, it does not cause interference in other devices or itself, and also has immunity to electromagnetic emissions that come from outside.
Some time ago, when a phone call came in on a mobile or cell phone, a noise would occur in the audio system of the computers or computers located nearby. This electromagnetic interference was eliminated through the electromagnetic compatibility of the equipment.
It should be taken into account that this compatibility is regulated by the authorities through different standards. It is common to set a maximum number of radioelectric disturbances that devices can generate for their marketing to be authorized.
Thanks to the compatibility of text formats, a document can be opened or read with different programs.
Organ Compatibility
In the field of medicine , we talk about organ compatibility . This compatibility exists when the donor organ can fit into the recipient's body and function.
There are various compatibility factors . Body size and blood group are the most important, although the waiting time, the severity of the recipient and the distance between the donor and the patient are also considered. All these compatibility criteria are considered when assigning donated organs .
The concept in social relations
Many times we talk about compatibility between people . In this context, the idea refers to characteristics or elements that make two individuals get along well and can forge a satisfactory bond that lasts over time.
Usually the compatibility of a couple is examined. Among the variables that are usually mentioned are the ease of communication with each other, the fact of sharing similar lifestyles and the establishment of complicity.
This means that, when two subjects can communicate fluently and sincerely; They have similar objectives and interests; and they manage to establish common codes, there is compatibility between the two. Although this particularity is usually considered to forge a romantic relationship , it is also valid for friendships, family ties, etc.
It should be noted that compatibility does not imply the absence of differences . Respect and tolerance are required so that disagreements and dissimilar positions do not impact the bond.
Compatibility according to astrology and numerology
The notion of compatibility can focus on technical, scientific or objective data, but also on abstract or unverifiable criteria. That is why compatibility is referred to in pseudosciences such as astrology and numerology .
For astrologers, human beings can be more or less compatible depending on their zodiac sign , in turn determined by bands of the celestial sphere and associated with the date of birth. This belief holds that someone who is an Aquarius is compatible with someone who is a Sagittarius, to mention one possibility.
Numerology proposes something similar. According to those who defend the validity of this practice, each person is governed by a number obtained from the date of birth, adding and reducing digits. Thus, there is a greater or lesser compatibility by virtue of the figure in question.