Porting

In <a href="/facts/Software_engineering/KX6cE9kz">software engineering</a>, porting is the process of adapting <a href="/facts/Software/RP79lVSW">software</a> for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a <a href="/facts/Computing_platform/DmKwp5Bk">computing environment</a> that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally designed for (e.g., different <a href="/facts/Central_processing_unit/Jxp1bqMV">CPU</a>, operating system, or third party <a href="/facts/Library_(computer_science)/xRzL3P7q">library</a>). The term is also used when software/hardware is changed to make them usable in different environments.
Software is <a href="/facts/Software_portability/tWKVGCBb">portable</a> when the cost of porting it to a new platform is significantly less than the cost of writing it from scratch. The lower the cost of porting software relative to its implementation cost, the more portable it is said to be. This is distinct from <a href="/facts/Cross-platform_software/16zqdvNR">cross-platform software</a>, which is designed from the ground up without any single "<a href="/facts/Native_(computing)/yNez4jAK">native</a>" platform.

Porting open-in-new

Porting