kompatibilitetshåndtering

Kompatibilitet, or compatibility, is the ability of two or more systems, devices, or components to operate together without modification. In technology, it means software runs on a platform; data or files created by one program can be read by another; and hardware peripherals connect through shared interfaces. The concept also appears in medicine, biology and engineering, where interactions must be safe and reliable within a larger system.

There are several dimensions: hardware-software compatibility (drivers and operating systems), data compatibility (file formats, encoding), interface compatibility (APIs, protocols), and semantic compatibility (meaning preserved across translations). Backward compatibility allows newer systems to work with older hardware or data; forward compatibility aims to cope with future changes. Interoperability is closely related and refers to the ability of different systems to exchange information and act on it.

Standards bodies and certification programs promote compatibility by defining specifications and conformance criteria. Testing and validation, compatibility matrices, and version management help prevent issues before deployment. Emulation and virtualization can extend compatibility when direct support is lacking.

Examples include USB-C interoperability across devices, HDMI and DisplayPort standards, web browser support for HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and document formats like PDF or JPEG that aim to be portable across applications and platforms.

In practice, compatibility issues arise from rapid technology change, competing standards, or proprietary extensions. Poor compatibility can limit user choice, cause data loss, or create security risks. Achieving reliable compatibility requires clear standards, disciplined development, and ongoing testing.