portableonly

Portableonly is a design philosophy in software development that prioritizes portability across devices and architectures, intentionally avoiding reliance on non-portable, platform-specific features. The term is used to describe projects, libraries, or tools built to run on multiple operating systems and hardware platforms with minimal adaptation.

Origin and usage: The phrase appears in open-source and cross-platform development discussions as a way to distinguish portable, cross-platform solutions from desktop- or vendor-specific implementations. It denotes an approach where software is designed to function across Windows, macOS, Linux, and supported mobile and embedded platforms without requiring a tailor-made build for each target.

Characteristics: Portableonly projects emphasize adherence to open standards, avoidance of platform-specific APIs, use of portable languages and runtimes (for example C, Rust, JavaScript with WebAssembly), and minimal, well-defined dependencies. They favor portable build configurations and clear abstractions that enable consistent behavior across targets.

Domains and examples: Portableonly initiatives are commonly found in lightweight utilities, cross-platform libraries, embedded systems, and mobile tooling. They may rely on abstraction layers, portable GUI toolkits, or web technologies that run in multiple runtimes, enabling a single codebase to reach diverse devices.

Challenges: Balancing portability with performance, user experience, and access to device-specific features can be difficult. Ongoing maintenance across multiple targets and comprehensive testing on varied hardware are often resource-intensive.

See also: Cross-platform software, Portable software, Portability, WebAssembly.