Backward compatibility

In telecommunications and computing, a product or technology is backward compatible (BC) or downward compatible if it can work with input generated by an older product or technology.

Description

If products designed for the new standard can receive, read, view or play older standards or formats, then the product is said to be backward-compatible; examples of such a standard include data formats and communication protocols.

Breaking changes

Modifications to a system that do not allow backward compatibility are sometimes called "breaking changes."

Forward compatibility

The reverse is forward compatibility, which implies that old devices allow (or are expected to allow) data formats generated by new (or future) devices, perhaps without supporting all new features.

A standard supports forward compatibility if older product versions can receive, read, view or play the new standard.

See also

• Deprecation
• Design
• Forward compatibility
• Industrial design
• Legacy system
• Revision control

External links

• Backward compatibility @ Wikipedia