<sod>  
 * A [[computer program|program]] is backward compatible if it can share data with an earlier version of itself. For example, [[WordPerfect]] 6.0 can read WordPerfect 5.1 files, so it is backward compatible. It can be said that [[Perl]] is backward compatible with [[awk]], because Perl was (among other things) intended to replace awk, and can, with a converter, run awk programs.
 
* A [[library (computer programming)|library]] or [[system platform|platform]] is said to be backward compatible if programs that interfaced with the old version continue to work with the new version as well. For example, the [[Intel 80486]] processor is backward compatible with the [[Intel 80386|80386]] because it can execute programs written for the 80386.
 : We distinguish between ''binary compatibility'' and ''[[source-compatibility]]''. Binary compatibility means that programs can work correctly with the new version of this library without requiring [[compiler|recompilation]]. Source compatibility requries recompilation but no changes to the source code.
 
 ==See also== 
 <eod> <sod> 
 * A [[computer program|program]] is backward compatible if it can share data with an earlier version of itself. For example, [[WordPerfect]] 6.0 can read WordPerfect 5.1 files, so it is backward compatible. It can be said that [[Perl]] is backward compatible with [[awk]], because Perl was (among other things) intended to replace awk, and can, with a converter, run awk programs.
 
* A [[library (computer science)|library]] or [[system platform|platform]] is said to be backward compatible if programs that interfaced with the old version continue to work with the new version as well. For example, the [[Intel 80486]] processor is backward compatible with the [[Intel 80386|80386]] because it can execute programs written for the 80386.
 : We distinguish between ''binary compatibility'' and ''[[source-compatibility]]''. Binary compatibility means that programs can work correctly with the new version of this library without requiring [[compiler|recompilation]]. Source compatibility requries recompilation but no changes to the source code.
 
 ==See also== 
 <eod>