===== Computing Platform =====
[[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:start| Return to Glossary ]]


A **Computing Platform** is the environment in which a piece of software is executed. It may be the hardware or the [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:o:os]], even a web browser and associated application programming interfaces, or other underlying software, as long as the program code is executed with it. Computing [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:p:platform|platforms]] have different abstraction levels, including a [[dido:public:ra:xapend:xapend.a_glossary:c:computer_architecture|computer architecture]], an OS, or runtime libraries. A computing platform is the stage on which computer programs can run.

A platform can be seen both as a constraint on the software development process, in that different platforms provide different functionality and restrictions; and as an assistant to the development process, in that they provide low-level functionality ready-made. For example, an OS may be a platform that abstracts the underlying differences in hardware and provides a generic command for saving files or accessing the network. 

Source: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing_platform ]]