Compatibility Definition

(telecommunications) The capability of two or more items or components of equipment or material to exist or function in the same system or environment without mutual interference.

(computing) The ability to execute a given program on different types of computers without modification of the program or the computers. See backward compatibility and forward compatibility.

(computing) The capability that allows the substitution of one subsystem (storage facility), or of one functional unit (e.g., hardware, software), for the originally designated system or functional unit in a relatively transparent manner, without loss of information and without the introduction of errors.