In computing, a platform describes some sort of hardware architecture or software framework (including application frameworks), that allows software to run. Typical platforms include a computer's architecture, operating system, programming languages and related runtime libraries or graphical user interface.
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In relation to hardware, platform often describes the set of hardware components that make up the computer itself, that the software is written to target (often just described as "written for an architecture"). Pure assembly language can be run on this hardware platform, but most commonly, operating system software is written to target it. But in doing so, it becomes a platform in itself, facilitating the running of other software that is used to target the operating system, and likewise the hardware architecture. Furthermore, software that is written for the operating system can be used to support the running of other software: for example a virtual machine (which targets a certain operating system/hardware) that is used to run other programs that are written for it, which constitutes another platform.
A platform is a crucial element in software development. A platform might be simply defined as 'a place to launch software'. It is an agreement that the platform provider gave to the software developer that logic code will interpret consistently as long as the platform is running on top of other platforms. Logic code includes byte code, source code, and machine code.
Platforms are frequently mentioned with APIs. A complete suite of APIs constitute another type of platform called software platform. Software Platforms frequently are dependent to operating systems. However this is not always true. For example, two popular non-OS dependent platforms are Java, as mentioned above, and BREW for mobile phones.
Java programs are a typical example of the latter point. Java source code is "compiled" to an intermediate-language bytecode which is then interpreted by an interpreter, the JVM, which then interfaces that program with the Java software libraries. In phones, PDAs and other wireless mobile devices, these libraries are the Java ME. Some phones, even without a full fledged OS, enable Java programs such as games to operate. Java and the bytecode are said to be platform independent. But this is because Java is the platform as well as a programming language. Software really cannot operate without a platform or be platform independent. The programming language is referred to here, meaning the programmer need not be concerned about the hardware or operating system platform, nor will the language change with a different platform.
Microsoft .NET is an umbrella term that applies to a wide collection of products and technologies from Microsoft. Most have in common a dependence on the Microsoft .NET Framework.