Machine-dependent software

Machine-dependent is a term for application software that runs only on a particular type of computer. Conversely, applications that run on a variety of different types of computers are called machine-independent, or cross-platform.

Before deploying machine-dependent applications on non-native computer architectures or operating systems, such an application usually undergoes porting. This process involves writing, or re-writing, the application's computer code to suit the target architecture or operating system.

See also