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compatibility</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 30 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-30" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">30 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9" title="توافقية رجعية – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="توافقية رجعية" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geriy%C9%99_uyumlu" title="Geriyə uyumlu – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Geriyə uyumlu" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrocompatibilitat" title="Retrocompatibilitat – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Retrocompatibilitat" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zp%C4%9Btn%C3%A1_kompatibilita" title="Zpětná kompatibilita – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Zpětná kompatibilita" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de badge-Q70894304 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abw%C3%A4rtskompatibilit%C3%A4t" title="Abwärtskompatibilität – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Abwärtskompatibilität" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagasi%C3%BChilduvus" title="Tagasiühilduvus – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Tagasiühilduvus" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrocompatibilidad" title="Retrocompatibilidad – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Retrocompatibilidad" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrokongruo" title="Retrokongruo – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Retrokongruo" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C_%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%88" title="سازگاری عقبرو – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="سازگاری عقبرو" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibilit%C3%A9_ascendante_et_descendante" title="Compatibilité ascendante et descendante – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Compatibilité ascendante et descendante" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%ED%95%98%EC%9C%84_%ED%98%B8%ED%99%98%EC%84%B1" title="하위 호환성 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="하위 호환성" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-io mw-list-item"><a href="https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrokonciliebleso" title="Retrokonciliebleso – Ido" lang="io" hreflang="io" data-title="Retrokonciliebleso" data-language-autonym="Ido" data-language-local-name="Ido" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ido</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrocompatibilit%C3%A0" title="Retrocompatibilità – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Retrocompatibilità" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A8" title="תאימות לאחור – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="תאימות לאחור" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%96_%D2%AF%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%96%D0%BC%D0%B4%D1%96%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%BA" title="Кері үйлесімділік – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Кері үйлесімділік" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atgalinis_suderinamumas" title="Atgalinis suderinamumas – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Atgalinis suderinamumas" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achterwaartse_compatibiliteit" title="Achterwaartse compatibiliteit – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Achterwaartse compatibiliteit" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E6%96%B9%E4%BA%92%E6%8F%9B" title="後方互換 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="後方互換" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakoverkompatibilitet" title="Bakoverkompatibilitet – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Bakoverkompatibilitet" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kompatybilno%C5%9B%C4%87_wsteczna" title="Kompatybilność wsteczna – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Kompatybilność wsteczna" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibilidade_reversa" title="Compatibilidade reversa – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Compatibilidade reversa" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C" title="Обратная совместимость – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Обратная совместимость" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backward_compatibility" title="Backward compatibility – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Backward compatibility" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tn%C3%A1_kompatibilita" title="Spätná kompatibilita – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Spätná kompatibilita" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taaksep%C3%A4in_suuntautuva_yhteensopivuus" title="Taaksepäin suuntautuva yhteensopivuus – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Taaksepäin suuntautuva yhteensopivuus" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bak%C3%A5tkompatibilitet" title="Bakåtkompatibilitet – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Bakåtkompatibilitet" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geriye_uyumluluk" title="Geriye uyumluluk – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Geriye uyumluluk" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%81%D1%83%D0%BC%D1%96%D1%81%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C" title="Зворотна сумісність – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Зворотна сумісність" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur 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class="mw-redirect" title="Backward compatible">Backward compatible</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Technological ability to interact with older technologies</div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg/220px-Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="211" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg/330px-Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg/440px-Wii-gamecube-compatibility.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2560" data-file-height="2460" /></a><figcaption>The first model of the <a href="/wiki/Wii" title="Wii">Wii</a> features backward compatibility with its predecessor, the <a href="/wiki/GameCube" title="GameCube">GameCube</a>, having the ability to run its discs and use its controllers and memory cards. Later versions of the system removed the controller and memory card slots, effectively removing this feature.</figcaption></figure> <p>In <a href="/wiki/Telecommunications" title="Telecommunications">telecommunications</a> and <a href="/wiki/Computing" title="Computing">computing</a>, <b>backward compatibility</b> (or <b>backwards compatibility</b>) is a property of an <a href="/wiki/Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating system</a>, software, real-world product, or <a href="/wiki/Technology" title="Technology">technology</a> that allows for <a href="/wiki/Interoperability" title="Interoperability">interoperability</a> with an older <a href="/wiki/Legacy_system" title="Legacy system">legacy system</a>, or with <a href="/wiki/Input/output" title="Input/output">input</a> designed for such a system. </p><p>Modifying a system in a way that does not allow backward compatibility is sometimes called "<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/breaking_change" class="extiw" title="wikt:breaking change">breaking</a>" backward compatibility.<sup id="cite_ref-Belleflamme_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Belleflamme-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Such breaking usually incurs various types of costs, such as <a href="/wiki/Switching_barriers" title="Switching barriers">switching cost</a>. </p><p>A complementary concept is <i><a href="/wiki/Forward_compatibility" title="Forward compatibility">forward compatibility</a></i>; a design that is forward-compatible usually has a <a href="/wiki/Technology_roadmap" title="Technology roadmap">roadmap</a> for compatibility with future standards and products.<sup id="cite_ref-Zeldman_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zeldman-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Usage">Usage</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Usage"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="In_hardware">In hardware</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: In hardware"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A simple example of both backward and forward compatibility is the introduction of <a href="/wiki/FM_broadcasting" title="FM broadcasting">FM radio</a> in <a href="/wiki/Stereophonic_sound" title="Stereophonic sound">stereo</a>. FM radio was initially <a href="/wiki/Monaural" class="mw-redirect" title="Monaural">mono</a>, with only one audio channel represented by one <a href="/wiki/Signal_(electrical_engineering)" class="mw-redirect" title="Signal (electrical engineering)">signal</a>. With the introduction of two-channel stereo FM radio, many listeners had only mono FM receivers. Forward compatibility for mono receivers with stereo signals was achieved by sending the sum of both left and right audio channels in one signal and the difference in another signal. That allows mono FM receivers to receive and decode the sum signal while ignoring the difference signal, which is necessary only for separating the audio channels. Stereo FM receivers can receive a mono signal and decode it without the need for a second signal, and they can separate a sum signal to left and right channels if both sum and difference signals are received. Without the requirement for backward compatibility, a simpler method could have been chosen.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Full backward compatibility is particularly important in computer <a href="/wiki/Instruction_set_architecture" title="Instruction set architecture">instruction set architectures</a>, two of the most successful being the <a href="/wiki/IBM" title="IBM">IBM</a> <a href="/wiki/IBM_System/360" title="IBM System/360">360</a>/<a href="/wiki/IBM_System/370" title="IBM System/370">370</a>/<a href="/wiki/IBM_System/390" title="IBM System/390">390</a>/<a href="/wiki/Z/Architecture" title="Z/Architecture">Zseries</a> families of mainframes, and the <a href="/wiki/Intel" title="Intel">Intel</a> <a href="/wiki/X86" title="X86">x86</a> family of <a href="/wiki/Microprocessor" title="Microprocessor">microprocessors</a>. </p><p>IBM announced the first 360 models in 1964 and has continued to update the series ever since, with migration over the decades from 32-bit register/24-bit addresses to 64-bit registers and addresses. </p><p>Intel announced the first <a href="/wiki/Intel_8086" title="Intel 8086">Intel 8086</a>/<a href="/wiki/Intel_8088" title="Intel 8088">8088</a> processors in 1978, again with migrations over the decades from 16-bit to 64-bit. (The 8086/8088, in turn, were designed with easy <a href="/wiki/Source-to-source_compiler" title="Source-to-source compiler">machine-translatability</a> of programs written for its predecessor in mind, although they were not instruction-set compatible with the 8-bit <a href="/wiki/Intel_8080" title="Intel 8080">Intel 8080</a> processor of 1974. The <a href="/wiki/Zilog_Z80" title="Zilog Z80">Zilog Z80</a>, however, was fully backward compatible with the Intel 8080.) </p><p>Fully backward compatible processors can process the same <a href="/wiki/Executable" title="Executable">binary executable software instructions</a> as their predecessors, allowing the use of a newer processor without having to acquire new <a href="/wiki/Application_software" title="Application software">applications</a> or <a href="/wiki/Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating systems</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Similarly, the success of the <a href="/wiki/Wi-Fi" title="Wi-Fi">Wi-Fi</a> digital communication standard is attributed to its broad forward and backward compatibility; it became more popular than other standards that were not backward compatible.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="In_software">In software</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: In software"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Binary-code_compatibility" title="Binary-code compatibility">Binary-code compatibility</a>, <a href="/wiki/DLL_Hell" class="mw-redirect" title="DLL Hell">DLL Hell</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Opaque_pointer" title="Opaque pointer">Opaque pointer</a></div> <p>In software development, backward compatibility is a general notion of interoperation between software pieces that will not produce any errors when its functionality is invoked via <a href="/wiki/API" title="API">API</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The software is considered stable when its <a href="/wiki/API" title="API">API</a> that is used to invoke functions is stable across different versions.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In operating systems, upgrades to newer versions are said to be backward compatible if executables and other files from the previous versions will work as usual.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/Compiler" title="Compiler">compilers</a>, backward compatibility may refer to the ability of a compiler for a newer version of the language to accept source code of programs or data that worked under the previous version.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A data format is said to be backward compatible when a newer version of the program can open it without errors just like its predecessor.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Tradeoffs">Tradeoffs</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Tradeoffs"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Generalize plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/60px-Ambox_important.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/80px-Ambox_important.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="40" data-file-height="40" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section focuses only on <b>one specialized aspect of the subject</b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit">improve this article</a> by adding general information and discuss at the <a href="/wiki/Talk:Backward_compatibility" title="Talk:Backward compatibility">talk page</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">May 2023</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Benefits">Benefits</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Benefits"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>There are several incentives for a company to implement backward compatibility. Backward compatibility can be used to preserve older software that would have otherwise been lost when a manufacturer decides to stop supporting older hardware. Classic video games are a common example used when discussing the value of supporting older software. The cultural impact of video games is a large part of their continued success, and some believe ignoring backward compatibility would cause these titles to disappear.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Backward compatibility also acts as a selling point for new hardware, as an existing player base can more affordably <a href="/wiki/Upgrade" title="Upgrade">upgrade</a> to subsequent generations of a console. This also helps to make up for lack of titles at the launch of new systems, as users can pull from the previous console's library of games while developers transition to the new hardware.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Moreover, studies in the mid-1990s found that even consumers who never play older games after purchasing a new system consider backward compatibility a highly desirable feature, valuing the mere ability to continue to play an existing collection of games even if they choose never to do so.<sup id="cite_ref-NGen39_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NGen39-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Backward compatibility with the original <a href="/wiki/PlayStation_(console)" title="PlayStation (console)">PlayStation</a> (PS) software discs and peripherals is considered to have been a key selling point for the <a href="/wiki/PlayStation_2" title="PlayStation 2">PlayStation 2</a> (PS2) during its early months on the market.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Despite not being included at launch, Microsoft slowly incorporated backward compatibility for select titles on the Xbox One several years into its product life cycle.<sup id="cite_ref-:3_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:3-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Players have racked up over a billion hours with backward-compatible games on Xbox, and the newest generation of consoles such as <a href="/wiki/PlayStation_5" title="PlayStation 5">PlayStation 5</a><sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Xbox_Series_X/S" class="mw-redirect" title="Xbox Series X/S">Xbox Series X/S</a> also support this feature. A large part of the success and implementation of this feature is that the hardware within newer generation consoles is both powerful and similar enough to legacy systems that older titles can be broken down and re-configured to run on the Xbox One.<sup id="cite_ref-:4_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:4-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This program has proven incredibly popular with Xbox players and goes against the recent trend of studio-made remasters of classic titles, creating what some believe to be an important shift in console makers' strategies.<sup id="cite_ref-:3_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:3-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Costs">Costs</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Costs"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The monetary costs of supporting old software is considered a large drawback to the usage of backward compatibility.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NGen39_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NGen39-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The associated costs of backward compatibility are a larger <a href="/wiki/Bill_of_materials" title="Bill of materials">bill of materials</a> if hardware is required to support the legacy systems; increased complexity of the product that may lead to longer <a href="/wiki/Time_to_market" title="Time to market">time to market</a>, technological hindrances, and slowing innovation; and increased expectations from users in terms of compatibility.<sup id="cite_ref-Belleflamme_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Belleflamme-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It also introduces the risk that developers will favor developing games that are compatible with both the old and new systems, since this gives them a larger base of potential buyers, resulting in a dearth of software which uses the advanced features of the new system.<sup id="cite_ref-NGen39_12-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NGen39-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Because of this, several console manufacturers phased out backward compatibility towards the end of the console generation in order to reduce cost and briefly reinvigorate sales before the arrival of newer hardware.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It is possible to bypass some of these hardware costs. For instance, earlier PlayStation 2 (PS2) systems used the core of the original PlayStation (PS1) CPU as a dual-purpose processor, either as the main CPU for PS1 mode or <a href="/wiki/Clock_rate" title="Clock rate">upclocking</a> itself to offload <a href="/wiki/Input/output" title="Input/output">I/O</a> in PS2 mode. This coprocessor was replaced with a <a href="/wiki/PowerPC" title="PowerPC">PowerPC</a>-based processor in later systems to serve the same functions, emulating the PS1 CPU core. Such an approach can backfire, though, as was the case of the <a href="/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System" title="Super Nintendo Entertainment System">Super Nintendo Entertainment System</a> (Super NES). It opted for the more peculiar <a href="/wiki/WDC_65C816" title="WDC 65C816">65C816</a> CPU over the more popular 16-bit microprocessors on the basis that it would allow for easy backwards compatibility with the original <a href="/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System" title="Nintendo Entertainment System">Nintendo Entertainment System</a> (NES), but ultimately did not proved to be workable once the rest of the Super NES's architecture was designed.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1184024115">.mw-parser-output .div-col{margin-top:0.3em;column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .div-col-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .div-col-rules{column-rule:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .div-col dl,.mw-parser-output .div-col ol,.mw-parser-output .div-col ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .div-col li,.mw-parser-output .div-col dd{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}</style><div class="div-col" style="column-width: 20em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bug_compatibility" title="Bug compatibility">Bug compatibility</a>, backward compatibility that maintains known flaws</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Compatibility_mode" title="Compatibility mode">Compatibility mode</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Computer_compatibility" title="Computer compatibility">Computer compatibility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deprecation" title="Deprecation">Deprecation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Downgrade_attack" title="Downgrade attack">Downgrade attack</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Emulator" title="Emulator">Emulator</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flag_day_(computing)" title="Flag day (computing)">Flag day (computing)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Legacy_mode" title="Legacy mode">Legacy mode</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_backward-compatible_games_for_Xbox_One_and_Series_X/S" title="List of backward-compatible games for Xbox One and Series X/S">List of backward-compatible games for Xbox One and Series X/S</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Xbox_games_compatible_with_Xbox_360" title="List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360">List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ReactOS" title="ReactOS">ReactOS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shim_(computing)" title="Shim (computing)">Shim (computing)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_regression" title="Software regression">Software regression</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vendor_lock-in" title="Vendor lock-in">Vendor lock-in</a></li></ul></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Belleflamme-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Belleflamme_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Belleflamme_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFBelleflammePeitz2010" class="citation cs2">Belleflamme, Paul; Peitz, Martin (2010), "Strategies in standard wars", <i>Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies</i>, Cambridge University Press, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780521862998" title="Special:BookSources/9780521862998"><bdi>9780521862998</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Strategies+in+standard+wars&rft.btitle=Industrial+Organization%3A+Markets+and+Strategies&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2010&rft.isbn=9780521862998&rft.aulast=Belleflamme&rft.aufirst=Paul&rft.au=Peitz%2C+Martin&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Zeldman-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Zeldman_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZeldman2006" class="citation book cs1">Zeldman, Jeffrey (2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCPWYFoWaMIC&q=compatibility"><i>Designing with Web Standards</i></a>. Peachpit Press. pp. 15–16. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-321-38555-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-321-38555-1"><bdi>0-321-38555-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Designing+with+Web+Standards&rft.pages=15-16&rft.pub=Peachpit+Press&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=0-321-38555-1&rft.aulast=Zeldman&rft.aufirst=Jeffrey&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DZCPWYFoWaMIC%26q%3Dcompatibility&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWinderCarr2002" class="citation cs2">Winder, Steve; Carr, Joseph (2002), <i>Newnes Radio and RF Engineering Pocket Book</i> (3 ed.), Newnes, pp. 121–123, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780080497471" title="Special:BookSources/9780080497471"><bdi>9780080497471</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Newnes+Radio+and+RF+Engineering+Pocket+Book&rft.pages=121-123&rft.edition=3&rft.pub=Newnes&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=9780080497471&rft.aulast=Winder&rft.aufirst=Steve&rft.au=Carr%2C+Joseph&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNaresh_Jotwani2009" class="citation cs2">Naresh Jotwani (2009), <i>Computer System Organization</i>, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, pp. 320–324, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781259081217" title="Special:BookSources/9781259081217"><bdi>9781259081217</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Computer+System+Organization&rft.pages=320-324&rft.pub=Tata+McGraw-Hill+Education&rft.date=2009&rft.isbn=9781259081217&rft.au=Naresh+Jotwani&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPerahiaStacey2013" class="citation cs2">Perahia, Eldad; Stacey, Robert (2013), "Foreword", <i>Next Generation Wireless LANs: 802.11n and 802.11ac</i>, Cambridge University Press, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781107016767" title="Special:BookSources/9781107016767"><bdi>9781107016767</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Foreword&rft.btitle=Next+Generation+Wireless+LANs%3A+802.11n+and+802.11ac&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=9781107016767&rft.aulast=Perahia&rft.aufirst=Eldad&rft.au=Stacey%2C+Robert&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFetc1M2019" class="citation web cs1">etc1M (2019-12-18). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.redstar.be/backward-compatibility-in-software-development-what-and-why/">"Backward Compatibility in Software Development: What and Why"</a>. <i>Red Star IT</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-05-13</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Red+Star+IT&rft.atitle=Backward+Compatibility+in+Software+Development%3A+What+and+Why&rft.date=2019-12-18&rft.au=etc1M&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redstar.be%2Fbackward-compatibility-in-software-development-what-and-why%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/b/backcomp.htm">"What is Backward Compatible?"</a>. <i>Computer Hope</i>. December 31, 2022<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-05-13</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Computer+Hope&rft.atitle=What+is+Backward+Compatible%3F&rft.date=2022-12-31&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.computerhope.com%2Fjargon%2Fb%2Fbackcomp.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKay2004" class="citation book cs1">Kay, Michael (2004). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/xslt20programmer0000kaym"><i>XSLT 2.0 Programmer's Reference</i></a></span>. Wiley. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/xslt20programmer0000kaym/page/123">123</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7645-6909-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-7645-6909-0"><bdi>0-7645-6909-0</bdi></a>. <q>forward compatibility.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=XSLT+2.0+Programmer%27s+Reference&rft.pages=123&rft.pub=Wiley&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=0-7645-6909-0&rft.aulast=Kay&rft.aufirst=Michael&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fxslt20programmer0000kaym&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBos2003" class="citation book cs1">Bos, Bert (2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.w3.org/People/Bos/DesignGuide/compatibility.html">"Backwards Compatibility"</a>. <i>What is a Good Standard?</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160311205921/http://www.w3.org/People/Bos/DesignGuide/compatibility.html">Archived</a> from the original on March 11, 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 12,</span> 2016</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Backwards+Compatibility&rft.btitle=What+is+a+Good+Standard%3F&rft.date=2003&rft.aulast=Bos&rft.aufirst=Bert&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2FPeople%2FBos%2FDesignGuide%2Fcompatibility.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.popmatters.com/192068-backwards-compatibility-is-the-only-way-forward-2495543836.html">"Backwards Compatibility is the Only Way Forward"</a>. <i>PopMatters</i>. 2015-04-10. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190929024545/https://www.popmatters.com/192068-backwards-compatibility-is-the-only-way-forward-2495543836.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2019-09-29<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-05</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=PopMatters&rft.atitle=Backwards+Compatibility+is+the+Only+Way+Forward&rft.date=2015-04-10&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popmatters.com%2F192068-backwards-compatibility-is-the-only-way-forward-2495543836.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:1-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:1_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://techconnectmagazine.com/what-is-backwards-compatibility/">"Understanding Backwards Compatibility and How It Benefits Gamers"</a>. <i>Tech Magazine</i>. 2018-08-14. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20191002050018/http://techconnectmagazine.com/what-is-backwards-compatibility/">Archived</a> from the original on 2019-10-02<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-05</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Tech+Magazine&rft.atitle=Understanding+Backwards+Compatibility+and+How+It+Benefits+Gamers&rft.date=2018-08-14&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftechconnectmagazine.com%2Fwhat-is-backwards-compatibility%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NGen39-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-NGen39_12-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NGen39_12-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NGen39_12-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation magazine cs1">"Backward Compatibility for PlayStation 2?". <i><a href="/wiki/Next_Generation_(magazine)" title="Next Generation (magazine)">Next Generation</a></i>. No. 39. <a href="/wiki/Imagine_Media" class="mw-redirect" title="Imagine Media">Imagine Media</a>. March 1998. p. 22.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Next+Generation&rft.atitle=Backward+Compatibility+for+PlayStation+2%3F&rft.issue=39&rft.pages=22&rft.date=1998-03&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://pnpgames.com/blog/?page_id=25">"Sony Playstation 2(PS2)"</a>. <i>Pnpgames</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200713164550/http://pnpgames.com/blog/?page_id=25">Archived</a> from the original on July 13, 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 15,</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Pnpgames&rft.atitle=Sony+Playstation+2%28PS2%29&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fpnpgames.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fpage_id%3D25&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:3-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:3_14-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:3_14-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.androidcentral.com/playstation-5-set-be-backward-compatible-remasters-wont-be-necessary">"Remasters aren't needed if the PS5 is completely backward compatible"</a>. <i>Android Central</i>. 2019-09-24. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20191110025710/https://www.androidcentral.com/playstation-5-set-be-backward-compatible-remasters-wont-be-necessary">Archived</a> from the original on 2019-11-10<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-10</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Android+Central&rft.atitle=Remasters+aren%27t+needed+if+the+PS5+is+completely+backward+compatible&rft.date=2019-09-24&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.androidcentral.com%2Fplaystation-5-set-be-backward-compatible-remasters-wont-be-necessary&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWales2020" class="citation web cs1">Wales, Matt (March 20, 2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-03-20-sony-clarifies-overwhelming-majority-of-ps4-games-will-be-backward-compatible-on-ps5">"Sony clarifies "overwhelming majority" of PS4 games will be backward compatible on PS5"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Eurogamer" title="Eurogamer">Eurogamer</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200406151051/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-03-20-sony-clarifies-overwhelming-majority-of-ps4-games-will-be-backward-compatible-on-ps5">Archived</a> from the original on April 6, 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 8,</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Eurogamer&rft.atitle=Sony+clarifies+%22overwhelming+majority%22+of+PS4+games+will+be+backward+compatible+on+PS5&rft.date=2020-03-20&rft.aulast=Wales&rft.aufirst=Matt&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurogamer.net%2Farticles%2F2020-03-20-sony-clarifies-overwhelming-majority-of-ps4-games-will-be-backward-compatible-on-ps5&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:4-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:4_16-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLeadbetter2017" class="citation web cs1">Leadbetter, Richard (2017-12-09). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-xbox-one-x-back-compat-how-does-it-actually-work">"Xbox One Backwards Compatibility: How Does It Actually Work?"</a>. <i>Eurogamer</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190114210240/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-xbox-one-x-back-compat-how-does-it-actually-work">Archived</a> from the original on 2019-01-14<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-10</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Eurogamer&rft.atitle=Xbox+One+Backwards+Compatibility%3A+How+Does+It+Actually+Work%3F&rft.date=2017-12-09&rft.aulast=Leadbetter&rft.aufirst=Richard&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurogamer.net%2Farticles%2Fdigitalfoundry-2017-xbox-one-x-back-compat-how-does-it-actually-work&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:2-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:2_17-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFStein" class="citation web cs1">Stein, Scott. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cnet.com/news/game-consoles-and-the-death-of-backward-compatibility-why-we-dont-care/">"Game consoles and the death of backward-compatibility: Why we don't care"</a>. <i>CNET</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190929024544/https://www.cnet.com/news/game-consoles-and-the-death-of-backward-compatibility-why-we-dont-care/">Archived</a> from the original on 2019-09-29<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-05</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=CNET&rft.atitle=Game+consoles+and+the+death+of+backward-compatibility%3A+Why+we+don%27t+care&rft.aulast=Stein&rft.aufirst=Scott&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Fgame-consoles-and-the-death-of-backward-compatibility-why-we-dont-care%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://gamingreinvented.com/uncategorized/the-snes-was-supposed-to-be-backwards-compatible/">"The SNES Was Supposed to be Backwards Compatible?"</a>. <i>Gaming Reinvented</i>. 2015-08-10. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220224183517/https://gamingreinvented.com/uncategorized/the-snes-was-supposed-to-be-backwards-compatible/">Archived</a> from the original on 2022-02-24<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-02-24</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Gaming+Reinvented&rft.atitle=The+SNES+Was+Supposed+to+be+Backwards+Compatible%3F&rft.date=2015-08-10&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fgamingreinvented.com%2Funcategorized%2Fthe-snes-was-supposed-to-be-backwards-compatible%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABackward+compatibility" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Backward_compatibility&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Commons-logo.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" 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title="DevOps">DevOps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Empirical_software_engineering" title="Empirical software engineering">Empirical software engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Experimental_software_engineering" title="Experimental software engineering">Experimental software engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Formal_methods" title="Formal methods">Formal methods</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Requirements_engineering" title="Requirements engineering">Requirements engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Search-based_software_engineering" title="Search-based software engineering">Search-based software engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Site_reliability_engineering" title="Site reliability engineering">Site reliability engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Social_software_engineering" title="Social software engineering">Social software engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_deployment" title="Software deployment">Software deployment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_design" title="Software design">Software design</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_maintenance" title="Software maintenance">Software maintenance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_testing" title="Software testing">Software testing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Systems_analysis" title="Systems analysis">Systems analysis</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Concepts</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abstraction_(computer_science)" title="Abstraction (computer science)">Abstraction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Component-based_software_engineering" title="Component-based software engineering">Component-based software engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Computer_compatibility" title="Computer compatibility">Software compatibility</a> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Backward compatibility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Compatibility_layer" title="Compatibility layer">Compatibility layer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Compatibility_mode" title="Compatibility mode">Compatibility mode</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Forward_compatibility" title="Forward compatibility">Forward compatibility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_incompatibility" title="Software incompatibility">Software incompatibility</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Data_modeling" title="Data modeling">Data modeling</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Enterprise_architecture" title="Enterprise architecture">Enterprise architecture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Functional_specification" title="Functional specification">Functional specification</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Modeling_language" title="Modeling language">Modeling language</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Programming_paradigm" title="Programming paradigm">Programming paradigm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software" title="Software">Software</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_archaeology" title="Software archaeology">Software archaeology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_architecture" title="Software architecture">Software architecture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_configuration_management" title="Software configuration management">Software configuration management</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_development_process" title="Software development process">Software development process/methodology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_quality" title="Software quality">Software quality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_quality_assurance" title="Software quality assurance">Software quality assurance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_verification_and_validation" title="Software verification and validation">Software verification and validation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_system" title="Software system">Software system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Structured_analysis" title="Structured analysis">Structured analysis</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Essential_systems_analysis" title="Essential systems analysis">Essential analysis</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/CI/CD" title="CI/CD">CI/CD</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Orientations</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Agile_software_development" title="Agile software development">Agile</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aspect-oriented_programming" title="Aspect-oriented programming">Aspect-oriented</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Object-oriented_programming" title="Object-oriented programming">Object orientation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ontology_(information_science)" title="Ontology (information science)">Ontology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Service-oriented_architecture" title="Service-oriented architecture">Service orientation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Systems_development_life_cycle" title="Systems development life cycle">SDLC</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Models</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Developmental</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Agile_software_development" title="Agile software development">Agile</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Enterprise_unified_process" title="Enterprise unified process">EUP</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Executable_UML" title="Executable UML">Executable UML</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Incremental_build_model" title="Incremental build model">Incremental model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iterative_and_incremental_development" title="Iterative and incremental development">Iterative model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_prototyping" title="Software prototyping">Prototype model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rapid_application_development" title="Rapid application development">RAD</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unified_Process" class="mw-redirect" title="Unified Process">UP</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scrum_(software_development)" title="Scrum (software development)">Scrum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spiral_model" title="Spiral model">Spiral model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/V-model_(software_development)" title="V-model (software development)">V-model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Waterfall_model" title="Waterfall model">Waterfall model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Extreme_programming" title="Extreme programming">XP</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Model-driven_engineering" title="Model-driven engineering">Model-driven engineering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Round-trip_engineering" title="Round-trip engineering">Round-trip engineering</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Other</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/ISO/IEC_15504" title="ISO/IEC 15504">SPICE</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Capability_Maturity_Model_Integration" title="Capability Maturity Model Integration">CMMI</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Data_model" title="Data model">Data model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Entity%E2%80%93relationship_model" title="Entity–relationship model">ER model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Function_model" title="Function model">Function model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Information_model" title="Information model">Information model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Metamodeling" title="Metamodeling">Metamodeling</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Object_model" title="Object 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