1. Portability factors

Portability is not linked to the application itself, but is induced by the design and implementation of the software. The choice of programming language and methods according to the constraints of the application is decisive. Good program organization and the principles applied during development will determine the degree of portability. If the design phase includes portability objectives, portability can be reasonably achieved, but other factors influence portability.

Firstly, software can be hardware-dependent. Simulation software with computer-generated images may require a particular type of screen available only on a given machine and its operating system. Portability is not even sought after: instead, we tend to want to take advantage of the characteristics of the architecture. This type of software has a particular function in a specific field, and portability...