A program or file is device independent when its function is universal on different types of device.
For programs, this generally means that it is written in a metalanguage that can be read by any platform. A program that was not originally written for a certain environment can be ported, i.e. the code can be adapted for a certain platform and compiled for the platform it will be functioning in. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion if the user interface still resembles the one for the platform it was initially designed for.
For files, device independence means that software (or, theoretically, hardware) is in place that can interpret the file and allow the user to view or manipulate it. Good examples of cross-platform or device independent file formats are HTML and PDF, GIF and JPG.
See also
- .mobi—a new sTLD that is said to break the ideal of device independence
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