Platform: Hardware & Software Integration

A platform is the combination of hardware and software on which applications run. It provides the necessary environment for software programs to execute and interact with hardware components.

1. Software

• A set of instructions or code designed to perform specific tasks.
• Acts as an intermediary between the user and hardware.
• Examples: Operating Systems, Drivers, Browsers, IDEs

2. Hardware

• The physical components of a computer system that process data.
• Works under the control of software to execute tasks.
• Examples: RAM, ROM, Processor, Hard Drive

Application Classification Based on Platform

Applications can be classified into two types based on their dependency on the underlying platform:

1. Platform Dependent

• An application is considered platform dependent if it can only run on the platform where it was originally created.
• Such applications rely heavily on system-specific libraries, system calls, and the compiler of the development platform.
• These factors prevent them from running on different platforms without modification.

Execution Flow of Platform Dependent: