What Is a Platform in Computer Terminology?

A cellphone is a platform on which an operating system is installed.

Computer platforms can be either software or hardware and can build on one another in layers. Computer platforms are used as a framework onto which other programs are built.

Basics

Literally, a platform is something upon which you put something else. In computer terms, it is a framework upon which applications (i.e., programs) may run and for which programmers write programs.

Hardware

Hardware platforms are the physical hardware onto which software is installed. The heart of your computer, the CPU (central processing unit) is a hardware platform. Other examples include cellphones and video game consoles.

Operating Systems

Operating Systems are a form of software platform that is loaded onto your computer. Examples include Linux and Windows. Software platforms create the framework for all the programs you use.

Programming Languages

Computer languages installed on operating systems can also be platforms. For example, Flash is a multimedia platform designed for videos and animations. Other examples include Java and Ruby on Rails.

Layers

Platforms may be either hardware or software and are layered onto one another. For example, Windows may be installed on your hardware (computer) and then you may install the Flash platform to start developing Flash applications.

References

• Internet FAQ Archives: Components of a Development System
• Sun.com: Java Basics