A term originally used in the context of computer software and systems architecture to refer to the ability of later versions of software to accept data from (or files created by) earlier versions of the software, even if the later version also has capabilities that were not present in the earlier version.
The term as defined above has been applied in other contexts as well, such as telecommunications systems. When colour TV was introduced, broadcast standards were chosen so that black-and-white broadcasts could be received by colour TVs and interpreted as black-and-white signals. The colour broadcasts were ‘backward compatible’ with the installed base of black-and-white TVs. Other examples include game consoles, where manufacturers often wish to take advantage of a large ‘installed base’ of games for earlier consoles by making the new consoles backward compatible with the stock of existing games. Critics have complained that such a strategy can result in barriers...
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Sherry, E.F. (2016). Backward Compatability. In: Augier, M., Teece, D. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94848-2_701-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94848-2_701-1
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-94848-2
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