What is Interoperability?
1.
Technical: The capability - or functionality - of hardware or software being compatible with other versions of hardware/software or other components.
Interoperability is of great importance when developing software.
2.
The ability of a component to work well with other components, even if those components are made by different companies (or other entities). Often used to describe a computer software component that uses standard interfaces, file formats, etc. to work with well with industry standards.
Windows' printer driver architecture allows a PC to have great interoperability with a wide variety of printing devices.
See
3.
A feature or ability through which an object (i.e.: an application or a script) can function in different environments (i.e.: operating systems, hardware architectures).
Interoperability allows for a software to be run on any platform, without the need for porting or translating.
4.
The ability of your girlfriend, wife or otherwise female life partner to sexually interact with her best friend for your gratification.
My wife and her friend are perfectly interoperable. That's why I can't come to poker night tonight with you guys.
5.
The quality or condition of something (i.e., a web-page) to be executed on all systems. A web-page is basically interoperable if it works on Linux, Windows, Macs, as well as Mozilla, Netscape and Internet Explorer. Something is not interoperable if it is exlusive to one system, for instance Flash.
People who don't promote web interoperability are dicks who support the fascist idea of One Way, where you can only view a webpage on a PC, running Windows, using Internet Explorer.
6.
(n) a nonexistant utopia wherein software is not platform dependent
Our game is interoperable - it will run equally well on Windows, Linux, XBox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Playstation, etc.
