platform

From IndieWeb


A platform in the context of software/services is a collection of related APIs/protocols/formats that can be used to build sites/apps, and sometimes misleadingly used to refer to apps themselves, or suites of apps, to exaggerate their sense of importance, value, or impact.

OS Examples

Operating systems are platforms.

Not platforms

apps are not platforms. Sometimes suites of apps are called a "platform" to exaggerate their sense of importance or as a form of superlative marketing/consultant-speak, when really they're just tools. E.g. "Communication platforms and software can be indispensable".

Then again, sometimes it's just the best word to use under certain cicrumstances: Always Own Your Platform

Online meeting platforms

Online meeting "platforms" are not platforms, they are just a certain kind of app, or sometimes suites of apps that themselves often run on different platforms.

See:

See Also