Editing Computing platform (section)

==Components==
Platforms may also include:

* Hardware alone, in the case of small [[embedded system]]s. Embedded systems can access hardware directly, without an OS; this is referred to as running on "[[bare metal (computing)|bare metal]]".
* [[Device driver]]s and [[firmware]].
* A [[Web browser|browser]] in the case of web-based software. The browser itself runs on a hardware+OS platform, but this is not relevant to software running within the browser.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drdobbs.com/web-development/googles-redefinition-of-the-browser-as-p/240003086?itc=edit_stub|title=Google's Redefinition of the Browser As Platform|author=Andrew Binstock|date=July 2, 2012|website=[[Dr. Dobbs]]}}</ref>
* An application, such as a spreadsheet or word processor, which hosts software written in an application-specific [[scripting language]], such as an [[Excel macro]]. This can be extended to writing fully-fledged applications with the [[Microsoft Office]] suite as a platform.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb906062.aspx|title=Microsoft Office as a Platform for Software + Services|author1=Chip Wilson|author2=Alan Josephson|website=[[Microsoft Developer Network]]}}</ref>
* [[Software framework]]s that provide ready-made functionality.
* [[Cloud computing]] and [[Platform as a Service]]. Extending the idea of a software framework, these allow application developers to build software out of components that are hosted not by the developer, but by the provider, with internet communication linking them together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interoute.com/what-paas|title=What Is PAAS?|website=[[Interoute]]|access-date=2014-01-28|archive-date=2015-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022043235/http://www.interoute.com/what-paas|url-status=dead}}</ref> The social networking sites [[Twitter]] and [[Facebook]] are also considered development platforms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dev.twitter.com/|title=Twitter Development Platform - Twitter Developers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/notes/2207512130|title=Facebook Development Platform Launches...|website=[[Facebook]]|date=August 15, 2006}}</ref>
* A [[application virtual machine]] (VM) such as the [[Java virtual machine]] or [[Common Language Runtime|.NET CLR]]. Applications are compiled into a format similar to machine code, known as [[bytecode]], which is then executed by the VM.
* A [[virtualization|virtualized]] version of a complete system, including virtualized hardware, OS, software, and storage. These allow, for instance, a typical Windows program to run on what is physically a Mac.

Some architectures have multiple layers, with each layer acting as a platform for the one above it. In general, a component only has to be adapted to the layer immediately beneath it. For instance, a Java program has to be written to use the Java virtual machine (JVM) and associated libraries as a platform but does not have to be adapted to run on the Windows, Linux or Macintosh OS platforms. However, the JVM, the layer beneath the application, does have to be built separately for each OS.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17101796/platform-independence-in-javas-byte-code|title=Platform independence in Java's Byte Code|website=Stack Overflow}}</ref>