Porting existing software to new target platforms is one of the most tricky, as well as stretching tasks in software engineering.
A clean porting process is not just about adapting the software for a new target platform once, but also an exhausting cleanup and refactoring of the existing code, including abstraction/encapsulation of all system calls and other platform specific properties. Optimally, the end product will be portable over a wide range of platforms.
This way, a clean porting process not just adds support for another target platform, but moves the code beyond the limits of the platform the software originally was developed for. After this point, we can call it "portable software".
Why porting software / portable programming ?
- Enter new target platforms and so new markets
- Consequently move beyond the limits of a single target platform
- Good preparation for future changes in the target platforms (eg. think of the massive API changes on Win32 platforms in recent years)
- Clean abstraction and separation of platform specific code from the core application, and so easier long-term maintenability
- More choices on underlying platform for individual installations
