Compatibility

1. The capacity of two or more entities or components to combine together, remain together, or function together, without undesirable aftereffects.

2. Two systems may be quite satisfactory when functioning independently, but may have completely different, and not necessarily favourable characteristics, when they function in tandem or interactively.

3. Systems may be compatible in some respects and incompatible in others, depending on the purposes for which they are introduced as well as environmental factors. A system may become incompatible with its environment, if some feature of the environment is changed.