Glossary Entry: Compatibility Mode

Software is often designed for a specific version of an operating system. Newer versions of that operating system may have changed some important behavior the software requires, and to keep older programs running smoothly the operating system can try to behave like the older version. This change in behavior is called a compatibility mode, as it's a different mode that tries to be compatible with previous designs.

Unfortunately, this doesn't always work, and switching into the compatibility mode may cause other running programs to malfunction.

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