os-dependentcode

noun

UK /ˌəʊˈes dɪˈpendənt kəʊd/

US /ˌoʊˈes dɪˈpendənt koʊd/

Code that only works on one kind of computer system.

The game crashed on my laptop because it uses OS-dependent code written for Windows.

SYNONYMS

platform-specific code system-specific code non-portable code OS-specific code

RELATED WORDS

operating system portability compatibility software library cross-platform

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A section of a program that must be rewritten for each operating system.

The developer isolated the OS-dependent code so the rest could be shared.

3. Instructions that rely on features unique to one operating system.

File path handling is often OS-dependent code.

4. A part of software that behaves differently depending on the system it runs on.

They flagged the OS-dependent code during the code review.