Orphaned technology

An Intel iAPX 432 processor, abandoned due to performance issues

Orphaned technology refers to computer technologies that have been abandoned by their original developers. The concept is not to be confused with deprecation, a gradual shift to newer technology; orphaned technology is usually abandoned abruptly or without a direct replacement. Unlike abandonware, orphaned technology refers to software, hardware, and the practices around them.

Users of orphaned technologies must often choose between continuing to use the technology, which may become less maintainable over time, or switch to supported technologies, possibly losing capabilities unique to the orphaned technology.

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.