What is interoperability, really?

By _EETimes - Collaborative Advantage (Si2 - Steve Schulz)

January 31, 2013

When industry leaders collaborate to create a standard, the reason always cited is “interoperability”.  Yet do we really understand what is meant by this seemingly simple term?  Because there is sometimes confusion about the nuances of this concept, let’s explore its meaning in greater depth.
 
The first point is to be precise what must interoperate at the outset.  Tool-to-tool interfaces are most often assumed, numerous library-to-tool interfaces are essential, and user-to-tool interfaces are also very popular (such as with any design language).  Sometimes, a request for tool-to-tool interoperability also requires specifying an associated library-to-tool standard for the interoperability benefits to be realized – this should be clearly understood up front

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