COURSE TITLE: IT FUNDAMENTALS

PAPER CODE: CIT 4102

LECTURER: MASESE CHUMA-BBIT,MATILDA SANGA-BSIT

TOPIC: SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE PLATFORMS

CHAPTER: ONE

CLASS: BTIT Y1S2/ BSIT Y1S2

INTRODUCTION
• A platform is a product that serves or enables other products or services.
Platforms (in the context of digital business) exist at many levels. A technology
platform is the foundation for building and running business applications. The
platform allows users to run their applications smoothly without worrying about
the technology that supports them.
• Presently, the most distinguishing difference between software and platforms
is the fact that software is a stand-alone product that may integrate with other
software or platforms; platforms, on the other hand, host applications and
provide resources (APIs, services, etc.) An example of a computing platform
is a modern laptop running Windows as an operating system. Another example
would be an Apple computer running the Mac OS X operating system.
• An online platform is a digital service that uses the Internet to facilitate
interactions between two or more separate but interdependent users (whether
they are companies or private individuals). Platforms are places where demand
and supply meet electronically.
• Platforms can play a significant role in accelerating learning through things like
providing more real-time feedback loops, where system participants can see
what results their current actions are producing and reflect and adjust and
refine based on real-time feedback.

Difference between Hardware and Computer Platform

1. Hardware: Hardware, as the name suggests, is simply a type of software system
consisting of physical components that make the computer run and consists of
interconnected electronic devices that one can use to control operations, input, and
output of the computer. Example: CPU, Motherboard.
2. Computer Platform: Computer Platform, as the name suggests, is simply
computer hardware or software architecture that acts as the foundation of a computer
system and is considered as a group of technologies upon which other technologies
are developed.
Example:
• A Desktop or Laptop with Windows as its operating system (Desktop is hardware
and Windows is an Operating System)
• An Apple computer running the Mac OS X operating system

Difference between Hardware and Computer Platform:

S.
No. Parameters Hardware Computer Platform

Computer Hardware is the physical part of the A computer platform is computer hardware
1. Definition computer. or software architecture.

It is used to take input, store data, display It is used to host any technology on which
2. Usage output, and execute commands. other technologies are built.

Features of hardware include functionality, Features of computer platforms include

3. Features portability, efficiency, user documentation, etc. functionality, abstraction, architecture, etc.

Benefits of software include increase employee

morale, improve customer service, developing Benefits of computer platform include cost-
more effective communication, increase staff effective development, reduce pressure on
4. Benefits productivity, etc. internal resources, future-proofing, etc.
 S.
No. Parameters Hardware Computer Platform

Hardware is a physical component that a The platform provides a set of capabilities

5. Functionality computer system needs to function. one can use when writing software.

Type of hardware includes input devices, Type of Computer platform includes third
processing devices, output devices, memory platform, mobile platform, cloud platform,
6. Types storage devices, etc. hardware platform, etc.

Its main purpose is to provide a digital

Main Its main purpose is capture data, transform it platform on which other technologies are
7. purpose and present it to users as output. developed.

It consists of hardware resources such as

processor, main memory, timers, etc., and
It consists of physical parts of a computer such operating system that an application,
8. Consists of as CPU, Motherboard, input, Memory, etc. program, and process runs upon.

The Platform Evolution

Computer technology has gone through five generations of development, with
each generation lasting from 10 to 20 years. Successive generations are
overlapped in about 10 years. For instance, from 1950 to 1970, a handful of
mainframes, including the IBM 360 and CDC 6400, were built to satisfy the
demands of large businesses and government organizations.
From 1960 to 1980, lower-cost mini- computers such as the DEC PDP 11 and
VAX Series became popular among small businesses and on college campuses.
From 1970 to 1990, we saw widespread use of personal computers built with
VLSI microprocessors. From 1980 to 2000, massive numbers of portable
computers and pervasive devices appeared in both wired and wireless
applications. Since 1990, the use of both HPC and HTC systems hidden in.

High-Performance Computing
 For many years, HPC systems emphasize the raw speed performance. The
speed of HPC systems has increased from Gflops in the early 1990s to now
Pflops in 2010. This improvement was driven mainly by the demands from
scientific, engineering, and manufacturing communities.
For example, the Top 500 most powerful computer systems in the world are
measured by floating-point speed in Linpack benchmark results. However, the
number of supercomputer users is limited to less than 10% of all computer
users.

Today, the majority of computer users are using desktop computers or large
servers when they conduct Internet searches and market-driven computing
tasks.

High-Throughput Computing
The development of market-oriented high-end computing systems is
undergoing a strategic change from an HPC paradigm to an HTC paradigm.
This HTC paradigm pays more attention to high-flux computing.

The main application for high-flux computing is in Internet searches and web
services by millions or more users simultaneously. The performance goal thus
shifts to measure high throughput or the number of tasks completed per unit
of time. HTC technology needs to not only improve in terms of batch processing
speed, but also address the acute problems of cost, energy savings, security,
and reliability at many data and enterprise computing centers. This book will
address both HPC and HTC systems to meet the demands of all computer
users.
Computing Paradigm Distinctions
. The high-technology community has argued for many years about the precise
definitions of centralized computing, parallel computing, distributed
computing, and cloud computing. In general, distributed computing is the
opposite of centralized computing. The field of parallel computing overlaps with
distributed computing to a great extent, and cloud computing overlaps with
distributed, centralized, and parallel computing. The following list defines these
terms more clearly; their architectural and operational differences are
discussed further in subsequent chapters.
Centralized computing. This is a computing paradigm by which all computer
resources are centralized in one physical system. All resources (processors,
memory, and storage) are fully shared and tightly coupled within one
integrated OS. Many data centers and supercomputers are centralized
systems, but they are used in parallel, distributed, and cloud computing
applications

Parallel computing -In parallel computing, all processors are either tightly
coupled with centralized shared memory or loosely coupled with distributed
memory. Some authors refer to this discipline as parallel processing. Inter-
process communication is accomplished through shared memory or via
message passing. A computer system capable of parallel computing is
commonly known as a parallel computer. Programs running in a parallel
computer are called parallel programs. The process of writing parallel
programs is often referred to as parallel programming.

Distributed computing -This is a field of computer science/engineering that

studies distributed systems. A distributed system consists of multiple
autonomous computers, each having its own private memory, communicating
through a computer network. Information exchange in a distributed system is
accomplished through message passing. A computer program that runs in a
distributed system is known as a distributed program. The process of writing
distributed programs is referred to as distributed programming.
Cloud computing- An Internet cloud of resources can be either a centralized
or a distributed computing system. The cloud applies
What are software platforms?

Software platforms are digital products that make technology work, and they
generally fall into two categories: applications and operating systems. A software
platform is usually an operating system that runs a device, such as your laptop or
your phone. For example, the operating system of your cell phone is the platform on
which third-party developers build apps that you can use on the phone.

Some software applications effectively operate as platforms. The programming

language Java, for example, is a software application that you can download to a
device and run applications with. Regardless of the type of software, platforms are
the foundation on which developers create products for consumer use.

Types of software platforms

Here is a list of software platforms and how they function:

1. Technology platforms

A technology platform is not user-facing. Instead, it's the foundation upon which a
user-facing company builds its product. For instance, two different video-streaming
services might use the same technology platform, but their interfaces would look
different to users, since they're interacting with company-specific interfaces rather
than the underlying software.

2. Operational platforms

An operational platform is both a user interface and the underlying platform a device
uses. For example, regardless of the brand and model, your smartphone uses an
operational platform. The operational software on your cell phone allows third-party
app developers to create products that run on it. Other devices, such as tablets,
smart TVs or computers, also use operational platforms.

3. Service platforms
A service platform usually involves a website or other digital product that offers users
something for free. The platform's goal is to use the free service to get a large enough
audience that the platform appeals to advertisers. A search engine is one example of
a service platform. Users use the search engine to find things on the internet and
eventually, the platform begins monetizing the audience through advertising.

Another example of a service platform might be a website that caters to the travel
industry. Users can use the site to find affordable flights, look up hotels, explore
potential tourist activities and plan a trip. The service is free, and the value to the
platform comes when a higher number of users earns the site higher advertising
rates.

4. Video games

Each model of gaming console has its own software platform, for which third-party
developers build games specific to that software. Releasing a new generation of
gaming console requires updating the hardware that programmers use to create
games, and the software that acts as the foundation for the games also changes.
Like other platforms, gaming console software can update and add new features,
correct errors or address security concerns.

5. Engagement platforms

These are platforms focused on user engagement and interaction with other users.
An engagement platform often is free to use and includes social media sites, which
allow users to post content and interact with other users. User identity is an essential
component to these sites because it allows users to create a persona or be
themselves, choose a username and add personal information. After creating an
account, users can post content, share others' content and contact other users. Types
of user accounts include organizations, businesses, real people and fictitious people.

The platform then uses algorithms to track user behavior and serve content to them
based on their interests and interactions. Engaging and retaining users allows the
platform to profit from its services through advertising.
6. Digital marketplaces

A digital marketplace focuses on facilitating e-commerce by connecting users in

search of goods with people or organizations in search of potential buyers. Digital
marketplaces include categories like real estate, retail goods, auctions, investor
fundraising and vacation property rental. A digital marketplace platform has elements
of a search engine, as people on the site search for specific items. It also allows for
a level of user engagement, since the platform often allows users to post and respond
to information, such as reviews.

7. Consumer demand platforms

This type of software application acts as its own platform, often as a downloadable
app. Ride-sharing services, grocery delivery services and on-demand consumer
services are common examples of this type of platform. Consumer demand platforms
usually have a payment system, a way to track the status of the consumer's request
and a way to rate the service received. The platforms typically focus on a specific
area, such as ride-sharing, unlike a digital marketplace that might provide a wide
selection of e-commerce options.

8. Content platforms

Content platforms sometimes allow the uploading and sharing of video or allow users
to stream video games. The platforms focus on empowering users to create and share
their content with others. Often the platforms have a revenue-sharing relationship
with content creators. As content creators get views on their content, the platform
allows for the appearance of automated ads. The platform and the content creator
split revenue generated by the ads through a rate based on views or clicks.

9. Data harvesting platforms

A data harvesting platform gathers information from around the web. Often, this
involves programming that allows the data harvester to crawl websites and collect
data. Some data harvester platforms gather data through their platform, such as
mapping services that harvest location data. To join the platform, users allow the use
of their data, allowing the user to get the service while the platform gets more data
that helps deliver that service

Types of Software Platforms

Platform is hardware and software architecture that acts as foundation or base upon
which other applications, processes, or technologies are developed. In computing,
platform refers to basic hardware i.e., computer system and software i.e., operating
system on which software applications are often run. An application also can serve
as platform if it’s base for other programs. For instance, the web browsers that we
use in our day to day life accept few third-party plugins, and hence browser
application becomes platform for interfacing.

Types of Software

In recent times, almost every software enterprise builds some quite ‘platform’. Yet
all platforms that are created aren’t same. Facebook, Amazon Web Services, Amazon
Marketplace, Google Search, Android, Uber are all platforms, but at same time, these
platforms are very different in how they create network effects, kind of interactions
they allow, approaches they follow, strategies and other methods.
Now let us discuss the various types of platforms. They are :

1. Utility Platforms :
 Google Search, Bing, Kayak, Skyscanner are some examples of Utility Platforms.
Utility Platforms attract their users by providing useful and also usually free
service. Once there’s certain mass of users using service, platform opens to
second sort of participants, like advertisers in case of Google Search, airlines in
case of Kayak or Skyscanner. There is no network effect within useful service
itself. Users attract businesses, but businesses on platform don’t necessarily
attract users. We attend Google Search trying to find information, to not see ads.
2. Content Distribution Platforms :
Google AdSense, PropellerAds, and Millennial Media are samples of Content
Distribution Platforms. Such platforms connect owners with content who are
wishing to deliver content (or ads) to users. More content available on platform,
more attractive platform becomes. User reach and accuracy of content matching
are two most important aspects of this platform.
3. Data Harvesting Platforms :

Google Maps, Waze, Salesforce, OpenSignal, and InsideSales are some examples
of Data Harvesting Platforms. These platforms offer useful services to users and
generate data through usage of platform services. Data collected from all users
of platform is fed back to service, thus making it more useful for users. Network
effect on these platforms is connoted on data instead of users. Usage of platform
service generates data, which in turn makes platform more valuable for users,
which attracts more users, whose usage generates more data, and so on.
4. Interaction Networks :

Facebook, WeChat, Telegram, Ello, and Bitcoin are some examples of Interaction
Networks. These sorts of platforms facilitate interactions between specific
participants (people and/or businesses). Digital interactions can be in form of
message, voice call, image, or money transfer. Foundational characteristic of
Interaction Networks is identity. All interactions on platform are ground to specific
accounts. Users join platform to interact with other users, and thus first network
 effect is between users of platform. Users attract users, who attract more users.
Thus, platform may be one-sided platform connecting participants of similar kind.

5. Technology Platforms :

Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are some examples of Technology
Platforms. Technology Platforms provide building blocks or services that are
reused during sizable amount of products. Technology Platforms are not two-sided
markets. Technology Platforms generate revenue by selling their services to
developers and are typically invisible to top-level users (end users). For instance,
while OTT’s like Netflix and Amazon Prime run its video streaming services on top
of Amazon Web Services platform (AWS), top-level users interact solely with
Netflix and Amazon Prime. In this type of platform, there are no implicit network
effects. These platforms grow with favorable reception by developers and do not
rely on interaction between demand side and supply side. As a result, Technology
Platforms are much easier to launch than multi-sided or peer-to-peer platforms.
6. Marketplaces :
Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, Kickstarter, or UpWork are some examples of
Marketplaces. These are two-sided platforms connecting supply with demand.
Marketplaces enable transactions between demand-side participants i.e., buyers,
and supply-side participants i.e., sellers. In these platforms, prices of products
and offered services are set by sellers. Network effect in Marketplaces is
between demand-side participants and supply-side participants. Sellers attract
buyers with exciting offers, who in turn attract more sellers, and so on. Identity
plays secondary role in this platform. Buyers search for selected product or
service but not for selected seller. Products or services are offered by multiple
sellers who compete on price, reputation etc.
7. On-demand Service Platforms :
Uber, DoorDash, Go-Mart, and Doz are samples of On-demand Service
Platforms. These types of platforms offer end-to-end services to be fulfilled by
group of independent service providers or contractors. On-demand Service
Platforms incorporate processes of search, order, payment, fulfillment, and
 confirmation of service under one roof. Price, quality standards, and fulfillment
processes are set and managed by platform. User or buyer usually has less
freedom, in selecting how service will be delivered and by whom.
8. Computing Platforms

Apple iOS, Google Android are some examples of computing platforms. Computing
Platforms render interactions between platform users and third-party developers.
In Computing Platforms, connection between users and developers is established
through an app store/marketplace. These platforms tend to develop strong bi-
directional network effects once platform reaches certain mass of users. Users
attract developers, developers make apps, apps attract users, and users attract
developers, and so on.
9. Content Crowdsourcing Platforms :
YouTube, Crackle, Twitch, and Yelp are some examples of Content Crowdsourcing
Platforms. These types of platforms collect content from users in form of videos,
blog posts, reviews, etc, and share this content with wide range of users. In
Content Crowdsourcing Platforms users interact with platform and interaction is
ground to content. Network effect is observed between content contributors i.e.,
creators, and content consumers i.e., viewers of platform. If more content is
available on platforms, more content consumers will join platform making it more
valuable for content contributors, who in turn generate more content.
Apart from the above Platforms, there are also eight types of Software Platforms.

Other Types of Software Platforms

What is a software platform?

A software enviroment that is used to write applications and run them. It includes
software tools such as GUI builders, compilers, class libraries and utilities for
developing the applications, as well as a runtime engine for executing the
applications, because they are not able to run on their own.

Sun's Java and Microsoft's .NET Framework are examples of major software
platforms. See Java EE, .NET Framework, application platform and platform.

A platform can be anything. One of the earliest examples of a platform is the

automobile platform. The auto industry builds core components on a common
assembly line. Exterior and interior features differentiate the final, consumable
solution. The benefit is cost savings due to economies of scale.

What makes a good software platform?

It depends but here are some of the features that make a good platform in my
opinion. It is good to be:
1. Open-source
2. Low-code
3. Stand art based
4. Cloud-based
5. To have customized features
6. To be flexible
7. To be secure

What is the purpose of a software platform?

A software platform is usually an operating system that runs a device, such as

your laptop or your phone. For example, the operating system of your cell phone is
 the platform on which third-party developers build apps that you can use on the
phone. Some software applications effectively operate as platforms
What is the importance of platform technology?

Building and running business applications are built on a technology platform. Users
can run their applications smoothly on the platform without worrying about the
technology supporting them. Additionally, it enables technical staff to quickly extend,
improve, or upgrade application software, accelerating business.

What are the components of a software platform?

Platform software and platform management components:

• Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) Hardware provisioning. Resource Managers -

monitoring hardware elements, reporting to Platform Manager.

• Platform utilities.

• Platform Manager. System management. System monitoring. ...

• RAS/Diagnostics. Common Logging. Service Procedure support.

What are the characteristics of a platform?

Three Key Characteristics of Digital Platforms

• Comprehensive Customer Journey Capabilities. The first key characteristic of a digital

platform is comprehensiveness. ...

• Broad Integrative Functionality. ...

• Frameworks Built to Encompass Future Innovation

What is an Open Platform and Closed Platform?

In the world of software computing, an Open Platform is a software program that has
provision for:
 • open application programming interfaces (API),

• flexible scope to use the software for purposes other than as it was intended,

• open source code that can be edited by users to tailor it to their needs,

• free adoptability - usage without going through official channels, or

• adaptability - editing functionality of specific features.

Incorporating any of the five factors stated above, makes a software program an
Open Platform. Software that does not have any such provisions are called Closed
Platforms.

How Does an Open and Closed Platform Work?

While all Open Source platforms are Open Platforms, not all Open Platforms are Open
Source. For example, Fission is an Open Source platform that allows users to write
short duration functions in a programming language of their choice.

An Open Platform can be made up of components that are open as well as closed.
For example, Microsoft Windows has an Open API, and unlimited scope flexibility, yet
its source code is Closed and proprietary.

An Open Platform vendor allows for certain components of its software to be edited,
modified, and adapted to different functionalities. This allows for innovative use of
software applications - the kind not envisioned by the developer yet arrived at by the
users.

Open standards that are publicly available is the way to offer nonproprietary
components within an Open Platform. These are software’s that allow public access
to the building blocks of applications.

While most Operating System platforms in the recent past have been Closed, plenty
of mobile OS platforms still remain Open A lot of OS have App Stores that allow
installation of external applications. This is also called sideloading.
 OS platforms that do not allow such installations are protected by DMCA regulations
and jailbreaking such platforms to install external apps is considered illegal. With the
exception of mobile devices, jailbreaking is a crime on most devices with limited
scope and Closed Platforms.

Windows: An Open and a Closed Platform

Microsoft Windows happens to be a unique case of an Open as well as a Closed

Platform. While users are free to install any and all software applications on a
Windows desktop on an intel device, without any negative repercussions, the same
cannot be said of Windows on ARM. Windows RT, as it is known is the same software
but a closed platform with limited installation permissions. Only products developed
by Microsoft can be installed on these devices.

Apple Mac OS X: Open Platform

While the Mac OS X by Apple exercises a lot of restrictions on the App Store,
developers are allowed to distribute apps by side-stepping the App Store. Unlike the
iOS, Mac OS allows app installations outside of the App Store, users are not restricted
in downloading software’s from external platforms.

Platform technologies important in the field of information technology

because of the following reasons:

• Building and running business applications are built on a technology platform. Users
can run their applications smoothly on the platform without worrying about
the technology supporting them.
• Additionally, it enables technical staff to quickly extend, improve, or upgrade
application software, accelerating business.
• Analytics, database and data management, tools for application development and
extension, integration, and intelligent technologies like artificial intelligence (AI),
machine learning, and the Internet of Things are typically included in a modern
technology platform (IoT).
• These fundamental elements, or "building blocks," support innovation and
business expansion.

What are the benefits of a Digital Platform?

Embarking on building a Digital Platform can be a rewarding experience for your

organization. It will mean you can benefit from faster innovation, higher quality (with
improved reliability), reduced costs, and happy people. But it’s no small undertaking.

So, before embarking on a project, it’s important to understand the benefits and
assess whether they align with your digital strategy. Here we attempt to unpack and
understand the main benefits of a Digital Platform, to help you come to a better
understanding of whether it is right for you.

There are many benefits, so we have broken them down into the following
sections.

A Digital Platform allows faster innovation

• Faster time to launch. Automating and abstracting cloud setup and simplifying
governance processes means a new Digital Service can be launched to
customers within days.
• Frequent updates. Creating an optimal deployment pipeline allows customer
experiments in a Digital Service to be updated on at least a daily basis.
• Increased focus on business problems. Institutionalizing new policies that
cross-cut departments means uncoordinated and/or duplicated processes can
be eliminated, and people can focus on higher-value work.
• More business model opportunities. Friction-free, rapid launches of Digital
Services allow an organization to separate its differentiating business functions
from utilities and to quickly trial different business models in new
marketplaces.

It invariably provides a higher quality solution

 • Fewer environmental issues. Automating configuration and infrastructure
lowers the potential for environment-specific problems.
• More deterministic test results. Centralizing automated test executors reduces
opportunities for nondeterminism in test suites.
• Faster rollback. Creating an effective rollback system with health checks means
deployment failures can be fixed quickly.

You will benefit from increased reliability

• More operable services. Providing logging, monitoring, and alerting out of the
box increases the operability of Digital Services, and helps users to quickly
discern abnormal operating conditions.
• Graceful degradation. Implementing circuit breakers and bulkheads on the
wire for third-party systems allows Digital Services to gracefully degrade on
failure.
• Improved business continuity. Automating the entire platform infrastructure in
the cloud creates new business continuity options.

Improved ways of working

• Policy experimentation. Cutting across departments means new policies can

be forged in inceptions, Chaos Day testing, secure delivery, and more.
• Drive new practices. Creating enabling constraints in user journeys can drive
the adoption of new practices, such as restricting shared libraries to encourage
decoupled domains for Digital Services.
• Simpler processes. Establishing meaningful Service Level Objectives with an
automated alerting toolchain can make You Build It You Run It production
support easier to set up.

Take advantage of the most advanced technology

• Use the best available technologies. Standardizing cloud building blocks means
the best available technology stack can be provided to Digital Service teams.
 • Traffic optimizations. Surfacing self-service, elastic infrastructure means
Digital Service teams can easily optimize for fluctuating traffic patterns without
significant costs.
• Zero downtime updates. Consolidating service runtimes means functional
updates can be continually applied with zero downtime for Digital Services.

Benefitting from reduced costs

• Economies of scale. Centralizing the Digital Service lifecycle means economies

of scale can be achieved, as more Digital Service teams can be added without
incurring repeat buy/build costs.
• Easier cost management. Centralizing self-service touchpoints for automated
infrastructure allows infrastructure costs to be visualized and closely
managed.
• Positioning security specialists in the Digital Platform teams means security
threats can be more easily identified and Digital Services can quickly receive
security updates.

Ultimately you will have happier, more productive people

• Lower cognitive load. Abstracting away the Digital Service lifecycle reduces
your staff’s cognitive load, reducing lead times to less than 24 hours for a new
joiner, a mover between teams, a leaver, or a new Digital Service team.
• Easier to identify talent needs. Splitting business domains into Digital Services
helps to highlight which domains are true business differentiators and require
the most talented engineers.
• Increased talent attractors. Using the latest cloud technology on Digital
Platform and Digital Service teams will encourage talented engineers to join
your organization.
• More recruitment options. Concentrating specialist skills in Digital Platform
teams means recruitment efforts for Digital Service teams can focus on
onshore/offshore developers, testers, etc. without requiring more costly,
specialized cloud skills.
What are the main types of computer hardware platforms?

The computer platform is a system that includes a hardware system and an operating
system. The hardware system includes a processor, memory and storage. Platforms
are classified by three types (Personal Computers, Minicomputers, and
Mainframe computers) based on size and capabilities of the platform.
What are the different types of hardware platforms?

Hardware platforms can be entire systems (i.e. computing devices) such

as mainframes, workstations, desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and
more
What is a platform between hardware and software?

A computing platform or digital platform is an environment in which a piece of

software is executed. It may be the hardware or the operating system (OS), even
a web browser and associated application programming interfaces, or other
underlying software, as long as the program code is executed with it.
What are the three types of platform?

The good news is that any of the three forms of platforms—aggregation, social,
and mobilization—have the potential to evolve into learning platforms.

What platform has more users?

Facebook

List of social platforms with at least 100 million active users

No. Name Monthly active

users

1. Facebook 2.96 billion

2. YouTube 2.291 billion

3. WhatsApp 2 billion
4. Messenger 1.3 billion

What 4 social platform can be used?

The largest social media networks include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

YouTube, and TikTok. Social media typically features user-generated content and
personalized profiles.

A computing platform or digital platform is an environment in which a piece

of software is executed. It may be the hardware or the operating system (OS), even
a web browser and associated application programming interfaces, or other
underlying software, as long as the program code is executed with it. Computing
platforms have different abstraction levels, including a computer architecture, an OS,
or runtime libraries. A computing platform is the stage on which computer programs
can run.

A platform can be seen both as a constraint on the software development process, in

that different platforms provide different functionality and restrictions; and as an
assistant to the development process, in that they provide low-level functionality
ready-made. For example, an OS may be a platform that abstracts the underlying
differences in hardware and provides a generic command for saving files or accessing
the network.

Platforms may also include:

• Hardware alone, in the case of small embedded systems. Embedded systems can
access hardware directly, without an OS; this is referred to as running on "bare
metal".
• A browser in the case of web-based software. The browser itself runs on a
hardware+OS platform, but this is not relevant to software running within the
browser.
• An application, such as a spreadsheet or word processor, which hosts software
written in an application-specific scripting language, such as an Excel macro. This
can be extended to writing fully-fledged applications with the Microsoft
Office suite as a platform.
• Software frameworks that provide ready-made functionality.
• Cloud computing and Platform as a Service. Extending the idea of a software
framework, these allow application developers to build software out of
components that are hosted not by the developer, but by the provider, with
internet communication linking them together. The social networking
sites Twitter and Facebook are also considered development platforms.
• A virtual machine (VM) such as the Java virtual machine or .NET CLR.
Applications are compiled into a format similar to machine code, known
as bytecode, which is then executed by the VM.
• A virtualized version of a complete system, including virtualized hardware, OS,
software, and storage. These allow, for instance, a typical Windows program to
run on what is physically a Mac.

Some architectures have multiple layers, with each layer acting as a platform to the
one above it. In general, a component only has to be adapted to the layer
immediately beneath it. For instance, a Java program has to be written to use the
Java virtual machine (JVM) and associated libraries as a platform but does not have
to be adapted to run for the Windows, Linux or Macintosh OS platforms. However,
the JVM, the layer beneath the application, does have to be built separately for each
OS.

Software examples

• Java
o Java ME
o Java SE
o Java EE
o JavaFX
o JavaFX Mobile
Hardware examples

ARM architecture-based devices

IBM PC compatible systems

IBM z/Architecture mainframes

Video game consoles, any variety (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo)

Supercomputer architectures