In plain English
It means there is a mismatch between what the software requires and what the other program, operating system, device, or file format supports. Because they do not share the needed standards or features, they cannot work correctly together.
In context
Here, "Incompatible" reports that the system cannot work correctly with the application because the two do not support the same required standards or features.
- Situation
- Installing, updating, licensing, and checking compatibility for applications
- What it communicates
- reports that the system does not meet the app's compatibility conditions
Meaning limits
By itself, the term does not say which required standard or feature is missing.
Examples
“The video editor is incompatible with that camera because it cannot read the format the camera records in.”
“When the application starts, the system reports it as incompatible with the installed operating system.”